I got a kick out of a comment in this PC World/Washington Post review of the HP tx2 Tablet PC. The review, which was relatively positive for this multi-touch capable Tablet PC that also sports handwriting recognition, does make an interesting point about the size and weight of the tx2:
“While the 12.1-inch screen makes the tx2 a perfect candidate for ultraportable status, the total package also packs on the weight. Tipping the scales at 4.3 pounds, it’s a bit too bulky and falls in with all-purpose laptops.”
The article makes a point I’ve been getting at for awhile now: That Tablet PCs have gotten too big, too much like ordinary notebooks, to the point, in fact, that they are essentially….well, uh,….just regular notebooks.
If Tablet PCs were technology leading today–as I think they were in the early days–they’d be both focusing on lighter and thinner devices as well as bigger ones (whiteboards, projector systems, etc).
For the mass market, the smaller devices would be favored I bet–something under 2 pounds with an N270 Atom processor and thin, thin, thin. The size of the display probably doesn’t matter as long as it works indoors and out reasonably well and works well with touch and pen input. Yes, it’s a tall order, but it’s an incremental move in the right direction.