Wednesday 8 February 2023

Theory -51 :- Tablet and its Main Components

A tablet is a wireless, portable personal computer with a touch screen interface. The tablet form factor is typically smaller than a notebook computer but larger than a Smartphone.

A notebook computer with an LCD touch-screen that can be used with a stylus to digitize handwriting. Tablet PC's use digital ink technology.



A tablet personal computer (PC) is a cross between a laptop or notebook computer and a personal digital assistant (PDA). It's essentially a flat-panel portable computer. The user either taps on the screen with his or her finger or with a stylus, or he or she uses a stylus to write on the screen. A tablet PC can wirelessly connect to the Internet and other computers. The term "tablet PC" originally referred to a specific brand or tablets that were compatible with certain operating systems, but any tablet-sized computer has come to be referred to in some instances as a tablet PC.

The main feature of a tablet computer is portability. These devices typically are about the size of a thin book — roughly 7 to 8 inches (17.8 to 20.3 cm) wide by 9 to 10 inches (22.9 to 25.4 cm) tall and about 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) thick or less, although some might be slightly larger or smaller. They usually weigh less than 2 or 3 pounds (0.9 or 1.36 kg). Their size makes them convenient for businesspeople, students and just about anyone else to take with them in whatever they use to carry their belongings, such as a briefcase, backpack or purse. 

Some tablet PCs come with detachable keyboards that allow them to function like laptop computers. Others have separate keyboards that are accessory items, rather than part of the normal device. There are even models that have the clam shell design of a typical laptop, with a literal twist — the screen can rotate 180 degrees and can be closed with the screen-side up so that the tablet PC can continue to be used without the keyboard.

A tablet PC can be used for many purposes, including business, education and entertainment. Many of these devices use the same operating systems as desktop or laptop computers and can be connected to them for things such as managing content and transferring files. Some tablet computers allow their users to download special applications that work only on specific brands or types of devices. Most are able to connect to the Internet using wireless technology, and some are able to do so through cellular phone communication technology, thereby giving their users Internet access in a much wider area.

 

A tablet PC is manufactured by assembling multiple hardware components. Many of the components are same as those you find in a regular desktop computer or laptop. Other distinguishing components are mentioned below:

  • Touch Screen Controller
  • Stylus
  • Accelerator meter
  • Gyroscope
  • Graphics Processor
  • Wi-Fi, GSM, LTE, CDMA Network
  • Rechargeable Battery 
  • GPS System

Unlike regular computers, the key usage of tablet PC is ease of convenience while on the move. That is, mobility becomes an important factor while choosing or purchasing a tablet PC.

Almost all tablet PCs come with touch screen enabled display. This makes it easy for an end-user to conveniently interact with the tablet. Many manufacturers also provide a stylus, which is a touch tool for interaction with touch screens. Every touch screen has a gesture or touch controller microchip which helps detect and process the touch interactions from the end-user.

Accelerator meter is a component that helps determine motions and movements in a tablet PC. This feature is widely used while playing games and in entertainment apps. Gyroscope is another such component which determines the orientation of a tablet display. That is, the display layout can change according to how you hold a tablet PC – vertically or horizontally.

Graphics processor helps run graphic-intensive apps and games. It renders high definition pixels on the display.

Network connectivity comes into picture when you talk of mobility. A user should be able to connect to the Internet via different types of networks depending on its availability. Wi-FI, GSM, LTE, CDMA and others are types of network connectivity.

Tablet PCs can be plugged into a power source or can also run on recharged battery. This feature particularly helps in using it while on the move.

GPS system helps you determine your location on apps like Google Maps. It is also used in apps that help navigate through cities and countries.

There are several types of Tablet PCs and various models have different functions in order to fulfill the needs of different types of computer users. For instance, a businessman who uses a tablet PC may be interested in different functions and accessibility than someone who just wants a computer that they can use in bed. Tablet PCs include “booklet”, “slate”, “convertible”, and “hybrid” models. As technology gets better over the next year or so, there will undoubtedly be even more models of tablet PCs to choose from. 

Booklet

A booklet tablet PC is a device that folds open like a book and has a screen on either side. Booklet tablet PCs are equipped with touch screen functionality in both screens and comes with a stylus pen for additional support. This type of computer, as do many tablet PC models, has pen writing recognition software that allows you to actually write on your screen as if you were writing on paper and the computer will process it as computer text. Booklet PCs allow you to fold the device up and take it with and then unfold it to plan your schedules and projects, get on the Internet, play music and other media, read books, and even display a separate application on each screen for dual-monitor use.

Slate

With a slate tablet PC, it is like you are carrying around a small flat screen TV as a computer. Slate computers do not have a keyboard and instead require the user to depend on the touch screen or a stylus pen to enter text and perform functions. Of course, if you would rather have a keyboard, you can setup a wireless one or plug one in via USB port. Since the amount of moving parts has been decreased with the lack of a keyboard, slate tablet PCs are typically notably more resilient and can often be much smaller than other types of tablet PCs. The iPad is the most prominent example of a slate type of tablet.

Convertible

Convertible tablet PCs are a popular option for users that wish to retain the option of keeping their keyboard functionality while taking advantage of the convenience of the touch screen technology. Convertibles look almost identical to a traditional laptop when the lid is shut, however when the lid is opened, an innovative swiveling hinge allows the screen to turn a full 180 degrees, allowing the casing of the laptop to lie back against the keyboard. This allows the user to view the screen and interact with the laptop much as if it were a traditional paper notebook.

Hybrid

Hybrid tablet PCs combines the best of both worlds by joining slate technology with the functions of a convertible. With a hybrid tablet PC, you can either use the monitor alone as a slate computer or attach a keyboard to it and have the monitor swivel around like a convertible. Hybrid tablet PCs come with both monitor and keyboard and simply allow you to detach the devices from each other whenever you want. The stylus pen and touch screen functions are also included in this model 

 List of components of the tablet hardware that make a device possible to run.

 

  1. Processor – Although faster processor means faster performance, it’s not true all the time. For example, Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus has a 1GHz solo processor and HTC Desire C has 600 MHz solo processors. Both of them are Cortex A5 processors clocked at different speeds. But the real world usage has shown the HTC Desire C is better, and in most cases same as Ace Plus at multi-tasking and handling resource heavy apps. Newer and better performing processors are flowing out regularly. But this also means that they will be more power hungry in terms of battery. With more tightly integrated software with hardware, the fuss with processor choosing will fade away soon.
  2. RAM – The Random Access Memory as we know it, the larger the better. Well, it’s true. RAM is the part of the tablet where most of the live work is done. Its amount determines how many apps you can keep open at once. Question is, how much of it is enough? Well, for tablets in the market now, 1GB is the norm and 2GB should be more than enough for all your tasks. Anything below 512MB doesn’t make sense and should and must be avoided.
  3. Display panel – The panel on which everything is displayed should also be one of the important criteria to consider. Although TFT (thin film transistor) and Active-Matrix LCD displays are the most popular with budget tablets, premium tablets have IPS (in-plane switching) LCD and OLED (organic light emitting diode). IPS and OLED provides better colour gamut and contrast, while OLED does that by consuming less power. Resolution should also be taken into mind. 800 x 480 in 7-inch tablets are norm, higher is always better.
  4. Touch-screen – Even though almost all the touch-screens are capacitive these days, they don’t really put up to their respect. There are many shoddy touch-screens which return abysmal responses and don’t register light touches. The screen has to be pressed to have a response generated. Beware of such touch-screens.
  5. GPU – Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are something not many people discuss before zeroing in on a tablet. This is one component of your tablet which will handle all your graphics oriented work like games, movies, physics of apps etc. According to the various online tests and benchmarks, Mali 400 GPU has been regarded as the fastest, followed by Adreno 220, Adreno 205 and Adreno 200. Tegra 3 and Tegra 2 are independent processor platforms and have in-built GPUs. Tegra 3 is by far the best mobile platform CPU+GPU combo. Please do note that there are three versions of Mali 400 GPU; quad-core MP4, dual-core MP2 and single core MP1.
  6. Memory – Okay, this is a no brainer, more the better. Look for devices with larger internal memory since many apps take the space of internal memory to install. The last thing you don’t want to happen with you is installing a new app and you can’t simply because you have internal memory full. Go with devices with or more than 2GB internal memory in case of Android. For the rest tablets you don’t have to worry about that much since iOS doesn’t allow you to insert an external storage device and Windows 8 comes with plenty of internal storage.
  7. GPS- GPS or Global positioning System is desirable. It helps you know your location with the help of your GPRS network and satellites for live navigation. Indeed a great tool to have in your device.

So that was it, our list of important hardware components to consider. Do comment below and let us know about your opinions and which components you think should be important.

Tablet featuring OMAP(tm), battery management (1S/2S), touch screen control, and wireless connectivity with WiFi, Bluetooth and FM capabilities

 

Design Considerations

A Tablet is a handheld electronic device primarily designed to run multimedia and web-based applications which require considerable processing power. Its main advantage over a laptop PC or a Notebook PC is its portability which is achieved by having a small form factor and less number of peripheral devices. Additionally, it uses a touch screen as the primary interface to control and interact with the product. Key requirements for a Tablet include: 


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