Tablet PC
The term tablet PC may refer to:
- Tablet computer, a kind of mobile computer, usually having a touchscreen or pen-enabled interface
- A tablet personal computer, a class of tablet which runs an adapted version of a desktop operating system
- Microsoft Tablet PC, a class of Microsoft Windows-based tablets
See also
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The tablet computer] and the associated special operating software is an example of pen computing technology, and thus the development of tablets has deep historical roots.
The depth of these roots can be surprising to people who are only familiar with current commercial products. For example, the first patent for an electronic tablet used for handwriting was granted in 1888.[1] The first patent for a system that recognized handwritten characters by analyzing the handwriting motion was granted in 1915.[2] The first publicly demonstrated system using a tablet and handwriting recognition instead of a keyboard for working with a modern digital computer dates to 1956.[3]
In addition to many academic and research systems, there were several companies with commercial products in the 1980s: Pencept, Communications Intelligence Corporation, and Linus were among the best known of a crowded field. Later, GO Corp. brought out the PenPoint OS operating system for a tablet computer product: a patent from GO corporation was the subject of an infringement lawsuit concerning the Tablet PC operating system.[4]