You can't run a $30 billion company on games - Bob Colwell, former Intel architect
|
|
|
Tablet buyers are let down by small screens
BESIDES BEING an obvious fashion fad, a tablet, or 'pad', has some useful functions. It's not exactly a great content creation device due to the lack of a proper keyboard, but it is nevertheless great for reviewing content as well as web surfing or browsing electronic books.
However, how great it is depends upon, among other factors, its display resolution. Even though tablets are somewhat smaller in size than notebooks, users will usually hold them closer to themselves when operating, therefore the resolution, and aspect ratio, have quite an impact. And, with the likelihood of using new-generation tablets to watch full HD or even glasses-free 3D movies on the go, the screen resolution gains even more importance.
Now, both the first and second generation Apple Ipads stick with the 1024x768 display, the trusty old XGA resolution. While not terribly great - and barely better than the Iphone 4's 960x640 resolution on a fivefold smaller screen - the choice, together with the natural 4:3 display format, is good enough for both document viewing and web browsing without constant scrolling, whether in landscape or portrait mode.
On the other hand, many other tablets, while more powerful or flexible than the Ipad in general hardware features, stick with the currently prevalent 'el cheapo' 16:9 format displays with netbook-class 1024x600 resolution on both 7-inch and 10-inch models.
Now, that number of pixels is just fine for a 7-inch miniature tablet, as even sharp-eyed people can't see that much more. The issue is the format, just like on bigger machines. The cost savings due to tagging along with the flat panel makers' movie screen-proportioned glass results in either non-stop scrolling up and down to see the content in landscape mode, or scrolling left to right in portrait mode, as with the narrow 600 pixels height or width you can't see any web page or a document properly without moving. Moving to the 'HD ready' 1366x768 screen helps only a little to resolve this problem.
However, why not go further? Since tablets are becoming so popular, with or without real justification, there is the volume purchasing power and economies of scale to demand a proper screen resolution and format for a general tablet. The 4:3 or, at least, 3:2 aspect ratio - like that of the Iphone 4, for instance - seems to work best, as it is closest to the paper format.
Tags: Apple
Share this:
Share
One could argue that you can only read one page at a time so why make a tablet with two screens?
I want real wide screen where is 2.39:1. 16:9 is so 2004!!!
I have just put the brakes on the TAB purchase. It must be as easy on the eye-balls as my HP w2448h monitor. Will buy the new Sammy-land S2 phone and wait a bit for the tab.
Many thanks for your article. I don't mind spending the money its just I worry a bit about doing the right thing.
It's a sad trend in general. Even full on "notebook" computers sporting high-end processors and graphics chips have these degenerate 16:9 lo-res garbage displays. Why play on a "gaming laptop" using resolutions that are worse than mainstream displays at the end of the 1990s? It's like people think the end-all-be-all purpose of their notebook computer is to be a glorified movie player.
Because, as has been mentioned, it is very close to the the A4 / USA "letter" sized paper sheet. I would LOVE to have a tablet that size, it would make my PDF library actually READABLE! For casually reading a paperback novel I would buy a separate Kindle - but MOST reading (and video) I would prefer a bigger screen. (Hey - I could make use of Windows apps too...!)
bashing widescreen formats may be trendy, but I prefer them. To each their own.
ANY BOOK YOU CARE TO TAKE OFF THE SHELF HAS ONE THING IN COMMON IN THAT IT FOLDS OUT TO 2X THE SIZE IT IS STORED AT. THATS RIGHT YOU HAVE TO UNFOLD BOOKS SO YOU CAN READ THEM.
SO THE FUTURE OF TABLETS IS THAT THEY WILL FOLD IN HALF SCREEN-TO-SCREEN JUST LIKE WHAT BOOKS DO. BUT BEFORE THAT GLORIOUS DAY THEY HAVE TO GET THINNER SO THEY DONT FOLD UP SO BULKILY, GODAMMIT.
How about 1920 x 1360 with a diagonal of 364mm (14.3").
That is the same as an A4 sheet of paper. The 7" version would match A5 and have 960 x 680 pixels.
It seems to me that even with the existing tablets, I would be walking around with a very high quality spare monitor.
It would make sense to either allow HDMI input or displaylink via USB.
This way I have a self powered second screen for my laptop, which would be very useful when I am out and about, and I would have a dual reason to carry a tablet as well as my laptop.
Even when sat at my desk I would have a reason to keep my tablet on the desk as I can hook it up to my desktop as an extra monitor.
If they wanted to get real clever they could get the tablet to become a touch tablet similar to WACOM.
I cannot understand why no one seems to have offered this as they have done the hard part of providing a quality IPS screen.
I don't care about retina display
just give me 1280x960
enough resolution for 720p content and 4:3 ratio
As much as I want better resolutions and, especially, ratios on tablets, phones, netbooks and laptops, can we see it happening?
Look at e-photo-frames. By default digital cameras use a ratio of 4:3 for the compacts, and 3:2 for the better compacts and the DSLRs. So, what do you suppose the perfect ratio would be for an e-photo-frame? 16:9, of course!
I'm not an Apple fan, but I applaud the use of a 4:3 display on the ipad. We just need more companies to grow a set and demand the same! 16:9 is terrible for any device that will be used for anything more than just watching films, and especially bad for any sort of content browser.
Once again it's the tail wagging the dog and the only people to lose out is us, the consumer.
Fuckwits.