A couple friends came over for a bit this weekend and we got into a discussion about breeds of dogs. It didn't take long before I realized I needed some pictures to go along with the discussion. So I grabbed my Samsung Q1, booted it up, and Googled for each of the breeds we were talking about. Each search took only one query and in no time I had pictures of the dogs being talked about that I could pass around. No doubt a UMPC is quite "passable."
Then it struck me: A slate (such as a UMPC) is more "social" than a convertible Tablet PC. I'm much more likely to pass around a UMPC or slate than a convertible. In fact, I think if I'd performed the same queries on my M400 Tablet PC, I bet I'd simply have swiveled the screen around and expected everyone to hudle around to see the screen.
Instead, with the UMPC it was small enough that I could pass it around. Was that a good thing I began to wonder? Did the act of "sharing" the physical device make it more social? More friendly if you will?
I pondered: If I'd performed the same query on a cell phone, for instance, I doubt I would have passed my phone around in order to show the web pages I'd found. Instead, I'd probably have held up the cell phone display for others to see. Is this because a cell phone is too precious? Or the display is too small? Or are there too many buttons--too many things to accidentally press when it's being shared around? Or there's really no reason to pass around the device in the first place if everyone can see the display sufficiently?
But then again, why do I find it so natural to pass around a UMPC? I think it's the size and the form factor make it so easy to share. A convertible would be too large and combersome to hand out. A cell phone is possibly too intricate--too packed with easly accessible non-public information. Hmmm. More to think about.




Incremental Blogger