LawTech: Tablets

Well, it's been over a week since CES ended, so it's time for my yearly pining over the perfect tablet computer for lawyers. Last year, I think the Entourage Edge was the best I saw the tech shows talking about.

This year there were also some dual screen tablets which looked impressive and had styluses. The Kno tablet looks like it would do everything I want.

Of course, the problem is that it is over 5 pounds, which makes it impossible to hold and use comfortably. It's also too expensive. The actual range for tablets has got to be somewhere $500 or less in order to make it marketable - especially if going after the college age crowd which is already going to be brainwashed to want Apple products.

The best for actual business use purposes is probably the NEC LT-W.

Naturally, since this tablet is close to perfect, it isn't going to be in the U.S. at all. They're starting it out in Japan and it may come here if it succeeds there.

The tablet without dual screens or stylus which seemed the most impressive was the Blackberry Playbook.

It's impressive. However, Blackberry wouldn't tell anyone price or battery life. Since this does true multi-tasking its battery life will be terrible for those who can't remember to turn off apps (think of your buddies whom you can't get to turn things off in their Android phones and blame the phone for bad battery life).

Sometime before the end of the year we are probably going to see a wave of Android pads which will seriously change the market. We are also going to see the next iPad, but if Apple follows its normal pattern, all that will really change on it are minor incremental improvements (probably cameras).

Personally, I my dream machine would be a Kno that weighs 1.5 pounds, costs $300, and had e-ink on one side like the Edge. I know I'm dreaming, but that's the perfect machine in my mind.