The Apple iPad has turned plenty of heads - partly because of the bright screen, and partly because the screen will be viewable from a 178-degree viewing angle.
Indeed, tablet technology has evolved quickly over the past few years.
That's why new devices such as the Notion Ink Adam, Apple iPad, and the Lenovo T10-3t look and function different from first-gen tablets, such as those marketed by Microsoft in the last decade.
So let's look at some of the ways we can expect tablets to improve still further over the coming years.
1. Advanced touch sensitivity
One reason the new crop of tablets will work better than first-gen models (those behemoths that ran the original Windows Tablet PC) has to do with improved touch technology.
On the Lenovo S10-3t, for example, the resistive touchscreen consists of fine etched leads that precisely examine finger presses according to their X-Y coordinates and calculate where you press.
On the Apple iPad, swipes and gestures are more accurate thanks to software that reads fingertip movements accurately. This is one of the primary reasons the iPhone has become so popular - gestures actually work. The Notion Ink Adam uses Pixel QI screen technology that sips power like an e-reader.
2. New battery technology
Battery technology has allso changed dramatically in recent years - Lithium Ion batteries, for example, have been weighted differently on new tablets so that the device doesn't feel heavy on one end, can withstand drops, and are engineered to more intelligently manage charging.
On the Apple iPad, the Lithium-polymer battery is molded so it can be much larger and fit around the other components in the device -- one reason the iPad does not have a replaceable battery, according to Rob Enderle, an analyst with Enderle Group. Enderle also says the larger size is why the battery lasts 10 hours.
3. Minimal screen glare
First generation tablets were hard to read in sunlight or hard indoor lighting. New technology for anti-glare screens helps make them much more readable. Lenovo tablets use a bonding technology that minimizes the air gap between materials (the primary cause of those annoying reflection).
On the iPad, the in-plane switching (IPS) technology used for the screen makes it viewable at multiple angles. the ani-glare technology makes the device more useable in a variety of conditions.
4. Faster processing
Every computer - no matter the form factor - lives or dies by its processor. Some newer tablets such as the Lenovo S10-3t, use the Intel Pinetrail chipset, which combines the CPU and GPU into one to help with battery life and improve processing speed.
The Apple iPad uses a new A4 processor that is custom-tuned for the iPad OS. Enderle says the Apple A4 is likely tuned and customized for the exact OS routines on the iPad to speed up media applications, make ebooks pop, and to handle game graphics.
5. Software support
The latest tablets are much more advanced that previous tablet models in terms of software and operating system. The new HP Slate, for example, will support Adobe Flash (according to Enderle) and run on Windows 7.
The Entourage Edge uses the Android operating system on a dual-screen device, supporting media and productivity apps on one screen and a high-res 166-DPI screen. The iPad will use support HTML5 in the browser for faster Web processing and Flash-like media playback.
6. Two-way videoconferencing
Notion Ink is a perfect example of how tablets could become the new video phones. The device - like the Apple iPad - supports both Wi-Fi and 3G access, so you can place calls anywhere and anytime. The camera swivels for the best viewing angle.
The JooJoo pad also supports high-def webcam chats on a larger 12-inch screen than the iPad, which Enderle says is its primary market advantage.
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