The Missing Piece for Tablets
Fresh rumors are sprouting that Google plans on releasing a phone (or device of some sort) as designed, built, and branded by Google. While this could end up being bunk, or while the device might just be another Android device, some rumors have it pegged a little differently. Specifically, these rumors envision the device to be a VoIP phone, using Google Voice, that would allow for calls to be placed over the internet. Recent speculation envisions the phone as using a similar screen as the Droid (so, larger and higher resolution than the iPhone), thus moving it into the tablet area.
This rumor has my interest piqued. I’ve been excited by rumors of an Apple tablet, but a tablet from another company, especially Google, could be very exciting. In my own life, I am seldom away from a wifi connection, meaning a VoIP phone could work for me. Though I’m far from thinking about ditching my mobile phone, there’s something romantic about relying on the internet instead of a cell phone company. As one commentator points out, it would be easy to augment current wifi networks with a portable internet device like the Mifi from Verizon.
But here’s the problem with my fantasies. A tablet device cannot replace my computer, even if it can get me to leave my laptop at home for a day. And if I am doing work on my tablet, I need a way to sync that work back to my computer. Without this crossover ability, the tablet either becomes a secondary computer filled with constant struggles to figure out where and what are the latest files; or a crippled device that I can use only for light internet browsing and occasional email. Neither is appealing.
An Apple tablet would have the added benefit of Apple’s excellent sync technology, including potential integration with their MobileMe system and their excellent backup system Time Machine. I doubt Apple would release a tablet without considering how files could be synced between the device and the user’s primary computer. But Google’s solutions for these same tasks are much less reliable. Google seems likely to solve problems of syncing by encouraging users to put data “in the cloud” and use services like Google Docs for document editing. This solution is not nearly as appealing as actual synchronization between tablet and computer.
I will obviously take a serious look at any tablet-like device that comes out. I think it’s an exciting new type of product. But until my questions of synchronization are answered and my concerns about managing two powerful devices assuaged, there seems little way I can justify the purchase of a secondary computing device. Whether the Google device is a cell phone, a VoIP phone, or just a tablet computer, it must talk to my MacBook or I won’t be buying.
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