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| iTablet Meets Modbook |
| Written by Anthony King | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 17 January 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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BLAST FROM THE PAST!
The original "Apple tablet Mac," the iTablet returns as the ModBook Just a few days before MacMod's Senior Staff headed over to the 2007 Macworld Expo, Other World Computing announced the Modbook. This was something we had to see for ourselves! When we went over to take a gander, we were pleased that we weren't the only ones in awe over the Axiotron Modbook. This could mean that the market is ready for a Mac-based tablet laptop! Apple must be kicking themselves right now. Let's take a look at the Modbook a little closer and see how it compares to its bigger brother, the iTablet. 
The iTablet was first revealed to the public by Joseph Deruvo JR. during the 2004 Great Mac Mod Challenge. The iBook modification quickly caught the attention and imagination of the general public and the press. Apple hasn't approached the idea of mobile tablet computing since the days of the Newton, but in recent editions of the Mac OS they have gone to great efforts to build in all the functionality necessary to control a pen-based computer. Deruvo, as a photographer, recognized the usefulness of these applications and worked with Trolltouch to develop an iBook-based touch-screen computer that was portable, full-featured, and self powered. The resulting iTablet featured extra firewire and usb ports, an integrated card reader, bluetooth, and a Trolltouch touch film that utilized the original iBook's screen. The iTablet was able to receive finger inputs as well as pen inputs. Even though the iTablet was fully compatible with applications such as inkwell, its usefulness in Photoshop was limited because, unlike Wacom tablets, the Trolltouch doesn't recognize pressure levels. Move forward 3 years and the aptly named ModBook was released amidst great fanfare at the 2007 Macworld expo in San Francisco. Since the introduction of windows-based tablets and the iTablet, the market has been eager to see a commercial Mac version. Not willing to wait for Apple to release their own, Axiotron and OWC developed the Modbook. The Modbook is based on the MacBook laptop (the bottom half is completely unchanged), but brings a lot more to the table. The engineers at Axiotron constructed their own display with a fully integrated Wacom tablet. Unlike the iTablet, the Modbook can do everything you expect from a Wacom tablet. Since you are actually drawing on the screen, the Modbook is a lot lot like having your own portable sketch pad or canvas. Inkwell and other handwriting applications are fully supported. There's even an on-screen keyboard you can call up for a truly independent pen-based solution. OWC salespeople also say that the Modbook has a 1280x800 resolution screen that offers a wider viewing angle and higher contrast ratio than the Macbook. The device may find a market outside of the creative crowds too; GPS, a build-to-order option, can be installed internally into the Modbook making it a great way for engineers and real-estate developers to constantly monitor their location. Lets take a look at how the Modbook compares to the iTablet:
So here's the final verdict: if you went crazy for the iTablet, the Modbook will blow your mind! The iTablet was awesome, and while it let you navigate using your finger, it wasn't able to register pressure from a pen. The Modbook looks amazing and adds a whole lot of functionality to the Macbook without increasing size. It is easy to use and the Modbook features the latest technology including built in GPS. If you or your company are thinking about investing in tablet computers, the Modbook is as good of a tablet Mac as Apple could have ever designed. Look for a review of their Modbook here on MacMod.com in the coming weeks. News Break: OWC is selling the Modbook at an introductory rate right now AND including GPS free. Video Interview: Modbook Creator Online Modbook Photo Albums TUAW: http://www.tuaw.com/photos/modbook-unveiling/ Powerpage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerpage/sets/72157594475919692/ |
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