Photo: Stock.Xchng

Watching this year’s IFA tech conference, it is now finally clear to all and sundry that tablet PCs are here to stay. But, with time spent with the iPad the last few months as well as a laptop, it’s clear there are still gaps to be filled by tablet computers. Here’s a list of what we’d like to see in tablet PC design applications.

Design magazines

Everyone knows tablet PC magazines have been a big focus in the build up to and in the wake of the release of the iPad. But even now, with the limited interactivity found in even the most marquee apps, like Wired’s iPad app, it’s clear lots more can be done.

For one, we’d like to see interactive design magazines! Computer Arts Magazine and Digital Arts Magazine, with their elaborate tutorials and detailed pieces could do with touch-based interaction. It’s a no-brainer, really. In many ways, it feels like this is what tablets were built for – teaching. And tablet PC design tutorials would sell for a premium if they were interactive.

Software: C’mon Adobe

Let’s be clear, sure, there are neat design software packages available for the iPad (and the incoming Android tablets, too, eventually) but they’re just not quite pure creation tools yet (no offence, Brushes). And we’ve realised why that is: the folks at Adobe have been dragging their feet about launching Creative Suite for iPad – or at least Photoshop for iPad. This is a big deal and I’ll tell you why: for illustration and image manipulation, the mouse has worked well because it is what we’re accustomed to. We’re convinced that tablets could work just as well, if not better, for software of this type.

Sure, Photoshop is a resource hog. This I know. But the smart engineers at Adobe can figure this out. Put your Apple beef aside briefly, and do it for the greater design community.

And if not Adobe, can some awesome startup do it, instead?

Input devices

We’ve seen some experimentation with tablet PCs as input devices in the music space, but we haven’t seen them integrated well with PCs and Macs. Why is this? It makes no immediate sense to me why a Samsung Galaxy Tab or iPad cannot function like a limited Wacom graphics tablet. Sure the current tablet PC design doesn’t support pressure sensitivity and the like, but that stuff will come soon. We all know it will.

Surely I’m not the only person wondering how tablets can revolutionise the design industry. Or am I?

Photo: Samsung

The story going into IFA 2010 was that it would all be about 3D technology and tablet PCs. This, whether or not you consider it to be a good thing, is exactly what IFA has been about. And after a few days, with a few major press conferences down, a few interesting tablets have surfaced.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab – wow

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is one of the few Android tablets which are more likely to take on the Apple iPad head-on. First up, the Samsung tablet comes with more than 3G data connectivity and can also be used as a phone. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is also easier to carry around than the iPad while at the same time it comes with a 7.7-inch display with a screen resolution of 600X1024 and full HD playback. Running on a 1GHz ARM processor, Android 2.2 and coming with 32GB of internal memory, the Samsung tablet looks like a lightning quick device and also has a built-in camera which the iPad doesn’t. It’s expected in stores before Christmas, but we wouldn’t hold our breath on that statement.

The ViewSonic Viewpad7 – meh

Photo: Apple

The ViewSonic Viewpad7 is a slightly more toned down Android tablet when compared to its Samsung counterpart. It also runs on Android 2.2 and also works as a phone, but might be slightly on the sluggish coming with a 600MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The ViewSonic Viewpad7 comes with a 7-inch screen and will apparently sell for £350. It’s not necessarily an iPad-beater but it definitely will make for a good buy when released sometime around Christmas.

The Toshiba Folio – yawn

Photo: Toshiba

The Toshiba Folio, however, looks like it’s going to be one of the most disappointing tablets released when it comes out in a few months. It looks cheap, feels cheap and feels rushed. The LCD technology which the Toshiba Folio comes with also does no good in making things turn out any better for the Folio. Looking at the other tablets which will be able soon, the Toshiba Folio definitely won’t have a big impact when it comes to sales.

Going into IFA 2010, many people expected the Samsung Galaxy S Tab to have a good showing, but I doubt anybody thought critics far and wide would be crying that it’s a legitimate contender to the iPad. And what makes it particularly brilliant is that it’s different enough from Apple’s device that it could carve out its own lane.

Photo: IFA

IFA is Europe’s biggest consumer electronics show and that means manufacturers from all over the globe look to show off their wears. Tablet PCs, connected TVs, 3D TVs and e-readers are expected to have a strong presence at the conference. With the first press conference kicking off today, we give you a rundown on what to expect.

Tablets galore:

The story of IFA 2010 – much like the story of CES 2010 – is the tablet PCs invasion. They will be absolutely everywhere, with a number of Android tablets expected to finally make their public appearances.

3D TVs galore

In addition to tablet PCs gunning for your attention, its clear 3D TV manufacturers are still all-in with their Avatar boxes. Though most of the world has simmered on their expectations of 3D, going from bullish to curious, the investment laid down in the tech is so great that for firms to pull back now would be more costly than just pushing through the slow start.

Who to watch

A number of big-deal tech firms have a big presence at IFA 2010, with Sony, LG, Samsung and Google making their presence felt. LG recently claimed that their tablet would be noticeably better than the iPad (hmmm) so hopefully they can back up their talk. The Samsung Galaxy Tab makes its appearance at IFA 2010, too, so we’re keen to see what the South Korean giant has cooked up this time. Sony will also reveal its next wave of e-readers at IFA, so that should be interesting, too.

All in all, IFA 2010 should be fascinating, and we’ll have full reports of the days’ happenings every morning. Google’s Eric Schmidt is doing the closing keynote, too, so, that should make for interesting viewing, as well.

Predictions, folks?