[advid]

..I've been using a Toshiba AT100 (Thrive) Android tablet for about 8 months or more... At first the touch screen and the 'newness' of Android and the finger swiping and all the tapping and tap tapping and such were great... What a great new world of technolnogy - bye bye mouse or trackpad I thought... who needs it...?

Now I'm going back more and more to using my little Asus netbook - It runs Word and Excel and all the stuff that I know is there and everything I want is where its always been...

The 'pad' is OK for a bit of browsing and a few Facebook and Twitter comments while lying on the sofa but if you really want to be 'serious' then I'm afraid Android and touch (to me) is quickly losing its appeal....

I feel if Microsoft don't bring out their tablet(s) at a reasonlable price they are going to miss the boat as I think touch is not going to be the long term way of using a professional OS for work and serious stuff ..... (just my opinion)

Similar in a way to 3D TVs -- great for a while --- but who's kidding who ?

[Bob++]

The problem of the interface between us and computers is a long way from being solved - remember the old Star Trek scene where Scotty picked up a mouse and tried to use it as a microphone?

I have Dragon and it works pretty well but it has two important limitations - one is background noise interfering, and the other is the noise I make dictating to it. OK when I am on my own but....

I have an Asus Transformer but don't use it in the house much - away from home it's great, especially since I don't have a smart phone. It's doubles up as a sat-nav too.

I do find myself occasionally trying to swipe things on my wife's laptop though.

[mentasm]

Really depends what you use them for. I travel to different sites for work and I used to lug a laptop with me to watch films, read .CBR files etc, but even a small form factor was cumbersome.

Now I have a Nexus 7 and it's the perfect size for travelling. I also use it a lot in the evenings rather than firing up the PC.

[Badger0-0]

I totally agree with you, OP.
I've got a smartphone, a tablet and a PC.
The phone is great when you want a glance at the web or mail etc, but the keyboard is shockingly poor.
The tablet is a much better option and I can type miles faster.
But if it comes to anything serious, you can't beat a proper keyboard and mouse for me.

But notice the common thing.
It's about size.

When we reach the days where you can have a holographic keyboard that can sit on any surface and adjust to the way you type, then touch will be fine imo.

[Badger0-0]

I forgot.
Trackpads etc are torture for me.
Each to their own, I guess.