ASUS Transformer: the future of computing, today?

Image courtesy of Tony McNeil at FlickR

First off, I'd like to say thanks to Dr. Murray Winiata, the creator and Editor-in-Chief of AndroidNZ. I have previously written for the TelecomTech blog at Geekzone.co.nz, and a very small amount on my own personal blog.

My most recent post was several months ago and shared some of my ideas on where I think we are headed with computing in this supposedly "post-PC" era. Since that post, I have actually purchased an Asus Transformer tablet, along with the keyboard dock. I have been using it at work for the past few weeks and intend to continue using it in the future. While tablets have so far been relegated to being media and web-consumption devices, I believe that that is going to change.

Just so you're up with the play, here is a summary of my previous post:

• The PC as you know it is on the way out
• You don't need a huge amount of processing power for most tasks that Information Workers perform
• Hybrid tablet/phone devices in the workplace are the way of the future

My vision is of a workplace where you take your personal/work tablet with you wherever you go. While at work you dock this device and can use multiple large screens and a keyboard/pointing device to complete your work. You can take this device to meetings and scribble notes on it instead of using a notepad. You can then go home with your device and do some catch-up reading, or brainstorm ideas for the next day.

The pinnacle?

 To try and reach this pinnacle of hybrid computing I have challenged myself to find uses for the Transformer tablet in my current workplace. To give you some context of how I am using the Transformer, I'll describe my current situation:

• I started a new job as a Business Analyst at a large organisation a little over a month ago
• In order to embrace my vision of the future I bought myself an ASUS Transformer and keyboard dock
• I have no way to sync my work email or calendar on my tablet or phone
• I have no Wi-Fi connectivity and have to use my phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot

So, now that that is out of the way, you might be asking how I have actually been using the Transformer if I can't get work emails. To be frank, at this point it is really only useful as a note-taking and diagram-drawing device in meetings. Outside of meetings, it gets used for personal web-surfing, keeping up to date with social media streams, and reading Tech news.

Google Reader on Honeycomb

Finding quality tablet applications has been my first challenge in reaching the pinnacle of hybrid computing. Fortunately, while the pickings are fairly slim, the apps that are available function very well. For keeping up with RSS Feeds and Twitter I find Google Reader and Plume to be my staple newsfeed applications, and they both work very well in providing multiple panes with the extra screen real estate.

Plume on Honeycomb

For note-taking I use Evernote and the supplementary drawing app, Skitch. I also purchased a Targus Capacitive Stylus with a rubber cushion tip, and it has proven to be much better than using a finger. I have to say, that as a note-taking and drawing device, the Transformer is amazing. The chiclet keyboard allows you to type at nearly full speed, and at the same time you have this device which can be used for drawing; yet you don't have to do anything special to use either feature.

Could Evernote be the note-taking tool you're after?

For simple note-taking, Evernote is a great tool. It allows you to type out notes without worrying about formatting, and it automatically syncs to the cloud, so you can access the notes anywhere. It also allows you to attach images, sound and video. There is no overcomplicated formatting of text, and you don't have to email yourself multiple documents, only to get confused about which version is which.

An Evernote note in action!

Another great feature of this Evernote/Skitch combo is being able to take photos and annotate them. It means that if someone brings a document to a meeting you can just snap a photo and then start writing or drawing your ideas on top.

A Skitch Diagram

So what are the limitations of a tool like Evernote? Well it is not a tool for creating Word documents, and it has very limited editing features. It can only bold, italicize, underline, or bullet point/number text. Another potential downside is the fact that it syncs with the Evernote servers in the cloud, which in some workplaces may be considered a security risk.

If you want to do full-on document editing, then you can use Polaris Office, which supports most Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats. It can also sync with Google Docs or Box.net. There are some limitations, and as far as I can tell you are required to download a local copy to work with. 

Creating a document in Polaris Office, it's not quite Microsoft office for your Tablet, but good enough
for quick editing here and there

While it doesn't have all of the options of a full word processor such as Microsoft Word, it does have a lot of the functionality, and definitely works in a pinch. I think it would be most useful for viewing or editing a document on the go. It is probably not ideal for writing anything from start to finish, though – especially if the document requires complex formatting. To really replace a desktop PC, tablet applications will need to fully replace all of the functionality of a desktop while maintaining a touch-based interface. Unfortunately, we just aren't there yet.

While it's not quite MS Word, you can still get quite a bit done using Polaris Office, as these two
pictures illustrate

As a Business Analyst, I had a vested interest in finding a way to draw BPMN Process Diagrams, and as of yet I have only been partially successful. While I can draw diagrams easily using the site diagram.ly, there is currently no way to save them to a tablet device. I found this to be quite disappointing and hope that the authors of this site will, if possible, remedy it in future.

BPMN using Diagram.Ly

With the recent announcement of Adobe Touch Apps coming in November for the Android platform (and later, for iOS) I think we are one step closer to achieving the functionality needed for these types of devices to replace – or at least augment – PCs when it comes to multimedia tasks.  The video below provides a great picture of the future possibilities of these sorts of devices.

This is a strong move from Adobe, as creative professionals are one of the most likely markets to pick up innovative new technologies and push for the use of them in the workplace.

So, if we are headed towards this future where tablets replace PCs, why is it taking so long?

Well, in the corporate world there are several hurdles that we need to overcome:

• Processing power in dual core ARM devices isn't quite there yet (hopefully Nvidia’s Kal-El Tegra 3 will help with this)
• Legacy apps are not compatible with tablet devices without virtualisation technologies
• Large organisations have slow technology refresh cycles and are risk-averse
• IT departments are not going to let go easily; they want to control the devices accessing the network. This is especially true for government departments or other security-sensitive organisations
• Many workplaces lack the infrastructure (read: Wi-Fi) to support these devices
• And the number one reason: cost

In a TechRepublic article, found here, Bill Detwiler talks about many ideas that are similar to my own, but from more of a theoretical point of view. While talking about these ideas is great, I think we need to take a more proactive approach and try to find ways that we can use these devices now. Only then will organisations start to see the benefit, and perhaps become more conducive to this new way of working. So, if you have one of these devices, I’d like to encourage you to start taking it to work. Find ways that you can use it to be more productive – and perhaps even inspire others to do the same.