A Tablet Computer That Uses Windows 7 and Google's Android Operating Systems

Apple has had a runaway success with its iPad tablet computer. While running Apple's own proprietary operating system, Apple sold one million iPads in the first 28 days it was available. The handheld computer sales have apparently continued at nearly the same pace ever since. I have one and love it.

One of the major disadvantages of the iPad is its proprietary iOS operating system. That means the iPad cannot run programs designed for either Macintosh or Windows. All programs must be custom-written for the iPad. Several genealogy applications have appeared for the iPad but none of them match the power and capabilities of the typical Windows or Macintosh genealogy program. A new solution now appears on the horizon.

Hardware maker ViewSonic has unveiled a 10-inch tablet computer that will dual boot.  That is, when booting the new computer, the user may select either Windows 7 Home Premium or Google's Android 1.6 operating system.

In theory, the new handheld computer should be able to run any Windows genealogy program, including The Master Genealogist, RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, AncestralQuest, Branches, or any of the other products available today. I will stress the phrase "in theory," as none of those programs have yet been tested on the ViewPad 100.

The new system should have plenty of disk space available on its 16 gigabyte solid state drive. That should be plenty to hold both operating systems, a genealogy application or two, a large database, and several other applications as well.

The specs for the ViewSonic tablet also include several other useful features, including wireless Internet (WiFi), Bluetooth capability, one gigabyte of RAM memory, and a touch screen display with 1024 x 600 resolution. There's also a 1.3 megapixel webcam.

The inclusion of the Android operating system makes it even more interesting. While only one Android genealogy application is available to date, the instant-on capabilities of Android make it great for checking email and using a web browser.

The ViewSonic ViewPad 100 has one major problem, however. It will cost consumers roughly $850 USD, almost double the cost of an Apple iPad. I can't imagine ViewSonic will ever sell many of these tablet computers at that price.

The idea of a dual boot system is an interesting one. We'll know more about the ViewPad 100 when it's released sometime in October.

You can read more at http://www.pocket-lint.com/review/4987/viewsonic-viewpad-100-windows-android-tablet