April 21, 2003
Using a Tablet PC Outdoors
The idea of lounging outside with a Tablet PC and sketching to my heart’s content is particularly enticing to me. Never mind I don’t know how to draw. But I figure with a TPC I can practice, practice, practice and not worry about wasting anything more than a few electrons.
Unfortunately, Tablet PC screens are easily overwhelmed by the scorching sun here in Phoenix. The NEC LitePad has the best display for outdoor use of the three tablets that I have. On a cloudy day or in the evening or morning shade, it works reasonably well. A Tablet PC equipped with a transreflective screen would work better, but I don’t have one. So in the meantime, I’ve been experimenting with ways to make it easier to doodle with my Tablet PC outdoors.
One of the first things I tried was to sew a three-sided visor for my tablet as shown here:
I made mine from a single cut of denim folded in half and sewn into three panels. Each panel is stuffed with a foam pad so the visor will hold its shape when on its edge. I can wrap the visor around the LitePad and hold it in place with my hand. It’s a little awkward when I’m standing, but when sitting down it’s not a problem. The visor helps shade the tablet from the sun, but not as much as I had expected.
It turns out that what’s behind me can be just as important as the sun that I’m trying to block in front of me. The glare and reflections from the sky wash out the display a significant amount. I’ve found that a dark umbrella propped up behind me can make a big difference. I just attach the umbrella to the back of a folding chair. Surprisingly, even the reflections of the umbrella’s metal “spokes” can be distracting on the screen. I haven’t gone so far as to black them out, but it’s probably worth the effort. Interestingly, I’ve noticed that even when I sit on my back porch, which has a white ceiling, the brightness can overwhelm the display. The umbrella can make a big difference here too.
Finally, I’ve noticed that the sunlight can easily wash out the colors on the display or in other cases seem to make them more contrasty or muddier. I haven’t been too concerned with the trueness of the colors to this point, but I need to look into this.
Has anyone else figured out ways to use their tablet outdoors?
As somone involved in getting a CBT kiosk working in an outdoor, sunlit, sea spray environment -- "I canna change the laws of physics, capt'n!"
Either you have a *really* big hood and control your position to the sun or you have a medium size hood and get a company to coat the LCD in exotic materials and use 3 hyper-bright cold cathode tubes to light the screen.
You have gotten your lesson in physics today, move along :-)
adam...
Posted by: Adam Hill on April 24, 2003 04:15 PMYeah, the Arizona sun cooks just about everything. And my TPC probably wouldn't last too long at the beach either.
Loren
Posted by: Loren on April 24, 2003 05:26 PMAt my school I usually volunteer to annotate the scores and fouls at school basketball games using excel and my tablepc. unfortunately my school basketball court is out doors so i can hardly see. I always have to find a shade and it's not too easy to watch the game well from the angle I'm in. I've tried to do it with brightness at the MAX but with the Miami, FL sun... nope. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Posted by: digx55 on April 27, 2003 09:47 PMUnfortunately, the current tablets don't do too well outdoors.
Retreating to shade is probably the best you can do. I found that a dark umbrella can make a big difference. I don't know if that's practical in your situation. It's almost like you need a shaded "scorers" table.
One last thing to check: your tablet probably has best viewing characteristics when it's in "primary" landscape mode...well, at least that's the case with the ones I've used. It probably won't make a huge difference what orientation you use, but maybe it'll help.
Loren
Posted by: Loren on April 27, 2003 10:53 PMThanks Loren!
Posted by: digx55 on May 5, 2003 04:34 PM