iPad Rivals Emerging and Consumer Habits Converging

My expectations are increasing in the ways I want to access my digital content and demand it to be available to me in any form and any channel. And its happening at a rapid pace. I am sure by the end of this year, I will be accessing my data and communicating with my networks in ways I had never dreamed off at the start of the year. I am finding with my use of portable devices, such as my iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, laptop etc and even my web enabled TV, the gap that used to exist between my phone and my PC, is converging and I am working my way to having my content conveniently stored centrally but accessible by any of my many devices. Eventually it won't matter which device I am using, I can write that email, review that document, post that status update, set a meeting, chat with a friend, or take a note, wherever I may be, which could be waiting in line at the doctors office. 

ASUS have recently announced the introduction of their touch screen devices that will rival Apple's iPad. The two devices they are releasing are the 10-inch EP101TC and the 12-inch Eee Pad EP121. Both devices will come with a Windows operating system. The 12-inch will have the full Windows operating system installed and the 10-inch, which is designed to access cloud based applications, will run on Windows Embedded Compact 7 OS. 

ASUS are also touting an Eee Tablet, which they are likening more to a 'digital note-taker'. The tablet is designed to be used with a stylus for note taking, and interestingly comes with features such as a 2MP camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, a USB port to connect to PC's and a microSD card slot for data storage and access. The USB port and microSD slot are definitely two features that rival the restrictive iPad. It does sound like the ASUS tablet will be somewhere in between an eReader such as the Amazon Kindle, and the iPad with its array of productivity and entertainment apps.

I am suspecting many more announcements from electronics manufacturers releasing similar devices this year in order for them to remain competitive in this market. I have had my iPad for a few months now, and I also use an iPhone and a Blackberry. I had to check myself a couple of times today, because I was trying to use my Blackberry like it had a touch screen, and I was wondering why the link wasn't working. I am very quickly getting used to accessing my digital content via touch screen, and I am subconsciously expecting the same functionality from my other devices. In this fantastic world of innovation and technology, companies do not have a year up their sleeves to plan how they will remain competitive, they have to run like crazy because in 6 months time the world would have changed significantly again.