I'm fascinated by technology, especially computer technology. To see how we got here, to see the evolution of this, interests me. Today I was thinking about tablets, touch-input devices to be more general. I recalled an ad I uploaded about a device called the PowerPad from Chalk Board. It was a drawing tablet that came out in 1983. That in itself is neat when you think about how most people didn't get their first computer until the 1990s. This device, which hooks up to your computer, was more than a drawing tablet; it can be... whatever input device you want it to be. A keyboard, a piano, painting canvas, whatever a developer can think up. I have to assume that the price was too high, because this should have been a hit; it was able to work with Atari computers, Commodore computers, Apple, IBM and even the Atari 2600. By 1985, Chalk Board was out of business... Argh!
Check out the PowerPad in action from YouTuber Biosjerbil.
Want some more? Here's the user's guide for the PowerPad.
Have you ever used a tablet for drawing? If so, when was the first time?