Most mundane office tasks, such as note taking, emails, document composition/approval/editing, ordering coffee for the boss, etc. can be relegated to an app on any decent tablet computer (ie, iPad, Blackberry Playbook, or Galaxy Tab), and indeed are often best left to such devices since they save space, weight, and are less prone to fluttering out an open window on a sudden breeze from a slammed door.
Some things though, such as transporting faxes from the printer to the desk, physical notes that must be passed out around the office, and other tasks that aren't effecitvely digitized still benefit from a good old-fashioned clipboard.
Tablets and clipboards are similar in size... so why not combine them into one ultimate office tool? There are already portfolio-style protective cases available for both the iPad and the Galaxy Tab with panels that close protectively over the screen, so adding an external paper clip to such a case only makes sense, in my opinion.
Note: I thought of this yesterday when I saw a petite office worker wandering frantically about the office asking if anyone had seen her clipboard. Sticking out of her back pocket, looking gargantuan against her tiny body, was a Motorola Droid X, a large-screen Android smartphone. I joked that she should just use her phone as a clipboard since she can track it via GPS if it gets lost and there's an app for just about everything she could possibly need a clipboard for. Some people laughed, some rolled their eyes at the lame joke, and everybody went about their lives. It occurred to me later that it might not actually be a bad idea for devices that are large enough.-- 21 Quest, Jan 04 2011 A simple add-on to this http://gigaom.com/m...samsung-galaxy-tab/ [21 Quest, Jan 04 2011] Did she take your suggestion about her phone personally?-- rcarty, Jan 04 2011 I dunno.... she laughed.-- 21 Quest, Jan 04 2011 // she laughed //
That's not always a good sign.-- 8th of 7, Jan 04 2011 Oh believe me, I know.-- 21 Quest, Jan 04 2011 Still wishing I had this. I've noticed a recent surge in popularity for mid-sized tablets. Just about everywhere I go, I see someone carrying a Kindle Fire, Nook HD, iPad Mini, or Nexus 7.-- 21 Quest, May 20 2013 A hard-tipped stylus and textured screen protector ought to feel somewhat similar to writing on paper.-- 21 Quest, May 20 2013 mine does. In fact I just wrote (printed, actually) this anno on it. Bit of a pain.-- FlyingToaster, May 20 2013 random, halfbakery