How much do you know about the history of tablets?

You may be fooled into thinking that tablets are a phenomenon that appeared only after Apple took the stage with its first iPad. But even I was surprised at how far back the concept reaches. Those who followed Microsoft closely earlier last decade (that's the 2000's; not the 90's!) know that the company announced a "tablet PC" that would run on XP in 2001. That's a good nine years before the arrival of Apple's show-stealer. But here's where it gets interesting.

This thing, called the PenCept could recognize handwriting. Released: 1985

The first device to employ a touch screen (a technology we briefly visited earlier)was released 1993 by a company called BellSouth under the name IBM Simon. It did not include handwriting recognition, but did permit users to write messages and send them as faxes on the analog cellphone network, and included PDA and Email features.

Some technologies need a pioneer to really break through to the public. We've talked about how the 3DS should fulfill that role for glasses-free 3D. But now ask yourself: What exactly is Apple pioneering with the iPad 2?

Trivia: The first patent for an "electrical stylus device for capturing handwriting" was issued to an American woman called Elisha Grey. In 1888!