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Tablets on the Small Screen

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A GottaBeMobile reader just emailed in these stills from an episode of HBO’s Entourage where a TouchSmart tx2 makes a cameo. HP has at least one product placement expert on staff, as do a lot of B2C companies.

I wish someone would tell the guy actor to either convert the tx2 into tablet mode when walking around with the thing.

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Last night I watched an episode of The Closer and the main character used an HP 2730p to help track down a killer. Detective Johnson at least knows how to handle a tablet properly in the episode Smells Like Murder. She holds it in portrait mode to hone in on a GPS blip on a map.

I watch more TV than I probably should and notice just about every piece of hardware that talking heads and characters use. I’ve seen scores of MacBooks and Dell monitors strategically placed on TV shows, but not a whole lot of tablets. I’m trying to rack my brain, but can’t think of any other recent tablet cameos. Have you spotted any?

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13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. Gaz Dick

    08/12/2009 at 12:19 am

    In the new series of Knight Rider – Sarah (bosses daughter) uses a HP TC1100 in slate mode quite often.
    Brings back good memories!

  2. Xavier Lanier

    08/12/2009 at 12:40 am

    I can’t bring myself to watch the Knight Rider so I’ll have to take your word for it. Like you, I have a lot of good memories of the old-school Knight Rider. I still think of that show everytime I use voice control in my car.

  3. Fred Beiderbecke

    08/12/2009 at 4:51 am

    They were using a tablet on Bones to do the 3d rendering thingee that looks like it is out of the Matrix.

  4. Alan Wilkerson

    08/12/2009 at 6:17 am

    Not too recent but Stargate used Motion Tablets all the time although they were suppose to be “touch” not pen enabled.

    Don’t know what Stargate Universe will have.

  5. Mark (K0LO)

    08/12/2009 at 6:47 am

    I’ve seen several tablet PCs in use on CSI NY.

  6. Xavier Lanier

    08/12/2009 at 9:26 am

    CSI has been tough for me to watch ever since they had Nikon DSLRs that made film winding noises. I do like their magical software that can turn a single pixel into a perfectly clear screengrab of a suspect.

  7. Night

    08/12/2009 at 10:11 am

    I saw a tablet pc in one episode of “Chuck”. I Guess it was an HP tx 2500 or maybe a tx 2000.

  8. SAM

    08/12/2009 at 10:26 am

    The modern Star Trek series(NG,DS9,Enterprise) used tablet pc & slates

  9. Jake

    08/12/2009 at 12:49 pm

    The Wire used loads of different tablets including the 2710p and Samsung Q1U.

  10. Gaz Dick

    08/13/2009 at 8:17 am

    They’re always seen as “unobtainable” tech – Science fiction as opposed to real life. such a shame. If only people know!

  11. Xavier Lanier

    08/13/2009 at 2:25 pm

    @Gaz I know what you mean.
    Even in the non science fiction shows, such as The Closer they’re positioned as unobtainable. In this week’s episode the tablet and GPS system were bought with an anti-terrorism grant. The boss asked if they could afford it and someone said “yeah- as long as we return it when we’re through with it.”

    It’s really tough for consumers to get their hands on tablets.

  12. vm-01

    08/14/2009 at 9:57 am

    I’ve seen several tablets and a surface table on “Primeval”.

    Interestingly they all seemed to be mock-ups while they always used real cell phones.

  13. Scott

    08/15/2009 at 10:09 am

    Eureka (on SciFi…er…SyFy) seems to really like the slate platform, though they glow a bit too much for my taste

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