Skip to content

Random Connections

A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Photos
  • Resources
  • Other Voices
  • Post Archives
  • Home
  • EdTech
  • A Tale of Two Tablets

A Tale of Two Tablets

Posted on April 10, 2008 By Tom No Comments on A Tale of Two Tablets
EdTech

Interactive Tablets

I had an unusual package show up the other day. It was sent with no paperwork or warning, and came wrapped in plain brown paper. I was a bit hesitant to open it, but eventually worked up the nerve. Inside was a Qomo QIT30 Interactive Tablet (white, on the left above.) After a couple of phone calls and e-mails, I found out that it had been sent as part of a manufacturer’s promotion, giving these out to school administrators to test drive. I gave it a whirl, and decided to write up a review and comparison with the tablet we’ve already purchased for for many of our classrooms – the Interwrite Pad (blue, on right above.)

Both units have similar size, functionality, and price. Both come with white board and desktop software that let you annotate programs and use the unit like a mouse. However, there are some significant reasons for choosing one over the other for classroom use. I’ll start with the Qomo device.

First, the good stuff. The Qomo tablet has nice sleek lines and styling. There is an LCD screen to indicate connection and status. There are two thumb buttons to mimic right and left mouse buttons, and a series of programmable macro keys across the top of the pad. There is also a nice storage compartment to keep the RF dongle that attaches via USB. The Qomo is also pressure sensitive and has a high DPI resolution, so it functions like a graphics tablet, and is excellent for working with Photoshop and other art programs.

Now for the bad. It connects wirelessly via RF at 2.4 GHz. That’s a very crowded spectrum, and could cause conflicts with telephones and WiFi access points. I have to wonder how these might conflict with each other if you had a couple of them in adjacent classrooms. That shouldn’t be a problem, though, because you have rather limited range – about 60 ft.

The Interwrite Pad connects via Bluetooth, and purportedly has a much longer range. The Bluetooth connection eliminates possible interference with other units, so you could use multiple units in the same classroom. It isn’t touch sensitive like the Qomo, but it does have programmable macro keys. On the Interwrite keys, there are nice little icons that indicate the default function. There are none for the Qomo, but you can hover over the key and see its function on the screen. The Interwrite Pad doesn’t have a nice storage compartment for its dongle.

The Qomo’s stylus runs on a single AAA battery, and has a two-position rocker switch for right and left mouse functions. The right and left functions seem exactly opposite of what I think they should be, but they work well enough. The Interwrite Pad also has a similar rocker switch, but it’s stylus is rechargeable. However, I’ve had reports of units not working because the teacher didn’t line up the pen to charge in its cradle properly. A cord connects the stylus to the tablet on the Interwrite unit, but there is none for the Qomo unit.

Speaking of recharging, the Qomo only comes with a standard USB cable for recharging. The Interwrite Pad has a standard power block recharger. I could see a lot of our teachers being very frustrated trying to recharge the Qomo.

Probably, the clencher is that the Interwrite Pad is obviously designed for classroom use. There is a large collection of templates for classroom use, such as maps, manipulatives, and other graphics. There is also an extensive website offering lesson plans, etc. None of that exists for the Qomo unit. I guess you could use Interwrite’s software with the Qomo device, but why bother since they cost about the same? I guess I’m also bothered by the fact that the Qomo’s model number – QIT30 (I guess for “Qomo Interactive Table”) looks so much like the word “quit.”

If you have need of a touch sensitive device and are a bit more tech-savvy, the Qomo is for you. However, The Interwrite Pad is a much better choice for classroom use. I guess that’s why we’ve bought about 100 of them and none of the Qomos.

[tags]Interactive Tablet, classroom technology, instructional technology, Qomo QIT30, Interwrite Pad[/tags]

Tags: classroom technology Instructional Technology Interactive Tablet Interwrite Pad Qomo QIT30

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: George W. @ Furman
Next Post: Creative Uses of GPS ❯

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

  • EdTech (200)
  • Entertainment (202)
  • Family (121)
  • Gear (115)
  • General Technology (99)
  • Geocaching and Maps (208)
  • History and Genealogy (266)
  • Internet (144)
  • Local (451)
  • Miscellaneous (550)
  • Music (196)
  • Paddling (250)
  • Photography (779)
  • Podcast (6)
  • Rambling (227)
  • Rants (161)
  • Recipes (34)
  • Religion (48)
  • Restaurants (165)
  • Science (48)
  • Things Overheard (29)
  • Travel (411)
  • Uncategorized (129)
  • Washington Sabbatical (113)
  • Weirdness (60)

Recent Posts

  • Paddling Up the Long Nose
  • A Bates Old River Two-fer
  • In Search of the Road Builder
  • The Phoenix Riots and Dr. Benjamin Mays – An MLK Day Ramble
  • An Obsession with Steak Knives

Recent Comments

  • Jim Culley on An Obsession with Steak Knives
  • Tom on An Obsession with Steak Knives
  • Jim Culley on An Obsession with Steak Knives
  • Walter Kokoszka on Mysterious Mayucha and The Wolf Pit
  • Elizabeth on The Temple of Health: Ground-Truthing in Antreville

Tags

blogging cemetery Christmas Columbia Edisto River edtech Entertainment family Flickr Florida Furman Furman University gear Georgia geotagging Ghost Town Ghost Towns Google Earth Google Maps GPS Greenville Greenville Chorale history Instructional Technology kayaking Lake Jocassee LCU Lowcountry Unfiltered maps Music North Carolina Paddling Photography rambling restaurant Restaurants review singing social networking South Carolina time-lapse Travel video Washington Washington State
April 2023
S M T W T F S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« Mar    

Copyright © 2023 Random Connections.

Theme: Oceanly by ScriptsTown