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The iPad's Progenitor — 123 Years Ago

Posted by timothy on from the expensive-tic-tac-toe dept.

scurtis writes "All technology evolves from cruder predecessors, and tablets are no different. People have been playing with some of the technologies underlying tablet PCs for over a century: In July 1888, for example, inventor Elisha Gray received a US patent for an electrical stylus device that captured handwriting. According to his original application, this 'telautograph' leveraged telegraph technology to send a handwritten message between a sending and receiving station."

2 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Isn't this more like a FAX? by rubycodez · · Score: 4, Informative

    Except the fax was invented even earlier, 1843 by Scottish physicist Alexander Bain. It had a light-sensitive element on pendulum for sending on telegraph line, and printer for receiving.

  2. Re:We used something similar at work... by pongo000 · · Score: 4, Informative

    And I'll be damned if this isn't the very device!