Holo-pad

From FABT

A T6 datapad.
Eight versions of the T9 datapad.

A Holo-pad, also known as a haptic tablet and a datapad, is a mobile device with a touchscreen haptic display that comes in a thin, flat package that allows a user access to information on the fly without an omni-tool or a laptop holo-terminal. Much like a holo-terminal, the holo-pad utilizes a holographic, haptic touchscreen interface style of input over traditionally analogue forms of interaction, all condensed into tablet form. Essentially acting as a portable computer, the holo-pad is mostly limited in that it cannot transmit information like an omni-tool can, but it can store a swath of information for ease of access and more comfortable viewing. Holo-pads can be used for a variety of purposes, such as reading and storing books, writing journals, collecting and dissecting information, playing music, watching videos, and more: holo-pads are typically cheaper and easier to access than omni-tools, and are typically more user friendly, not requiring any modicum of technical knowledge to use. Holo-pads can come in multiple different forms, with the T6 and T9 models presenting the most noticeable difference in design: whereas the T6 has a holographic, orange display but still uses analogue keys, the T9 is entirely holographic and features a default blue display. While performing the exact same purpose, these differing designs result in differing ease of access, and ultimately in them being used differently.

The first holo-pad was invented not long after the invention of the holo-terminal in 560 BCE, with salarian inventor Domal Yaeyori conceptualizing, then applying, the concept of a holographic tablet display that condenses a holo-terminal into a more portable format. Even as technology continues to evolve, holo-pads have remained ever present, the base concept itself never really changing, even as improvements were made and newer versions invented. Even following the technological revolution of the post-Reaper War, no real change occurred, even as holographic technology made leaps and bounds in their applications: holo-pads continue to remain a part of every day life, both military and civilian.

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