History Main / DataPad

* You can find and read several in ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' and ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution''.

* Personal Display Assistants, which were pocket-sized tablets that gradually disappeared from the market around the same time smartphones started becoming more common. Essentially smartphones without the phone. The iPod Touch is a modern descendant of these.

* Personal Display Assistants, which were pocket-sized tablets. Essentially smartphones without the phone. The iPod Touch is a modern descendant of these.

* [[TruthInTelevision Tablet computers]]. [[OlderThanTheyThink While they've been around for decades]], it's only been since the introduction of the iPad and its competitors that they've come to prominence.

In many science-fiction works, even those pre-dating tablet computers by decades, the most common form of portable computer is a flat, rectangular slab held in one hand and operated with the other. Usually called a Data Pad or some similar name.

* ''Literature/TheCulture'' novel ''Literature/{{Excession}}'' mentions some Culture citizens using devices of this nature called Tablets -- iirc, the idea is that generally Culture citizens have something in their head called a neural lace, through which they can do everything, but more "off-the-grid" people won't have a lace and will just have one of these.

* Tablet computers. [[OlderThanTheyThink While they've been around for decades]], it's only been since the introduction of the iPad and its competitors that they've come to prominence.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* The omnicoms of the ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'' comics are generally depicted as something midway between a smartphone and a tablet computer in size, with a keypad and screen. The ones the Legion uses have quite a few additional functions built in, such as environmental scanning capabilities.
* Fact Totems from ''SinisterDexter'', which are basically smartphones which give data on targets to gun sharks. Their use in the strip actually came a good decade before smartphones came to prominence.

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''Film/StarWars'' has data pads, though they're mostly featured in the ExpandedUniverse
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, everyone in the Wim Wenders' film trilogy ''UntilTheEndOfTheWorld'' seems to carry around a wallet-sized personal computer.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''Literature/TheMoteInGodsEye''. The Imperial humans have pocket computers that can operate on their own as well as connecting with other computers. They can write on the computers with a stylus, like the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' example.

* In ''Literature/RainbowsEnd'', these are mostly considered obsolete, though they are still available for people who, for whatever reason, don't want or aren't ready for full-on wearables. Robert Gu starts with one of these after his Alzheimer's is cured, to try to ease his way into the modern world. It's actually so thin and flexible that it can be folded up like a piece of paper.

[[folder: Live Action Television ]]

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has [=PADDs=] (Personal Access Display Devices). See EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture for further discussion about them.
** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' featured the PADD's 23rd Century predecessor, a device usually referred to as the "electronic clipboard," usually given to Kirk by a Yeoman to sign with some sort of stylus, then handed back to the Yeoman. The PADD wouldn't be formally introduced until the [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration 24th century]].
* Averted pretty hard in ''BattlestarGalactica'', which used laptops until a tablet computer (of a size and shape similar to an early 21st-century model) appeared in the 4th Season aboard the ''Demetrius.'' Usually the crew just passes around information on pieces of paper.
** ''{{Caprica}}'' replaces these with digital computer paper. In the pilot, Zoe even uses a piece of digital paper to send a text message.
* "Globals" in ''EarthFinalConflict'' were exactly like RealLife smartphones... years before smartphones first appeared on the market. They were handheld digital computers combined with cutting edge cellphone technology.

** The novel's version looks more like a large calculator with a hundred buttons and a 4-inch-square screen, evidently pre-dating the touchscreen.
** The film version of the Guide appears to be a book with a folding screen instead of pages.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' has "hand computers".

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* You can find and read several in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution''.
** The original ''DeusEx'' had them as well.
* The PlayerCharacter's PDA from the ''SystemShock'' games.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* ''TheCyantianChronicles'' "plates" are standard Cyantian tech. Used for everything from schoolwork to indexing [[HyperspaceArsenal subspace inventories]] to playing games.

* ''Webcomic/{{Angels 2200}}'': Two different versions are shown: A security guard accesses the ship's [[http://www.janahoffmann.com/angels/2006/11/23/part-4-comic-23/ message system]] with one and the pilots carry something called "[[http://www.janahoffmann.com/angels/2006/12/03/part-4-comic-31/ Jmlad]]" that functions as a personal organizer and storage device.
* ''Webcomic/QuentynQuinnSpaceRanger'' stumbles across some kind of plot when he gets his datapad mixed up with the Gestaltian Envoy's one.

[[folder: Real Life]]

* These are ubiquitous appliances in the ''MassEffect'' universe, though mainly for transfer of data between individuals. Personal computers takes form of [[SuperWristGadget wrist-mounted Omnitools]].

* TheCulture novel ''TheCulture/{{Excession}}'' mentions some Culture citizens using devices of this nature called Tablets- iirc, the idea is that generally Culture citizens have something in their head called a neural lace, through which they can do everything, but more "off-the-grid" people won't have a lace and will just have one of these.

* In ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'', Dave and Frank use them to watch themselves being interviewed by Creator/TheBBC.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has [=PADDs=]. See EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture for further discussion about them.

In many science-fiction works, even those pre-dating the tablet computers by decades, the most common form of portable computer is a flat, rectangular slab held in one hand and operated with the other. Usually called a Data Pad or some similar name.

In many science-fiction works, even those pre-dating the [=iPad=] by decades, the most common form of portable computer is a flat, rectangular slab held in one hand and operated with the other. Usually called a Data Pad or some similar name.

* In ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'', Dave uses one to watch Creator/TheBBC.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has [=PADDs=].

!!!Examples:

* Subtle in the web-novel ''Literature/{{Domina}}''. Pads are mentioned in the same way you'd mention a memo pad, but then people are described as "scrolling down" or "tapping his way through," making it more obvious that they are this trope.

In many science-fiction works, even those pre-dating the [=iPad=] by decades, the most common form of portable computer is a flat, rectangular slab held in one hand and operated with the other. Usually called a Data Pad or some similar name.

[[AC: ComicBooks]]

[[AC: {{Film}}]]

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

[[AC: LiveActionTelevision]]

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' has ubiquitous data pads that connect to the global comnet. On the rare occasion that people absolutely need something resembling paper they print out a sheet of plastic.

----

* ''Literature/TheMoteInGodsEye''. The Imperial humans have pocket computers that can operate on their own as well as connecting with other computers. They can write on the computers with a stylus, like the ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' example.

* ''StarTrek'' has [=PADDs=].
** ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' featured the PADD's 23rd Century predecessor, a device usually referred to as the "electronic clipboard," usually given to Kirk by a Yeoman to sign with some sort of stylus, then handed back to the Yeoman. The PADD wouldn't be formally introduced until the [[StarTrekTheNextGeneration 24th century]].

In many science-fiction works, even those pre-dating the [=iPad=] by decades, the most common form of portable computer is a flat, rectangular slab held in one hand and operated with the other. Usually called a DataPad or some similar name.

* The omnicoms of the ''ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}}'' comics are generally depicted as something midway between a smartphone and a tablet computer in size, with a keypad and screen. The ones the Legion uses have quite a few additional functions built in, such as environmental scanning capabilities.

* ''Film/StarWars'', though they're mostly featured in the ExpandedUniverse

* In ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' Dave uses one to watch BBC.
* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' had transparent data pads they could drag info onto from their computer screens.

** ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' featured the PADD's 23rd Century predecessor, a device usually referred to as the "electronic clipboard," usually given to Kirk by a Yeoman to sign with some sort of stylus, then handed back to the Yeoman. The PADD wouldn't be formally introduced until the [[StarTrekTheNextGeneration 24th Century]].
* Averted pretty hard in ''BattlestarGalactica'', which used laptops until a tablet computer (of a size and shape similar to an early 21st Century model) appeared in the 4th Season aboard the ''Demetrius.'' Usually the crew just passes around information on pieces of paper.

* "Globals" in ''EarthFinalConflict'' were exactly like RealLife smartphones... years before smart phones first appeared on the market. They were handheld digital computers combined with cutting edge cell phone technology.
* ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'' had [[http://andromeda.wikia.com/wiki/Flexi flexis]] -datapads that looked like sheets of paper.

* In the TV version of ''Series/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' the Guide looks something like an Amazon Kindle - kind of a dedicated tablet computer which can only access the ''Guide''.
** The novel's version looks more like a large calculator with a hundred buttons and a four-inch square screen. Evidently pre-dating the touchscreen.
** The Film version of the book appears to be a book with a folding screen instead of pages.

[[AC: Tabletop Games]]

[[AC: Video Games]]
* Ubiquitous appliances in the ''MassEffect'' universe, though mainly for transfer of data between individuals. Personal computers takes form of [[SuperWristGadget wrist-mounted Omnitools]].

[[AC: Web Comics]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Jix}}'' compared the [=iPad=] to her own species' tablets [[http://www.drunkduck.com/Jix/5267409/ once]]. She wasn't particularly impressed.