Tech Notes: Datapads

The formation of the Galaxy Alliance, though primarily a military endeavor, led to countless Earthling companies rushing to take advantage of the influx of new science and technology. This only intensified after the end of Operation Entente, as the Alliance's Integration Task Force began issuing lucrative contracts to encourage technological sharing, adaptation, and discovery. These contracts were also strategically awarded to kickstart the new Alliance's economy, giving larger companies more generalized mandates and offering smaller ones new unique niches. The ITF in fact instituted a policy against granting more than two contracts to any single company, no matter how large or influential.

Alphasoft, a juggernaut that had been one of the prime players in the original Alliance of Galactic Exploration, was issued one of the broadest of these mandates. Four Biboh clans and two Glis research bureaus, as well as individual Hydran, Kolaliri, and Quasnot scientists, were attached to the company. Their primary task was to develop an integrated operating system for the GA's use. Though the resulting system was and remains classified, a civilian version known as Streamline-8 was derived from it soon after.

The first device to be produced with the Streamline-8 OS was the Alphasoft DataPad, released in 2161. Advertised as both the most advanced tablet computer on the market and an invaluable resource for cultural understanding, the DataPad featured a holographic keyboard and accessibility suite, remarkable processing power, and preloaded cultural and linguistic databases for every race in the Alliance.

It didn't take long for the DataPad to become ubiquitous among the civilian population. Its basic computing functions surpassed anything any GA member had ever developed alone. The holographic accessibility systems ensured it was perfectly crafted for the physical convenience of each member race, and the proprietary databases—using information straight from the ITF—were by far the most comprehensive and well-organized available. While other tech giants, most notably Applezon and Niko-Centauri, rushed to catch up, the DataPad and its later models would completely dominate the market for a decade.

This market dominance did come with a certain price. By the time Niko-Centauri released the Ixion Pro-Tab, the DataPad's first true competitor, 'datapad' had become the standard term for any tablet computer of any sort. Alphasoft and Niko-Centauri both fought the genericizing of the trademark, to no avail, and the term datapad remains synonymous with tablet to this day.