Tablets these days are more than just portable devices, they may very well be your knight in shining armour, next only to your laptop that is, when needed.
finding the best-suited tablet can be a daunting task,
so here’s what to ask before swiping that card.
I NEED OR I WANT
For most people, buying a tablet is being part of the tech-play. Let’s face it: these touchscreen devices are all good, but haven’t reached a level where they could effectively and efficiently replace your laptop. Yes, they can take some light typing using a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard, but for heavy duty work, it’s still your desktop that provides the best OS. At best, they can combine your mp3, PSPs and a bit of your laptop with an amazing screen presence. And are a lighter, easy portable option to keep you updated on-the-go: check mails, chat, browse the web, play games and such. Bottom script: you may think you want a tab, but not need it.
2 OS, OH YES!
Currently, in the market there are only three types of familiar OSes: Apple, Google’ Android and RIM’s QNX. Now, Apple iOS 4.3 is much similar to what Apple has been using in its iPhones and iPods, of course with a little tweaking here and there to suit iPad’s real estate (read screen). So it’s incredibly intuitive that works seamlessly with all apps and peripheries.
Google’s Android is slightly more complicated, thanks to their constant launch of new improved OS, namely Ice Cream Sandwich, Gingerbread and Honeycomb (Android 3.0). Although experts suggest Honeycomb as the best, till date that is. Last but not the least is the ONX OS. Despite being a topnotch user interface, it suffers from a lack of important features like native email client.
So ideally look for something you are comfortable and can be easily upgraded.
3 SHAPE, SIZE AND WEIGHT
The term ‘10-inch tablet,’ is not the size but the screen, diagonally measured. Apple continues to offer the iPad in one size only (9.7-inch screen) and the BlackBerry PlayBook comes in a single 7-inch screen size, while Samsung offers the Galaxy Tab tablets in multiple screen choices (7, 8.9, and 10.1 inches). Another important factor is the weight. At 1.5 pounds, Motorola Xoom may sound cellphone light, but try standing on the local train for a few minutes and you’d know. Likewise, a 10xincher may look good for movies, but not really pocketable. For storage, the more the better. Right now the choices range from 16, 32, to 64GB varieties.
LIFE CYCLE
If you don’t wish your device to run dry right in the middle of a session of Angry Birds, this is one of the things you should pay attention to: the battery. And while companies make tall claims of their device clocking 10-hour flat, on testing we found the following results: Apple iPad 2 (9 hours); Motorola Xoom (8 hours); Dell Streak 7 (3 hours) and Samsung Galaxy Tab (6 hours) nand Acer Iconia Tab A500 (7 hours). So be realistic and buy.
4 3G BUSY?
There are many tablets that come with a Wi-Fi-only or with the option of always-on cellular service from a wireless provider. If you want to use your tablet to get online anywhere, you should opt for a model with a cell radio.
5 THE APP FACTOR
One of the major reasons that
one would want to have a tablet is for the applications (apps) of course. Here of course the decision is as clear as water. With over 90,000 plus apps designed specifically for the tab, Apple surely seems to beat the rest blue. However Android too has its own set of interesting apps, and with its cross-format compatibility is a better choice for those who still are looking for a tablet that is purely for entertainment. Black-Berry seems to have lagged behind in this case.
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