DEC 11 - Baztech - Keep taking the...

Tablets: Get on the internet. Easily. Simply. No waiting. No degree in nuclear physics required. Switch on. Tap. Tap. Tap. Web sites a go-go.

Tablets have certainly taken away a lot of the fear factor people often associate with technology. Just being able to make things happen by touch rather than mouse click makes it all much more instinctive and immediate, particularly for novice computer users.

They come in two ‘flavours’ – one with just wireless, requiring your home broadband or other wireless access to get on to the net, the other also including the same connectivity as your mobile phone, so usable anywhere you can get a signal. Factor in several hours of battery life and dimensions which will fit in a moderately sized handbag and the attractions are there for all to see.

Internet browsing, email and programs for everything from navigating the Tube to cooking a gourmet meal mean that a tablet can give you a huge range of computer-based fun without the faff of owning a computer.

Before you go down the tablet route, however, make sure it’s going to tick all your boxes:

It’s NOT a laptop. That seems obvious enough, but people don’t always make what is an important distinction. The sorts of things laptops allow which tablets generally don’t include:

· Lots of text entry – writing a document on a tablet can be a painstaking process, to put it lightly. There are options available to get round this, such as wireless keyboards or even mini-docks containing a keyboard which you sit the tablet on, all of which bump up the price. If you intend to bang out your magnum opus or touch-type memos for your home-based business, then a tablet is probably not for you.

· Processing power. What tablets do, they do very well. By nature, though, their processors are suited to running small compact programs (or apps). Laptops have far more under the bonnet, and can also be upgraded later if you need more oomph. With tablets, aside from a little more storage via a memory card, you’re pretty much stuck with the specification you bought.

· Proper and accurate display of all websites. This is particularly a concern with Apple’s iPad, as many websites use a technology called Flash which Apple won’t allow to operate on their shiny devices. Google Android based devices such as the EEE Transformer described below don’t suffer from this restriction, though, but it’s worth bearing in mind.

· Screen size. Although Apple and Samsung devices in particular have pin-sharp 10.1” screens, some people need things that little bit larger, where only a laptop with a 15” or even 17” screen will fit the bill.

· Compatible software. If you intend to work in packages like Microsoft Word and Excel, you will find alternatives on a tablet, but not an equivalent. Similarly tasks like photo editing and family tree creation can be achieved, but not necessarily in the way you’re used to on a PC or Mac.

With those caveats out of the way, it only remains to suggest one or two of the top performers if a glossy, sleek tablet is on your Christmas wish-list.

As X-Factor’s Dermot would have it, these are in no particular order of popularity:

Asus EEE Transformer:
A neat little effort with a similar quality of screen to an iPad, great battery life, and running Google’s Android operating system, which gets better with every update. The key point here is a detachable keyboard dock which also contains an extra battery and USB ports to plug in all your other bits & bobs, giving it the versatility of a netbook as well as the portability of a tablet.

Apple iPad 2:
Top of the tablet heap for now, and with a price to match, the iPad, as with all Apple products, is supremely usable and well thought out, but at a premium. Want a case which doubles as a stand? Another £50. A Bluetooth (wireless) keyboard to go with it? £60 please. While undeniably lovely, this can set you back as much as 80% more than the competition.

Samsung Galaxy S Tab 10.1
Following a litigious spat with Apple over who stole whose ideas, this is finally available in the UK and is probably the nearest competitor to the iPad right now, with a similarly gorgeous screen and feel, the latest version of Google Android and over 200,000 available apps to download performing almost any task you care to put it to!

If you need more in depth guidance with your choice, or any other technology-related buys over the Christmas period, give us a call or drop in for a byte of mince pie (groan).

Baz
BazTech Solutions - Computers. Sorted.

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