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As one new tablet PC announcement after another
surfaces these days, you may be
asking yourself, "What does a
tablet give me that I don't already
get out of my computer or
smartphone?" At first, I didn't see why I would need a tablet.
But after observing quite a few PCWorld editors
using them around the office, I relented and
picked up an iPad last summer. Initially I had
purchased the device to browse my massive
library of digital comic books, but soon I found it useful for other, more-practical tasks. I started
taking the iPad to meetings and using it to do
quick Web searches, and it became my preferred
way to read and respond to e-mail. With the Motorola Xoom and other Honeycomb - powered tablets in the works, and with HP
announcing its WebOS-based TouchPad , consumers will have a much bigger pool of
devices to choose from. Although a tablet may
not totally replace your PC anytime soon, using
one has its benefits. Here are my top five.
Portability
Next to ordinary computers, tablets by design
are comparatively lightweight and relatively
easy to carry around. Many of them may still be
too heavy to hold in one hand, but they're great
in your lap or on a surface. Reaching for a tablet
to browse the Web during TV commercials is much easier than getting up, going to your desk,
and booting up your computer. Even laptops,
which are supposed to be mobile devices, can
take a while to start, and they often get
uncomfortably hot after a short period of use. As for using a smartphone, you do have easy
access and instant-on, but it's nice to be able to
view an entire Web page as opposed to the
mobile site or an oddly rendered version on a
smartphone's much smaller screen. Plus, there's
something about being able to hold a Web page more naturally in your hand, as opposed to
staring at it on a laptop screen or monitor. It
makes you feel like the future is here.
Productivity
I don't expect anyone to type out
a proposal using a tablet's virtual
keyboard. However, a tablet in the
workplace can be quite helpful for
handling basic tasks, like checking
e-mail or managing schedules. Here at work, I use a stand to hold
my iPad up next to my monitor so
that I can use it as a second
screen. I leave the Mail app open, which lets me
quickly see if I have new messages. For meetings
you can jot down notes and download any relevant documents you may need to reference,
into the tablet. That way, you won't have to
shuffle through a pile of papers searching for a
specific chart or diagram. Students may also find the iPad useful,
particularly if you have to carry several books on
a day-to-day basis. If those books are offered
digitally, you may save some money (and
possibly your back) just by packing them into a
tablet that also can double as a laptop.
Entertainment
Tablets are great for
entertainment. Since a tablet is
basically just a large screen, it's a
stellar device for watching movies
and TV shows. When you're
trying to watch an epic movie like Inception, a 3.5-inch screen just
doesn't cut it. With services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus , you don't even have to fill your tablet's internal memory with video files;
instead, you can stream entire libraries of
material directly to your device. You can also find games to add to your fun. I
think I've sunk more hours into Angry Birds than I have into any other game I currently own.
Having touch-based controls on a tablet forces
developers to get creative, leading to truly
unusual gaming.
Adaptability
Games are not the only thing you
can download into your tablet.
One of the beautiful things about
tablets is that most of them--the
ones worth the money you've
paid, at least--have some sort of marketplace where you can
purchase additional apps to give your device a
whole new level of functionality. Love to read
the news and stay on top of current events?
Download a few news apps. Love to tweet and
spend all day on Facebook? Grab some social networking apps to stay in contact with friends. Although it's true that you can customize your
computer as well, installing apps on a tablet is a
much cleaner and simpler process. You don't
have to deal with product keys or registration
codes, and most apps download and install in
seconds. Tablets also are a good tool for road warriors who need the functionality that their
phone lacks but who don't want the size and
weight of a laptop or netbook to slow them
down.
Battery
One of the reasons I prefer
carrying around a tablet as
opposed to a laptop is the superior
battery life you get from a tablet.
My laptop can go for only about
2.5 hours before I have to plug it in, whereas I can get almost a full
day's use out of a Samsung Galaxy Tab or an iPad. Even my HTC Droid Incredible smartphone needs to be plugged in at least twice
a day, more if I've been browsing the Web with
it. Having to carry a charger as well as a laptop
(not to mention trying to find an available
electrical socket) gets to be inconvenient.
|
|
|
|
As one new tablet PC announcement after another
surfaces these days, you may be
asking yourself, "What does a
tablet give me that I don't already
get out of my computer or
smartphone?" At first, I didn't see why I would need a tablet.
But after observing quite a few PCWorld editors
using them around the office, I relented and
picked up an iPad last summer. Initially I had
purchased the device to browse my massive
library of digital comic books, but soon I found it useful for other, more-practical tasks. I started
taking the iPad to meetings and using it to do
quick Web searches, and it became my preferred
way to read and respond to e-mail. With the Motorola Xoom and other Honeycomb - powered tablets in the works, and with HP
announcing its WebOS-based TouchPad , consumers will have a much bigger pool of
devices to choose from. Although a tablet may
not totally replace your PC anytime soon, using
one has its benefits. Here are my top five.
Portability
Next to ordinary computers, tablets by design
are comparatively lightweight and relatively
easy to carry around. Many of them may still be
too heavy to hold in one hand, but they're great
in your lap or on a surface. Reaching for a tablet
to browse the Web during TV commercials is much easier than getting up, going to your desk,
and booting up your computer. Even laptops,
which are supposed to be mobile devices, can
take a while to start, and they often get
uncomfortably hot after a short period of use. As for using a smartphone, you do have easy
access and instant-on, but it's nice to be able to
view an entire Web page as opposed to the
mobile site or an oddly rendered version on a
smartphone's much smaller screen. Plus, there's
something about being able to hold a Web page more naturally in your hand, as opposed to
staring at it on a laptop screen or monitor. It
makes you feel like the future is here.
Productivity
I don't expect anyone to type out
a proposal using a tablet's virtual
keyboard. However, a tablet in the
workplace can be quite helpful for
handling basic tasks, like checking
e-mail or managing schedules. Here at work, I use a stand to hold
my iPad up next to my monitor so
that I can use it as a second
screen. I leave the Mail app open, which lets me
quickly see if I have new messages. For meetings
you can jot down notes and download any relevant documents you may need to reference,
into the tablet. That way, you won't have to
shuffle through a pile of papers searching for a
specific chart or diagram. Students may also find the iPad useful,
particularly if you have to carry several books on
a day-to-day basis. If those books are offered
digitally, you may save some money (and
possibly your back) just by packing them into a
tablet that also can double as a laptop.
Entertainment
Tablets are great for
entertainment. Since a tablet is
basically just a large screen, it's a
stellar device for watching movies
and TV shows. When you're
trying to watch an epic movie like Inception, a 3.5-inch screen just
doesn't cut it. With services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus , you don't even have to fill your tablet's internal memory with video files;
instead, you can stream entire libraries of
material directly to your device. You can also find games to add to your fun. I
think I've sunk more hours into Angry Birds than I have into any other game I currently own.
Having touch-based controls on a tablet forces
developers to get creative, leading to truly
unusual gaming.
Adaptability
Games are not the only thing you
can download into your tablet.
One of the beautiful things about
tablets is that most of them--the
ones worth the money you've
paid, at least--have some sort of marketplace where you can
purchase additional apps to give your device a
whole new level of functionality. Love to read
the news and stay on top of current events?
Download a few news apps. Love to tweet and
spend all day on Facebook? Grab some social networking apps to stay in contact with friends. Although it's true that you can customize your
computer as well, installing apps on a tablet is a
much cleaner and simpler process. You don't
have to deal with product keys or registration
codes, and most apps download and install in
seconds. Tablets also are a good tool for road warriors who need the functionality that their
phone lacks but who don't want the size and
weight of a laptop or netbook to slow them
down.
Battery
One of the reasons I prefer
carrying around a tablet as
opposed to a laptop is the superior
battery life you get from a tablet.
My laptop can go for only about
2.5 hours before I have to plug it in, whereas I can get almost a full
day's use out of a Samsung Galaxy Tab or an iPad. Even my HTC Droid Incredible smartphone needs to be plugged in at least twice
a day, more if I've been browsing the Web with
it. Having to carry a charger as well as a laptop
(not to mention trying to find an available
electrical socket) gets to be inconvenient.
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