Why would you want a Tablet PC? Before I bought my first one I was trying to figure out when I'd use it. I already had a laptop, why would a Tablet computer be anymore use? Would I be able to "retire" my laptop, and just use a tablet and desktop? I work from home some one the time, so I use a desktop when doing that as it involves a fair bit of typing, and a bigger screen is certainly of use. So, I would use mine for my work, due to lack of a keyboard and it having a smaller screen. I knew I wanted one, but what would I use it for? I think I was trying to justify buying another techno gadget.
People buy a tablet computers for many different reasons they more portable that a laptop, they are lighter, the battery lasts longer, they're easier to carry and boot up a lot faster. Have you ever sat around for several minutes waiting for a laptop to boot, when all you need to do is quickly check the football scores. You'll more than likely use your mobile phone to just hop on the WWW. With a tablet PC a the click on a switch it's available, just like a mobile, in fact you can look at a tablet PC as being like a mobile, but with a bigger screen - oh but with an inability to make phone calls of course.
Whether you're using it for business, or pleasure, they are actually far more than a mobile phone with a big screen. Most of them have a faster processor, better graphics capability. This means they are capable of running laptop type applications. Spreadsheets, word processors, any amount of productivity apps and of course games. The fact that they are so portable means they can be used as a recipe book in the kitchen, a reading book in the bedroom, or a games machine in the living room!
When it comes to choosing the right tablet PC for you, the best place to start is a budget. Decide how much you want to spend. They are available to suit any budget and you can get a cheap tablet PC for less than 70 quid. That's right, 70 quid. See our article on cheap tablet PCs for some further advice. Maybe the budget tablets are ideal for kids to use as well.
For those with a higher budget, there's obviously more choice. If you have a limitless budget (lucky you) maybe you should start with what you'll need the tablet PC for. How will you use it? What apps are you likely to run?
So far we've looked at budget, and use. In my opinion, if you have a "limitless" budget and are not too sure what you'd use it for, I'd go for an iPad every time. Before you Android lovers start sending me hate mail, there are downsides to the iPad; the reliance on iTunes, not USB, or SD memory slot, no flash - BUT, if you just want a tablet PC and have the money lying about, buy the ipad, you won't be disappointed. For those not sure of what they will actually use the tablet for Apple offer an amazing amount of apps, not all good of course!
However, for the vast majority of use, budget certainly is a concern, not only that but not everyone needs the latest whizzy, feature rich tablet computer.
Tablet PC Storage
Here's the thing, storage. Storage means something slightly different to disk space on a PC. Well, sort of. You shouldn't compare storage on tablet PC with disk space of a PC. A PC needs oodles of disk space. How much storage does a tablet PC need? Depends on how you're likely to use it. In the case of music for example, you don't need to synch your entire library, with movies you can synch the film(s) you want to watch, then leave them on your desktop when you don't want to watch them. Space management on a tablet computer has to be managed correctly, like on a mobile phone. You can't just constantly dump things on it. if you install an app you don't need or use, remove it. It's not as hard as it seems, honestly! So, in real terms your looking at a device with a maximum of 64Gb, which in PC terms doesn't sound much. With a tablet computer that has an SD slot, you can add extra storage if you need to.
Storage is different to memory and sometimes the terms get inter-twinned. Memory is the stuff that the operating system uses and is usually supplied in MB rather than GB (or at least not 10s of GB) Memory in this case would be used to make a tablet PC run quicker, so, the more the merrier if you're a bit stressed that something needs to run extremely quickly.
Tablet PC Processor
Memory can be used to make apps run quicker on a tablet PC, but the thing most people look at is the speed of the processor, and whether it's dual core etc. Processor speeds on a tablet PC don't tend to vary as much as on a desktop. Most are around 1-1.2 Ghz. A rule of thumb is that as the processor can't be upgraded you should go for the fastest you can afford. Having said that it also depends a lot of how well any particular app is written, if it's a poorly written app, no amount of memory coupled with the world's fastest processor will help!. Nvidia Tegra 2 is a popular processor on Android tablets, RIM, HP and Apple use a process specific to their own products.
Tablet PC Screen Size
Another piece of hardware that can't be upgraded on a tablet PC is the screen, don't be too alarmed through there isn't a great deal of choice in size. 10.1 inch, 9.7 inch and about 7 inch. So, maybe small, medium, and slightly larger. Just a quick note here on Android tablet PCs - if you have a 10.1 inch screen make sure it's running at least Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) as this has been optimised for the larger tablet screen, otherwise the OS actually thinks it's running on a mobile phone. This is more likely to be the case on budget tablet PCs. Have a look at our capacitive or resistive screen article just to make yourself aware of the differences.
Graham Bell is the editor of http://www.reviewtabletpc.co.uk and has been using tablet pc's for many years. Although a self confessed Apple fan, he also works with Linux as a day job, so understands the need for an "open" operating system, such as Android. They review both cheap and high end tablet computers, there's also the ability for you to right a review or comments yourself, look at tablet pc's using the compare feature. They also have a thriving Tablet PC Blog, where you can read comments and contribute yourself. Read their amusing and sometimes controversial blog you should also read their tablet computer reviews giving unbiased reviews and some good and bad comments on the devices reviews.
Graham Bell
Editor
