Tablet PCs have been around for a little while now, but we’ve seen major advances recently with the introduction of multi-touch technology, slimmer and smaller designs, plus an increasing rivalry with e-readers. Tablet PCs have the ability to change the way you look at mobile computing forever, and we look the best they have to offer.
Who are tablet PCs aimed at?
With a slate-style design, lightweight and incredible portability, tablets boast a unique appeal. The touchscreen talents certainly offer a set of advantages that make it a must-have for some people, bringing a touchy-feely aspect to portable computing that you just can’t get elsewhere. With that in mind, tablet PCs are tailored to suit many scenarios, and particular groups of people. Here we highlight the prime candidates set to benefit from the tablet PC experience.
Top three tablet PC users
1. Families - The touchscreen nature of a tablet makes it much more friendly for family use, with a fun aspect that guarantees everyone wants to get involved. Removing the barrier of fussy controls, it’s great for flicking through photographs, for instance, with more than one user being able to touch and control the content onscreen thanks to smart new multi-touch technology. This makes tablet PCs a properly collaborative shoulder-to-shoulder computing experience, where poking the screen is actively encouraged.
2. Frequent travellers - Not everybody wants a fully-fledged desktop PC experience on their tablet, with many users simply wanting to surf the net or read eBooks on the move. This makes the tablet PC perfect for frequent travel use – it’s small, light, compact, and you’ll be able to keep in touch with your social networks and be able take hundreds of digital books with you wherever you go.
3. Kids - Nobody ‘gets’ the concept of the tablet better than kids. The intuitive point-to-press control that a good tablet offers goes perfectly hand-in-hand with their inquisitive minds, and their enthusiasm for most forms of tablet PC highlights just how archaic the traditional mouse or touchpad could be perceived to be.
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What can you actually do with them?
Tablets can offer extra functionality that you simply don’t get in a regular laptop. For a start, the touchscreen display can offer excellent usability, and it can be a lot quicker and more intuitive to simply press, swipe and prod at things on the screen. Multi-touch and gesture support has made the idea of a tablet even better, so read on to find out what you can actually do with your tablet.
1. Portable Internet device - There’s no need to have a keyboard to use the Internet – an onscreen touch keyboard is fine for entering URLs, so tablet PCs excel when it comes to web browsing. You’ll find most tablets can comfortably display a full webpage, and the fact you can scroll around and zoom with a swipe or tap of your finger makes it a better browsing experience than ever.
2. E-reader - With a screen that dominates the design, and a featherweight body that you can easily stuff in a small bag, the tablet is evolving into something very similar to existing e-readers but in a more versatile format. With a proper hard drive to go with the touchscreen display, there’s also more potential to access and store a greater amount of content than ever before - you can literally carry a library with you at all times.
3. Portable media players - The features that make the humble tablet so good as an E-reader or Portable Internet Device also help to make it an outstanding option for watching your movie collection. Light, portable and with a great screen to watch films on, it’s much easier than carrying your laptop around with you everywhere.
What's best for you?
If you decide a tablet is the device for you, there are loads of different form factors available, helping you to find the perfect tablet PC to fit in with your lifestyle. From tiny devices perfect to reading books, to much larger tablets ideal for watching movies, there really is something for everyone.
Top three tablet PC options
1. Best for browsing the Internet - For web browsing, you need a screen of around 10 inches or larger, offering enough space to fit a full webpage on without having to scroll too much. The HP Slate is the perfect device, as with Windows 7 in place, it’s fully capable of running any type of web application, including flash movies and games.
2. Best for reading - If you’re after a tablet simply to read books, you’d be better off with one with a smaller design, as this will be much easier to carry around and the smaller screen will result in a better battery life. And, there’s no need to have extra screen space if you’re not going to use it. In this case, the smaller the screen the better, as it will be a lot lighter and easier to carry around so something like the Asus DR-570 is a good option..
3. Best for watching movies - Although tablets have traditionally been small devices, it’s not always the case, and larger screens are perfect for watching films on. With a 12.1-inch screen and a design that will be familiar to existing laptop users, the Toshiba Portege M780 features a swiveling touchscreen display – and the fact the screen can be stood upright without having to hold it makes it the perfect choice for watching movies on.
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