When it comes to choosing a tablet there are a number of key factors to consider. Android OS or iPad, will you use the device away from home, and what about those pads they call eReaders? Help is at hand...


What is a tablet?


It’s a convenient device for consuming digital content, but think of a tablet as a mobile PC and its potential is huge


For most people, a tablet is a mobile device for browsing the internet, reading ebooks, watching movies and playing games. It is a way of consuming content rather than producing it. However, as tablets become more popular, the applications – or ‘apps’ – that run on them are also becoming more sophisticated and powerful. Manufacturers believe that a


tablet can replace your laptop and even in some cases your desktop PC, but the limitations of the


on-screen keyboard and limited connectivity means that for some users, tablets will be used in addition to a laptop or PC. Design-wise, most tablets


following a very similar aesthetic. Screen sizes vary from 5.3in all the way up to over 12in and pretty much everything in between. The most popular size is around 10in and all are rectangular in shape and usually come encased in some combination of black, grey or silver metal and/or plastic.


iPad v the rest BlackBerry, Windows, Android – we look at Apple’s rivals


A recent survey reported that Apple’s iPad was far and away the market leader with a 73% share in the UK. The reasons for this are simple. First, Apple was the first to market with a tablet that worked, in April 2010. Second, it has an ecosystem of software and hardware with over 100,000 tablet-specific apps available. Finally – and most importantly – iPads are superbly designed and manufactured, and they just work. Rivals to the iPad come in all


shapes and sizes, with almost all running Google’s Android operating system. There are dozens of manufacturers around


22 www.trustedreviews.com


the world creating tablets (including Samsung, Motorola, Sony and Asus) that run some version of Android, which means there is not such tight integration between hardware and software as is the case with the iPad, leading to a number of issues. The BlackBerry


PlayBook runs its own proprietary OS, called QNX, but this has failed to gain traction in the market due to a severe


lack of software available for the platform as it stands.


There are also Windows tablets


available, but as the OS is not touch-optimised these are mainly aimed at the business or enterprise markets.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11