The biggest question for mankind, after “what is the meaning of life” is “which tablet should I choose”? Nowadays there are hundreds of different types of tablets out there and most of them are similar to each other in terms of hardware and software features. So which one should we choose? To answer this question, you have to ask some questions.
- Do you really need a tablet? Modern day smart phones can do almost anything that a tablet can do. Notebooks/netbooks are more advanced, but they are bigger and heavier than tablets. Some people think that they can replace the heavy big laptop with a tablet. Well that depends on what you use your laptop for, if you surf the web and check your mail then yes. If you still think you need a tablet, continue reading.
- What’s the right size? Well in my opinion getting a tablet smaller than 9” is waste of money. Because anything else is just a big phone. Most tablets are around 9-10 inch. Some of them have HD screens some don’t, and the aspect ratio is also different 4:3 or 16:10.
- Which is the right platform? There are some different platforms for tablets but I will discuss 2 main Operating Systems, iOS and Android. Those are two very different platforms and you have to understand them very well to choose the right tablet. Both of them have advantages and disadvantages. iOS which is used only on iPads: You get all the cool apps from iTunes (some free and some paid) good build quality, bad points: no flash you need iTunes to customize your iPad. Unlike iOS, Android is like PC. You can do everything on it. It supports almost any format you want to play on the tablet unlike iOS.
- What features do you need?
- Processor (number of cores and clock speed)
- Camera (front, rear)
- Connectivity, video outputs, connectors
- Internal and external storage
The Price? Now days you can get a tablet for 100$ to 1000$. So you have to look into your budget before you make a decision.
Research well-known brands, their product specifications and the price; find the best one that meets your needs which is in your budget. My advice is don’t buy the cheap ones because most likely you will have problems with them. A good tablet price is 350$ and above.
In the next installment, Part II, I will take the “3 main players” in the tablet market and compare their products.
David Kababian – Tv Studio & Avid Digital Lab Assistant
