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This article was first published 11 years ago

What you MUST consider before buying a tablet PC

Last updated on: December 23, 2012 09:49 IST

Image: Buying a tablet PC? Read this first!
Abhijith/Homeforgeeks.com

Abhijith blogs about all the geeky stuff and more at Homeforgeeks.com. He talks about the crucial things you absolutely must consider before buying a tablet PC

Tablet PCs, any of you haven't heard this word across their techy life? The chances are very rare to get an answer of NO.

Casually, you can say that tablet PCs are like shrunk Personal Computers along with addition of some features such as GPS.

The worthiest fact about tablet PCs is that the device can be hold using your single and can be operated with a stylus or your fingers as well.

In these recent years, the change made by these devices on our Tech World is really a dominating one as the number of brands and products have been increased in high amount.

Including the very famous Microsoft, Google etc are trying to set up a common platform for PCs, Smartphones and tablet PCs.

The most famous and recent example is Windows 8 whereas the existing Android and iOS are seamlessly continuing their superb journey along with new features and implementation with daily life's needs.

All these activities by major technology companies are showing that tablet PCs are about to dominate the contemporary laptops and desktops in a few years.

A tablet PC is unlike from your Laptop or Desktop just because of its features like comfort, lightweight design, both business and personal use, features to work as an entertainment device etc. So, it's certain that you won't ever wrong to buy a tablet PC according to your techy/geeky needs.

As said before, there was a sudden rise in number of tablet PC manufacturers as well as products which are running on various operating systems such as Android, iOS (There is only iPad and iPad Mini), and Windows 8 etc.

Moreover, a big quarrel is taking place (as public says) between tablet PC manufacturers including Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft by releasing their products simultaneously with tremendous features to compete with rivals. But for a normal buyer is not concerned about these quarrels and bets since he/she just wants a tablet PC for their own use.

Since the market is filled with a hundreds of brands and products, most probably it'll hard for you to choose a best tablet PC for your use. And, if you're choosing the wrong one for you, needless to say that your money will be gone worst. Therefore, there are a bunch of details you should concern about before buying a tablet PC for business/personal use. So, let's listen to those facts you should notice before buying a tablet PC. There are both hardware based and software based and now, first we can go to the hardware section.

What you MUST consider before buying a tablet PC

Image: Size does matter! The iPad (L) and iPad Mini

Screen size

You know how screen size is important in the case of a tablet PC. Unlike from your laptop or desktop, the monitor, System unit, keyboard and lots more are included in a single device which means in most cases, your tablet PCs screen has to work as a monitor as well as a keyboard. Therefore, it's very essential to care about screen size of the device.

At the current market, tablet PCs are available with screen size ranging from 4.3 Inches to 10.1 inches. The selection of screen size is up to you. If you want to buy a device which is portable, easy to carry, and can be hold in your hand, then you should go for a tablet PC with lesser screen size.

If you're need of a gadget for ultimate entertainment, browsing the web, and playing games, then of course, large screen sized Tabs will be apt for you.

You've to consider the display and touch capabilities as well. Obviously, you will need a rich display system if the aim is about entertaining.

There are two types of touch screens; Multi-touch sensitive and single touch resistive, Multi-touch sensitive touch screens are more superb as they include features like pinch-to zoom and hence compact control of your tablet. So, for selecting a better tablet PC for yours, you should keep a strong eye on its screen size as well as display peculiarities.

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What you MUST consider before buying a tablet PC

Image: Watch out for that battery life. Low battery life can be more painful than you can imagine

Battery

You shouldn't forget the powerhouse of your tablet PC, the battery of device. Whatever you're doing with the device, those needs the battery of device and you have to be concerned about the battery life of device before buying one.

As we said in the case of screen size, battery life can be varying according to devices even there are manufacturers who offer battery backup of 10 hours. As you know, watching videos, playing games can affect your device's battery life.

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What you MUST consider before buying a tablet PC

Image: A tablet like the BlackBerry PlayBook may not be of a lot of use if you don't have wi-fi connectivity

Connectivity

Most tablet PCs eventually become a device to watch videos comfortably if you lack a very good data connection. Needless to say that you should be very careful when choosing the connectivity features of your Tab.

Now, tabs are available with various connectivity features such a 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi and 4G.

You can select from the list according your usage property.

If you're the one who needs a data connection simultaneously, then you may select 2G (You'll lack something big due to the slow connection speed), 3G, and 4G cellular plans. Otherwise you should go for Wi-Fi if the tablet is made for home use where you'll be getting a constant Wi-Fi connection.

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What you MUST consider before buying a tablet PC

Image: Google Nexus 7

Storage space

Media files and documents might have become a part of your daily lifestyle and in most cases; you'll be using your tab to keep files as well as installing fabulous apps for extended use of device.

Since a majority of tablets support memory expansion through MicroSD cards, you have to consider the space for the installation of Apps. There are tablets with memory space ranging from 512 MB to 500 GB. The standard tablet PCs are coming with 16GB or 32GB internal memory which is of course enough for any type of use.

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What you MUST consider before buying a tablet PC

Image: There are numerous Windows 8-powered tablet PCs, ThinkPad Tablet 2 being one of them

Operating system

The most important one but it's much tedious to select one. As you know, there are several popular mobile device platforms including Android, iOS, Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8. Each and every newer version of these platforms is coming with some exciting features. For example, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean came with new Google Voice Search and Google Now whereas iOS 6 was filled with SIRI's features. So all it's your opinion which OS you should select for tablet PC. In the case of iOS 6, there is only 2 choices, iPad and iPad Mini (But it seems that two devices are enough for Apple to compete with others. Isn't? )

Then there's more

  • Weight of Tablet since it influences the handiness of device.
  • Accessories such as charger, cleaning kits, headphones and supporting softwares for PC.
    Audio device support (Internal speakers)
  • Processor Speed: a processor with around 1GHz will be enough for normal use and the amount increases according to level of use.
  • Flexible Conversion: If your Tab is offering a feature to convert itself to a notebook by attaching a keyboard to it, you have to check how flexible those features are.
  • Camera: If you're a photography enthusiast, then you should check the rear camera whereas the front camera for making video calls.
  • Base Software Support such as Adobe Flash Player
  • Data Transfer features like USB Ports or Micro-USB ports.

The list does not end here since your hardware and software requirements will change according to your needs. Still, you've to check things mentioned above. Some of trending tablet PCs are Apple iPad, Apple iPad Mini, Microsoft Surface, Samsung Galaxy Tab, etc. with a bunch of exciting features.