Tablet PCs: The Essential Buyer's Guide

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When considering buying a tablet PC, you should think about your needs and whether if you really need a tablet. The great Steve Jobs once described the Apple iPad as a tablet that fits somewhere between laptops and smartphones as tablets can provide a better email and web browsing experience than smartphones. This definition can be applied to all tablets and you should think whether your needs can solely be satisfied from a tablet if you already own a desktop PC, laptop or Smartphone. Some may argue that tablets don't quite beat laptops yet in terms of business productivity but nevertheless, tablet PCs remain on everyone wish lists.

There many reasons why people buy tablet computers but some examples include tablets are lighter and more portable than laptops, the web and email experience is better than on Smartphone or on a laptop, provides better battery life and has a fast boot times. If any of these reasons apply to you than having tablet might be appeal to you.

2. Budget

Tablet PC's come priced in many different price ranges and depending on your budget, your choices can be either be limited or unlimited. Whether you are on a tight budget or have lots of money to spend, there are tablet with detachable keyboard models available that cater to all budgets. At the low-end tablet market, you can happily pick up a tablet from $80 to $900 for a high-end model. In most cases, your budget will determine your tablet choices.

3. Platform

At present, the major tablet platforms available are Apple's iOS, Google's Android operating system and RIM's BlackBerry Tablet OS. Which platform to go for will entirely depend on what users are familiar with using. For example, BlackBerry users might be more comfortable to use RIM's BlackBerry Tablet OS because it supports and integrates with the BlackBerry service while other users might opt for the Android operating system because it offers full integration with Google services where as other users might opt for Apple's iOS because it's very intuitive to use. In any case, it would be best advised to go to your local retailer to try out the platforms to ensure you can comfortable use it day-to-day.

4. Specification

Without going into technical jargon about the specifications, it is best advised to purchase the best or highest specification tablet that your budget allows to ensure your new tablet can last for many years to come. Technology develops at a fast pace and today's' best specifications can quickly become out of date within six months so it's advisable to ensure the tablet you do end up buying is the best you can afford.

The basic specifications that all tablet PC buyers should consider is screen size, speed of the CPU, amount of RAM, hard drive space and battery life. The general rule is the higher the number, the better equipped the tablet PC is. For example, the popular Apple iPad 2 has a 9.7-inch screen, 1 GHz dual-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, 10 hour battery life and storage is available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models.