The Galaxy of the Tablet

A tablet can be defined as a complete personal mobile computer that is larger than the average mobile phone or PDA, but smaller than the average laptop or notebook. It is basically an entire computer shrunk into a flat computer screen with the keyboard and mouse replaced with touchscreen functionality.

One of the key features of a tablet is the fact that it is mostly or fully finger driven and uses a multi-touch capacitive touchscreen instead of a simple resistive touchscreen which is a stylus driven system.

Operating the touchscreen of the tablet allows more integrated hand-eye operation and co-ordination, and is a more direct form of control. You directly point and touch the object you wish to select on the screen as opposed to moving an external mouse in order to move a cursor on the screen to the object. It therefore allows for a more natural user interface than a normal PC which uses a command line interface or mouse driven interface. A virtual keyboard is normally used to do any typing required by the user. When the quantity of typing work to be done is substantial, an external detachable keyboard can be used so that it can easily be converted into a notebook computer. The keyboard is attached to the touchscreen by a swivel or slide joint, and is usually propped up either by its cover or a detachable stand pin.. The touchscreen can also be used to do handwriting recognition when using a stylus, and is used in particular with Chinese, Japanese and Korean writing where symbols are used instead of characters to form words and ideas.

The multi-touch capability of the touchscreen allows multiple simultaneous finger touches to be recognized. This allows for interactive object manipulation. One common use for this function is as a zoom in/out function, where a pinch outwards zooms in, and an inward pinch zooms out, as if shrinking and stretching the screen with your fingers.

An important aspect of a tablet is its size. They mostly vary between 5-11 inches, depending on the model and manufacturer. One of the most important things to consider when choosing a tablet is choosing the correct size for its use. If you intend to carry it around in a handbag, then smaller would obviously be better (also depending on the size of the handbag). If it is to stay at home or travel in a briefcase, then bigger is maybe better. If its main use is to watch videos, live TV and view pictures, then bigger is definitely best. If it is to do more web browsing and more "work" than play, then size would not be the deciding factor, but price.

Other features of modern tablets include a accelerometer, ambient light and proximity sensors, a storage drive, Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, and a USB port.

Accelerometer: An accelerometer is a device that can detect physical movement. In the tablet it is used mainly to detect the orientation of the tablet (portrait or landscape) and as a tilt sensor.
Ambient light and proximity sensors: The ambient light sensor measures the ambient or surrounding light intensity and adjusts the display brightness accordingly. The proximity sensor can detect when an object is close to it. This has been used with the new iPad 2 to automatically lock the screen when the cover is closed.
Storage drive: This is the memory part of the tablet where data and applications are stored. It usually consists of internal flash memory, and ranges vary according to model and manufacturer.
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi enables the tablet to connect to a wireless network as long as it is in range. Wi-Fi hotspots are common in airports and coffee shops in larger cities around the world, and allow mostly free internet browsing.
Bluetooth: Bluetooth is also a wireless technology that allows the exchange of data over short distances. It is used in tablets mostly to transfer data from one device to another.
3G: 3G enables internet connectivity even when not in range of a Wi-Fi network. This is an important feature if you live in a place where Wi-Fi hotspots are not readily available.
USB port: A USB port allows USB devices (like wireless headphones, for example) to be connected to the tablet.

One of the most important elements of any tablet is its operating system (OS). The two main competitors when it comes to tablet operating systems are Apple iOS and Google Android. Although the Apple App Store provides more than enough apps for its iPad and iPad 2, you can only install apps approved by them. It is described as a "closed fence" system. On the other hand, Android is more generic, and almost anybody can write an app for them. Both systems, however, have their own pro's and con's.

So what exactly do you do with a tablet? Well, just to give you an idea, here is a list.

Web browsing
Send and receive e-mails
Watch video's
Watch live internet TV
View pictures
Read e-books
Use as a GPS
Use as a digital picture frame
Use as a cookbook
Play music and streaming audio
Read newspapers
Play games
Do social networking
And many more...

A tablet can therefore replace a DVD-player, a GPS, a digital picture frame, an eReader / Kindle, MP3 player/iPod and a PSP or hand-held gaming device, all in one. Pretty nifty, don't you think?

But replacing all these gadgets doesn't come cheap, and most high-end tablets from leading brands can be quite expensive. If you are considering buying a tablet, don't be blinded by all the hype surrounding these brands. If you've got the money, then go for the iPad 2 or Samsung Galaxy Tab because they really are great products. If, however, you are a little more careful with your spending, then do your homework. Apple and the iPad isn't everything. There are a lot of Android tablets that can hold their own and are also worth considering.

So that is the galaxy of the tablet explored on the surface. For further explorations of this and other gadget galaxies, visit my blog at http://grannysgadgetguide.blogspot.com.

Elna Niemann