Overview
Tablet PCs are portable devices designed primarily for surfing the internet, watching films, listening to music and playing games. They come with touchscreens, in place of a mouse or trackpad.
The advantages
Tablet PCs are extremely small and portable – you’ve got everything you need in a single, super-slim package. The touchscreen makes it easy to find your way around the functions on your tablet by using your fingers to tap, swipe and pinch the screen. Despite their size, they’re fast and powerful, capable of displaying 720p HD video without flinching. They’ve also got a much better battery life than laptops and netbooks: it’s possible to play with your tablet for up to eight hours between charges.
The drawbacks
Tablets don’t come with separate keyboards, so they’re not great if you want to touch type. The screen size is also smaller than netbooks and laptops, although it’s plenty large enough for comfortable web browsing or watching video. They’re also less versatile than desktop and laptop PCs, with a narrower range of applications and uses.
Summary
If you’re looking for a portable way to browse the net and catch up on films, but don’t want to be bogged down with excess baggage, then a tablet PC is perfect for your needs.
1
Camera
Some tablets come with a front-facing camera for taking snaps and recording video – it can also be used as a webcam .
2
Capacitive touchscreen
The touchscreen display uses the latest capacitive technology, making it fast, responsive and capable of supporting a wide range of ‘gestures’.
3
Storage potential
Tablets typically come with upwards of 512MB of onboard storage, often with the option of additional storage supplied via a removable microSD card, which plugs into the tablet’s microSD slot.
4
Networking
Tablets come with built-in Wi-Fi for connecting to the internet via your home wireless network or a Wi-Fi hotspot .
5
HDMI port
You can store video and photos on your tablet, then view them on your HD TV by connecting the tablet to a spare HDMI port on your TV (HDMI cable not supplied).
