Originally Posted by Bedsit Bob:
“Never having had a touch screen phone or a tablet, I'm in uncharted waters here.
Note to slick1two.
The reason I'm asking here, rather than Googling, is because, as stated above, I know nothing about touch-screen phones or tablets, so I was looking for info from people who actually use these things, on a day to day basis.”
Ok I apologize if I may have come across harsh, but seriously there is an absolute wealth of information on the web regarding the tablet in question or tablets in general, using tablets, what they are for, the different sizes form factors available. Youtube will also bring you a whole host of videos on tablet PCs.
Basically speaking a tablet does not really replace a pc or laptop, due to various limitations. For example, you won't find a CD drive on a tablet, most won't allow you to connect to the internet with an internet cable either. They do not have a pc type keyboard so you are dependent on a keyboard that is on screen, not so comfortable to use or type out long documents with. So as a work pc, it does not replace.
The advantage a tablet has over a pc or laptop is portability. You can take it out with you without having any excess bulk. You will have a simplified UI and functionality is added by downloading applications from an application store located on the tablet by a press of a button.
Cheap doesn't always mean you'll get good performance, but it doesn't also mean you'll get bad performance for paying less. There may be certain things a cheaper tablet will do well, but in other cases not so well. Again it's why it's paramount to do as much research as you can on a particular tablet if you happen to find one at your desired price point.
You will find many tablets being reviewed on youtube by regular users or online review websites carrying out indepth reviews of a tablet. So if you enter the brand and model followed by the word review in to google you will more than likely come across some useful material which you can use as a guide, to help you weigh up the pros and cons of a particular model.
You do need to be careful though. There are many cheap chinese made tablets floating around, many which are using antiquated hardware and software which may appear good value but could well be lacking in build quality, performance and customer service (who do you contact if something is not quite right? Are they reachable by phone or email etc etc)
There are a current batch of chinese made tablets which do offer good performance and will not break the bank, usually up to around £120. Brands to look out for, Ainol, Ramos, Zenithink, Scroll offer pretty decent spec tablets, for just over the £100 mark.
What I will say to you to do first of all. Get familiar with the tablet, look up videos and read up a little before making any purchase. Ask yourself if you actually need one, what could you possibly do and cannot do with it. Remember it is a touch screen device, so you need to make sure the screen is as responsive as possible. If you ever see the word resistive to describe the screen tech, stay away from it. Always go for, funds permitting, a capacitive touch screen, as they tend to be far more responsive.
Also try to stay away from a tablet it if lists in it's specification VIA under CPU. They are pretty old and lack power. Many of the newer and better tablets use the ARM cortex CPUs, so look out for that when reading the spec sheets.
Good luck.