Tablets, tablets, everywhere! You just can’t avoid the barrage of announcements about tablets these days. From the iPad, iPad 2, XOOM, Galaxy Tab, PlayBook and TouchPad there is no hiding from the marketing machine telling us we NEED a tablet. Certainly, if we don’t get a tablet there is no way we can continue to live life to it’s fullest, or even tie our shoes!
This year is going to be the year of the tablet. Now, I know we probably all said that last year, but this year there is no denying it. I guess Apple’s competition wanted to wait a year to see how that iPad thingy did. Good plan! So, now that every tech company on the planet is bringing out a tablet we can expect to get hit over the head with advertising. The message will be that we can’t relax at home or be productive on the road unless we have a tablet...and a laptop...and a smartphone.
My plan all along has been to stand firm against the maelstrom from advertisers! I’ll snub my nose at the co-workers, friends and family that bought into the marketing mindshare! [really long pause] Well, that was my plan, anyway. Like many of you I had figured I can get by without a tablet. I have a cache of smartphones and a couple laptops to keep me connected and informed, what could I possibly need in a tablet I am not already getting from these? My resistance has crumbled though. All it took was a bit of time with a tablet and I am hooked. I have sipped the kool aid and it is goooood!
A little while ago I got the chance to review a Samsung Galaxy Tab from Rogers (a Canadian carrier). The Tab is a 7 inch, Android powered tablet with cameras, 1GHz processor, gorgeous screen in a nice tidy package. When I got it I figured it would be handy and fun but not overly useful, but after using it for just a little while I realized how handy it really was. It’s not really a question of ‘need’ but convenience, at least for me. There is so much more screen than a smartphone making web pages, pictures and video so much more viewable but in a package far more portable than a laptop.
I’m not so sure I would feel the same way about a 10-inch screened device like the iPad. Nothing against the iPad, just that it isn’t as portable and I would probably only use it around my house. With a 7-inch device like the Tab you can still carry it anywhere and not need a table top to use it.
Yes sir, I am hooked. Now my biggest challenge is going to be in choosing the right tablet. I could go for a Galaxy Tab, especially since pricing will probably start dropping as new devices come along, or with one of the newer devices hitting the market. Choice certainly won’t really be a big problem by the end of the year. My biggest problem, like most, will be in justifying the cost...and then actually finding the money. Maybe I can sell a kidney...hmmm...
So, will you join me in caving to the marketing hype and peer pressure? Let’s get tablets!
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