3 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Tablet for Your Business.
The new wave of tablet PCs means incredible potential for using field services software. As an independent tradesperson or SME choosing a tablet for business use, start by asking the following 3 questions:
1. Which OS (operating system)? Apple’s ‘iOS’, the same OS iPhones use, benefits from the app store and its hundreds-of-thousands of apps; Google’s ‘Android’ is completely cloud-based and keeps mail, documents, calendar, etc, constantly synchronised; Microsoft’s ‘Windows Phone 7’… well, though they’re set to release a tablet-specific OS soon, their existing OS isn’t getting a lot of praise; RIM’s ‘Blackberry Tablet OS’ is being heralded by some business users as the best tablet-specific OS yet. Both Blackberry, and HP’s ‘WebOS’ that started life in the popular Palm Pre smartphone, are still growing their range of available apps, but are excellent OSs for multitasking in business use. Perhaps the most important thing to consider when weighing up each OS is what you’re used to, what you like and how much you’re prepared to change (or learn) in exchange for the potential benefits.
2. What size? While some are larger, some are smaller, and a few oddballs fall somewhere in between, the vast majority are 10-inch and 7-inch. Be warned, they are diagonal measurements, so that three inches difference almost doubles (or halves) screen real-estate. Some 7-inch units can be held in one hand, but apps may end up looking and feeling a little cramped (unless you’re used to using apps on a phone!). Obviously, these dimensions also affect weight, but compared to laptops most tablets are pretty light, weighing in at between 350 and 750grams.
3. Where and how will the tablet be used? Few tablet users have swapped their mobile phones for tablets at this stage, so if you’re planning on keeping yours then – given you can use you’re phone as a WiFi hotspot – you may want to forget about 3G and opt for a WiFi only tablet. For that matter, is there any reason to look for a high quality camera in a tablet when your mobile probably already has one? Of course, you could decide to be an early adopter and bravely stand around chatting into your tablet, which means camera, microphone and speaker quality (and strength of character) are something to be taken into account.
Finally, some tablets offer optional keyboard docking-stations, handy when serious typing is required. Some offer better battery life, although we didn’t see a lot of difference between models. Some offer USB connectivity for thumb-drives or printers, while others have HDMI outputs for connecting to large high-quality displays.
Currently the 10-inch tablets most popular amongst business users include the iPad2, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and Asus Eee Pad Transformer. 7-inch models include the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Blackberry PlayBook and the Dell Streak.
Let us know if you have any questions or suggestions about the best tablets for business use.