Tablets and the iPad

For a very long time tablet computers made tentative entries in the computer market, but never caught the consumer's attention. Sony launched a pretty impressive one that I tried in one of the stores at the Heathrow airport while waiting for a flight, and I always wondered why in the world people wouldn't go crazy about these futuristic devices. Well, that is until Apple got in the game, of course. Apple launched the iPad, and all of a sudden everyone and their cat (literally, there was actually news of a guy who bought one for the cat... anyway) had one! For once, I thought this was a bad idea! I could understand the "coolness" of having an iPad, but the practicality of its use eluded me. Not powerful enough to be a full fledged computer, and too big to be portable.

Man, was I wrong!
I still don't have my own iPad, but my wife got one (my birthday gift to her! Ain't I sweet!?) and I've had a better chance to see it in its natural habitat. The iPad may not be a power horse, but the fact that you press a button and it's on, no need to wait for it to boot up, your emails are right there and you can also browse the web without delay... wow! You can easily use it in the living room, kitchen, or in bed, checking you email one last time before you go to sleep.

Apps are still mostly designed for the iPhone/iPod, which is annoying because you get a small screen inside your iPad screen and waste time figuring out what you did wrong until you understand the concept, but who cares? Now you look cool and you can easily and quickly access information, no delays!

A few friends have asked me for advice on whether they would get an iPad for business use or not, and I used to feel inclined to say no. Now that I have experienced it, I would be more careful before saying anything. You still can't run your business applications from it, but you can remotely access your workstation or server back in the office or at home.

What I would love to try now is the HP Slate 500, aimed at the business market, running Windows 7 Professional and with specs to die for in such a small factor device, namely a 1.86 GHz Atom CPU, 2 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD, 1080 p video and a capacitive touch screen that includes an active digitizer which allows you to use a stylus for taking notes, drawing. The 8.9" screen looks beautiful. It also packs a VGA camera in the front and a 3 MP camera in the back.

Looking forward to a one on one with this tablet!