tablet computer review

tablet computer review

Tablet PCs are the ultimate convertible computer; you have a beautiful laptop with a 12.1-inch screen (on average), a keyboard to type away and a mouse trackpad to navigate the screen. But swivel the screen around and you’ve got a fully functional tablet, much like the Apple iPad. Unlike the iPad’s somewhat limited iOS, the tablet PCs we looked at run a full version of Windows 7.

This system is the ultimate dual-purpose computer: it’s a laptop and a tablet, with all the features commonly found in both. This includes a physical keyboard and mouse trackpad, but also sensitive touchscreen and multitouch features found in tablets.

But what’s the advantage of this “convertible computer”? Why not just buy a laptop or a tablet, or both? Well, cost for one thing. Most people buying a tablet like the iPad have a standalone laptop or desktop, for a more robust computing experience, plus to store more files, photos, etc. Much more than the iPad could possibly hold. The cost of buying two separate systems adds up.

Then there’s the convenience factor: why have two separate computers when the tablet PC can do both, equally well? If the on-screen keyboard is too much to deal with when writing long papers or reports on the tablet, switch the system back to the laptop to get some work done.

The Apple iOS is limited, as are some of the more netbook-style tablets, and the processors, amounts of RAM and hard drive capacities are usually slim. It’s tough to get serious computing accomplished. The tablet PCs run full versions of Windows 7 and come with at least 1 to 2GB of RAM, with some units able to take up to 8GB. Hard drive capacities are good, if not great at up to 500GB, and most of the systems we looked at are running the latest and greatest Intel core i3, i5 or i7 processors.

Tablet PCs: What to Look for

We highlighted above a few of the more important items when choosing a unit. We’ve broken them down into the categories we used to rank them in our reviews.

Ease of Use
How easy is it to work with the tablet PC's hardware and software? How sensitive is the touchscreen display?

Design
How is the overall design of the system? Is it thin or thick; sleek and modern, or clunky and dated; how’s the screen resolution; and what are the overall dimensions and weight?

Technical Specifications
These refer to what type of processor is running, RAM amount, hard drive capacity, battery life, wireless (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G) and other features.

Help & Support
What’s the length of time on the warranty? One-year minimum, or three? Can users buy a longer warranty? We also take a look at what types of help and support are provided, such as phone and email contact, live chat, users forums, a user’s manual and a FAQs/Knowledge Base