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How Tablet PCs are really Great Productivity Tools
For all the criticism iPad and other tablets to get his "just toys", they actually have many qualities that make them excellent productivity tools - sometimes better than laptops or netbooks. Here's why.
Many people have dismissed as useless tablets unless you are playing games or reading articles. They have declared content consumption devices, not content creation devices. Most people say they do not use a tablet for "real work" that only a real laptop or netbook will suffice. I've been using my notebook as my main computer on-the-go, but I'm starting to realize that often, my iPad is actually a better choice. Here's why picking up the new iPad 2 or Xoom Motorola could actually be one of the most useful productivity tools you've purchased.
When the winning Tablet laptops and netbooks
At its most basic level, your tablet has a ton of advantages over your typical computing device - especially for working on the road.
The is truly instant-on: I do not care if you're using an SSD in your laptop hibernate instead of turning off, or using one of the other "fast boats" tricks - there is no way you can turn it on, connect to the Internet, and faster than you can get a tablet to work. With the push of a button and a tap of your finger you can be in a word processor or other productivity app in seconds. If you are near a network you've used before or you have a 3G Tablet state, you are already connected to the Internet - no waiting for your Wi-Fi to switch back and reconnect.
It has crazy life the battery: The iPad battery life is absurdly long, running at more than 10 hours, with Xoom and Tab Galaxy not far behind. Most netbooks are lucky to get half of the laptop battery life make tablets. Heck, even the new MacBooks (which some of the best life the battery that I've seen on a laptop) can not compete with an iPad. If you want to go out without worrying about a device to die (and around a bulky charger, title = "Laptop Battery Shop"> replacement laptop battery), tablets are a good choice.
It is smaller and more portable: Even netbooks, with their small screen size may be large specimens - especially with the huge batteries come with a number of them (which is not able to meet the standards tablet and you need to carry out an even larger charger). If you're rocking a 13 or 15 inch laptop, forget it. Your tablet is lighter, thinner and about one million times easier to move without whining about the bulk.
Another advantage of this area: It is easier to work with other people if you have a tablet around. It is much easier to pass things to show and even see the screen from different angles (thanks to IPS display technology). Jesse reader notes that Facebook is great for sharing material during meetings, or with your colleagues or clients.
It is faster: Despite the fact that nearly one third of the power of the average netbook, the iPad lightweight OS means everything is super fast. When I started my iPad as a notebook replacement, I was surprised to find that a lot of apps take less time to to load. Plus, you do not have to worry about multiple apps bogging down your system. The lack of multitasking on the IPAD can be a pain, but in this case it actually helps the device is working properly.
It's easy to annotate documents: Both @ FollowerDrone on Twitter and Facebook Sara noted that the iPad is great for taking notes and anontating PDFs in a way that until now you could really only on paper. Sure, there are a couple ways to annotate documents on a laptop, but none of them are so simple, intuitive or flexible as they are on a tablet, which is much better mimics the pen and paper experience - and experience can be very useful when You do not have to transfer back into a digital format.
It's safer: Reader @ snorkel42 made a great point on Twitter, with a tablet, you're much less susceptible to the reduction of malware sketchy, open coffee shop networks. You will still want to make sure that you use HTTPS and SSL where possible, of course, but if the alternative is a Windows-based laptop, a tablet will you get rid of the malware annoyance when you need to actually get things done. Admittedly, Lifehacker readers normally not ones to jump into a coffee shop unprotected Wi-Fi network or downloading malware-ridden software, but you get the idea.
Your work is completely free from distractions: Another situation where the lack of true multitasking is actually good: You're always focused on one thing then you're right does. When it is time to start some serious writing done (or get what you're doing), you can just pair a Bluetooth keyboard and without anything on the screen distracting you (a feature which we praised times before). Flip a switch in your tablet settings and you can turn off all alerts also let you continue to immerse yourself in your work.
Overcoming weaknesses
Obviously, your tablet is not without shortcomings. However, some of these be remedied with a few tweaks or extra pieces of hardware.
Lack of a hardware keyboard: While typing a few comments on the software keyboard is not terrible, you're certainly not doing a real work. However, most modern tablet pairing with a Bluetooth keyboard, meaning you can pick one up (or use one you already use on your desktop), bring it with you, and add a super cheap stand for your own mobile workstation and are still some space savings over a full laptop. (Most cases, double as Tablet state, too.)
Lack of local storage and USB support: Most of the tablets are not USB ports for thumb drives, and can not even iPad can browse the file system. As a result, many people complain that you can easily create documents that are created on the tablet to another computer access. The fact of the matter is that most services already (be it the wonderful Simple Note or the cloud-based Google Docs), your gear to synchronize with other computers, and you can easily Dropbox for most everything - including iWork.
Where Tablets still lose
All that said, tablets are obviously not the perfect productivity tool. There are a few areas where laptops and netbooks gain from:
Browsing: While many claim that browsing on a tablet is a great experience, I seriously disagree. Clicking on links, using Flash, and dealing with sites that are not optimized for tablets is a huge pain. If any of these things work to do, make your life harder tablets.
Advanced Document Features edit: If you have a lot of writing, the distraction-free environment a tablet can be great. Once you need to do more sophisticated things, but - the sort of things that need access to a lot of menus, for example - you get a real computer necessary with a mouse and a full version of your office suite of choice to get things done.
Other examples include public utilities, such as text expanders, that just do not work the same on tablets. IOS has TextExpander, but because it is multi-tasking does not require the app you use to support the meaning that it works well when are supported, but not anywhere. Also, I have not seen an extension of useful text for Android apps come out. Macro features in Office are in the same boat - unfortunately, There is simply no substitute for a real tablet.
Running Specialized software: While many of you listed on Facebook and Twitter to your business or field had software optimized versions of their tablets, the majority of people not as fortunate. If a particular piece of software you need to use for a project, chances are you have a Windows-based laptop is a need.
Price: There's not ignore this. You can make a decent notebook for as low as $ 250, but at least you'll be shelling out $ 500 for an iPad, and even more for Xoom. If you can not justify slapping requires a lot of money, buying a tablet is just no good idea.
The key to it: an effort to put it in your workflow
Reader Bryan put the best on Facebook, so I'll let him explain:
[The iPad] can be very productive, the key is working in your routine and remember your workflow. I initially had to force myself to attend meetings, has now become a useful tool in about a month. . . If anything it's all in how it is used or how you use it.
With that, I recommend that if you have a tablet, give it a shot. You may have written it off as "just a toy", but if you really give yourself a chance to get used to the idea, you might be surprised are what you can do on it.
In the end, it all comes down to the type of work you need to do - but many of you may be surprised how far you actually can get with a tablet (and how much easier it). All this is my opinion of course, and I know many of you disagree with my Outlook. Yes, agree or disagree, let this issue (politely, please) to discuss the comments.