[lafountain]

OK, I am just wondering. While this, the Ipad, the Android Tablets are all pretty cool devices. Is there a legitimate practical use for these things? I can use a phone, I can use my laptop, which can do what the tablet can, what actual benefit does a Tablet provide? If someone can provide with a legitimate bona-fide reason, perhaps I would consider one, but as a whole, I haven't seen a reason why I would want one.

[_StephenBB81]

a Few reasons I want a tablet in the work place

Note taking
it is still frowned upon to pull out your smartphone to take notes in a meeting, and a notebook is intrusive just as it puts a wall between you and the speaker, the tablet will change that.

Form filling
If your company has standard forms, digitize them and filling them out on a tablet is just easier than on a notebook, especially with signatures

Drawing
Often I have to draw something in my notes for a quick note, then either scan it or describe it later in my notebook, now it can be saved on the fly


Now something I really hope to see is a simple photo editing apps, basically I want to snap a picture, circle something in the picture, maybe write a comment and send it off via an email on the spot, less than 2 minutes, that would make this something I would be traveling with always

[Fubaz]

the HDMI 1080p Out is awesome too!

this will be awesome integration for presentations, the age of the projector is gone, and everyone uses LCDs or Plasmas for presentations now, this offers one step set up.

[iBlack11]

Desktop - Laptop - Tablet - Palm - Cell Phone.

It is just new innovations of portability, yes a laptop can move around, but we are talking about on the move access, quick work and your on your way.

I think tablets are needed.

[_StephenBB81]

the HDMI 1080p Out is awesome too!

this will be awesome integration for presentations, the age of the projector is gone, and everyone uses LCDs or Plasmas for presentations now, this offers one step set up.

I need to work in Your industry apparently

since NO ONE uses Plasma's for presentations in mine, they just are not big enough, and they are not portable enough,


HDMI out to a Projector is what I suspect will be the defacto standard in coming years.

[lafountain]

My field of work is currently as an instructor in the US Air Force. After my time here, I will return to my previous job in Avionics maintenance, so in my field this really doesn't help. For the non-business user, what does a tablet provide?

[iBlack11]

My field of work is currently as an instructor in the US Air Force. After my time here, I will return to my previous job in Avionics maintenance, so in my field this really doesn't help. For the non-business user, what does a tablet provide?

What does an apple mac or laptop provide you?

[lafountain]

What does an apple mac or laptop provide you?

My laptop provides portability and is also a gaming laptop for when I play video games on it. Currently it is also my main computer at home since my motherboard on my desktop died.

Being in the Military, I do travel once in a while and I take my laptop with me.

[lafountain]

Please note though, I am not putting tablets down in any way, I am just wondering what does a tablet provide for your average consumer.

[Fubaz]

I need to work in Your industry apparently

since NO ONE uses Plasma's for presentations in mine, they just are not big enough, and they are not portable enough,


HDMI out to a Projector is what I suspect will be the defacto standard in coming years.

Probably because im in a small business industry, where the presentations or meetings only have like a dozen people in them.

A 40" Plasma is less than a projector and less of a headache, so we use one.

maybe I need to be in your industry!

[iBlack11]

Please note though, I am not putting tablets down in any way, I am just wondering what does a tablet provide for your average consumer.

I get what you mean but remember laptops have been around for what so ever years, tablets are only starting to provide real performance, I am sure "average consumers" will get what they need years to come.

Tablets will always be tablets though, never laptops

[_StephenBB81]

Probably because im in a small business industry, where the presentations or meetings only have like a dozen people in them.

A 40" Plasma is less than a projector and less of a headache, so we use one.

maybe I need to be in your industry!

even with Dozens of people, how do you carry around a 40" Plasma? I complain when I need to bring my 22" screen for trade shows to put on the table.

I'm sure their is a market for both, but as LED technology improves and projector sizes get smaller and costs go down, I see them regaining the industry where people moved to Televisions, I would love th have a projector that is about the side of a box of kraft dinner throw up a 40" screen at 20" and have just BT and HDMI and MicroSD, and connection options!

and I don't think that wish is long away.

[DPSydBerry]

FWIW I couldn't quite see the point of the iPad etc. either. They had a number on display in our local John Lewis store recently and they seemed to offer all the annoyances of the iPhone (touchscreen covered with fingerprints within seconds, slow typing speed, needs a special case to carry it around safely) with none of the advantages ('in your pocket' portability and the ability to make telephone calls easily).

There were four or five iPads on the stand and they were all absolutely covered in sticky fingerprints:-) The sales display disappeared after a couple of weeks, so I was wondering if it wasn't proving a good seller - this is in the UK by the way.

I guess there is the 'cool gadget' appeal, but (with all due respect to the posters above) if I want to make notes/sketches in a meeting I'll use my pen and notepad (a paper one), which seems far simpler than carrying around yet another electronic device.

Must dash, my telex is printing a message and I need to get the wireless warmed up in time for the afternoon news on the BBC Home Service:-)

[Aristotles]

Please note though, I am not putting tablets down in any way, I am just wondering what does a tablet provide for your average consumer.

Blackberry has always been marketed towards the Professional Business User. The same applies to the tablet. It isn't for the average consumer. It's for the on-the-go office worker/executive.

[BzB]

i see little use (besides novelty) for a tablet in the workplace or in personal space. especially where the user already has a notebook and a smartphone.

however, there are many cases where users have a desktop (which tethers them to the physical location, prohibits portability) and their smartphone isn't a comfortable size for extended viewing. not sure how large that market is, but i suppose we'll find out. for me this would just be another toy to sit between my touchscreen phone and my laptop.

i agree the HDMI out is pretty much mandatory in these type of devices. i disagree with plasmas replacing projectors though. portability, costs (maintenance and repair) and flexibility still favor the projector.

[96Ag]

I'll pitch in my thoughts here. I see the tablet as a great solution for my sales staff and some of my operations guys as well.

For my Account managers (sales) they can go to the client with the tablet and show pictures, do presentations and (Hopefully) get signatures on proposals. I also hope that they can access their desktops and the company servers so that they can have access to their files and company forms as well.

For my operations guys, my hope is that our web-based GPS program that we track our crews with can be viewed on this device. Currently our Blackberrys do not support this while an iPhone or Droid will. We have had to get netbooks and then mount them in vehicles with floor mounted systems. I would like to see the tablet with a window GPS like mount for them. They can also manage their crews time through web-based management software that we are looking at for a future purchase.

I also have some technical guys that, instead of paper forms and check sheets could enter them onto the tablet and have them immediately uploaded to the servers and then turned into repair proposals that could be sent to the client while we are on site.

I see the tablet as a critical step to digitizing and upgrading/modernizing our company for seamless integration between operations, sales and the accounting department. This should reduce our office costs and improve our response time to clients, while also improving our accuracy in billing and internal job costing.

Just looking at the overall numbers, I feel that with a full up and down electronic integration we could add 3-5% to our bottom line.

[dkingsf]

..and available applications, this would replace my laptop. With a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or the virtual ones), only ethernet connectivity for in-office use would be missing. My 28" monitor has both VGA and HDMI inputs so I'm good to go there. When traveling, this could be a do all machine.

Plus IT"S A PHONE (or gonna be)

[iBlack11]

..and available applications, this would replace my laptop. With a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or the virtual ones), only ethernet connectivity for in-office use would be missing. My 28" monitor has both VGA and HDMI inputs so I'm good to go there. When traveling, this could be a do all machine.

Plus IT"S A PHONE (or gonna be)

Ye your right, I havent though of that, with all the specs it can do alot

[Nitsuj85]

E-books (save money on textbooks), school and work notes, time killer.

[dpeagle]

i believe this question was also asked about "indoor plumbing".

[IchigoMochi]

E-books (save money on textbooks), school and work notes, time killer.

Now that is something many of us should be able to agree on. Save trees, money, and be able to look things up during a lecture. I'm not one to get distracted easily so a tablet like this wouldn't be a hindrance.

[Stonedicator]

the HDMI 1080p Out is awesome too!

this will be awesome integration for presentations, the age of the projector is gone, and everyone uses LCDs or Plasmas for presentations now, this offers one step set up.

The company I work for has LCD's as well. For an average conference room they do work much better.

The LCD is not transported. It is mounted on the wall. We actually have a computer hooked up in the conference room as well. It's simple and it works.

[IchigoMochi]

My friends are all artists and sell at various conventions and we've been looking for an organizational solution with the general capabilities of a laptop, without the size or the issue of putting up a wall between you and your customers. A tablet of this size would suit this need perfectly. We'd be able to check our inventory of prints keep a well-organized record of sales, and surf the web for character/object references .

Someone mentioned using pen and paper and in this situation that only works so well, because we had to keep a tally. I'm very sure there may be more efficient ways to do it on paper, but a tablet does far more than keep inventory.

[ClintRo]

..and available applications, this would replace my laptop. With a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or the virtual ones), only ethernet connectivity for in-office use would be missing. My 28" monitor has both VGA and HDMI inputs so I'm good to go there. When traveling, this could be a do all machine.

Plus IT"S A PHONE (or gonna be)

I could see this replacing my laptop. As stated above.

[Wildo6882]

I could also see this replacing my laptop. I really only use my laptop at home for internet, generally something related to sports and fantasy sports. It pretty much does absolutely nothing else. I never bring it with me (and it's one of the smaller ones that weighs roughly 2 lbs.), I don't type on it, I don't do presentations, etc., and I have a separate laptop that I use solely at work.

A tablet such as the PlayBook could replace my current laptop. It would be smaller, lighter, more portable, and it could tether and sync to my phone. As long as the browsing experience was good, I would love it. I recently converted to Android for the browsing experience alone. I miss my BB for everything else, but I use my phone for the internet so much that I can't go back to BB for the time being. If this tablet is what it looks like it could be and I can tether a BB to it, I would probably be on my way back to BB.

Just my $0.02