When the iPad was first introduced there were a lot of nay sayers out there saying that it was simply just an oversized iPhone.  Fast forward a couple of years and now we have hundreds of tablets on the market with a few different operating systems, and developers are scrambling to create tablet specific iOS and Android apps.   Now some researchers believe that tablets will be the way of the future considering their portability and constant connectivity.  Depending on what you plan on using a tablet for there are a lot of criteria that you will want to keep in mind.

The first thing that you need to consider is if you are using this tablet for work or personal use.  While these tablets can do almost everything a traditional laptop can do, they still have some limitations.  If you are in need of a simple way to transfer files from one computer to another a tablet may not be the right fit for you.  A very limited number of tablets have a USB port for easy file transfers. If you are looking for a tablet for work more than play there are certain tablets out there that make it easier to take notes or read and even sign documents.  The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet is a great example of a tablet marketed for corporate work.

Another concern when it comes to choosing the perfect tablet is the size of the device itself.  There are pros and cons to both smaller and larger screens on these mobile devices.  The smaller screens can be difficult to see and even create problem when it comes to using the device appropriately.  On the other hand larger screens can be heavier and use more battery power.  Along with the screen size you should also consider the resolution, especially if your tablet is for viewing media.

Make sure that you choose a tablet with the platform that you want to use.  It is easy with Apple because you know exactly what you are getting.  Most other tablets use the Android platform; however there are other platforms out there for non-Apple products.  Apple broke onto the scene with the wildy popular iPadwhich gave room to other tablet manufacturers forAndroid development.  With this being said do not believe that your platform will get better or that changing the platform will be easy.  When you purchase the product what you see is pretty much what you get.

Let’s be honest, the main bread and butter of any tablet is the apps.  No matter what the hardware or operating system is like consumers want access to as many apps as possible.  This also means a constant battle between tablets to attract app developers to create the biggest and best apps for their platforms.

Keep in mind that no matter how important software is hardware can be equally as important.  Pay attention to the power of the processor which can affect how well your tablet works.  If you plan on using your tablet for video chatting make sure the device has a forward facing camera.  Depending on how much information you plan to store on your tablet you should make sure to check how much internal storage your tablet has and if there is an option of external storage as well.  If you are on the go make sure you understand your tablets connectivity.  No 3G can leave you without a connection in some situations.

When it comes to choosing a tablet it may be hard to differentiate between work and play.  Some tablets may have certain apps or features that are suitable toward one or the other, but as long as you choose one that fits your personal style you should be fine.  If you go prepared with the answers you need to these questions you are sure to find a tablet that fits you perfectly.

On The GoWARE provides mobile app development and training services for Apple iPhone, iPad, Google Android, and BlackBerry platforms.