Technically Easy

Category: Tablets

A collection of posts that are related to tablet computers from many different manufacturers and models.

  • Go Big: Larger Tablets for Bigger Jobs

    Go Big: Larger Tablets for Bigger Jobs

    Is it time to upgrade your tablet? If it’s more than a couple of years old, you probably should. You’ve missed out on a lot of advances in display definition, better processors, and higher RAM that could make your tablet experience a lot smoother and more productive.

    Tablets are also a lot lighter and thinner, with tons of apps and features and can even measure up to a laptop at 15.6 inches in display size. Bigger tablets can be better, and not much heavier than a smaller device, but still loads lighter than a laptop.

    Size Matters

    Working consistently on a small screen and mini keyboard can be annoying, so if you’re doing a lot more work with your tablet, it’s worth it to upgrade both in terms of display and functionality. Larger format screens start at 10 inches and can exceed the size of laptop displays.

    The most popular sizes are the newer and pricier 12 inch models or the more affordable 10 inch models like the Nook Galaxy Tab 4 by Samsung. Depending on what you use a tablet for – a multimedia device, gaming, graphic design, or as a laptop replacement – you’ll want to consider the specifications carefully.

    Very often a tablet that you think is a great deal may not have good resolution, or a more up-to-date processor, or enough RAM to do what you want it to do.

    Shop for Right, Not Cheap

    Tablets are a fast growing segment of the world market. As people need to bring the internet with them, and in a more easily usable form than a laptop, tablets users worldwide are estimated by eMarketer to pass the 1 billion mark this year.

    Tablets have a lot going for them, including portability, ease of use, and a variety of applications available via sources such as iTunes for iPads, Google Store for Android devices. Shopping for a cheap tablet risks getting locked into older versions of operating systems without as much functionality, or getting stuck with outdated hardware.

    If you want a useful tablet that you’ll still be using two years from now, getting a newer model is critical. Here’s a few of the things you’ll need to look for.

    • Operating System: Android has just released version 6 of its operating system called Marshmallow, and iOS for Apple devices is on version 9. Windows operating systems are also available, but you should look for them to be running at least Windows 8 and not Windows RT, which is becoming quickly obsolete. Windows RT does not support Microsoft legacy software, and apps are thin on the ground at the Windows Store. There are also some tablets coming to market with the Chrome OS from Google, with all the apps you can find for Android. At the moment, Statista notes that Android is the most popular OS across all devices, with 66 percent of the global market share.
    • CPU: The GHz doesn’t always tell you the whole story since the number of cores also factors in. You’ll find dual core, quad-core, octo-ore, and even multiple processors, depending on the model and manufacturer. In general, the higher the GHZ, the better. You’ll find Apple with their own proprietary chips, but some of the most popular processors are Intel Atoms and I-series, NVIDIA Tegra, Snapdragon, and Exynos.
    • RAM: You’ll find that tablets running Windows usually have the most RAM, generally because they are running the full Windows OS in either version 8 or 10. More lightweight OS tablets from Chrome, Android, and Apple have 2GB to 3GB. The more RAM you have and the better your processor, the more smoothly your tablet will run, with less hanging and crashing.
    • Display: Most tablets now offer way better than 1080P, with resolutions typically in the 2560×1600 range. Also check out the PPI (Pixels Per Inch) number.

    The adoption of tablets is one of the fastest growing demographics, with 45 percent of Americans owning and using a tablet as of the recent Pew Research survey. A tablet fills a lot of the niches once taken up by portable DVD players, full-sized laptops, MP3 players, and GPS devices. You may end up consolidating a lot of your extraneous devices into a tablet with additional peripherals such as a Bluetooth keyboard, stylus, speakers, and headset.

    With cloud-based applications, you will find that everything from gaming to homework is portable in a way that’s not possible with a laptop, and more usable than a smaller format tablet or smartphone. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up, you should be able to get some great deals on newer models with just a point and click – or a swipe and tap.

  • Using Your NOOK for Video Conferencing

    Using Your NOOK for Video Conferencing

    NOOK’s new Samsung Galaxy Tab comes with a huge list of excellent new features, from the inclusion of streamlined and personalized apps to the exclusion of permanent “in your face” widgets that may not even be relevant to your preferences, but by far one of the best is the new NOOK runs Android 4.4 out of the box, giving it all the functions of a standard 7-inch Android tablet without the same “bloatware” apps and features found in most tablets. This allows users to go from using their NOOK strictly as a digital library to utilizing it in other leisure activities, school and even business.

    The fact that Samsung’s NOOK features a crisp front-facing camera, like its non-Barnes and Noble sibling the Galaxy Tab 4, even makes it possible to use the device for video communications such as Skype and other video conferences. Most smartphones are capable of the same thing, but using a compact tablet or eReader offers the benefit of a larger, higher definition, brighter screen; this makes for better viewing quality and better lighting for anyone on the other end.

    What do you need to turn your eReader from a colorful portable bookshelf to a mobile video conferencing powerhouse? As it turns out, not much.

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  • How to Gift the Perfect Tablet this Holiday Season

    How to Gift the Perfect Tablet this Holiday Season

    If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you may have heard the ubiquitous tablet being referred to as the “it gift” of the season. Well folks, for once, mainstream media got something right. Tablets are the Tickle Me Elmo of 2013. I’m not saying any store clerks are going to be trampled in a mad dash for a new iPad, but there aren’t many Christmas trees that will be short a tablet nestled beneath their bountiful branches.

    If you’re thinking of buying a tablet for some lucky schmo in your family – or an incredibly fortunate friend – there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before plonking down a few hundred simoleons.

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  • 6 Tips for Finding the Right Tablet for Reading and Writing

    6 Tips for Finding the Right Tablet for Reading and Writing

    Everyone knows that tablets are great for surfing the web, but the demands on these devices are growing and the need for various forms of mobile computing is intensifying.

    Consider those industries that require intensive reading and writing – writers, editors, and literary agents, just to name a few. Is there a tablet that will facilitate their needs? Following are six tips for finding the perfect tablet for the reading and writing industry.

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  • iPad Tricks that Business Users Should Know

    iPad Tricks that Business Users Should Know

    For most common users, Apple’s iPad provides a means for consuming content, and for that matter anything – music, video and text. As a business user, you may want to put the iPad to better use. Apple’s documentation, though elaborate, throws little light on how an iPad can be used to enhance your performance in a business environment. Business users hit upon some features accidentally and use those features, or simply miss them entirely. Smart business users however, take time off to discover features and abilities in the iPad to make it work harder for them.

    The iPad has features that make it ideal for sharing data with personal computers and services that use the web. Some users discover features for themselves but it usually comes too late. Most tips and techniques that apply to an iPad also work for an iPhone because both use Apple’s iOS. However, don’t expect them to work the same way. There are couple differences here and there.

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  • How to Run Google Apps on Kindle Fire without Root

    How to Run Google Apps on Kindle Fire without Root

    Google has long been the go-to website for almost everything on the web. Their outstanding services like Maps and Gmail have become indispensable for quite a few of us. We like their simple layout, functionality and, to be honest, we’re used to them by now!

    Which is why we’re so frustrated when we can’t access these functions from other devices. They form a small part of our lives and we’ve come to depend on them – whether we’re lost, need to share a document with the office or simply check our e-mail.

    Another indispensable gadget for a lot of us is now the e-reader. As more and more people switch to an electronic reading experience, the e-reader is the must-have for any serious techy bookworm. Kindle Fire has become one of the most popular e-readers on the market. It combines excellent performance with great looks and all for under two hundred pounds.

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  • Getting A Taste of Google’s Unveiling of New Devices

    Getting A Taste of Google’s Unveiling of New Devices

    Google proved this week that although one Hurricane Sandy might put a halt on a big planned press event, it wasn’t enough to stop them from revealing the much-anticipated new Nexus gadgets. All of the new products were quite a bit to take in, and one might have found it necessary to stop and keep track of just who was carrying what, but all of the new pieces are looking quite promising.

    The basic rundown of the next line of Nexus products include the LG Nexus 4 smartphone, the Asus Nexus 7 tablets, as well as the Nexus 10 Samsung tablet. Based on the companies involved with the production of these gadgets, Google was looking to team with as many as possible to create a bigger portfolio. But aside from the business tactics, it’s important to look at what each of these devices are bringing to the market for Nexus-hungry users.

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  • Tips for Your New Kindle Fire Tablet

    Tips for Your New Kindle Fire Tablet

    The Kindle Fire tablet has quite a few things going for it, including a nice entry price that is much less than the cost of some of the other tablets out there. However, the Fire does have some differences, so if you’ve used other tablets in the past, then you might find that the Fire is a bit different. The following tips should help you get up to speed with the tablet quickly though.

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