My cell phone is a standard slider and is too difficult to respond to emails or to do any advanced web applications. I have carried smartphones before, but I find their size and overall fragility too problematic for my usage.
Both items do have their place, but I would like something reasonable for daily use. I do not need a true laptop for about 90% of my Internet use. If I am doing a quote for a customer or serious research I will choose to unpack and use my laptop, beyond that I need a device that I quickly turn on run true web applications, like Flash, and view websites in their intended forms, unlike on my cellphone. I would also like to be able to use it as an E-book reader, difficult on my cellphone and clunky and cumbersome on my laptop.
That leaves an Internet tablet as the obvious choice. With screen sizes in the 5 to 10 inch range and weights around 1 pound they are very light. Battery life usually exceeds laptops and most cellphones with normal usage, making them much more attractive. The only dilemma now is which to choose, not an easy proposition.
I have researched many of these devices and have found pros and cons with all of them. Of course the obvious choice is to look at the Ipad. Everyone and their brother has heard of them, and most of us have touched one. I do not like them. I do believe it is a well designed product, but it does not meet my needs. It does not have the ability to allow me to download attachments and store them on the device using a normal file manager system, this I cannot live without. I also need a device that can display Flash in websites for research, Ipad and Flash do not play well together. I have to admit that the price is out of my range. I cannot fathom spending $800 on a device of convenience, no matter how much I may enjoy it.
So that leaves a few, more like dozens, of android and Linux tablets to choose from. Android has not been optimized for tablets yet, however it does quite well. You can use a file manager and access the available storage. Flash works as of the latest few (2.2 and 2.3) versions of android. Kindle for andriod meets my wish for an E-book reader. And it displays websites beautifully, pair it with a bluetooth keyboard that doubles as a case and away we go!
I have looked into the expensive options to the ultra cheap and have decided that my current favorite is the Archos 101 Internet Tablet. It has one of the latest ARM CortexA8 processors, android 2.2, a large 10.1 inch display with a great 1024x600 tft lcd display. It also has an added benefit of a capacitive multitouch screen. Additional perks are a webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, G-Sensor, USB 2.1 host, external memory expansion port, HDMI output to display the true HD movies and YouTube videos directly to your TV, and many more than I can list here.
All of this for $299.00, less than half the price of the Ipad with many more features. How can you lose?
I am sure that the price and features will become even more attractive as time goes by. Android version 2.3 was just recently released, and with the next version Google is hinting strongly at full tablet support. It may well be worth waiting for the next version to appear, but if you cannot wait I would suggest that the Archos 101 Internet Tablet should fulfill all of your tablet needs.
