Tablet PCs are a fad these days. But the point is, should you invest in this lightweight, portable but expensive gadget and make it your corporate companion. Let’s evaluate the option.

With the launch of the iPad, tablet PCs (commonly called ‘tablets’) have come of age, becoming more sleek, smart and user-friendly. It’s no wonder that they have emerged as one of the most talked about products of 2010. But is that reason enough for you to buy one? After all, at Rs 25,000 plus for an entry-level model, it doesn’t come cheap. So let’s explore the pros and cons of owning a tablet PC to know if it is worth shelling out money on this fancy gadget from a professional point of view.
A tablet is an intermediate device between a laptop and a smartphone, and offers most of the functionalities that these two devices offer. Add to it, tablets are highly portable and breezily lightweight—making it an ideal computing product for people who are always on-the-move and wish to remain connected with their work and the Internet, 24X7, especially those with long commuting hours or the frequent fliers. If you fall into either category, you should check out a tablet for the benefits that it offers business professionals.

The benefits of a tablet
While tablets may still not be able to replace a laptop or smartphone, they play a unique role, opined most professionals with whom we spoke to on the subject. Here’s a list of advantages that a tablet offers to on-the-move, tech-savvy professionals:

More portable than a laptop: The three crucial characteristics of a tablet PC are its long battery life, that it’s lightweight and its small size. These devices have been designed to be used in places where a laptop is not very effective, due to its bulk. For instance, you can hold a tablet in your hand and work with your finger or a digital pen, unlike a laptop which you can only operate on an even surface, or where you find a convenient place to sit and work. Umeed Kothavala, CEO, Extentia Information Technology, says, “A tablet is a welcome replacement to the bulky laptops when one is on the move.”

Bigger and better than smartphones: A tablet PC surpasses smartphones in usability, because of its larger screen size and exceptional user experience that a smartphone can’t match. Function-wise, it is far more capable than a smartphone. There are some tablets like the Samsung Galaxy that allow you to even make phone calls.
Sharing his admiration for his iPad Tablet, Raj Menon, COO, Contests2win.com says, “Very often when I have to approve design work or check out images that colleagues send to me, I find it difficult to do so over the phone. The work gets delayed, especially when I’m away from my (Apple) MacBook. But ever since I bought the iPad, I can address this work, instantly.”

Offers a more personalised experience: Owing to its size and the way it allows a user to browse its applications and features (using fingers or a digital pen), a tablet PC offers a personalised experience as compared to working on a laptop that carries a more professional appeal. This aspect makes the device user-friendly and best suited for Web surfing, browsing media files (games, movies), viewing photos and videos, and reading e-Books, newspapers and magazines, while on-the-move. Menon says, “I am constantly surfing on the iPad and it has become my best friend during my long commuting hours from home to work, and back.”

Snob value: Being one of the most talked about products these days, tablets like the iPad, and Samsung Galaxy, have acquired snob value. High-flying professionals and geeks are buying them to add to their overall persona.
So, if you too are fond of flaunting your gadgets, you can opt for a tablet as well.

The flip side
Although tablet PCs offer a slew of good features and functionalities, there are some shortcomings as well. Most of the latest tablets, like the iPad, don’t offer the calling facility or a memory slot that allows you to add more memory by way of memory cards or data sharing.
Vikas Gupta, vice president— Technology, Tech Mahindra rues this fact. “Most of them don’t have secure digital (SD) or similar memory slots. Besides, the display gets adjusted automatically, because of which sometimes it becomes difficult to read in sunshine,” he elaborates. Besides, owing to the fact that it is a touchscreen, the user needs to be careful while handling the device.

So, should you buy it?
At Rs 25,000 plus, tablets don’t come cheap. Besides, one also feels apprehensive about any new product that hits the market and usually wonders if the product is just a passing fad or a thing of substance and utility.
Menon rebuts this: “This is precisely what people said when the PC was introduced. After having used the iPad, let me assure you that this indicates a paradigm shift in the way people use computing devices.” He also feels that, going forward, the prices of these gadgets are most likely to fall as more vendors jump on to the bandwagon, as was the case with smartphones. “It’s all a matter of time… wait till the Chinese manufacturers come in.
“We can also expect a range of tablets for homemakers, students, professionals at work, families on vacation, for frequent shoppers, each designed with specifications catering to the respective user segment,” Kothavala adds.
It seems it will just be a matter of a few months before the market will be flooded with a variety of tablets, and who knows, you may find the one exactly suited to your needs and budget. After all, the gadget will surely become an interesting value proposition, if the prices fall a little.