[Closed] What's a tablet for?

I'm posting from the trap. On a tablet.

Oar sum!

Do you have bookshelves full of books?
Do you have a compreshensive tool kit?
Do you have a large record collection?
Do you have 1,000s of printed photos?
Do you carry them everywhere?
Why carry a laptop when there's an alternative?

Cure your headache?

Simple. The purpose of a tablet [i]for lots of people[/i] is to sit in Starbucks (other coffee outlets are available) with your trendy glasses, hogging the free wifi and looking all pretentious whilst you sip slowly on whichever coffee is in fashion that week...

Great for reading the day's news and twitter while you're having breakfast - that's basically what I got one for. If I used public transport more often it'd probably leave the house more (although I've got a Kindle + normal books which are probably more use).

Games and making going for a poo far more interesting

Hmm. Not really sold on it yet. I'm thinking an ebay sale might be in order.

Unless...

I write and research for a living. Could be of any use for those things (serious question)?

I'm posting from the trap. On a tablet.

^^This^^

It's the last thing I look at before going to sleep and the first when I wake up.
My girlfriend absolutely hates it!

Barely use the PC now, web browsing, twitter, arsebook, games, reading magazines, photos. Basically 90% of what a PC can do but way more portable, and it is much more natural to use for reading stuff.

I write and research for a living. Could be of any use for those things (serious question)?

I'll be using part of my tax refund to get an iPad3. The two main things that pushed me over the edge after spending a day borrowing a colleague's iPad2:

1. I've taken up writing short stories and will be using a tablet to make notes, capture ideas and other creative gubbins. With an Android tablet, you could use Google Docs or Dropbox for this so it syncs with your main computer. I was comfortable after 5 minutes practice typing on a tablet.

2. I have digital subscriptions to various publications (some technical, some personal such as STW). Having them all available at any time instantly is ace. I have lots of distractions with three stepkids and baby on the way and the ability to immediately access STW when an opportune moment strikes is priceless.

I write and research for a living. Could be of any use for those things (serious question)?

Having an easily portable computer with instant-on could well be handy, though hardly life-changing. Does it come with a 3G slot, or is Wifi only?

Reaching for the lasers.

@mogrim

Not sure. I pick it up tomorrow. They weren't specific when they got in touch to say I'd won.

Probably a cheaper wifi model then, which does limit it a bit unless you tether it to your phone. (Albeit you don't need to get a data sim card....)

Still, give it a go - it's free after all!

Did think of other ways I use my tablet - great for cooking recipes off the internet (assuming you're careful with spills etc., of course!) Also great for entertaining the kids, lots of free games which are handy for long car journeys.

Baby North is a big tablet fan.

Mainly by pointing at Dr North's ipad and repeating "Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!" until we load up youtube for her. At 18 months, she's already worked out that pressing the pictures brings up more videos.

My broaf view is that most people think of computers as tools for creating, and tablets tools for consuming.

But that's to miss an important middle ground where you do both and they can be handy for that too.

Well done for entering a competition you didn't want the prize for too - do you often walk into shops you have no intention of buying things from, and occasionally buy ingredients for meals you have no intention of making?

Tablets are for people that like technology and instant access to the internet, they could even be used for entering competitions ...

My broaf view is that most people think of computers as tools for creating, and tablets tools for consuming.

But that's to miss an important middle ground where you do both and they can be handy for that too.

Tablet's are ok for taking notes, and responding to emails. I don't think I'd want to do anything more complicated than that, though.

toby1 - Member

Well done for entering a competition you didn't want the prize for too - do you often walk into shops you have no intention of buying things from, and occasionally buy ingredients for meals you have no intention of making?

Thanks for that. I filled out an information services survey for the university. I suppose I was aware that my e-mail address would be entered into a draw, but that's not why I filled in the survey. It's because I think the library holdings - both paper and electronic - are insufficient and I wanted to express my opinion.

Then, months later, I got an e-mail thanking me for submitting my views and inviting me to pick up the tablet I had won.

A good dump is a pleasure and a time for free thought.

Heathens.

hugor - Member
It's the last thing I look at before going to sleep and the first when I wake up.
My girlfriend absolutely hates it!