Monday 8 November 2010

Tablet Devices


Keep taking the tablets?

You’ve probably seen or heard a lot about the latest technology hitting the market, tablet devices.  Apple launched the iPad back in May 2010 and sales have been very strong with over 6 million devices sold worldwide.  

Initially people viewed the device as a consumer gadget but now many businesses are seeing the benefits.  The financial, health and technology sectors have been the early adopters but with so many developers producing vertical sector applications, we believe they (tablets) could become a rival to the laptop very soon.

The device that will really accelerate growth in the business market is the eagerly awaited BlackBerry Playbook.  

This tablet is due for UK launch around February 2011 and will come in an Enterprise ready format.  This means for the first time IT Managers can securely control documents, applications, downloads and web browsing simply by deploying the Playbook through their BlackBerry environment.  The playbook also comes with the internet industry standard Flash Player as well as HD cameras on the front and back making it great for video conferencing.

Other tablet variants have been launched by Samsung, Dell, Nokia and others, so plenty see the massive potential growth in this area.

Why would I be interested in a tablet device?

The answer is simple – they could offer you a competitive advantage through more effective mobile working.
It is inevitable that comparisons are drawn with laptops, web books and smartphones so here are examples of the features that offer significant improvements:

  •    The screen and interface – the good sized touch screen means that viewing documents, web pages, pictures or video is all easy and of excellent quality. Touch screen technology offers a clear improvement in usability and navigation over a laptop mouse.


  •  Connectivity –unlike most laptops, tablet devices do not require an additional USB dongle to connect to the web over the 3G mobile networks.


They also have all the functionality that you might expect such as:
  •    Email
  •    Calendar and contacts
  •   Web browsing
  • Word processing
  •   Spreadsheets
  •    Presentation creation

Similarly to smartphones, applications, or apps as we now know them can be downloaded, making these devices limitless in their potential functionality. They are fast becoming a must have for business people to stay ahead of the competition. 

For advice on any aspect of your business communicationscontact 8020 Ltd on 01387 250008.

November 2011

Andrew Edgar
Managing Director
8020 Ltd