Tablets For Christmas

As we get ready for Christmas, it’s time to check the tech options out there for gifts. This year it seems to be tablets. It all started with the iPad sometime ago. But now everybody is getting into the game.

Samsung has a tablet. A bunch of no names have low end tablets that Frys is selling & are advertised nowhere  else. And now we have the e-reader war. Amazon started with its Kindle Fire & now Barnes & Noble has answered back with the Nook Tablet.

Of course the difference with these two is the price. Every other tablet is essentially the same price as an iPad, around $500 to $800. The Fire is $199 & the Nook is $249. Problem is the Nook Tablet apparently isn’t as good as the cheaper Fire. Hmmm. Wonder if that will affect sales?

But there’s another issue. What exactly makes these better than a desktop or a laptop? I say: nothing.  An actual computer comes with a real keyboard, not one of those monstrous “virtual” keyboards. I hate those things. They are hard to use, & it’s hard to find special characters. Needless to say, I’m writing this on an actual computer using a real keyboard.

Plus a tablet doesn’t do the things a real computer can. They are consumption devices. They are for surfing the web, listening to music & watching videos. They are not for balancing your checkbook or creating projects for business.

As for using them like an e-reader, the public has already said no. Yes, the iPad is extremely successful, but the iBook store isn’t. The reason? Because tablets have backlit screens like a computer monitor. Those are very hard on the eyes. Believe me, I know. After a couple of hours my eyes get tired. Regular e-readers like the very successful Kindle line, which has gotten cheaper, use what’s known as e-ink. It’s like reading a book. Not hard on the eyes at all. At least that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t own one.

The alternative is to use Audible audio books. You don’t need a special device. You can listen on your computer or put them on your iPod, a device I already own. I’ve thought of doing that but wonder if I would get distracted & not hear all the book or maybe have problems with whoever is doing the reading.

So you can see what is out there & I would be interested in what actually happens this year.