Which Tablet Best Supports My Business Needs? – Our Top 3 Picks

I.T. Support & Tablet

Tablets have certainly been around for long enough for everyone to have become at least somewhat familiar with them, but with all the options available you may be wondering how to go about finding the right one for you.  Which device is least likely to frustrate you or get left on the shelf six weeks after you buy it?  We think we have a few ideas to help answer that question. Here is our battle of the tablets: iPad vs. Surface Pro vs. Android.

My computer is a frustrating thing to use.  Why would I want one I can hold in my hands?

If this sounds like you but you still want access to your business information, then you’re the reason Apple created the iPad.  Emails and reports — and even books and magazines if you like — look great on an iPad, and with a minimal amount of fuss. The iPad has some of the most flexible and easy-to-set-up email support, and your I.T. Support people probably won’t have to spend all day fiddling with the thing to get it working for you.  Chances are good that the day you buy it, you’ll be able to use it and need minimal assistance from the folks in I.T. Support. Here are a few of the things you’ll like about using an iPad

• Low learning curve.  These things are very simple to use.
• Simple setup.  The folks in I.T. Support don’t normally have to spend hours fussing with it to get it to work right.
• Great battery life.  It will be ready for you to use even after sitting on the shelf for days at a time, and lasts for several hours of steady use on an airplane or in the car.

If I were trapped on a desert island with nothing but Microsoft Excel I’d be just fine. If you’re chuckling to yourself, that’s probably an indication that you should check out a Windows tablet like the Surface or Surface Pro.  It runs a version of Windows that looks and works just like your desktop computer, with the convenience of small size and the ability to turn it on and use it immediately at the touch of a button.  Read on if this sounds like the thing you’ve been waiting for.  Windows tablets come in a few varieties:

• Windows RT Consumer tablets, like the Surface, have the familiar Windows interface, include versions of Excel, Word and OneNote, and connect to corporate email systems like Exchange (although connecting to an old Exchange server may be difficult or impossible) as well as Hotmail and Gmail. Windows RT is not likely to be able to run your standard desktop software.  If you’re looking for that level of functionality, keep reading.
• Surface Pro and similar tablets.  The Surface Pro runs Windows 8 and can run desktop applications just like a desktop computer, while giving you the convenience of instant-on, small size, and a touch screen.  This makes it a great option for doing anything you’d normally need to do in the course of a day at the office, just on a smaller scale.
• Laptop-Tablet Hybrids were a big thing at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with some of the more favorably-reviewed machines coming from HP.  These devices represent the next evolutionary step in laptops, giving us all the things we expect from a standard laptop, but adding in touchscreen interfaces, better battery life, and better wireless and cellular connectivity.

Everything in my house is customized to my exacting standards and that’s the way it should be.  In fact, if this is you then you probably wrote off the first two sections immediately and jumped straight to this part of the article.  You know your stuff and you know how it should work.  In the Android tablet arena the prize goes to a device that offers high performance and access to the latest features.  As this article is being published our favorites are Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, with the Asus Transformer series for added productivity and technical use options. Most of the people we encounter who choose android tablets tend to want ultimate control, which is one of the really great things about the Android platform. Here are some of the things people enjoy about their Android tablets:

• Flexibility.  If you have the patience and technical skill you can make it do nearly anything.
• Control.  As stated in the last point, you can make it do just about anything, so you don’t have Microsoft or Apple telling you what you can and cannot do with your tablet.
• Command of your digital world.  Many of the JMARK technicians choose Android devices and use them as miniature digital command centers, controlling all manner of things from home entertainment systems to servers, routers, and firewalls in the data center.

We hope this brief breakdown has helped you learn which type of device is most likely to suit your needs and prepared you for some pleasant shopping.  You can always count on your dedicated support team to listen give you friendly and useful advice.  Even though you may not enjoy digging into technology, it’s what we live for.  We look forward to hearing from you.