Judging by your emails to me, many of you are thinking of swapping your laptop and desktop computer for a tablet. In fact, many of you have already made the switch. Is it the right choice for you?
The first question you’ll need to ask yourself is, “Do I have a good high-speed Internet connection?” A tablet is basically an Internet appliance, designed to communicate with the cloud. You’ll also need WiFi in your home.
If you plan to switch to a tablet, and that’s any tablet, you’ll need to get comfortable with the cloud. Tablets don’t have big hard drives unless you get an expensive model. It is expected that you’ll save things like documents and photos to your cloud storage service.
The switch to Android or iPad can be a big change for a Windows user. If you plan on using your device for e-mail, web browsing, social media. and games, you’ll find most of the same options available on a tablet. If there’s a particular app that you use on your PC that you absolutely need for your tablet, make sure that that app or a comparable one is available for the device you plan on switching to Microsoft Office users should be pleased to know that there are free versions of Office apps available for iPad, Android tablets, and even for Kindle Fire tablets.
The second question is how comfortable are you with touch screens? Tablets are designed to work with a mouse, you’ll need to be comfortable with the gestures required to navigate a touch screen. Most tablets will, however, allow you to pair a Bluetooth keyboard with them.
There’s no reason you can’t have both a tablet and a laptop while you get adjusted to the tablet. Have any of our readers made the switch from laptop or desktop PC to tablet? Share your experiences in the comments.
The above article(Should I switch to a tablet) as interesting and helpful, but one question I have(that I haven’t seen addressed, is how to load anti-virus protection on a tablet. Can this be done in any way other than ordering it online then downloading it?
Anti-virus protection for tablets is available in the app store for that tablet. You’ll find free options as well as paid options. If you are paying for an anti-virus with multiple licenses for your PC, you may find that you can activate a tablet version of that license at no additional cost.
Here’s a link with some options for Android users. http://www.worldstart.com/anti-virus-for-android-a-look-at-your-security-options/
If you are using a Windows Pro tablet, you would download and install your protection in the same way you would for a laptop or desktop.
Does this tablet have USB ports, and if so how many?
Jo,
It would depend on the tablet. Android and iPad tablets do not have USB ports. Some Windows tablets, especially if you go with the Pro versions, do offer USB ports. The number of ports will depend on the tablet. A first- gen Surface, for example, offers a USB port in the tablet and one in the power cord.
Cyn, I’ve been using a desktop and an iPad concurrently for some time now. I also have been talked into an iPhone SE (2020) but I limit what I do on that because of its size.
I find I still like to have both. I use the desktop for most writing and calculating (spreadsheets), and for most email and web searches, and the iPad for reading, some email and some web searches, weather checks,
I have a lot of programs (apps) on both devices, so if I can’t get to one in a pinch I can use the other one. Seems to work fine. I do my banking and other financial stuff mainly on the desktop because I believe it is safer, but I can access it from the iPad (or iPhone) if I have to.
The touch screen became easy to use fairly quickly; I haven’t had any trouble with it. I got a book on the iPad when I first got it, and that (along with your columns) helped get up to speed quickly.
And by the way, I currently use the iPhone for Second Factor Authorization, except for a couple of systems which require the iPad as a recipient of the codes.
Life keeps changing….
I have a desktop, a laptop and a tablet. I would never swap out my desktop for anything else. Second choice is laptop. Tablet, I use occasionally, but I’m not fond of it. I despise touch screens. The gestures are slow, awkward, and nearly impossible for me to learn. I can’t write with my finger. I carry a stylus with me everywhere I go (for, say, signatures on terminal touchscreens) and I have them stashed around the house. I use the tablet only for portability, such as for visiting a hospital patient, waiting for an appointment, or waiting for a car repair, or if the power is out. I keep it charged up and also have a cellular mifi unit and a couple back up battery chargers for power failures. I will never get up to speed with this thing. If I ever have to use it much, I will look into linkable keyboards and, say, a linkable touchpad.