The Choice of Gadget Tablet

Today, there are scores of different tablet gadget models available from at least a dozen different manufacturers, and while all this choice is a good thing, it can also make selecting the right tablet seem like an impossible undertaking. With so many tablets on the market, there's sure to be one that fits your needs and your budget, but how do you find the one that's best for you? Read on to get our five tips for choosing the right tablet.

If all you want to do on your tablet gadget is browse the Web, check e-mail, or watch movies and other streaming content, just about any model out there (or any smartphone, for that matter!) can probably do the job. But once you give some thought to the specific ways you expect to use your tablet, you may find it easier to narrow the field.

Generally speaking, if you need to get a lot of work done on your tablet, especially creating or manipulating documents and spreadsheets, a Windows tablet might be the way to go. While you can easily read Word documents on an iPad, you need a paid app such as Quickoffice to edit them, and the process can still be somewhat clunky

Tablets gadget running Android 3.0 (also called Honeycomb) can handle Office files with the help of a paid app like Documents To Go 3.0, which allows users to create, view, and edit Word docs, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations

If you choose to go with an Android or Windows tablet, you'll want to compare features across the various manufacturers to see how each tablet stacks up. Look at specs like battery life, Wi-Fi versus 3G or 4G access, storage capacity and processing speed, as well as extra features such as cameras and add-on accessories. Many tablets (including the iPad), now have both front and rear cameras so you can see your screen when you participate in Web chats (and see what you look like before you take a picture of yourself), as well as accessories like stands, wall mounts, remote controls, speakers and full external keyboards that can turn your tablet into a media center or a more productive work station.