After the Apple Ipad first hit the market there are other companies like Samsung, Dell and Malata , which have come up with tablets to cash on the new revolutionary form of computing. Tablets are a smaller versions of laptop which are operation through the touch screen as an input interface. They do not have a key board but a virtual keyboard like most touch screen cell phones. They are bigger than the touch phones but comparatively small and compact than a laptop. Some of them are so small that you may completely be baffled whether it is a phone or computer.

There screen size ranges between 5 to 10 inches making them large enough to surf net and watching videos. They have got the great picture quality and speed which lets you do multitasking, watch videos, surf net or view pictures by arranging them in a grid as thumbnails and giving you the easy access to open any of them with just one touch of your finger. There is Dell Streak which has as small as 5 inch screen and there is ViewSonic which has a 10.1 inch wide screen, so it depends upon your taste that for which one you fall in.

The most important fundamental feature of any tablet would definitely be the kind of Operating System it features. Let's go through the important features of a tablet and do a quick analysis to find out which suit you the best.

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Which Operating System?

When you think of buying any laptop your foremost attention lies on the type of operating system it features, the same is the cardinal consideration in the case of tablet also.

iOS : Apple's iPad features its own operating system named iOS which has proved itself over the period of time as a fast and easy to use touch screen interface. It dominates most of the tablet market. Though it does not prominently supports for multitasking but an updated version is expected. Its utility is its office applications which are very fast to work upon with the large size virtual keyboard. However there is one limitation with this iOS that it does not support Adobe Flash.

Android OS: Google's android OS is very popular nowadays and is being used in most of the latest and upcoming tablets. It is touch friendly and customizable, this is the reason it has been employed in most of the high end business phones. The main attraction is Google chrome desktop OS which is web friendly. This web-oriented OS is very dynamic in arranging multiple tasking along with many web applications. It also has an application store called Android market featuring number of useful application.

Microsoft OS: Window 7 is also being tailored and customized to be able to be featured in tablets without attaching mouse and keyboard and be fully operational through the touch screen. Potentially it would soon make it compatible to be features in the tablet form. These are some popular operating systems which dominate the market but there are other mobile and computer companies which are soon to launch new operating system to suit tablets specifically.

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How Much Storage Capacity?

Dell Streak features an inbuilt memory of 2 GB which is the lowest in the available options, but it is upgradable up to 32 GB. There are other tablets which are dynamically supported with the highest till date 64 GB storage capacity. This capacity would surely increase in the future with the technological advancements and newer versions. Their prices simply vary as the storage capacity increases. With higher capacity the price tends to increase. So you can buy a tablet with lower storage capacity and upgrade it later as the requirement arises.

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Do they provide Connectivity?

Certainly Yes! They provide you excellent connectivity as any other PC. They let you surf quickly and download fast at the same time allowing you to take calls and make calls. It lets you enjoy many forms of connectivity right from Wi-Fi, 2G, 3 G to Bluetooth. Some even come with navigation maps which are enabled by Google maps.

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Does it feature Camera & Media Options?

Tablet is a larger cell phone and a smaller laptop. Just like a laptop and mobile, most of the latest tablets take care of this exclusive requirement. Though the exceptional iPad do not feature a camera, but the updated version are expected to feature a quality camera. Rest of the new age tablets are equipped with digital camera of .3 megapixels to 5 megapixel to give the facility to take instant pictures, do chatting and video conferencing with either a front or rear camera. Tablets are extended media players as they give you iconic video playing facility, with smashing sound quality with latest video format supports.

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Has it got the Stamina?

Battery life matters a lot especially when you want your tablet to be mobile and live for the long meetings and business trips. Generally most of the tablets support an average battery life of 5 hours and in some of the ultramodern tablets the maximum battery life is measured as to be unbelievably 10 hours.

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Extra features

Online Application stores to download free as well as paid applications, PDF readers, calendars etc are some standard features that make the tablet more useful and interactive. Some new tablets are even planning to supports 3d gaming in high-definition video quality. There are also taken care of your networking needs though one touch networking launch to connect you to different social networking sites. Some red-brick tablets even support USBs.

So now you know all the basic features that you should look for in any tablet. Obviously added features would be an advantage. But you should not compromise on these features as it's a big investment and a very important work device.