I don't
remember when it was that I first heard of the 'Tablet'. I guess I literally
grew up hearing words like tonics and tablets and capsules ... thanks to my dad
who has majored in pharmacy.
Over the
past couple of years though, the word 'tablet' has come to belong more to
today's tech geeks rather than the original world of medicine. I still remember
my jaw-dropping moment when I saw the iPad (or was it when I first heard of it?
Not too sure...) for the first time. I was like 'A laptop without a keyboard?
:-o And u can actually carry it around?? OMG!' :D he he! I guess it goes
without saying that I fell in love with it at first sight. Apple Inc. launched
the iPad in 2010 and I am still not done ogling at it rather shamelessly at
shops, kiosks, on YouTube, in peoples' hands, wherever! Nowadays, even waiters
at restaurants take down orders on their iPads! *face palm*
I have
always wanted one for myself. But by the time I finally decided 'That's it! I
can't do without it anymore!', there were more than a dozen different companies
offering 'tablets'. You have Androids and iPads and e-book readers and whatnot
to choose from! I was confused... I still am! And I was advised to ask myself
what I want/expect from a tablet. To be honest, I hate that conversation I have
with myself. Me and myself have been through such discussions many a time and
we never reach a consensus. A typical one-to-one conversation would look like
this ;
What would
you use a tablet for? Stupid question! I would use it for everything. Well......almost
everything. And this being a family blog, let's not get into what I wouldn't
use it for. Ahem! :P
Then define
'everything'. Everything would comprise of reading, listening to music,
browsing the net, watching movies, playing games... and so much more! :)
Aren't you
already doing all this? You have a decently well-equipped library of some of
the world's best-sellers and Booker Prize winning books. You listen to music 24
x 7 on your mobile playlist. You need WiFi to browse the net. Duh! You almost
never watch movies even on your laptop. Movies have always been family times.
And the idea of an entire family watching a movie on a hand-held device is
kinda weird. Who're you kidding? Duh again! Playing games?? Did you just say
'GAMES'? Do you play anything beyond dress-up games and spider solitaire? Admit
it, woman! You just want to fit-in! Just to show-off! Get a life! -_-
x-(
You see what
I mean? It's pointless trying to reason with my conscience. I guess the main
point of attraction for me was the facility to read ebooks. I have hundreds of
them and sadly haven't read most of them as reading them on my laptop would
mean straining my eyes. An Amazon Kindle was (and still is) a very good option.
I'm not really looking for browsing the net on a tablet. I like the laptop
experience better...especially with my one fantabulous babe of a laptop :P She
makes every website seem like the world's best! :D ha ha! But then a little
birdie told me that I'd have to purchase books from Amazon if I want to read
them on the Kindle. And I don't want to do that. Dude, I already have all the
books I'd need for a lifetime! I just need a simple device to read them on. How
about the other fellows then? Like say, the Nook? I dunno.
The problem
is that the reading habit in general is dwindling at a rather alarming rate.
And those who do read as before (bless them!) are pretty much old school when
it comes to their favorite book. Nothing but a 'propah' paperback works for
them. So it is pretty much pointless asking the bookworms about what they think
is the best gadget. Hmm! The next option would be to ask the opinion of the
geeks who think that it's pointless spending time on 'reading' when so much
more can be done with a tablet! Or a tablet phone...or a tablet PC...or a
tablet whatever! o.O That leaves me with the rest of them who are just happy
that they have some gadget small enough to be able to pop into their bags and
that they can use to read something on their way to work. Let's look at some
typical answers to a recent opinion poll I did on my Facebook and elsewhere...
Opinion # 1
- 'Go for the Amazon Kindle...that's the best by far...at least going by the
popularity charts...I'm using one and it works perfect...PDF? Oh I don't know
about that...I get my books from Amazon'
Opinion # 2
- 'Why would you want to buy just an e-book reader? For that money, you might
as well go for a proper tab that reads e-books and does a bevy of other
functions too! I'd suggest the Samsung Galaxy tab or the Apple iPad.'
Opinion # 3 -
'Buying recycled and second-hand books off the street is much cheaper. What if
the bloody thing just drops down when you doze off and it breaks? Nothing
happens to a book if it slips from your hand!'
:-/
And so here
I am...still on square one. Still confused...yet still wanting that e-book
reader or tablet (that has been evading me for years) just as much as I did
when I first heard of it. If ever I decide on one, which I don't think is going
to happen anytime in the near future, I will definitely scream from the
roof-tops that I finally have one of my own! :D
But as of
now, it's status quo...Ho-hum! :-/
