A Big Tablet Can Never Beat a Smaller Smartphone

Jul 22, 2010 by Anurag Bansal    4 Comments    Posted under: Android, Apple, News & Opinion, Reviews

Tablets had become the talk of the town a couple of months back. And we all know the reason. Yes, it was the Apple iPad. Sleek and svelte, this 9.7-inch screen tablet had been designed to make jaws drop in awe. Apple is already king in the multi-touchscreen realm. The thought of a device, much larger than the regular iPhones, sporting the same award-winning interface was overwhelming. However the excitement did not last long, as many realized that ‘big’ does not always mean ‘better’.

Then came the iPhone 4. Apple describes this gadget as the biggest leap after the first iPhone. Although it has the same screen size as the older iPhones (3.5-inch), this new model addresses many shortcomings of the previous models. Even those staunch Apple iPhone haters were impressed with what it had to offer. Yes, users are facing issues like loss of signal strength when held in the hand, non-functional keys and more, at present. However, these issues are bound to be fixed sooner or later. For now, let’s keep them aside and consider other aspects of why a big tablet can never beat a smaller smartphone like iPhone or Android.

Portability

Imagine you’’re traveling in a train. Unfortunately, you did not get a seat to sit down. If you’’re one of those people who utilize journey to check mails or catch up with friends on social networks, you will definitely appreciate having a touchscreen smartphone like EVO 4G, Droid X or iPhone than a big tablet. You can always use one hand to support the phone and the other to support yourself. Swish your thumb through the menus and the keyboard. ZAP! You’’re done with what you want to do. Now moving on to the tablet option. Right from not being able to pocket it, to having to use both hands to operate it, the tablet is just not travel-friendly.

Ergonomics

When you need to work with documents, or spreadsheets on the iPad, for long hours, it would be quite uncomfortable to keep moving your hand up and down to work on the entire screen. Moreover, remember that this is a multi-touch display. If more than one finger accidentally touch the screen, you’’re in for some frustration. Even when you place the tablet on your lap, you will not be able to rest both hands comfortably and work for a long time. This is because you’’ll have to continuously keep lifting your hand to touch something on the top of the screen. You cannot rest your wrist when doing so. If it is a matter of a few minutes, you might not find it uncomfortable. But working for a long time can be strenuous. Not just working with documents, even when surfing the internet you will face these issues. And for ergonomics, any expert will tell you that you need to rest your hand, from elbow to wrist, on a flat surface when working with such gadgets, for long hours. A touchscreen smartphone, on the other hand, like the iPhone 4, Nexus One or Droid Incredible etc. are easy to hold in the hand. You can rest your hands on a desk when holding it, and use your thumbs to work on it. Although the screen of the phone is smaller, the device is more ergonomic than a tablet.

You can do much more with a smartphone

When comparing what the iPad and the iPhone 4 have to offer, you’’ll see that the smartphones can do much more. Making calls, taking photographs & videos, making video calls using Facetime or Qik, are some of the things that the iPhone 4 or any other Android based phone can do, but the iPad cannot. Even if tablets do offer these features in the future, you cannot hold one against your ear while making calls. You’’ll need something like a Bluetooth earpiece for this. You’’ll also need to hold the tablet in your hands when making IVR calls, like, calling to your bank’s customer care service. Moreover, clicking pictures and shooting videos will be far more easy with a camera smartphone than with a camera tablet.

Dell did come out with the Streak 5 tablet, which has a 5-inch screen. With this screen size, it can very well be classified as a big smartphone than a small tablet. So let’s keep it out of our discussion for now.

When it comes to playing games or watching videos and movies or reading books on the iPad, there’’s no denying that this can be more enjoyable than on an iPhone. However, when it comes to everything else, the iPhones and latest Android phones beat the iPad hands down. (Editor recommendation – 13 reasons why you DO NOT need an iPad.) Not just the iPhone and the iPad. Any big tablet, which needs both hands for operating it, is bound to be not-easily-portable and non-ergonomic for working for long hours. Hence, no matter what novelty the tablets have to offer, the smartphones will always hold their ground.

About the Guest Post Author
This guest post has been exclusively written by Trinity Nick for Knowliz from the UK. She reviews laptops and mobile phones that are launched in the UK market. You can follow the guest author on twitter @laptop_uk.

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