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| Tablet PC |
There are several ways to connect tablets to the internet depending on the type of tablet you have. The most common is through WI-FI Connection. This is the built in wireless connection technology which comes with just about every Tablet (Its good to always confirm before purchasing). With WI-FI, you can access wireless internet from your home wireless broadband connection, office wireless connection or from public Wi-Fi hot-spots, tablets can tap into these networks in much the same way a laptop or mobile phone with WI-FI does.
The broadband wireless internet connection is provided Internet Service Providers (ISP) and in Kenya we have the likes of Zuku, KDN, Access Kenya e.t.c. with most of them charging a monthly fee.
The second way of connecting to the internet is using your phone as a modem. There are two ways but the easiest is Tethering which works in all the tablets with a WI-FI connection, USB Cable or Bluetooth. Here, you create the connection in your (smart) phone and access it from the tablet. Most iPhones, Android phones, BlackBerry and other smart phones offer the tethering service. This is usually expensive and slow depending with the service provider. But one can also subscribe to monthly data bundles, unlimited or otherwise.
For the Blackberry lovers using playbook, one can create a Bluetooth connection from the Blackberry smartphone using BlackBerry Bridge, an application in the phone which is pretty secure.
Nowadays, a few tablet PC come with a broadband SIM Card slot (Samsung Galaxy Tab) and you can use it to access the internet just like a phone.
Another internet connection option is using USB Dongle generally known as MODEM. Many Tablets have USB ports but its always important to confirm whether the MODEM you intend to buy is compatible with the Tablet PC you have.
Tablet Choice
When buying a tablet, one is lost of choice. The Operating System is a key thing to look at but that's a whole topic altogether. So apart from the operating system, the screen size, battery power, technical specifications such as processor and storage capacity, camera capability, connectivity, expansion potential and weight among others are important things to check out depending with the kind of job the Tablet will be expected to perform. Your budget, your manufacturer taste is also key.
