According to Wikipedia, the term tablet was made popular with the Microsoft Tablet PC concept presented by Microsoft in 2001. Yet today, the term tablet is used to refer to computer-like devices operated primarily by a touch screen but not intended to run general PC operating systems or applications. The iPad 2 is the current benchmark of the tablet marketplace and today we are going to look at our recommendations for High School or College Students looking to bring a different tablet into the classroom.

Tablets are a nice blend of a smart phone and a laptop. They, however, cannot replace your smart phone or laptop, but instead offer extra flexibility over a laptop and greater performance than a smart phone. Tablets offer relatively long battery life on a single charge (usually in the range of greater than 6 hours), a brilliant screen, Wi-Fi web browsing, video chatting when equipped with a camera, calendar, contacts, emails, and are also light in weight. A tablet can easily fit into a traditional notebook, purse, and, of course, a backpack.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a great alternative to the iPad 2. The Galaxy runs on Honeycomb 3.1. Honeycomb is a joy to use and offers a variety of features to suit most users’ needs. For hardware, the Galaxy features a powerful 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 1280 x 800 resolution 10.1 inch screen, Wi-Fi, standard 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as both a front- and rear-facing camera. The Galaxy does not offer an HDMI output, USB or SD card connection. Overall, the Galaxy is a great option for your High School or College student looking to stay ahead of the academic curve while still staying connected with their social life. Next week we will look at the differences between 3G and 4G. In the meantime, you can stop by and visit me at my Wireless Depot store located at 5 North Beverwyck Road in Lake Hiawatha for any questions you many have. Have a great day and see you next week!

In our last edition of Tech Talk we ventured into the first part of our back-to-school technology discussion. Our recommendations for your pre-teens and early teens are the easy-to-use, durable and, of course, cool phones: the Samsung Intensity II or LG Cosmo Touch. This time we are focusing on high school and college students.

When looking for a phone for your high school or college student it can definitely be more challenging than choosing for your pre-teens or early teens. Your young adult’s phone needs have grown since earlier teenage years. The “image” the phone conveys has also become increasingly important in their growingly social years. As with our previous phone recommendations, ease of use, durability, and features play a major part in our recommendations, along with special consideration for this section on the phone’s “image.” Based upon all of these considerations, we are recommending the new and improved Droid III and the BlackBerry Bold 9930.

The Droid III offers the classic look of the Droid with some noticeable improvements: an excellent five-row QWERTY keyboard for texting, emailing, and social media posts, along with the latest Gingerbread software, a dual-core processor, and an upgraded 8-megapixel camera. The enhanced software and processor enables the Droid to keep it’s legendary reputation for superb multi-tasking.

The New BlackBerry Bold 9930 may look the same as the traditional BlackBerry Bold, but it is a whole new phone and maybe the best BlackBerry ever. The new Bold offers high-quality plastic and stainless steel make up the outer shell of this wider based Bold. The Bold’s wider base give it an easier to use keyboard while keeping it’s iconic BlackBerry shape. New enhancements include the new OS 7, improved web browsing, and yes, a bigger better touch screen.

The Droid III and Bold are both excellent options which offer the processing power required for multi-tasking, a sleek design, and the flexibility to accomplish staying connected in their social world through a variety of medias. Next week we will look at the emerging tablet market. In the mean time, you can stop by and visit me at my Wireless Depot store located at 5 North Beverwyck Road in Lake Hiawatha for any questions you many have. Have a great day and see you next week!

It is that time of year again, back to school. Yes, this year is more interesting than most, as we are in the wake of one of the largest hurricanes to hit our area in almost one hundred years. That however, does not mean the pre-teen or soon to be young professional in your household does not need the must have wireless technology for this school year.

Just to set the record straight, a cordless phone for your dorm room is not today’s idea of high technology. Texting is now even something Grandma and Grandpa send the Grandkids. To walk us through the wonder that is our modern wireless age, and ensure your family is ready for the back to school kick off we have reached out to John Chaplin, Owner of Wireless Depot in Lake Hiawatha, to serve as our resident expert for our new wireless technology section.

For your pre-teens and early teens John suggested two easy to use, durable and of course cool phones: the Samsung Intensity II and LG Cosmo Touch. The Samsung offers an inexpensive option with a full QWERTY keyboard, an improved display over its predecessor along with other must haves such as a camera, and up to 32 GB micro SDHC memory card. The LG Cosmos Touch offers many of the features of the Samsung but adds just what its name implies, a touch screen. Regardless which phone you choose they are both excellent entry level options and offer GPS location services, such as Verizon’s Family Locator service.

Our next category leads us to our future high school graduates and professionals, which we will discuss next week. In the mean time you can stop by and visit John at his Wireless Depot store located at 5 North Beverwyck Road in Lake Hiawatha for any questions you many have. See you next week!