Even though the tablet may seem like a very simple device, selecting one for purchase may not be a very simple choice. There are a lot of variations available. Screen size, type of OS and price are the three major factors which influence a buyer’s choice.

Before you buy a tablet, it is essential to figure out a few questions. This will help you make the correct choice. By answering the following set of questions, you will get a clearer picture of which tablet to buy. We also have the “Best Choice” recommendation for each usage scenario.

Q1. Will you use the tablet largely for multimedia consumption?
This is the scenario when you will essentially be loading the tablet with a lot of videos and music, for the viewing and listening pleasure, while travelling. The tablets, with their 5-inch, 7-inch and 10-inch screens offered a much better experience than the good old smartphone. Most tablets offer extremely good multimedia playback in general. Some may suffer if you are looking to play back HD video content, but will do just fine with standard definition videos and your music library.

However, if you feel that 720p video playback capability is essential for you, then do not buy the OlivePad, Dell Streak or the Viewsonic ViewPad7. The Olivepad and the Viewpad have a processor limitation- 600MHz. The Dell Streak, despite its 1GHz processor hugely disappoints when it comes to 720p video playback. The videos stutter a lot, causing the audio and video to go out of sync. We would have loved to recommend the Dell Streak, since it offers that little bit extra in terms of portability.
Best Choice: Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab

Q2. You will be using the tablet for a lot of office work- document viewing/editing?
For document viewing and creation, the tablet is a lot more convenient than the smartphone, because of the bigger screen and the laptop, because of the extra portability on offer. There are full-fledged document editing software available for the Android, iOS and Windows on Tablets, and some even come with the suites pre-installed. We recommend the Dell Streak, since it offers all the features that a 10-inch screen iPad will offer, in a smaller 5-inch form factor.
Best Choice: Dell Streak (for those who want a smartphone-like experience) and the Apple iPad (for those want the full blown tablet experience)

Q3. You will use the tablet for phone calls?
The jury is out on whether the tablet can replace the smartphone or not. Some say that the tablet does everything a phone does, and a lot more, with an easier to view screen size. The critics point out that the 7-inch or 10-inch screen size makes the tablet inconvenient to use as a phone. Essentially, the executive decision on whether to use it as a phone rests with you! However, if you do choose to use a tablet as a phone, be ready to use a wireless hands free device always. It will be a bit weird to see a 10-inch ‘phone’ pressed against your ear as you walk along chatting on the phone! We recommend the Streak, simply because the 5-inch screen size translates into a device not much bigger than the likes of the HTC HD2 smartphone.
Best Choice: Dell Streak

Q4. For most part, you will use the tablet for text SMS & emails?
For those who do a lot of messaging and type out a lot of emails, the first choice has always been a phone with a QWERTY keypad. This is why the heavy text and email users prefer something like a Blackberry phone. The touchscreen bit limits the Tablets as well, along with touchscreen phones. However, this is not to say that a touchscreen will not let you use either the SMS or emails. What a lot of the tablets offer are optional accessories like ‘keyboard docks’ which allow you to use the device like a PC, at least when you have a flat table type surface around you!
Best Choice: Samsung Galaxy Tab (with Keyboard Dock- Rs. 3749) and Apple iPad (with Keyboard Dock- US$ 69.00)

Q5. The tablet will be your portable gaming console?
Undoubtedly, the tablets will eventually become gaming consoles, in their own right. However, at the moment, the Android platform is not much of a gamers delight. Apple’s iOS4 platform has emerged as the hot favourite here- huge variety of games on delightful hardware. Download the games from the App Store, and enjoy!
Best Choice: Apple iPad

Q6. Buying a tablet on a limited budget?
If price is a concern for you, then the best option is the Olivepad. This one has a 600MHz processor, a 7-inch screen, Android 2.2 and does everything quite well. It may not have the raw power or the brand value of some of the rivals, but it is an honest performer. Available for Rs. 23,990, with a 16GB memory card offered as part of the package.
Best Choice: Olivepad