5 Ways My Existing Tablet is Way Better than the iPad
Did we say we were going to stop complaining about the iPad? I think Rick might have said something like that, but I couldn't help but notice that his recent 10 Reasons a Netbook is Better Than an iPad overlooked a really important fact: The tablet I already own (a Dell Latitude XT multi-touch laptop) is already cooler than the iPad. Don't believe me? Hear me out.
Resolution. The iPad is limited to a 1024x768-pixel screen, which is admittedly way better than the iPod Touch. But it's not quite in the same league as the 1280x800-pixel screen in my Latitude XT. And when you're displaying Web pages in a browser, every pixel counts.
Keyboard. My Dell XT is a convertible -- it looks like an ordinary laptop, but the screen flips and folds over the keyboard when you want to use it a s a tablet. So I can use a real keyboard when I need to, or switch to an on-screen keyboard at other times. The iPad makes you type on the virtual keyboard, all the time.
Multi-tasking. You've probably heard this before, but it's just so important -- no multitasking in the iPad means you can only do one thing at a time, ever. You can't even listen to music while you read an e-book, unless that music is stored on the iPad's paltry memory and playing back through iTunes. On my XT, I usually stream music from my home PC using Simplify Media. I've got access to my entire music collection all the time using my Dell XT. On the iPad, no.
Adobe Flash. Why is this even an issue for debate? The iPad's lack of Flash support leaves it utterly crippled online. No video, no interactive Web. My XT... yeah, of course.
Photo Editing. I use my XT to review and edit digital photos when I'm on the road. I can easily transfer images using the integrated SD card slot. The iPad might have some sort of dogle-like adapter for SD, but that will be of little consolation when you leave it at home by accident.
