OK, Following on from the previous post, here is another set of specs. Once again, these specs are a technical description of an Android tablet. This tablet was available as of July, 2013 and while the description is better organised than Example 1, the tablet itself is pretty low end. Because the list is long, I have split it into 2 images. Pay attention as there may be a pop quiz at the end!
Part 2A
Model: Just a name
Product type: Once again, a tablet 🙂
Screen size: This is the standard “big” size for tablets
Operating system: The one has the Android IceCream Sandwich OS which is now (August 2013) outdated.
Processor type/CPU type: Just a name
CPU Manufacturer: Just a name
CPU Model: Just a name
CPU Speed/Processor Clock Speed: this is the speed with which instructions can be processed
RAM Technology: A modern RAM type
RAM Memory: 1 GB
Hard Drive Capacity: 12 GB
Extend Card: T-Flash technology. This model can use SD cards (same as you use in your digital camera) of up to 32GB capacity.
Keyboard: This means a touch enabled virtual keyboard which appears on the screen
TouchPad Technology: Resistive is already old-fashioned and 10 point is the norm now, not three. Many useful gestures require at least 5 finger touchpoints.
Max Resolution: 1024 x 600 pixels is a bit low for such a big screen size.
HDMI: Good for group sharing.
GPS: Useful for mapping functions and activities such as orienteering.
Camera: This tablet only has one front facing camera with a low resolution.
G-Sensor: This can often be turned on and off in a tablet’s settings.
Audio: This somewhat cryptic figure refers to the diameter of the audio jack.
Games: somewhat meaningless statement here if it doesn’t support it with details.
Software: A set of mobile apps. The exact makeup of this set may be dependent of the manufacturer’s negotiations.
Language: Many languages are supported by the majority of tablets
Part 2B
This getting to be a very long post so I might just hit the headings here.
Battery & Power: Measuring the rating of the battery gives an idea of how long you can go between charges. It is also necessary to check the power adapter is suitable for connecting to mains power in your country.
Input/Output Connectors: These are explained elsewhere in the post with the exception of USB and Ethernet. Having USB ports is very useful, but it pays to check if they are full size or mini. An ethernet port is a very unusual inclusion in a tablet.
Supported Formats: These are different types of files that software on the tablet can open and/or play and/or edit.
Product Details: The description has included the dimensions of the tablet under this heading – the length, width and depth of the tablet, plus the weight. For small children, the dimensions may be important to ensuring that the tablet can held satisfactorily. Preschoolers in particular do better with 7 or 8 inch tablets.
Kwez has a question for you.
Q. Do you consider the uses for the tablet first or do you go ahead and buy the biggest and best feature set you can get – commonly termed bang for buck?
A. Features have to support the uses of the tablet. By themselves, they don’t mean much. you only need to understand them enough to see whether there is anything about the tablet that will make it unsuitable for your needs. For example, if you are wanting to keep a lot of movies on your tablet, a 16GB tablet with no expansion capability will be a poor choice.
Next up will be a post on iPads, their hardware and some observations on using them them on a daily basis..