Are Tablets Reviving or Harming Gaming?

Gaming has undergone a sea of change and it comes as no surprise then that this form of entertainment has managed to traverse many different platforms of media. Gaming, which was once restricted to merely elaborately set up video games and handheld gaming devices, can now be enjoyed on several devices. There are dedicated portable gaming consoles and now, even most smartphones come with several games. One avenue that is now being exploited for its potential as a gaming platform is tablets. While till now, tablets were never really given any special importance in terms of gaming, game developers are realizing the potential that tablets have in reviving the art of hardcore gaming.

A good example showcasing how serious game developers are about focusing on tablets would be with the game Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition, which is available exclusively for iPads. Such games tend to focus on stories, plots and effects, all of which can be appreciated better on a tablet screen rather than a smartphone. Game developers know that people today are too lazy to make the effort of going and switching on their PCs just to play a game and hence, tablets provide the perfect middle ground for people looking for something in between smartphones and PCs. Also, they are often cheaper and come with multi-utility options when compared with portable gaming consoles.

Besides the matter of convenience for players, developing a game for a tablet or a mobile device is also much easier and requires lesser resources and money than developing a game for a PC. To ensure complete compatibility, some games even need to be made from scratch, a feature that many game developers are acknowledging and are hoping will pay off in the long run.

Not just game developers but even different brands are realizing the potential of tablets as powerful gaming devices, as special tablets meant for gaming are being released by companies. Case in point would be the release of the tablet that made it to the handheld news sources for all the right reasons – the Nvidia Shield tablet. This is a tablet that was released with the specific aim of being an excellent gaming companion. This tablet came with a fantastic screen and Tegra’s K1 192 core Kepler GPU which allows to smoothly play games rich in graphics. Nvidia realized the potential that tablets have in recreating an excellent gaming experience which even hardcore gamers can appreciate.

Also, according to handheld news sources, among the various leading gadgets, tablets sales rank only second to smartphones. Tablets are indeed one of the highest selling gadgets in the world and many people today, along with a smartphone and a laptop, own a tablet as well. Thus, for the millions of people that proudly own a tablet, it feels good to know that there are dedicated game developers working to make games which will be enjoyed exclusively on tablets.

Are eBook Readers Redundant in Today’s Times?

Books are one of the few joys in life that really have no parallel. People can be as ignorant as they want but a good book lures even the most bored and disinterested people toward it. An excellent and compelling storyline makes it possible for people to actually live in that story. Seeing the craze that people have for books and stories, technology enthusiasts wanted to come up with ways in which books could be read, without the need to carry a 1000 page book around, and to keep the light in the room on all night. This is what spurred eBook readers to become a part of mainstream devices among the latest electronic gadgets. An exclusive device, low power consuming, which allows you to read without disturbing people around was the dream for book lovers a few years ago. However, seeing how fickle and fast moving technology is, after all these years, is it possible that eBook readers have become redundant?

It is no secret, as several sources of the latest gadgets news too have reported, that the sales of eBook readers have seen a slump off late. People aren’t as fascinated by eBook readers as they used to be. There are several reasons for this, the foremost one being that many of the latest electronic gadgets can do everything that eBook readers can do, and then some more. Smartphones and tablets can easily carry as many eBooks as required and come with great lighting, allowing you to catch up on your reading anytime and anywhere.

In fact, since most smartphones today have a screen stretching 5 inches anyway, it doesn’t make sense to carry a 7 inch device just for reading. Thus, for users, it seems silly and it means that besides your smartphone, laptop, tablet and smartwatch, there is an additional eBook reader that you need to carry around all the time just to read. Carrying and charging an extra device is a cumbersome venture, especially when you other gadgets will be competing for the charging plug.

stacked books with a tablet on top

Furthermore, several eBook reader brands today, seeing the shift in people’s preferences toward smartphones, are releasing apps which allow users to read eBooks on their smartphones. It made headlines in the latest gadgets news when Amazon Kindle and the Nook, two premier eBook reader brands, came out with apps for both Android and iOS devices. Thus, this further makes it easy to enjoy similar experiences on your smartphones and tablets. Also, let’s not forget the cost factor – a good eBook Reader can cost as much as a budget smartphone, which means you will really need to put aside some cash for it if you want it.

Another way of looking at the matter is that many book lovers stress that no device in the world can really replace the feel of a good book, with its pages and smell. The favourite repeatedly read books, with dog eared pages and cracked spines, are a source of pride for many book enthusiasts. Hence, in the end, perhaps it is time for eBook reader brands to re-think their strategy, as people are now becoming weary of carrying multiple devices, which are becoming more of a burden than a convenience.

Is an Educational Tab the Answer to Kids’ Problems?

Parents are a troubled lot these days. They always want the best for their kids, yet their kids are busy with their peers and other effects of society.  In the midst of television shows that are becoming increasingly violent and tablets that offer unrestricted access to kids, perhaps among the latest electronic gadgets what kids really need is a special tablet exclusively for kids.

Answering the call for need for such a device is the new Micromax Canvas Tabby P469, a tablet that is aimed at kids, being both creative and educational. This tablet offers special games and apps that are aimed at increasing the knowledge of kids, like special spelling games and pictures of fruits and alphabets. It is also aimed at slightly bigger kids, as it lets your kid paint and indulge in other fun activities as well. It also comes with a special bumper case that aims to let you keep in upright when watching videos, and which also protects the tab, in case your kid accidentally drops it.

However, this tablet won’t be an investment exclusively for kids. It is an Android tablet that can serve parents as well. You can monitor it by not only creating your own private profile on it but can make up to three different profiles for your different kids, depending on their age and likes, so that each of their content is safeguarded from the other. You can also put a time manager for your kids, so that they don’t spend too much time on the tablet.

However does the Micromax Canvas Tabby P469 really manage to answer all the questions? Is a kids tab all that kids really need? Kids nowadays aren’t as innocent as they used to be. Hence, you can easily expect even the youngest of them to break codes and easily shift into adult mode of the tablet. Plus, why does the answer to everyone’s problems have to come from among the latest electronic gadgets anyway? Wasn’t there a time when parents grew up without any such devices? Wasn’t there a time when the best way to pass time was to actually go out in the sun and play and tire ourselves out, so that we could then go back home fully exhausted but satisfied that the day was full of fun?

Nowadays, the only playing that kids know is when it comes to playing video games on the phone and tablets. Playing football means using just your thumbs and nothing else. Maybe this needs to stop altogether. Maybe what we really need is kids to be kids and remember their childhood as one where they spent most of it running outside, with their mothers then tending to their scratched knees and bruised legs. However, till we go back to such a time, there will always be something to choose from the latest electronic gadgets and if you still wish to at least choose the lesser of the evils present, a kid tab is a good start.

Should I Buy a Tablet or a Laptop?

Technology has progressed at a rate where right from kids to elders; everyone is carrying the latest electronic gadgets in their hands. People are no more in awe when they see someone on the train using high tech gadgets. However, three basic daily use gadgets even today remain the same; smartphones, tablets and laptops. Yes, these three are irreplaceable and cannot be compromised on. However, an increasing number of people are shifting their priorities and are now choosing to own one of the latter two, that is, either a tablet or a laptop. Some people find owning both these devices redundant. So, are these two really interchangeable? If yes, which one should you buy? Let’s find out.

To begin with, people who actually use both devices swear that they aren’t strictly interchangeable. For starters, when it comes to a laptop, there is hardly any other device that can really replace it, let alone a tablet. Typing isn’t half as easy on a tablet, and anyone who does a lot of typing (either for work purpose or personal reasons) will definitely vouch for a physical keyboard over a tiny virtual one any day. Screen size notwithstanding, the keyboard is the main factor that dissuades people from opting for a tablet over a laptop.

However, there is always the choice of buying a detachable keyboard which you can then attach to your tablet when you need to type. This would however mean an additional cost and an accessory that you’ll have to carry separately. Plus, not all keyboards are compatible with all tablets. iPads for instance come with a specific (and quite expensive) keyboard, which only works with an iPad and no other tablet. There are more options when it comes to Android tablets and keyboards though.

On the other hand, tablets are far more handy and lightweight and easy to carry around. A tablet can easily fit into your purse and you needn’t waste a few minutes switching it on every time you need to check something. People on the move prefer to use a tablet for their everyday uses. Plus, when it comes to light typing and shooting off quick mails, the tablet is just as effective as a laptop. Thus, in the end, it all depends on your requirement really. With habituated use, people have gotten used to typing using tablets, just as easily as they would while using laptops.

There is good news though for confused people, as several companies are trying to come up with high tech gadgets that aim to blur the line between tablets and laptops. So, among the latest electronic gadgets to choose from, today there are several devices which come with detachable keyboards, allowing it to double up as a tablet or a laptop, thus ending your dilemma once and for all.