Many people may take for granted how does a tablet work: Many of them will be digital natives, or will have been familiar with digital technologies since their first decades. But there is still a large percentage of people who do not fully know these devices, especially our elders.
For older adults, how smartphones, tablets or computers work is a partial mystery, because although they can learn to take advantage of their basic functionalities, they cannot really exploit their full potential. For this reason, in this post we propose to talk about the operation and uses of tablets, making a basic guide for technological novices.
What is a tablet or tablet and how does it work?
Tablets are electronic devices that are made up of a touch screen, on the back of which there are several components that allow it to function, without the need for a physical mouse or keyboard.
The origins of the tablets go back to the computer scientist Alan Kay, who was inspired by the science fiction designs of series such as Star Trek and A Space Odyssey, to create a device called the Dynabook, which, although not entirely functional, set a precedent. for the further development of what we now know as tablets.
We could say that the meaning of tablet refers to an electronic device with intermediate size and power between a smartphone and a computer.
parts of a tablet
Let’s see, next, what are the parts of a tablet, with which we interact directly:
Screen
Clearly the screen is the interface with which we interact the most on a tablet, you can use your fingers or a stylus for the task. There are different construction materials for the screen: LCD, OLED, AMOLED, Liquid Retina, etc.
Another important aspect is the screen resolution: There are tablets with HD resolution, which is not bad, but usually reveals the pixels if we get too close to the screen, FullHD, which has a higher number of pixels per inch, and 2K , almost always in tablets of medium-high and high range.
Case
The case or back of the tablet is almost always made of plastic, aluminum, or metal alloy, and may have some area to attach an accessory such as a stylus. Metal casings are the most recommended, as they better dissipate heat from the components, which can end up shortening the useful life of the tablets.
ports
Tablets usually have a micro USB or USB-C port that works the same way to charge the device, to connect it to a computer or to a tablet keyboard that uses a cable, to turn it into a tablet PC.
Sometimes they also have one or more regular USB ports to connect a flash drive, although usually these are tablets with Windows or Linux operating systems. Another of the ports that we commonly find is the POGO connector, which allows a keyboard with a similar connector to be attached magnetically.
And of course, we cannot forget the audio jack, which allows you to connect headphones if you want to listen to music or any type of multimedia without disturbing other people, or to have a better sound experience.
Components of a tablet
Now, let’s move on to the parts of a tablet that are not seen or hardware, but are essential to allow the user to interact with the device:
Storage
The first thing that many people see when they plan to buy the same mobile phone as a laptop or desktop computer is storage, since it will be this that will allow them to store content and install programs and games.
In technological devices, storage space is measured in Megabytes or MB (smaller) and Gigabytes or GB (larger). Basically:
- 1024 MB equals 1 GB.
- 1024 GB equals 1 Terabyte or TB.
Tablets typically come in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB models. To give an idea of a practical equivalence:
Currently a movie can have a weight of between 2 GB or up to 16 GB depending on the resolution in which it is found. Games can weigh between a few megabytes and up to 2-3 GB (in the case of games for tablets) and other types of content such as emails, web pages and books only weigh a few megabytes, if not Kilobytes -KB-( unit less than MB).
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Processor
The processor is like the heart of a digital device, and in the case of tablets there are many times when smartphones are adapted for this purpose. Ideally, suitable processors are used for the size of the screen and their use, therefore we will often see brands such as:
- UniSoc
- snapdragon
- Kirin -Huawei only-
- Apple Bionic -only from Apple-
More important than the manufacturer of the processor, will possibly be the number of cores (that is, the areas among which the functions of a tablet are distributed). In tablets there are processors with two, four and eight cores: the more cores, the faster the tablet will react.
GPUs
The GPU or integrated graphics card is what allows you to obtain sufficient graphics power to run modern games and applications that require a certain graphic level. The best known mid-range GPUs are the Adreno and the ARM Mali.
RAM
RAM memory is what allows you to use several applications at the same time, or go from using social networking apps to a game or web browsing quickly without the tablet staying frozen momentarily.
The currently recommended minimum amount of RAM is at least 3 GB, although you can find 4 GB, 6 GB or even 8 GB.
Battery
The battery amperage is essential for tablets, because due to their screen size they consume a large part of it just by staying active. Generally, a 10-inch tablet is recommended to have a battery between 5,000 mAh and 7,000 mAh.
Even better if it has fast charging, so that this process is carried out as quickly as possible. It is good to consider if the screen or the components have a technology that enhances energy savings.
OS
The operating system of a tablet is the software that serves as a link between the components, the screen and the user. Without it, the tablet would be a black screen with no functionality.
In the case of tablets, we will find the operating systems Android (with the widest price range), Windows (especially common in the hybrid tablet model) Chrome (for equipment that works mainly in the cloud and online) and iPad OS (the operating system for Apple iPads).
What functions does a tablet have?
Knowing the characteristics, we can already imagine many of the uses of a tablet. In any case, it is usual for newbies to wonder “what can i do with a tablet?” either “what is a tablet for?“So we list some of its most outstanding functions below:
- Watch movies.
- Playing video games.
- Use social media apps.
- Write.
- Draw.
- Make video calls, video conferences and virtual classes.
- Enjoy streaming content.
- Edit images and videos.
- Function as a second screen.
These are some of the utilities of a tablet, but if you are curious, we propose you in another post that you would not have imagined.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a tablet?
A device like the tablet has many benefits, especially in terms of communication, entertainment, creativity and productivity, but it also has some drawbacks. Let’s see what these aspects are:
Pros
- It is more comfortable and portable to watch movies than a computer or a smartphone.
- It allows you to perform office tasks by connecting a keyboard, from checking email to writing in Office, browsing the Internet or using the webcam to participate in video conferences.
- Using a stylus, it can become a sketchbook in conjunction with art applications.
- It makes it easy to consult information from other of our devices, if we have an account in cloud services such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Its screen size is ideal for older adults who have trouble reading small print, or who want to use it as a family communication device (tablets can be used as phones when they have 3G and 4G connectivity).
- It is a good device for education, provided it is used in the proper way.
cons
- It doesn’t have the power of a computer, so it might not be useful for tasks that require powerful hardware.
- Its size is larger than that of a smartphone, so it is necessary to carry a backpack or bag, which can be cumbersome for some people.
- Due to their size, they will also often need a support to keep them upright in case we want to watch a movie or write with an external keyboard.
- In general, low and mid-range tablets do not allow you to update the version of the operating system, so over time the most modern applications that are downloaded will not work.
How to use a tablet for the first time?
After seeing more general aspects of the operation of a tablet, we suggest you learn how to use a tablet for the first time:
- Turn on the tablet and let it fully charge (from the factory, the equipment usually comes with approximately 20% charge)
- Then turn on Wi Fi and connect to what you have available. If your tablet has a SIM card port, you can put one in it and take advantage of mobile data connectivity.
- Start by entering the browser, if it is Android, it most likely has Chrome pre-installed. Upon entering, it will give you the option to log into your tablet with a Gmail account.
- After this, you must also log in with your account in Google Play Store, YouTube, etc.
- Start downloading the apps you want and need from the Play Store, and all that remains is to familiarize yourself with the use of this device.
We hope that with this summarized guide on how a tablet works, you can already begin to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of a tablet and the concept behind such an article: a very light and simple object that will allow you to carry out an endless number of functions. .
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