Comparing tablet PCs
Government Computer News recently evaluated a handful of new tablet PCs for a variety of government work-related characteristics, including security, performance and ease of use.
What makes a tablet PC a good fit for government work might be quite different from what makes it an irresistible toy at home. Federal Computer Week’s sister publication, Government Computer News, recently evaluated a handful of new tablet PCs for a variety of government work-related characteristics, including security, performance and ease of use. Here are some of the highlights.
| Manufacturer and product name | Price | Pros | Cons |
| Apple's iPad 2 (Wi-Fi) 16G | $499 | Simple to operate, but those used to PC-based applications will need some retraining | Quite fragile, but an optional Apple Smart Cover case can compensate |
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.2 | $499 | Multitasking powerhouse with a huge screen and full support of Flash apps | No extra security and not very rugged |
Motion Computing's J3500 Tablet PC | $3,000+ | Security features include biometric fingerprint scanner; rugged up to Mil-Std 810G specifications | Very expensive |
Hewlett-Packard's TouchPad | $499 | Powerful dual-core processor and standard security features, such as full-device encryption | Not particularly rugged |
Motorola's Xoom | $799 | Runs Google’s elegant and fast Honeycomb operating system | Expensive |
Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook | $499 | Excellent browser for Web apps; offers top-notch security when linked with your BlackBerry smart phone | Requires a companion BlackBerry device for the best — and most secure — experience |
Source: Government Computer News
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