5 Common Mistakes Made When Buying A Tablet PC

10/24/2011 Comments Off on 5 Common Mistakes Made When Buying A Tablet PC Tablets & Technology Like

There are certain things you should know and consider before buying a tablet computer. This might sound bluntly obvious but the truth is making the right decisions as a new buyer is not always as easy or straight forward as you might think. This is a popular and important topic these days, one which I’m going to briefly touch on today. Purchasing a new tablet is a big investment for most people and it should be a fun and rewarding experience. However, I see scenarios all the time, multiple times a day in fact, where people either don’t know what tablet to buy or end up buying one they regret.

Think of it this way, if you’re looking to buy a new car or a new home you don’t just act in haste and hop on the first option that becomes available, at least not if you care about how you spend your hard earned money. Why should buying a new tablet PC be any different? Sure, buying a new mobile device is nowhere near as expensive as buying a new home or vehicle, but the same principles still apply, or at least they should.

One of our goals here at Let’s Talk Tablets is to provide quality and well researched advice as well as shed light on topics like this, even if it’s not necessarily what you want to hear, we do so with YOUR best interest in mind. We say it how it is and believe that sugar coating the details doesn’t do anyone any good. The following is a list of 5 common mistakes I see people make each and every day when it comes to purchasing a new tablet computer. I don’t want to see the same mistakes happen in your case, thus the reason for this article which I hope you find useful and informative.

Untrustworthy Sources

Each and every day I witness people trying to take shortcuts when it comes to purchasing a new touchscreen tablet. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with getting the most bang for your buck, I get it. For most people these are difficult economic times and most of us do our best to save a dollar or two any chance we get. However, at the end of the day you get what you pay for. No matter what the economy is like, good or bad, there is absolutely no way around this fact.

Personally I’m all about supporting the little guy, and of course competition is good for all of us whether you are a consumer, advertising agency, manufacturer or supplier. Despite all of that, you should never assume that because you are paying rock bottom prices by purchasing a tablet PC from a no name company that you have struck the mother load and all of your problems will be solved at a fraction of the price. In fact, doing so will most likely cost you more cash and headaches in the long run. Trust me on that.

Sure, you might get a shiny new tablet for $100 or less but chances are a week, two weeks or possibly even a month or more later you’re probably going to run into issues that you never bargained for. I’ve seen more cases than I can count where people think they are getting one thing and end up with something entirely different. They are soon faced with software glitches, hardware malfunctions and numerous other complications and on top of that find it next to impossible to get proper customer support from the online outlet where they purchased the mobile touchscreen computer from. Ask yourself this, and be honest, is a situation like this really worth it and is it something you are eager to be a victim of? Of course not, that’s just common sense, you would think for the most part anyhow, but this is not always so.

Your best bet in most cases is to purchase a tablet PC from a reliable company like Amazon for example or directly from a trusted and well known manufacturing company and just be done with it. Sure, large companies like this are not always flawless and faulty products can still slip through the cracks, but at least you will have the comfort in knowing that if by chance something does go wrong with the tablet PC you purchased the situation will be dealt with accordingly and with professionalism. You also won’t be faced with dealing with shady companies known for selling cheap and unreliable knockoff tablet PCs who come and go all the time and might even be out of business when you least expect it.

Timing Is Critical

I understand that it’s not always easy to stay in the loop and be aware of every single tablet PC market trend. Heck, I eat sleep and breathe tablets and technology and even I find it overwhelming at times. The rate at which tablets are evolving is unprecedented, which is good in many ways but can also result in frustration and discouragement for consumers. Nonetheless, you should at least try and make it your duty to ask questions, search for press releases, browse forums and be as aware as you possibly can when it comes to making any type of investment, and tablet computers are no exception.

So where does the whole “timing” factor fit in here? Well, the point I’m trying to make is that there are always new tablets coming out that are faster, better and different on so many levels. There’s no stopping this or clever way around it, but if for example you purchase a particular model tablet PC right before a newer generation model hits the market you could very well miss out on sudden and drastic price drops. The last thing you want to do is pay top dollar for a device only to find out a week or two later it went on sale for $200 less than what you paid since a new model surfaced and hit store shelves.

Do Your Homework & Research

As you likely already know, tablet PCs come in all different shapes and sizes and have their own unique set of specs, features and price factors. Don’t end up with buyers remorse and assume that for the most part all tablet computers are the same. Trust me, they’re not!

You don’t want to end up paying a fair amount of cash for a mobile device only to find out it has limited features or capabilities in regards to the tasks you need it to perform. On the flip side, you also don’t want to pay more than what’s necessary for a tablet if you can get one cheaper that has everything you need.

Security Features

Let’s face it, for most people personal data is confidential and needs to be kept private, secure and well protected. This might come as a surprise to many people but believe it or not tablets are just as vulnerable and prone to security leaks and loopholes as any other common computer. Don’t believe me? Check out our in-depth series on ways to protect your tablet PC from viruses and malware to get an idea of what I mean.

For some people a tablet computer is just a device for general use and family entertainment. For most people however, tablets are used for things like personal use, school and business among other things and in situations like these you’ll want to make sure that your device makes the grade when it comes to security options that are available. This includes cost for taking proper security measures as well as the different types of security options readily available that meet your specific needs.

Don’t Rely On Just One Review

There’s no shortage of in-depth reviews out there for practically every single tablet PC on the market. This being the case, you should not assume that the first review you read is in fact a reliable one. My advice to new buyers is to read 5 or even 10 different reviews on any given tablet PC before making your decision.

It’s just common sense and good practice to average out different ratings and reviews to get the best possible understanding of the facts before you buy. Even if you read a really good review from a popular and well respected website, the bottom line is it’s still just one persons opinion. I don’t care how good the source is, you have nothing to lose and plenty to gain by reading more than one review on a product you’ll be spending money on. Never assume that one review is the end all be all of all reviews or that all reviews you read are completely 100% accurate. Once again, I urge you to trust me on this, it really is for your own benefit to do as much homework as possible so that ultimately you will be satisfied and content with your purchase.