Tablets

The answer is: consider a tablet. If all you’re doing is surfing and emailing, then a tablet is ideal. Tablets are lightweight and super easy to use on the couch or in bed – they don’t have the size or bulky battery-charging requirements of a laptop.

If you do a bit of typing (longer than emails) or you’re looking for a lightweight work option, then you might want to invest in a detachable or bluetooth keyboard or even go for the Surface Pro range. In general, tablets can be great replacements for much of what you do on a laptop.

If you plan on taking your device out and about with you, it’s important it can withstand the elements. Ingress Protection (IP) ratings indicate how resistant a device is to water and solids (dust/dirt).

IP ratings have two numbers. The first relates to solids, such as dust, and has a maximum rating of 6. The second relates to water and goes as high as 8. An X rating means it hasn’t been assessed for that type of protection.

Examples:

• IP55 and IP65 – Protected from most dust and low-pressure sprayed water
• IP67 – Dustproof and resistant to water up to a metre in depth
• IPX7 – Hasn’t been tested on dust particles, but is resistant to water up to a metre in depth.

See here for more on IP ratings and the different levels of protection.

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