Jan 2012 There’s a serious revolution underway in the world of portable computing.

Time was we all thought the laptop was the last word in easy to carry, super-functional computerisation; then we thought the high end mobile phone, with its Internet connectivity, QWERTY keyboard and sophisticated technology, held the honour; and now the tablet laptop has come along. The tablet laptop combines the functionality and portability of a touch screen mobile phone with the size and computing power of  a proper (miniaturised) laptop, allowing users to draw and write free handed on a touch sensitive screen. It’s the computer of the future: the only question is, which one to get? What is the best tablet laptop?

As per usual, it depends a) on what you want and b) on who you listen to. The owners and users of high end technology are a pretty partisan bunch, tending to stick with more or less arbitrarily formed allegiances to particular brands. That said, the same set of brands tend to keep coming out on top, no matter what the variation on PC technology – and that’s the case here, too. The best tablet laptop, depending on who you listen to, is either made by Apple, Sony, or Lenovo. Or Dell. Or Hewlett Packard. You get the picture, I think – the best tablet laptops are the ones being made by the companies you already use for your computing hardware.

That said, there are still divisions in functionality between the brands. Though those divisions are archetypical again: if you want a tablet laptop that’s really good with multimedia applications, image processing and animation, the Apple iPad wins every time. While if you want a tablet laptop that represents good value for money (and comes with great customer service), then Dell or Hewlett Packard are more likely to be up your street. The best tablet laptop, like every other computer, is as subjective as your preference for brand and your desired set of applications.

In some ways, the best tablet laptops for any given person, or application, are defined by their type. Broadly speaking there are two types of tablet laptop – the swivel screen and the “slate”. The slate is the ultra trendy Star Trek-looking thing you’ve probably seen on TV – what appears to be a screen on its own with nothing attached to it. The swivel screen is a more traditional looking laptop whose screen swivels ingeniously to form a flat drawing and writing surface. What you use your tablet laptop for determines which of these you are likely to buy – and, in turn, what are the best tablet laptops for your needs.

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