If you’re the sort of person who needs to keep tabs on your business activities no matter what the location, then the explosion of mobile devices has been a truly revolutionary development. While many business professionals have got themselves kitted out with an iPhone, or the latest smartphone from one of the other handset manufacturers, there are also an increasing number of us who are heading in the direction of the tablet computer.

The tablet computer is catching on in a big way, mainly because it offers a larger working area, which proves to be much more beneficial for workplace duties. Meanwhile, the virtual keyboards on these bigger screens are also more amenable to working on documents and other office-based content compared to smartphones, which tend to offer a fairly limited area in which to get your daily chores done.

Apple has just unveiled its third incarnation of the iPad, which kicked things off on the tablet front a couple of years ago. Since then, there have been countless rival products released by a whole variety of different manufacturers, so if you’re tempted by one of these devices then the sky really is the limit.

The great thing about the tablet computer for business users is that they’re much more portable than many laptops and even netbooks – the smaller versions of the traditional mobile computing tool. Better still, many tablets have a superior battery life too, meaning that you can stay productive on the go for much longer, while a regular laptop would probably have already given up the ghost.

But its not just about the portability and dependability of the tablet that is appealing so much to business professionals. Buying a tablet means that you can get a device that comes with a variety of different connectivity options. It’s possible to get those models that can connect to the 3G mobile broadband networks, while cheaper versions come complete with Wi-Fi.

Thanks to so many outlets now having Wi-Fi available at your disposal for no charge whatsoever, it is therefore effectively possible to use your new mobile office pretty much anywhere. Adding to that is the fact that you can download and install a whole array of different software apps too.

Its these software apps that are seen by many as being the way forward for business professionals who want to compute on the move. You can get apps that enable your tablet device to open, read and edit Office-style documents, prepare presentations and also compile spreadsheets. Not only that, the tablet can also provide you with lots of relaxing diversions too, with everything from games and HD video players to help you pass those long journeys to the next meeting.

Needless to say, its the Apple iPad that generally comes at the pricier end of the spectrum, but if you run a small business and wish to keep spending to a minimum then try taking a look at some of the more budget options that are out there. You’ll find that there is a whole raft of Android-powered devices that are really impressive little bits of kit too.

The Android operating system was put together by Google and is a great alternative to the Apple iOS. There are also tons of apps for this platform and its pedigree is excellent, providing stable and powerful performance with plenty of regular updates to ensure that it stays relevant alongside the Apple iPad. Either way you go, its possible to find a tablet to meet any kind of business requirement.

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Dan Makwana contributes on behalf of the UK broadband consumer advice site Broadband Genie