The way we use computers is changing. Years ago, there was a desktop or laptop in almost every home, but I’m seeing many people get rid of their bulky computers in favour of tablets and mobiles. Portable devices are getting better all the time, but is it really possible to live without a computer?
Tablets and phones are perfectly capable of handling emails and browsing websites, it’s what they were built for. Most websites are mobile friendly and all the big services have mobile apps too, but there are still some services that don’t run well on a mobile,and for those you might need a real computer.
Writing a letter or formal email is perfectly possible on a tablet or phone. Most modern devices have basic word processing apps built in or easily downloaded.
Handheld printing has also come a long way in the last few years and can get good results with a modern printer. Some advanced features are a bit limited from handhelds, such as scanning and duplex printing, and you don’t get much control over photo printing. If you’re keen on getting good print results you might still need a computer, but for domestic printing a handheld will work just fine.
The big drawback with portable devices is also their big benefit: smaller screen sizes make devices portable but also prevent you getting a comfortable working position. A mobile phone can start to give you screen fatigue after 30 minutes and a larger 10” tablet after about 2 hours, so writing a long document isn’t practical on a mobile device.You can get clever keyboards and mice to make input quicker, but fatigue will still get to you.
Storage space is also a problem on portables; they don’t have big internal storage so it’s difficult to store and manipulate big photo collections or lots of music or movies.But with online streaming services becoming dominant now, we don’t necessarily need our own music or movie libraries now.
If you just do a few emails a day and a little bit of online shopping and research, then a tablet will probably be fine for you. But if you store large libraries of photos, music, videos, etc, or use bespoke or specialist software, or useadvanced printing functions, or work for several hours at a time, then you’re probably not ready to get rid of your computer yet.