Connect2Field

If you’re a field worker and constantly on the go, a tablet could be the quickest and easiest way to access Connect2Field when you’re at work. Tablets are lighter than laptops and have large, clear screens which are enjoyable to use.

For all the criticism the iPad and other tablets get for being "just toys", they actually have a lot of qualities that make them great productivity tools—at times better than laptops or netbooks. Here are our reasons why:

•   They boot up quickly; you can load your web browser to use Connect2Field in a matter of seconds
•   They are light and portable – especially important for fieldworkers who are constantly moving from job to job
•   The battery life is incredible

However great tablets are, there are a few downsides you may want to consider:

•  Price – You tend to get “more” for your money with a laptop. An iPad costs upwards from $579 but you may be able to buy a basic  netbook for $200
•  Some people may find the touch screen more difficult to type with 

Here are our top 5 tablets for your service business:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is CNET’s favourite Android tablet – which has to count for something! It is lower down the list with 6 hours battery life. Also known as the Galaxy Tab 750, it comes with 10.1 inch TFT LCD touch screen display that supports 1280x800 pixel resolution and 149 pixels per inch. It runs on the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. You get a fantastic 8 megapixel camera and it comes in fairly lightweight compared to other tablets at 565g; great for fieldworkers who are constantly moving from job to job and need to access Connect2Field! Prices starting from $524. This controversial tablet, as a result of a legal injunction from Apple, cannot currently be sold in Australia or in parts of Europe but we think that this is a good option for our US customers.

Connect2Field rating: 4/5

Apple iPad 2

Being the top selling tablet of them all, Apple’s iPad 2 is a failsafe option for your service business – particularly when you note that they have a 63+% tablet market share. There is an extensive range of apps and ultimately they are the best albeit the most expensive tablets. The iPad 2 has an impressive 10 hours battery life and comes with a 9.7 inch LED-backlit multi-touch display with 1024x768 pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch. The iPad 2 runs on Apple’s iOS operating system. The Apple iPad 2 has two major advantages over rest of the tablets — several ready to use apps and clear video chat facility with FaceTime. However, if you want to stand out from the crowd you might want to opt for a different tablet option due to the sheer popularity of these devices! Prices from $579.

Connect2Field rating: 4.5/5

HP TouchPad

Cheap…if you can get hold of one! We recently were lucky enough to purchase one from Harvey Norman for $98. With 1GB RAM, 8 hours battery life and a Screen Resolution of 1024 x 768 it has a pretty good spec. It’s slightly heavier than others at 740g but we are really enjoying using it, it has surpassed our expectations. The negative factors being that there is no 3G and given that it runs on the Web OS 3.0 operating system and Web OS is no more, the apps are extremely limited. However browsing and Email access are both very simple and enjoyable to use so it would be a great investment to access Connect2Field on the go. Prices starting from $98 for 16GB version, but in limited supply (as far as we know…).

Connect2Field rating: 4/5

Motorola XOOM

The Motorola Xoom hosts a sizable 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 capacitive display, 3G connectivity in addition to front and rear facing cameras, HD video capability, and loads of wireless options. It has an impressive 8 hours of battery life – ideal if you’re working full days and needing to access Connect2Field constantly. The Motorola Xoom was the first Android 3.0 Honeycomb based tablet (now 3.1). One of the standout features compared to other tablets is that you can add up to 32GB Micro SDHC card to the tablet but it comes in as one of the slightly heavier tablets at 730g. Motorola has attempted to protect itself by offering free hardware upgrades in the future which will give the tablet access to the 4G LTE network. It is an impressive iPad 2 competitor however this comes at a price; starting from $529 to be precise.

Connect2Field rating: 3/5

BlackBerry PlayBook

You could assume that by naming BlackBerry’s tablet offering the “PlayBook” it implies that it may not be suitable for the workplace. This is not necessarily true. Yes, tablets are a brilliant way to play games (‘Angry birds’ is so much more fun on my TouchPad than my iPod Touch) but the PlayBook has many redeeming features to suggest it could be perfect for your service business. The PlayBook runs on the QNX operating system, has a reasonable 7 hours battery life and it does a great job at displaying PowerPoint presentations. It has the Flash ability that the iPad2 lacks and it looks really sleek. It has a cool five megapixel at the back of the device, 1GB of RAM and 16, 32, or 64GB of storage. It has a 7" LCD display, 1024 x 600 screen resolution and is available starting at $400.

‎Connect2Field rating: 3/5

All in all tablets are a fantastic gadget which is ideal for those on the move – perhaps who don’t own smartphones but still want to access the web on the go. If you can accept you may be paying more for less “technically” then a tablet will work for you.

We’d love to know how you are getting on using your tablet in the field so feel free to let us know!

The Connect2Field Team

At Connect2Field we love the iPhone - We often wonder what it would be like without it and for many of our customer working in their service business it's has become an essential part of staying in touch with clients, colleagues and general goings-on in the world. However, when you're out on a job you can end up in situations where you could damage it. 

I'm sure we all know someone who has dropped their iPhone and smashed their screen. The case from the guys at  at LifeProof will change the way our customers work in those messy environments.

Once your iPhone is inside this case you can drop it on all surfaces and edges from a height of 2 meters/6.6ft. Pretty impressive. 

As brilliant as this product seems, bear in mind that "It does not stop bullets (or hammers)". ......Aside from this though, at $69.95 for the iPhone 4 case,  it seems a great investment to put your mind at ease when using your iPhone 4 out and about on a job.

Check out the video below to see it in action.

Do you often need to capture a drawing or a paper receipt (or anything else) and want to link it to your customer or Job in Connect2Field? We have found the perfect solution for you.

The Doxie scanner (www.getdoxie.com) is the perfect solution. The device will scan any document from the size of a business card up to A4 documents in full colour and save it as a PDF or JPEG file, the file can then easily be upload to Connect2Field.

Doxie only costs $145 USD and is available directly from Doxie http://www.getdoxie.com/store/index.html