For example 12 months ago I used to use an iPhone and iPad. Both of them fantastic devices that served their purposes well. If I wanted to do a spot of browsing when at home the it was out with the iPad and away I went, or indeed if I was out and about then the iPad came in very useful. No longer did I have to worry about getting my laptop out, which isn’t a great deal I know but it is far easier to do something on a tablet quickly than a laptop, just more accessible.

This whole setup worked wonders and I found myself getting a lot done very easily when ever I needed to, just grab my bag, pop the iPad in and away I went. The only issue I really had was I kind of wished my iPad was a 3G model, working on an iPad as a quick fix tool is wonderful unless of course you need to tether your phone for a internet connection and you are on the phone at the same time.

Now I know that there is free Wi-fi everywhere now virtually but you can not guarantee it so the backup of a tablet with a mobile connection was a tempting offer. So off I go to get myself a new tablet, a 3G one so I no longer had this problem. It was this point that my whole mobile life began to change as it was decision time. For what I needed I couldn’t really justify the cost of a new full size iPad with 3G, as much as I love Apple and thing the build quality is fantastic you certainly pay for that. So I looked at the Mini, was a tempting offer, until I saw the Nexus 7. For a considerable amount less I could get this tablet but it meant moving away from iOS and to something new. So I did my research to make sure all the relevant apps were available and decided to take the plunge.

That was about 9 months ago now and looking back I still can’t work out if I made the right decision, not because it is a bad tablet, but what happened next.

I am a person who likes integration with my devices, sharing browser tabs is fantastic. The amount if times I have email a URL from my mobile to myself so I could open it on my laptop or mobile is uncountable. Using Chrome as my main browser on my laptop meant that everything worked better with my Nexus 7, especially as I use Google Apps for work. This started to make my iPhone look like the weak link in the chain, and yes I tried the Google Apps on iOS.

So after much deliberation off to the Google Play store and I ordered a Nexus 4. Now as with everything new there is always a period of adjustment, the main one being the sheer size of the device compared to the iPhone. It certainly took some getting used to but I stuck with it.

From this point the change started to happen, very subtly first. I would notice that I had forgot to charge my Nexus 7 so I would stick it on to charge and leave it at home. Then in the evening I would notice that I was often down to the last 10% of my battery on my phone. Since getting the iPad my phone would last all day easily, usually with about 30% left. Then it struck me, I had stopped using my tablet. It was sitting in a drawer turned off 90% of the time. Occasionally I would turn it on if I wanted to watch a video on YouTube but that is about it.

Oddly changing to a smaller 3G tablet for easier portability and the ability to work quickly anywhere (within reason) has led me down a path where the very device that I purchased to make my life easier has made itself redundant.

Now I completely understand the need for tablets, they are wonderful devices that help may people accomplish plenty of tasks. In fact part of me kind of wishes I had kept my iPhone and got a 3G iPad instead as the separation was nice. It also makes me understand to a degree why Apple still kept the iPhone compact and haven’t gone to a bigger 5 inch screen like the major Android devices. Why would they? It kind of doesn’t make any sense as you get to a 5 inch screen on your phone and the need for a tablet beings to diminish (or at least it did for me), the lines start to get blurred and there is too much of a cross over.

What does the future hold, who can say. I am waiting to see what happens with the MacBook Air this year, if the rumours of a 12 inch Retina version are true then it may change again. The best part is that everybody is different and it is amazing that we live in such a world there is literally something out there for everybody.

Feel free to comment and share you views.

Well that time of year has finally come around again, for me it is usually one of the busiest periods of the year. Mainly as I like to get all loose ends tied up before I finish and take a relaxing two weeks off. I find it nice to know that I am coming back to a clean slate in the new year ready to start afresh with another set of challenges.

One of my goals for the new year is to start a proper blog, I am not entirely sure as what I am going to write as of yet but I suspect it will be a collection of my thoughts relating to the various things I read on the internet.

I am intending to get this basics of the site finished over the holidays as well so in the new year should be away from the basic WordPress theme I am using at the moment.

Until then Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!