Currently, tablets are all the rage and there are daily articles reviewing them, predicting what comes next, analyzing product launches, etc.  I am very interested in mobile learning (and creating content suitable for mobile learning).  I think I have become very skeptical after years of being an avid early adopter--tired of the bleeding edge, sensitized to the probability of  wasted resources (money, time, effort).  But this tablet thing interests me.  And I want to get away from the hype and into the down-and-dirty of a typical university classroom experience.

• Are tablets really suitable technology for students?
• Are tablets really suitable technology for instructors?

For both groups, what does a tablet do better than a laptop?  Where does it fall short?  Is the form factor, battery life, weight, and sheer portability enough to tip the scales against more traditional laptops?  (And laptops are getting more portable and more battery life all the time.)  Are there 'must-have' accessories that make the difference when it comes to getting things done?  Just what is it that students are expected to do in our courses that require technology?  Can those things be done with a tablet, or do we still need specialized software?

I chose the Toshiba Thrive 10.1, 16GB for my test device.  I purchased a refurbished tablet for a grand total of $308 from Woot.  The salient features that lead me to choose this particular tablet were:

• Android operating system with the ability to play Flash content
• Full size HCSD slot (which I promptly filled with an 8GB card)
• Full size HDMI® port
• USB 2.0 and Mini USB ports
• Slip-resistant finished back (no extra cases needed)
• Front and rear camera (for video chat)
• Replaceable battery

So far, I have installed several apps from the Google Market and have been experimenting with e-book readers.  I have a collection of ePub and pdf content to test with.  More on that next!