I took a look at the Science and Tech News forum and I dont see a place where we can talk about our gadgets and toys that we use on a regular basis. These things might be our phones, a certain computer, a special purpose device like a Roku or using a Wii or Xbox for internet, media devices and the like. I think it would be fun to talk about them here. 
Smartphones
But the real reason I wanted this forum to exist is because there is SO MUCH cool tech out there all of us are using! For those who have smartphones, it feels sorta like you are walking around with a real life tricorder. You can connect to the internet and do just about anything you want. Its NOT like using your computer at all. On all the major smartphones (iPhone, Android, Blackberry), you have special mobile applications or "apps" that have a single purpose. Like your banking, your memos, a calendar, your email, navigation (which you can use in your car using a clamp), and also usually a relatively high definition camera to take pictures. The high end ones have an LED flash as well as 5mp cameras, and they also have a front facing camera you can use for video calling.
But the real reason to have a smartphone is to have the mobile apps that have NOTHING to do with your phone. They are miniature theaters with full HD video and sound (via headphones or bluetooth), and the miniaturized 16:9 HD screen gives you a full-on theater experience in the palm of your hand. Think Im kidding? As soon as you set your phone up on something like a book or even lying it flat on a table, the perfect 16:9 ratio is there and the experience is like sitting in a rear seat in a theater. If you are wearing headphones, your phone will recreate HD sound for your movies. And yes, Netflix, Hulu+ as well as any movies you might have on your SD card will play. Now that there are mini SD card up to 32GB for under $100, you can have an entire archive and THOUSANDS of apps on your phone.
Tablets
Okay, Im new to the tablet but I already LOVE the technology. I first bought an ASUS Transformer, but I didnt like it at all, and I took it back the next day and got an Acer Iconia Tab. THAT is a great Android tablet. Ironically, that tablet is now in Texas being repaired for a bad motherboard. But I love the tablet and the experience is much like the way you see the PADD being used in Star Trek:
The high end tablets have a 10.1" form factor and usually are no more than 1/4" thick. This includes iPad and most of the high end Android tablets. Blackberry now also has a tablet. Tablets can also run full OS, like the Windows based tablets can run Windows 7 mobile or Windows 7. Android tablets can be rooted to run Linux as well as Android. iPads do now allow tweaking as root as easily, but by "jailbreaking" it, you can get root access. For me, the tablet saw the most use as a digital book. It is roughly the size of a large paperback book in screen dimension. And the weight is light enough to be mistaken as a book. All tablets have orientation sensors which automatically change the orientation from portrait to landscape when the tablet is rotated. Anyway, my Acer was GREAT with Kindle as well as my digital magazines. Also, its great for READING blogs and forums like this, but not so hot posting to them. The large size of a tablet forces you to type on the onscreen keyboard, and that is very difficult to do without placing it on a surface and doing it. Even a smartphone with a small keyboard is better.
Other than that, the purpose of the tablets is still forming itself for me. I have watched movies on it, swiped through photos and works of art like Dali and Michaelangelo. You can enlarge with your fingers to see more detail. I would love to be able to use a tablet as a microscope. . Like smartphones, most tablets also have a high definition camera on the back with flash, as well as a front facing camera AND a microphone. Great for video conferencing using applications like Skype and Facebook Skype video.
I still love my infinitely useful HP G70 laptop with its large 17" screen, but its just not nearly as much a part of my life as my smartphone. I urge you if you have never had a smartphone...you should get one. Do your banking, pay your bills, watch movies or TV or listen to the news, read your email and reply, and always have a good camera with you that you can also take video with. Catch life as it happens. Sounds like a commercial for this stuff doesnt it!. But Im not going to make value judgements on the brand and types of ways this technology is being marketed. The fact that it exists and is affordable is AMAZING to me.
Smartphones
But the real reason I wanted this forum to exist is because there is SO MUCH cool tech out there all of us are using! For those who have smartphones, it feels sorta like you are walking around with a real life tricorder. You can connect to the internet and do just about anything you want. Its NOT like using your computer at all. On all the major smartphones (iPhone, Android, Blackberry), you have special mobile applications or "apps" that have a single purpose. Like your banking, your memos, a calendar, your email, navigation (which you can use in your car using a clamp), and also usually a relatively high definition camera to take pictures. The high end ones have an LED flash as well as 5mp cameras, and they also have a front facing camera you can use for video calling.
But the real reason to have a smartphone is to have the mobile apps that have NOTHING to do with your phone. They are miniature theaters with full HD video and sound (via headphones or bluetooth), and the miniaturized 16:9 HD screen gives you a full-on theater experience in the palm of your hand. Think Im kidding? As soon as you set your phone up on something like a book or even lying it flat on a table, the perfect 16:9 ratio is there and the experience is like sitting in a rear seat in a theater. If you are wearing headphones, your phone will recreate HD sound for your movies. And yes, Netflix, Hulu+ as well as any movies you might have on your SD card will play. Now that there are mini SD card up to 32GB for under $100, you can have an entire archive and THOUSANDS of apps on your phone.
Tablets
Okay, Im new to the tablet but I already LOVE the technology. I first bought an ASUS Transformer, but I didnt like it at all, and I took it back the next day and got an Acer Iconia Tab. THAT is a great Android tablet. Ironically, that tablet is now in Texas being repaired for a bad motherboard. But I love the tablet and the experience is much like the way you see the PADD being used in Star Trek:
The high end tablets have a 10.1" form factor and usually are no more than 1/4" thick. This includes iPad and most of the high end Android tablets. Blackberry now also has a tablet. Tablets can also run full OS, like the Windows based tablets can run Windows 7 mobile or Windows 7. Android tablets can be rooted to run Linux as well as Android. iPads do now allow tweaking as root as easily, but by "jailbreaking" it, you can get root access. For me, the tablet saw the most use as a digital book. It is roughly the size of a large paperback book in screen dimension. And the weight is light enough to be mistaken as a book. All tablets have orientation sensors which automatically change the orientation from portrait to landscape when the tablet is rotated. Anyway, my Acer was GREAT with Kindle as well as my digital magazines. Also, its great for READING blogs and forums like this, but not so hot posting to them. The large size of a tablet forces you to type on the onscreen keyboard, and that is very difficult to do without placing it on a surface and doing it. Even a smartphone with a small keyboard is better.
Other than that, the purpose of the tablets is still forming itself for me. I have watched movies on it, swiped through photos and works of art like Dali and Michaelangelo. You can enlarge with your fingers to see more detail. I would love to be able to use a tablet as a microscope. . Like smartphones, most tablets also have a high definition camera on the back with flash, as well as a front facing camera AND a microphone. Great for video conferencing using applications like Skype and Facebook Skype video.I still love my infinitely useful HP G70 laptop with its large 17" screen, but its just not nearly as much a part of my life as my smartphone. I urge you if you have never had a smartphone...you should get one. Do your banking, pay your bills, watch movies or TV or listen to the news, read your email and reply, and always have a good camera with you that you can also take video with. Catch life as it happens. Sounds like a commercial for this stuff doesnt it!
. But Im not going to make value judgements on the brand and types of ways this technology is being marketed. The fact that it exists and is affordable is AMAZING to me. 
shopping made even easier!