The gadget of the year certainly looks to be the iPad or tablet computer. It’s amazing to remember that iPads were  only introduced in 2010. What a steep adoption curve these oversized smart phones have experienced!

Yet, I still struggle to force myself to use the Motorola Xoom with Wi-Fi 10.1″ Android I purchased a year ago. I set up a wireless router at home so I’d have Wi-Fi signal, which does come in handy for visitors. But I really don’t use the tablet for anything except checking email or doing Google searches when I’m sitting on the couch (instead of in  front of the desktop computer).

I can see the future in construction certainly involves having all drawings, schedules, meeting minutes and everything else job related on the cloud and accessible to all stake-holders. I’m doing that, yet don’t really access it myself that much.

The fact that we don’t currently set up Wi-Fi on our jobsites probably contributes to the lack of construction use for me. If I started to always provide a jobsite Wi-Fi, the tablets would become much more useful.

The scrolling and zooming capabilities of the tablet certainly make it more useful than a regular laptop for viewing drawings. We’ve found that trying to look at drawings on a smart phone screen seems almost useless. It’s just too small.

So, even though I’m still not utilizing my tablet enough, I still encourage you to consider putting it on your Christmas list. The construction changes will come fast in the next year or two. The tablet will become a crucial jobsite tool.

This Brittish review link provides a good understanding of the various options. The market seems mature enough that the “You get what you pay for adage” seems true. So decide how much you want to spend, whether you love or hate Apple, and then dive in.