7. Tablet computers

A tablet computer is a mobile, quite thin device, having a flat surface. The device can be easily held in your hand.

It contains a touch screen which is operated using your fingers in various ways such as tapping, double tapping, swiping and pinching.

The screen view can be changed automatically from landscape to portrait mode by simply by changing the orientation of the tablet. This is possible because the tablet has a built-in three axis gyroscope unlike standard laptops.

Other sensors include an accelerometer, magnetometer, and one or more cameras. It can also receive GPS signals for mapping and geo-location.

Tablet computers can connect to the internet using wi-fi or 3G - although you might need to pay a monthly fee to use this service and there may be a limit on the amount that you can download each month.

Storage within the tablet is by solid state flash memory rather than a hard disk that is commonly used in a laptop.

Tablet computers run from an internal battery which needs to be recharged after a number of hours.

The unique combination of advanced sensors and a fairly powerful CPU has resulted in an incredible array of imaginative applications (Apps) being developed. For example, there is a star gazing app that shows the stars that would be seen on a clear night sky by simply holding the tablet up in the air in the relevant direction. There are 'augmented reality' apps that make use of the camera to overlay information on the scene being viewed.