With the HP TouchPad now available, there are three questions you should be asking yourself:

1. I've already got a smartphone, I've already got a laptop - will a tablet really add anything that helps my business needs?

2. There are lots of other tablets that have been around for a while - why should I consider a webOS tablet?

3. So maybe I'm interested, but why do I need one right now?

What's so special about the tablet form factor?

Functionally, your laptop and smartphone already cover a lot of ground. What does a tablet add into the mix? Do you really need another device in your technology portfolio?

Well, think about the ways that you use information in the business context. When all you need is a tool for data entry or manipulation, your laptop gets the job done. If you just need to call up a piece of data when you're on the go, your smartphone is a great solution. But the pulse of much of your day-to-day business life is often about sharing information. And that's an arena where a tablet provides a much-needed "missing link" between your phone and your laptop.

No matter what phone you have, it can be awkward to use it in a group context. After all, your phone is a designed to live within your "personal space"; your client probably doesn't want to view your proposal on your smartphone. And perhaps you've felt just a little uncomfortable when you plop your laptop onto a restaurant table during a business lunch? Whether the information is a calendar, a design, or an inventory spreadsheet, and whether you're sharing it with a customer, an employee, your boss, or a colleague, a tablet is just a more effective, more comfortable, and more professional form factor for sharing information.

The HP TouchPad is very much at home in these kinds of business settings. After all, it's basically a digital update to the very familiar and comfortable tools of the trade you've been using for years: the construction foreman's clipboard, a CPA's ledger book, an HR manager's manila folder full of forms, a waiter's flip-pad, or a graphic artist's portfolio. It fits in your hand, looks great on the table, and goes with you in the plane, train, or automobile. With all-day battery life, you don't need to worry about charging cords. And while there's a great optional Bluetooth keyboard, the intuitive onscreen keyboard - which easily toggles among several sizes and which always keeps the number row visible - makes it easy to travel light with a single self-contained form factor.

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