Should I buy a Tablet...and which one?

A question that I have been asked a lot lately from all of my friends is

Should I buy a tablet or not? Or should I buy one of those netbooks or a laptop.
If I should buy a tablet, which should I buy?
Should I wait for the next Apple tablet?

And other questions like that. As I usually do with regards to this type of question and when it relates to these sorts of things, let me preface this with saying that I like Google... But that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate what every other company is bringing to the table in this realm. So without further adieu let me get to answering these questions.

Should I buy a tablet or not? Or should I buy one of those netbooks or a laptop.
This is a tricky question and I am pretty sure that it is why I get asked it so much. First and foremost the thing you need to understand about tablets is that they are CONSUMPTION devices. What do I mean by this? If you need a portable computer that you are going to be using to write blog entries at the coffee shop, or if you plan on doing emails and such, then you are not going to be primarily CONSUMING data with this device. You will be using it in a hybrid fashion of input and consumption, and I would suggest the netbook.

If on the other hand you want a device for viewing large amounts of data, then a tablet may be for you. I personally own a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I can honestly say I love the device. I have had it now for right at 2 months now. I personally use it to consume information such as news, twitter, google plus, facebook, and the occasional IMBD. I use it while I am laying around the house to check email, but I rarely use it to reply to emails, unless they are short and sweet. The keyboard on the Galaxy is actually quite useful for any good typist. I use the home keys and everything. I do consider myself to be a power user, but I don't do my "power user" activities on this device.

So ultimately if most of what you do is consuming data streams like twitter and facebook or playing games like fruit ninja, then you will find that you will get a lot of use out of a tablet. If on the other hand you are going to be doing activities that require a great deal of typing or the likes then a netbook may be your pony.