It is a very good idea to buy a case for your tablet to avoid accidental scratching in your handbag or briefcase, and to keep the screen safe if you drop it.  You may also wish to purchase an HDMI cable to enable your tablet to be played via your TV.  Especially useful if you have downloaded a film, or want to watch catch up TV.  If you buy an iPad, you might wish to buy a camera connector to facilitate easy transfer of you photographs from your digital camera to your iPad for viewing either individually or as a slideshow.

The Asus Memo Smart is an Android Tablet, with the same screen size, 9.1 inches and camera, 5 megapixels as the latest iPad Air, the Apple tablet.  The Asus will set you back about £200, the iPad £320 upwards depending on the amount of storage you choose, 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes.  They are both easy to use - with touch screen technology and it is worth having a look at both before you make a decision.  The iPad 4 has the same camera and screen size, but is slightly heavier.  You may find one a bit cheaper as the iPad Air is now their new mainstream product, especially in the January sales.

The essential difference, apart from the operating systems, is connectivity.  iPads have no connectivity apart from wireless.  They do not have a USB slot included.  The ASUS has a mini USB port and an HDMI port so you can connect it directly to your TV with the appropriate cable.  Apple sell all the connectors to give you this ability as extras at between £25 and £35 each.

Cases, stands, bluetooth or wifi keyboards and extra cables are all available separately, online and via John Lewis, PC World, Amazon, Apple Stores to name a few.