This week's unveiling of Samsung's Galaxy Tab stoked the already formidable fire lit around tablet devices by Apple's iPad. And with several other contenders coming to market in the coming months, tablets should be a common sight in the coming year, particularly in the workplace, thanks to their unique combination of power, simplicity, and portability. But will Microsoft, long prized for its business-centric offerings, manage to get in on the action?
Though the iPad has transformed the way users think of tablet computing, Apple has never shown much consistency in courting the business world. Still, its overwhelming popularity with consumers has helped the iPad penetrate into the boardroom more than most pundits expected. (In my daily travels, it's not uncommon to encounter two or three iPads in any sizeable business meeting.) And though its image as a consumer toy has dampened its appeal for IT managers, the iPad does support portable computing features that are essential for businesses, such as remote data wiping, encryption, and Microsoft Exchange support.

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Apple - Microsoft - Google - IPad - Microsoft Exchange

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