The iPad and Its Challengers: How To Buy a Tablet - Sci-Tech Today

Not all that long ago, you couldn't imagine wanting a tablet computer . Your smartphone and laptop met all your computing requirements, or so you figured. And tablets were those awkward, stylus-driven computers that were pushed for years by Bill Gates at Microsoft, with very little to show for it.

Today, you're in crowded company if a tablet computer tops your holiday wish list. Nearly six in 10 shoppers surveyed by the PriceGrabber price-comparison site said they'd rather receive a tablet computer than a laptop. And 71% said that tablets would replace e-readers as gifts this year.

Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps forecasts that tablets will reach 112.5 million U.S. consumers -- one-third of the U.S. adult population -- by 2016. The market was practically non-existent as recently as early 2010. That was right before everything changed with the arrival of the iPad, still the finest mainstream tablet out there.

The last two generations of full-size iPads boast knockout Retina display screens. More than 275,000 apps have been especially produced for Apple's slate, way more than the apps that have been optimized for any other platform. The iOS software behind Apple's tablet is generally friendlier than competitors' software.

But there's no shortage of rivals trying to dethrone the market champ, with most challengers relying on some variant of Google's Android operating system. Google's own Nexus 7 (made by Asus) and Nexus 10 (made by Samsung) models lead the Android brigade and run the current flavor of Android called Jelly Bean.

Specs-wise, the Nexus 10 boasts an even higher-resolution 10-inch display than the iPad, though you have a difficult time detecting much of a difference in a side-by-side comparison.

On the various Kindle Fires that Amazon sells and the Nook tablets sold by Barnes & Noble, Android is present but shoved in the background, barely recognizable, replaced by the companies' own user interfaces.

A fresh challenge is coming from another flank, the radically different Windows 8 operating system driven by Microsoft and its PC partners. Windows 8 is designed not only for multitouch tablets but traditional desktop PCs and laptops, a controversial and somewhat confusing decision by Microsoft that differs from the approach Apple is taking. Despite overlapping features, Apple is keeping the OS X operating system (for Macs) and iOS (for the iPad and iPhone) separate. (continued...)

 

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John C:

Here's a few new Tablets worth looking at -- released in late November - the Novo 7 Legend is offered through a site called TabletSprint, and may be considered the first "$100 TABLET" worth buying from any major brand, with features that include a quality screen display, Micro SD portable storage, Android 4.1, a MicroUSB port, and a processor good enough to handle 3D games -- Plus WiFi, Ethernet and 3G -- For those not familar with the manufacturer, Ainol Electronics, they received a "Best Tablet of the Year" award at CNET Consumer Electronics Show 2012.

Another new tablet released last week is the Novo 10 Hero and possibly the best 10-inch "price-performance" tablet available this year, features a High Resolution 1280x800 IPS screen, 16GB Memory, a strong Battery and Dual Core processor with Quad Core GPU, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Operating System, Wifi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and an option for 3G/4G connection.

The Hero also offers a MicroUSB port for connection to printers and other electronic devices, a MicroSD Memory Card slot for unlimited storage (up to 32GB Memory Cards), front and back cameras with a 2 Megapixel rear camera; and has HDMI output, which is a nice feature to download movies and watch in Full 1080p (HD) on to a large screen TV. It also makes a great gaming device with its high resolution screen and motion sensor.

The site TabletSprint also includes $25 in Bonus Apps with all tablets, and bundles in free 3G/4G wireless service with 500MB of free data every month with full internet access & VoIP voice calling -- both new models and a few others at TabletSprint are certainly worth checking out.