The Tablet War Has Only Begun [Comparison]

by Jason Norment Mar 30, 2011 12:19 PM – 8 Comments

As was announced during Mobile World Congress and CTIA 2011, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 stands as the top of the current Samsung lineup of tablets above the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Tab 7. Just as we reported on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 during Mobile World Congress, this tablet is set to ship running Android Honeycomb 3.0 on a 1GHZ dual-core processor with a redesigned Touch Wiz 4.0 interface made specifically for tablets. Samsung has made quite a few enhancements to their Touch Wiz UI to really bring out some core features of the Galaxy Tab. Sprint just announced their HTC Evo View 4G, which is Sprint’s first tablet announced during CTIA 2011. The Evo View 4G will run on a revamped version of HTC Sense designed to run specifically for tablets. The iPad 2 launched here in the U.S. on March 11th introducing new features including a dual-core processor and front/rear cameras. Of course, let’s not forget the Motorola Xoom that launched February 24th with it’s 10.1″ size screen and Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor. The Blackberry PlayBook is also a big player in this field appealing to many die-hard RIM fans all over the world. With all these tablet’s being introduced into the marketplace, how do you choose?

Now check out these specs in comparison to it’s counterparts (Click to enlarge):

Android Tablet Comparison Chart 2011

These tablets are being produced thinner, lighter, and more powerful than ever before. Their price point also makes them very competitive with consumers searching to find a portable solution for their needs which typically brought them to buy a laptop. However, with the amount of horsepower these tablets are packing along with their amazing capabilities, remind me again what I need a laptop for?

Are you in the search or have recently bought a tablet? Tell us more about your decision or dilemma below!

Tags: Android 3.0, Android Tablet, CTIA 2011, Honeycomb, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, Touch Wiz 4.0

Categorised in: Android Tablets, Featured, News

8 Comments

By acupunc on March 30, 2011 at 1:18 pm:

I’ll be staying away from any non-Honeycomb tablets, and any Honeycomb tablets that have a proprietary UI on them–no idea of how updates will go and for how long.

The tablet I’m keeping my eye on is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. The UK release price is good and if it translates to similar in the states I’ll probably get it. . . if they didn’t muck up the OS.

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- By LTNGNX on March 30, 2011 at 3:58 pm:
  
  As an EEE netbook user, Im also waiting for the Asus Transformer. I think it will sell more than what many people expect.
  @acupunc: bad news for you. The transformer is not vanilla Honeycomb. It has a skin on top of it called Myzine, I guess. But it does not look like they have modified a whole lot. It’s still a best buy for me.
  
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  - By Jason Norment on March 31, 2011 at 8:22 am:
    
    The Transformer looks promising. I guess we shall see how well it does on the market once it’s released!
    
    Reply
By Steve on March 30, 2011 at 2:09 pm:

There are many interesting options for tablet buyers, but none have successfully differentiated themselves from the iPad (besides their use of Android and that there not made by Apple). It seems that there is a void that coule be filled by someone like Amazon… http://www.profitperspectives.com/2011/03/meet-amazon-kpad.html

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- By Jason Norment on March 30, 2011 at 3:10 pm:
  
  Highly disagree. In fact, now with all these tablet options I have 0 interest in buying an iPad at all. To me, the iPad is no competition compared to these new tablets both in respect to hardware and software. Just my opinion.
  
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By gamer-geek on March 31, 2011 at 8:52 am:

I was originally interested in the NotionInk Adam tablet, primarily for the Pixel Qi screen and form factor (I liked the design and the thicker/rounded side for holding). However, my interest faded pretty quickly when the first round of orders had shipping and manufacturing issues. I may take another look at this in a year or so after they’ve grown more.

Next, I was very interested in the Motorola Xoom, primarily because of the “pure Google” aspect. The price point was a bit high for me though, and I wasn’t really sure if I wanted a tablet with 3G/4G connectivity. I figured I would just use my cell phone as a hotspot if I needed access on the move.

Last week I purchased a Viewsonic gTablet through woot, the price is what made me take the leap, and the active modding community was also a consideration. I haven’t received it yet, but I feel it’s a decent starter tablet for me. I can certainly find uses for it, and I’ll be able to determine if I’d want to upgrade to a more modern tablet when the next generation comes out. Who knows, by then I may decide I do want to pay for a service plan as well.

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By panib on April 5, 2011 at 5:16 pm:

Asus Eee Pad Transformer.

The specs are very convincing. The idea of having the choice to either carry the tablet around or use it as a netbook with ´all day battery power´ is just great.

I´ve got the 7″ Archos 70 IT from my wife and sons. A nice little tablet to start with. The past 3 1/2 months I had the chance to find out how I use a tablet, what I want and what I don´t need.

16 GB, WiFi only will be my choice. These toys are relatively expensive (the price of the Transformer seems pretty acceptable, though) and the continuous development of these gadgets is so fast, that 32 or 64 GB and 3G don´t seem to be very wise to me. AND I´d have to wait another 2 1/2 months.

Please excuse my ´limited´ English…

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By Jim H. on April 18, 2011 at 4:45 pm:

This last January I took the punge and purchased the Samsung Galaxy Tablet from T-Mobile. I looked at many factors but what struck me was a) the portability of the 7 inch form factor and b) the ability to run flash (which the ipad can’t do). I was considering both the Galaxy Tablet and the ipad but really found the ipad just to bulky.

The other day I was paying my bills online through my Galaxy Tablet and I realized that I probably could almost get away with not having a laptop. If I could just make telephones calls through the Galaxy Tablet (like in Europe), I could probably do without my cell phone

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