As anyone tried out or bought any of the new tablets on the market (besides the Ipad, I mean)?
Yesterday saw the release of the newest member of the tablet market, the HP Touchpad (manufactured by HP). It's sleek look, (albeit with a plastic back will make fingerprint mania a new game in town), comes with some good features, namely beta flash, excellent email interface, "Synergy" (communicate with HP's Pre smartphones merely by tapping the smartphone to the screen of the tablet), the "Just Type", and of course, it's WebOS, optimized for the tablet.
Of course, there are plenty of there tablets to choose from, such as the Blackberry Playbook, built more business users, but sporting an excellent flash player right from the outset (embedded in the device's software, straight out of the box) in a smallish 7" frame. Videos look super crisp on the Blackberry's screen. For those using web-based email, there shouldn't be much of a problem, though there will be an update to patch this at some point, soon.
Those who already own or use Blackberry's array of smartphones will be better served by pairing the Playbook together via Blackberry, which is why the Playbook isn't considered something for everyone, definitely no email client, nor contacts, or calendar, again, only when paired with a Blackberry smartphone. Sounds disappointing? Sure is.
Acer, Motorola, and Samsung have all come out in full force. What do these have in common apart from the HP Touchpad and the Blackberry Playbook? Why, they're all Android tablets using the latest Honeycomb system on the Google browser. According to tech reviews, the 10.1" Samsung Galaxy Tab seems the only one of the three Android tablets to rival the Ipad, both in speed and interface. How interesting that Apple is suing Korean-based Samsung, claiming infringement on the Ipad software/design/similar interface, etc. And, Samsung is counter-suing Apple for something similar, the other way around.
The very interesting fact is, that Samsung's processors and chips are the most widely used hardware found in many devices, yes, including the Ipad. Now that's technology food for thought!
Did I neglect to say a few words about the Acer Iconia and the Motorola Xoom? Ah, yes, the former is a discounted, but not necessarily a terrible tablet, pretty decent with 10.1" bright, HD screen, right up there with the Motorolq Xoom. Plenty of specifications the Iconia a500 offers, and costs less than the pricier name tablets mentioned above.
The Motorola Xoom is among the priciest, but has the absolute best screen resolution in it's class, utilizing the latest Android Honeycomb. Oops, mistake, for the Galaxy Tab has the absolute latest version of Android. Anyways, the Xoom is no slouch, is perfect for video & gaming, with it's HD screen, then again, the Blackberry Playbook's HD screen is also in league with the Xoom's, keeping in mind we're comparing 7" to a 10.1" screens here. In fact, many tablet aficionados think that the just as pricey 10.1" Samsung Galaxy Tab is a better buy than the Xoom, at least for now.
Those who are looking for a tablet that can be used both alone and with a keyboard (this makes for a tablet/netbook combo possibility), can look to the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, a speedier processor than the Acer Iconia a500, slightly costlier, but well worth it for those who desire such a design and style.
The truth is, that as valiant as many of these tablets mentioned above are trying to be in attempting to become the next Ipad, none measure up in the popularity department. Ipad is, and will remain the most sought after tablet on the market according to analysts, until 2015. Until Android is improved still more, and the competition upgrades further and provides a better app market for consumers, compared to Apple's which carries a whopping 95,000+apps, only then will a more viable alternative be worthy of it's price & choice.
If I had to choose a tablet, other than the Ipad, let's just say, at this point I'd choose the HP Touchpad, partly because I wouldn't yearn foe Android right now, and am enticed by the Touchpad's beta flash (web) as well as the (Palm) WebOS. It's good enough for what I would need it for, plus it's interface is both easy to use and convenient.
