Tablets of 2011: What to Look For

Julio Franco

Julio Franco

Posts: 9,097   +2,048
Staff member
Last year promised to be the year of the tablet, and at least for Apple, it was indeed. The nearly ubiquitous iPad managed not only to outsell every other tablet on the market by a wide margin, it also exceeded Mac sales in the last quarter. But even if Apple is not likely to lose its throne anytime soon, competition is finally making itself present. If Android's gains in the smartphone market serve any indication it should be an interesting year for tablets as well.

Read the full guide at:
https://www.techspot.com/guides/362-tablets-of-2011/

Please leave your feedback here.
 
Blank space on HDMI for HP TouchPad?

It means that is does not have this port?

Thanks for clarifying...
 
No HDMI-out on the HP Touchpad, I've updated the table with this information
 
Perhaps you should check out Toshiba's web site for their tablet (http://www.thetoshibatablet.com/). They may not be using a fancy name for it, but there are specs listed, and I doubt it's vapourware, so you should add it to your chart.
 
I heard the Toshibas name was the Folio 100. Or was that a code name.
 
Guest said:
Perhaps you should check out Toshiba's web site for their tablet (http://www.thetoshibatablet.com/). They may not be using a fancy name for it, but there are specs listed, and I doubt it's vapourware, so you should add it to your chart.
Click to expand...

Toshiba's tablet certainly looks interesting but spec-by-spec it doesn't seem to bring anything new compared to the Motorola Xoom, for example, which comes out this month instead of "this spring". All tablets listed are either available or coming out this quarter, except for the webOS-based Touchpad which we thought was relevant including now to have at least one device from all major platforms. We will certainly update this guide in the coming months to include other tablets.
 
Thanks for this. It was really helpful. I wish tablets were cheaper. I see them as a netbook/low-end notebook replacement, which would mean they should be in the $300-400 range. Tablet makers are finally putting in fast enough hardware and better software for the necessary smooth experience needed for a tablet, but they are asking too much imo.
 
This is excellent. I have no interest in a tablet myself, but as the resident techno-nerd for family and friends, I get asked about them ALL the time. Now I'll just send them here. :)
 
Thanks for this list. It seems everyday that I swing from wanting one tablet to another. I've been a Notion Ink Adam fan for a while, but the G-Slate is looking to steal my money! One thing of note is that the Adam is not going to have Gingerbread. It currently ships with Froyo, and they will go straight to Honeycomb in the comming months. Also, it doesn't have Andriod Marketplace yet, but will likely be getting it when they update to Honeycomb.
 
I'm really excited about all the new tablet offerings. hopefully one of them will provide what I want.
I have been to best Buy many times to play with the Ipad.
The Ipad, in my opinion, is just an entertainment device. I'm sure other people feel differently.
It will probably take a couple of years for the tablet market to shake out.
For me personally, I'm not interested in playing videos, games, etc. on tablet.
I want something that gives me the functionality and apps that I can do useful work with.
Again, this is just my opinion.
 
I can't wait to get my Eee Slate. I'm in the content creation business and the Wacom integration is just what I'm looking for. I find it interesting that you list "None" for App Marketplace for Windows 7. shouldn't that read "anywhere software is sold"?
And no, i'm not worried about the 3-4 hour battery life. Meetings don't last much longer than an hour and i'm back at my desk. This is the perfect device for my workday.
 
I couldn't find any page where I could order a notion ink pad. the ipad is overpriced and not having flash is a deal-breaker.
 
How about a monthly cost comparison? I know AT&T 3G service for the iPad ranges from $14.99-25.00. What about the others? Are there any hidden charges and contracts? And what about 4G? Just asking.
 
The killer spec. that is missing from this list for a portable device is battery life. It's hard to get anything meaningfull on this without a hands-on test though...
 
Thanks everybody for your feedback.

Royalgok said:
Great article. Thanks. But where, pray, is the galaxy Tab?
Click to expand...
The Galaxy Tab may still be a player in the Tablet market for now, but looking forward it's going to be replaced very soon. Samsung is expected to announce a follow-up model next week and we plan to update the article with that and other major releases expected for 2011 as information is disclosed.
 
The LG G-Slate sounds most interesting of these.

Guest said:
I wish tablets were cheaper. I see them as a netbook/low-end notebook replacement, which would mean they should be in the $300-400 range. Tablet makers are finally putting in fast enough hardware and better software for the necessary smooth experience needed for a tablet, but they are asking too much imo.
Click to expand...
I'm looking to Chinese tablets to save the day. Many of them are crap, and I suppose that they'll always be a generation behind, but they do start to get better specs. For under $200 (including shipping from China) you can currently get a 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU with 512MB RAM. Only 800x600, resistive touch screen, no GPS... but for the price I think it's decent hardware. I'll be waiting for Android 3.0 to appear on these tablets, so they provide a decent UI.
 
The hardware on the Blackberry Playbook is the most compelling of all, and I think this article has given it short shrift. (as have many of the articles I've read).

I own an iOS device, personally I'm very excited to see how the Playbook will do. I think too many folks place too much emphasis on the ecosystem. Most people use less than 10 apps regularly (discounting gaming).

There is also a mistake in the table: the Playbook doesn't run QNX Neutrino. It runs Blackberry Tablet OS, which is a QNX-derived OS. (it's not the same as Neutrino).
 
You kind of forgot to mention number of cores on each product.
Comparing A4 to A9 and saying "1GHz", clearly biased.
 
I have been sitting on the fence for a while. I skipped buying IPad when it was first offered. I waited for the next generation of the IPad along with I wanted to see what the competition could do. Over the year sitting on the fence, I upgrade my IPod to the latest version and my phone is Samsung Captive.

I going to buy the newest IPad and for me the deciding factor is the apps. I find more useful apps for my IPod than what is being offered by the Android Market Place. I not talking about games, I only have two installed on my phone. But apps that I find useful in my personal life or my hobby photography, I can find then in Apple App Store and they are installed on my IPod.

Maybe in a year or two the Android Market will be on the same level of apps being offered as Apple?s App Store, but I no longer waiting. I really do not care about the hardware, the brand or even features. What I really care about it what I can do with the device, can it make my life easier. Right now my IPod while it cannot make phone calls is more useful to me because of the useful apps that are being offered.
 
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