By Frank Ling
Many have thought about purchasing a tablet over the years but have been faced with the stark reality of the expensive pricing and a market dominated by one name: Apple. But the tablet market has totally changed since November 2011 and the dominance of Apple as the leading producer of tablets is being pushed from all sides — pricing, quality and performance.
The tremendous marketing power of Apple is still powerful enough to ensure many competing products got lost in the shuffle. And if you’re willing to sacrifice a little processing speed, a few features and the the cute little Apple icon on the back of the tablet, there are some good alternatives out there not named iPad that should be on your list.
Amazon Kindle Fire
If you could purchase a tablet that has many of the features of more expensive tablets and get a $300 discount in the process, would you do it? Well, that’s what Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet offers. Since its launch in November 2011, Amazon has sold about 700,000 Kindle Fires per week and has become the top competitor to the iPad due to its lower pricing and relatively full set of features.
It has been well received by the mainstream press and the public, too. Its overwhelming popularity in such a short time tags this tablet as a must see for prospective tablet buyers. The Kindle Fire is a web browser, e-reader, video player, music device and gaming console wrapped in one — it can even download free ebooks from public libraries.
It doesn’t have iPad’s on-board cameras, speedy processor or 10-inch screen or memory and RAM capabilities (and can’t run Apple apps), but it compares favorably because it offers all the basic features that new tablet owners want at a substantial price savings.
Kindle Fire is $199 with free shipping from Amazon.com and is available at stores such as Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.
Stacking up: out of 5
Barnes and Noble NOOK tablet
If the new name of the tablet game is value, then the newish Barnes and Noble NOOK tablet should be on your table. It offers as much storage and memory as the iPad at about only half the cost. The NOOK is aimed at potential buyers who are looking for an entry-level tablet with features that are most important to them — video, music, web, eReaders, video games.
For anyone who has a bit of a phobia about electronic devices, Barnes and Noble promises point-of-access customer service at its entire physical book store locations (think Genius bar, without the wait). The NOOK compares favorably with the iPad due to its storage and memory in addition to offering an SD card slot, which allows users to expand their storage capacity. It has a 7-inch screen, a dual-core processor and a vivid color display.
The NOOK doesn’t have a camera, and it runs on the Android operating system, has a slower processor than the iPad, and does not run Apple apps. For those who want a bargain-based tablet that offers comparative storage, RAM, and features of an iPad at a substantial savings, the NOOK tablet is one to look out for.
The NOOK is $249 at Barnes and Noble as well as major department and electronics stores.
Stacking up: out of 5
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet was the iPad’s first real competitor. It stayed competitive due to its favorable feature-per-feature comparison to the iPad. The Galaxy Tab was so equivalent in its feature set that Apple has accused Samsung of producing an iPad clone. Whether this is true is up to the judicial system. For anyone interested in a full-sized tablet with virtually all the bells and whistles of an iPad, however, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is something to consider.
The Galaxy runs on the Android operating system and has full access to the Android Market — the counterpart to the iTunes app store. It features dual cameras, Bluetooth and many of the extra iPad-like bells and whistles. Because the Galaxy is running on the Android OS, users won’t be able to run Apple programs on the tablet. But the Android Market has many equivalent programs for users.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 retails for $499 — the same price as an iPad 2. Meaning you just may opt for an iPad 2 instead. Unless the Galaxy drops its price.
Stacking up: out of 5
Which to buy?
The iPad is still the premier tablet in the industry because it does everything well in an elegant way. But as it is with top-shelf items, you’ll be paying top-shelf prices. The NOOK and Fire are nice entry-level tablets for those looking for value and a host of basic features while the Galaxy could remain a player if it drops its price a bit.
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Frank Ling is the SF Gadgets Examiner.