1. Apple iPad
Price: from $560
Website: www.apple.com
Ratings: 5/5
Apple
iPad
The most important feature of any tablet is
the screen, mainly because there’s not a whole lot else to it. And the screen
is what marks the third iPad apart. Yes, it looks like an iPad 2 (with holiday
weight), but everything you do on it is now rendered in glorious 2,048x1,536 on
its 9.7in Retina Display. Photos, games and movies look incredible and text is
eggshell- smooth, making reading, communicating and browsing a richer, less
fatiguing experience,
A faster dual-core chip and quad-core
graphics make it slicker and more user-friendly than ever, and given the
unparalleled riches of the App Store, it’s still the most fun, too,
Killer feature
Did we mention the screen? No? It really is
a bit special
Verdict
Does everything the iPad has ever done, but
now it looks four times as good. An amazing piece of kit
2. Google Nexus 7
Price: from $312
Ratings: 5/5
Google
Nexus 7
The Asus-built, Android Jelly Bean-running
Nexus is simply astonishing value. A passable 7in HD IPS screen sits in front
of a mighty Tegra 3 processor, making it brilliant for gaming, but there’s also
next gen toy such as NFC and the all-seeing Google Now to play with.
3. Asus Transformer Pad Prime
Price: $919 (w/keyboard dock)
Ratings: 5/5
Asus
Transformer Pad Prime
If you want Android openness, quad-core
power, USB and HDMI and netbook-like ability to type on the go, get a Prime.
It’s ultra slim without its keyboard dock and, with it, will go for 18hrs. Cash
tight? Wait for the TP300 - more plastic, but just as satisfying.
4. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7
Price: $674
Ratings: 5/5
Samsung
Galaxy Tab 7.7
If you can stomach the price, this slim
Samsung is the mid-size Android tablet par excellence. Its 7.7in AMOLED
screen is ultra-vibrant, and it’s clad in lustrous aluminum. If it all seems
too much, the ^23,250 Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is an excellent budget option.
5. Asus Eee Pad Slider
Price: $680
Ratings: 5/5
Asus
Eee Pad Slider
The Eee Pad series of tablets from Asus
receives yet another boost with the launch of the awesome Android Honeycomb 3.1
powered Eee Pad Slider. This one packs in a slide-out keyboard, unlike the
detachable one on the Transformer.
6. BlackBerry PlayBook
Price: from $257
Ratings: 4/5
BlackBerry
PlayBook
The only viable alternative to the Nexus 7
if price is key, but while its dual-core, 7in hardware is beautifully made and
PlayBook OS 2.0 adds some (but not quite enough) Android app support, only
BlackBerry devotees should choose it over Google’s tablet.
7. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Price: $597
Ratings: 4/5
Samsung
Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
It’s had a year, and all Samsung has done
to the Tab is given it a facelift, downgraded the front-facing camera, added an
SD card slot and cut a bit off the price. Which, actually, is OK by us, as the
screen’s excellent and it’s acceptably quick in operation?
8. Sony Tablet S
Price: $422
Ratings: 4/5
Sony
Tablet S
A quirky, wedge-shaped design and
super-sharp 9.4in screen make Sony’s Tablet S stand out. It’s just been updated
to Android Ice Cream Sandwich and is a bargain at this price, especially given
its IR blaster, which turns it into a handy universal remote.
9. Motorola Xoom 3G
Price: $762
Ratings: 4/5
Motorola
Xoom 3G
The first tablet to run Honeycomb gives the
iPad 2 a bloody nose thanks to its better camera and built-in HDMI and SD
ports. Its successor, the imaginatively titled XOOM 2, is thinner, lighter and
comes with a brighter screen. Review coming soon.
10. Viewsonic ViewPad 7
Price: $275
Ratings: 4/5
Viewsonic
ViewPad 7
Aside from the snazzy red chassis,
Viewsonic’s 7in tablet is hard to distinguish from the upcoming Acer A100. It
runs Android Honeycomb with 8GB of storage. Despite slightly shonky Wi-Fi and
camera positioning, it’s still a solid buy.
Instant expert
Etching our commandments
A chasm has opened in the ranks of
tableteers. On one side are the big screen gang, brandishing their 10-inchers,
and on the other there are the men- about-town, sliding 7in slates in and out
of jacket pockets. Us? We’re at the bottom of the chasm, playing with both in
the dirt. The iPad - the 10in standard-bearer - is better than any small tablet
for browsing and apps. It has the space for complex interfaces (Korg’s iMS-20),
coffee table reference (ROAD Inc.) and office apps (Numbers) alike. But for
books, music or gaming, the Nexus 7 is a better size. Hardly surprising, then,
that Apple is rumored to be releasing a cheaper 7.85in iPad (TBA, apple.com)
later this year. That’ll give it supremacy on both sides of the chasm and Apple
loves supremacy.
US? We're playing in the dirt with both 7in
and 10in tablets.
What to look for
1. Operating system
The OS determines how good a tablet’s
interface is, what it’s compatible with and how many apps are available for it.
Android 3.0 and iOS provide computer-like power; the smartphone-centric Android
2.x is OK for web browsing; BlackBerry’s OS is good at multitasking; webOS is
yet to arrive; and the Windows tablet experience just yet to work effectively
at all.
2. Processor
Dual-core ARM processors such as Apple’s A5
and Nvidia’s Tegra 2 provide the best tablet performance for now.
3. Size
Screen dimensions and aspect ratios differ
between devices, affecting how they crop video and how they are to hold - so
try before you buy. The iPad’s is as vibrant as they come, but others have
superior resolution.
4. Connectivity
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth come as standard; SD
card readers, USB ports and HDMI-out may not. 3G modems can be pricey.
