Five Tablet Devices Comparable to the iPad
Samsung Galaxy Tab
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is currently the most serious threat to the iPad’s dominance in the tablet market. It runs on Apple’s toughest competitor in the mobile OS market - Google Android. The Galaxy Tab also seems to have more power than the iPad and choosing which one is the better tablet device for work and play would simply be a matter of brand preference.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 512MB RAM, PowerVR SGX540 graphics processor, 16GB internal memory and expandable storage up to 32GB via a memory card slot. The tablet runs Android 2.2 Froyo combined with Samsung’s own TouchWiz UI. It supports HD video playback and various video formats, has a front-facing 1.3MP camera, 3.15MP back-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash, and FM Radio. For more information, read our previous review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Viewsonic ViewPad 7 Android Tablet
The Viewsonic ViewPad 7 is a robust, lightweight and pocket-sized 7-inch tablet running on Google Android 2.2 Froyo OS. It has all the nicest features you can find on other tablet devices. These features include 2 built-in cameras - a 3MP auto focus camera in the rear and a 0.3 MP camera in the front. It is packed with 512MB memory, 32GB of additional storage via microSD card slot, and offers a battery life of up to 10 hours. The tablet has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support. The ViewSonic ViewPad 7 can be easily compared with the entry-level iPad 16GB Wi-Fi model, but it doesn’t have optional 3G connectivity support. (Price: $429)
Buy the Viewsonic ViewPad 7 Android Tablet.
Archos 9 PC Windows 7 Tablet
If you don’t want to miss Windows but would still like to get your hands on the tablet experience, check out the Archos 9 PC Windows 7 Tablet. This Windows 7-powered tablet sports an 8.9-inch LED-backlit resistive touchscreen display, optical finger navigation system, 1.2 GHz Intel Atom Z515 processor, 60GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, 1.3MP camera, built-in stereo speakers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and more. Unfortunately, while this tablet device is more powerful than most tablet devices in the market today, it can only muster up to 5 hours of battery life. (Price: $417.99)
Buy the Archos 9 PC Windows 7 Tablet.
Dell Streak
If you’re not fond of 7- and 9-inch tablet devices, perhaps the smaller 5-inch Dell Streak Android tablet will be more interesting. The Dell Streak can be best described as a hybrid device that lies between a smartphone and other larger tablets. It has a vivid 5-inch diagonal display with high pixel density that is perfect for browsing the web, playing games or watching video. The Dell Streak packs in a 1GHz Snapdragon ARM-based processor made by Qualcomm, 5MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash, VGA front-facing camera, integrated 3G + Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a microSD expansion slot for up to 32GB of storage. (Price: $549.99)
Buy the Dell Streak Android Tablet.
Viliv X70EX Express
The Viliv X70 Express is a powerful mobile internet device (MID) which was beautifully manufactured and features great battery life. It has a 7-inch WSVGA diplay with 1024x600 resolution, 16GB solid-state drive, Intel Atom 1.33GHz processor and 5 hours of battery life. Similar to the iPad, the Viliv X70EX Express has an instant-on feature that lets you resume working in Windows XP from sleep in just about five seconds. The tablet also boasts 6 days standby time. It supports 720p HD video playback and has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. (Price: $597.99)
Buy the Viliv X70EX.
Upcoming iPad Competitors
Expect more tablet devices comparable to iPad to be arriving soon, especially during CES 2011. Other tablet devices to watch out for include - the BlackBerry PlayBook, Motorola Android Tablet, the Microsoft Windows Tablet and more. But for now, these five tablet devices comparable to iPad are your best options if you don’t like the iPad.
