{"id":2771,"date":"2011-10-21T03:14:55","date_gmt":"2011-10-21T07:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/?p=2771"},"modified":"2021-10-19T06:48:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-19T10:48:32","slug":"comparison-of-lesser-known-tablet-pcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/comparison-of-lesser-known-tablet-pcs\/","title":{"rendered":"A Comparison of Lesser-Known Tablet PCs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tablet PC is where it’s at, and the computing world is reacting accordingly.\u00a0 This means that in addition to the biggest names like the iPad<\/a> and Kindle<\/a> variants, a number of also-rans are jumping into the fray.\u00a0Our review explores some of the tablet alternatives that have received the most positive attention.<\/p>\n

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1<\/h3>\n

\"Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-10.1-Tablet-PC\"<\/p>\n

The first version of the Galaxy Tab<\/a> was one of the opening salvos in the tablet wars.\u00a0 It was decently received, though it had a number of significant problems, most notably in its performance.\u00a0 The 10.1 model was released in the summer of 2011, and while reviews of it still noted some problems, overall scores were far higher.\u00a0 One review called it \u201cthe best Honeycomb [Android] tablet to date\u201d.<\/p>\n

When the Galaxy Tab was first released it was criticized, famously by Steve Jobs, for its small size.\u00a0 While most reviewers mentioned this first thing, not all of them said it was really a negative.\u00a0 Besides its greater portability, the Galaxy Tab still manages to squeeze onto it a 1024×768 resolution.\u00a0 Smaller-sized tablets have since taken off as a major sub-market; sorry, Steve.<\/p>\n

Its harlequin black-on-front-white-on-back design has been called a thing of beauty.\u00a0 Of course you’re buying a computer, not a painting.\u00a0 To that end, the reviews of its under-the-hood performance have been markedly better than that of its initial release.\u00a0 It seems to have been given a little bit of improvement in just about all areas as opposed to a great leap forward in any one or two, but in this case that’s a good thing.\u00a0 Overall reviews of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 found a solid piece of equipment all around with little in the way of major sticking points.<\/p>\n

Find Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on Google Shopping<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook<\/h3>\n

\"RIM-BlackBerry-PlayBook-Tablet-PC\"<\/p>\n

We feel it appropriate to close our reviews with a BlackBerry model, as the BlackBerry was one of the main combatants in the smart phone wars from a thousand years ago.\u00a0 The BlackBerry Playbook<\/a> is another smaller model, with comically miniscule buttons: the power button is all of a few millimeters in diameter.\u00a0 Like other smaller models, though, it sports an impressive resolution.\u00a0 Its screen is also 1024×768, and its 5 megapixel backside camera can notably take video at 1080p.<\/p>\n

Adobe Flash is fully supported out of the box, something which has become a major differentiating point among tablets.\u00a0 This is largely due to the fact that the tablet runs its own in-house operating system designed to work well with Adobe, the creatively-named BlackBerry Tablet OS.\u00a0 The downside of this operating system is that application support is not high.\u00a0 The PlayBook includes no native email or calendar applications, and its online app library isn’t big.\u00a0 It also has no support for Android applications, though developer company Research In Motion states that this is on its way.<\/p>\n

In the end reviews were strongly mixed, with the BlackBerry Playbook getting both strongly negative and strongly positive scores.\u00a0 It’s hard from looking at the evidence for us to make a clear case for either, but it does seem to be a good bet that this tablet will be around for a while.<\/p>\n

Find RIM BlackBerry PlayBook on Google Shopping<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Motorola Xoom<\/h3>\n

\"Motorola-Xoom-Tablet-PC\"<\/p>\n

The Motorola Xoom<\/a> came out in February of 2001 and was considered one of the first major competitors to the iPad.\u00a0 A primary reason for this was the introduction of Android 3.0, the Google-based operating system developed specifically for mobile and tablet devices.\u00a0 Indeed, most of the early reviews of it highlighted the system’s efficient processing and ease of use.\u00a0 Though benchmarking Androids suffers from inherent measurement problems, the Xoom typically scored high.<\/p>\n

What a difference a year makes, though.\u00a0 The Android has become the new hot OS, available in more than three dozen different tablets.\u00a0 This has caused the Xoom’s shine to wear off a bit.\u00a0 Recent reviews of it aren’t nearly as glowing as ones from earlier in the year.\u00a0 Given that the price hasn’t really come down and is still hovering at around $600 with a 2-year contract, it may have lost whatever edge it might have had.<\/p>\n

Looked at in a vacuum, though, it still seems a good piece of technology.\u00a0 It has some odd design points, such as speakers and a power button in the back, and a docking station for video output.\u00a0 It also includes an inclinometer, accelerometer, magnetometer and barometer!\u00a0 In terms of computing power and usability, it still seems like a solid selection, and one that the market continues to embrace.<\/p>\n

Find Motorola Xoom on Google Shopping<\/a>.<\/p>\n

T-Mobile G-Slate<\/h3>\n

\"T-Mobile-G-Slate-Table-PC\"<\/p>\n

The G-Slate<\/a> was next on the Android parade.\u00a0 That seems to have opened up the floodgates, as a slew of other tables subsequently jumped on this new OS.\u00a0 This was good for the G-Slate, since at the time the lack of a large application library was one of its down sides.\u00a0 The price of $530 with a 2-year contract didn’t help matters, though T-Mobile apparently took this criticism to heart, as it’s now available for $299 with the same deal.<\/p>\n

As for the tablet’s specifications, the new feature used to attempt differentiation from other tablets is a pair of 3D cameras on the tablet’s back.\u00a0 This produces an old-style dual-color image, and purchase of the tablet comes with a pair of red\/cyan glasses.\u00a0 Reviews of this feature were lukewarm.<\/p>\n

Overall, counting in physical and technical aspects, the G-Slate was at the time considered a major contender, with reasonably fast surfing, few bugs and comfortable handling.\u00a0 User reviews on the whole since its release have been moderately positive, and support for it appears to still be going strong.<\/p>\n

Find T-Mobile G-Slate on Google Shopping<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ExoPC<\/h3>\n

\"ExoPC-Tablet-PC\"<\/p>\n

ExoPC. It’s difficult at this point to give any strong recommendations to any tablet running Windows 7.\u00a0 Windows 8 is on the horizon, and with the amount of development and attention being given to this tablet-centered OS, it seems a sure bet that Windows 7 tablet support will fall to non-existent at record-breaking speed.<\/p>\n

Even forgetting that issue, reviews of the tablet were mixed.\u00a0 One web site gave it high scores, particularly for its sensitive touch screen and intuitive user interface.\u00a0 Others found a number of bugs and performance issues.\u00a0 Its large, high-resolution screen and high sound quality are among its highest points.\u00a0 Its weight and short battery life are among its lowest.\u00a0 Overall it seemed like a decent enough mixed bag, but given the rapid market changes, it\u2019s hard to guarantee that this tablet now approaching its first birthday has a much longer shelf life.<\/p>\n

Find ExoPC on Google Shopping<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These are very quick summaries of some of the well-reviewed tablets out there.\u00a0 These aren’t the only tablets, and even for the above there are many fine points that the consumer will want to take a closer look at before purchasing.\u00a0 We’re in the tablet era now, but these toys are no cheap thrill.\u00a0 With your list of options increasingly rapidly, there is no reason to go haphazardly throwing your money away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The tablet PC is where it’s at, and the computing world is reacting accordingly.\u00a0 This means that in addition to the biggest names like the iPad and Kindle variants, a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2770],"tags":[3186,3182,3188,3187,3185,3184,3183],"class_list":["post-2771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-posts","tag-exopc","tag-motorola-xoom","tag-rim-blackberry-playbook","tag-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1","tag-t-mobile-g-slate","tag-tablet-alternatives","tag-tablet-pc"],"views":88,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}