In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, Apple released the iPad 2.0 yesterday.
But what if you like the idea of a convenient, easy access tablet computer, but you’re not exactly sold on the iPad? Well just like smartphones, there are plenty of other options outside of Apple. Take a look at some of the iPad’s heaviest competitors:
Motorola Xoom
As the latest and greatest Android-powered iPad competitor, the ten-inch Xoom is causing quite a stir. Driven by Android’s newest OS iteration, Honeycomb, the Xoom features a sleek new look and plenty of helpful new tricks up its sleeve.
It’s not a slouch in the hardware department, either. Running on a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and 1GB of RAM, the Xoom allows for fast and effective multitasking. It’s also loaded with both a front and a rear facing camera, HD video capability, and a host of wireless options. The Xoom is the most formidable Android tablet currently on the market.
Samsung Galaxy Tab
A lighter, smaller alternative to iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is designed for maximum portability. Released before the holidays, the 7-inch Android Galaxy Tab has already shipped over 2 million units. It contains both front and rear cameras, which is a major advantage over the first generation iPad. (iPad 2, of course, features 2 cameras. But look how small the Galaxy Tab is!)
BlackBerry Playbook
BlackBerry Playbook
One of the toasts of this year’s CES, RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook is almost ready to explode onto the marketplace. Another 2-camera, 7-inch marvel, the Blackberry playbook packs a dual-core 1Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM, giving the Playbook the power to multitask like crazy. Powered by the Blackberry Tablet OS, it will easily connect with Blackberry phones and with Blackberry Enterprise Server. While not available for purchase yet, RIM has stated that the Playbook should be out very soon.
These are just three of the soon-to-be many non-Apple tablet options available. It’s always best to check reviews before you drop any cash on expensive new hardware. As the tablet market opens up, you’ll be able to pick the product with the most features that you’ll actually use.
Now I’d better post this because I think the line is finally moving.
