Apple rules the world of tablets.  However, there are many good tablets out there that that don’t have the name “iPad” on their packaging.  In fact, some of these tablets arguably give you more bang for your buck than Apple’s popular iPad.  Let’s take a peek at which designs made the 10-tablet cut.

 

1. Nexus 7

Price:   $199 (8 GB); $249 (16 GB)
OS:      Android 4.1
SIZE:    7 inches (800 x 1280 pxl)
CPU:     1.3 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core
GPU:     416 MHz NVIDIA GeForce ULP
RAM:     1 GB DDR3
STORAGE: 8 or 16 GB
BATTERY: 4325 mAh
WEIGHT:  340 grams
SIZE:    198.5 x 120 x 10.45 mm

Light, slender and blazing fast, there’s no deal quite as sweet as the very-affordable Nexus 7. The first tablet with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, it’s this summer’s must-have tablet in the 7-inch space.

 

 

2. Kindle Fire

Price:   $199
OS:      Customized Android 2.3 branch
SIZE:    7 inches (600 x 1024 pxl)
CPU:     1.0 GHZ Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core
GPU:     ??
RAM:     512 MB DDR2
STORAGE: 8 GB
BATTERY: 4400 mAh
WEIGHT:  413 grams
SIZE:    190.0 x 120 x 11.4 mm

While not quite as sleek or fast as the iPad/Nexus 7, the Kindle Fire is still quite affordable.  And it comes with a free trial of Amazon Prime, which offers some unique value to the device.

 

 

3. Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700T)

Price:   $499 (32 GB), $599 (64 GB)
OS:      Android 4.0
SIZE:    10.1 inches (1200 x 1920 pxl)
CPU:     1.6 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core
GPU:     416 MHz NVIDIA GeForce ULP
RAM:     1 GB DDR3
STORAGE: 32/64 GB
BATTERY: 5400 mAh
WEIGHT:  598 grams
SIZE:    260 x 181 x 8.5 mm

 

The Transformer Pad is a bit hefty.  And there’s a $150 premium to buy the dock.  But it’s still the fastest and arguably best large Android tablet on the market today, a status which helps forgive its flaws.

 

 

4. RIM BlackBerry PlayBook

Price:   $196 (16 GB), $246 (32 GB), $291 (64 GB)
OS:      PlayBook OS 2.0 (QNX-derived)
SIZE:    7 inches (600 x 1024 pxl)
CPU:     1.0 GHZ Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core
GPU:     PowerVR SGX540
RAM:     1 GB DDR2
STORAGE: 16/32/64 GB
BATTERY: 5400 mAh
WEIGHT:  425 grams
SIZE:    194 x 130 x 9/7 mm

 

BlackBerries may be less than chic these days, but the PlayBook is a solid tablet.  It benefits from a strong catalog of repackaged Android apps.  And for the amount of storage you get, the price-points of the PlayBook models are among the best deals out there.

 

 

5. Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Price:   $399
OS:      Android 4.0
SIZE:    10.1 inches (800 x 1280 pxl)
CPU:     1.0 GHZ NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core
GPU:     PowerVR SGX540
RAM:     1 GB DDR2
STORAGE: 16 GB
BATTERY: 4400 mAh
WEIGHT:  565 grams
SIZE:    256.7 x 175.3 x 8.6 mm

 

The Transformer Infinity dethroned the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, but it’s still a solid Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet and is a bit cheaper/sleeker than the Infinity, to boot.

 

 

6. Sony Tablet S

Price:   $369 (16 GB), $499 (32 GB)
OS:      Android 4.0
SIZE:    9.4 inches (800 x 1280 pxl)
CPU:     1.0 GHZ NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core
GPU:     PowerVR SGX540
RAM:     1 GB DDR2
STORAGE: 16/32 GB
BATTERY: 4000 mAh
WEIGHT:  625 grams
SIZE:    241.3 x 172.7 x 7.6-20 mm

One of Sony’s sole tablets, the Tablet S made the list on merits of pure quirkiness and “asymmetric” design.  Reviews were generally positive about typing on the tablet.  And Sony is offering unique PlayStation ports to differentiate its device.

 

 

7. Galaxy Tab 2 (7-inch)

Price:   $249
OS:      Android 4.0
SIZE:    7 inches (600 x 1024 pxl)
CPU:     1.0 GHZ Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core
GPU:     PowerVR SGX540
RAM:     1 GB DDR2
STORAGE: 8 GB
BATTERY: 4000 mAh
WEIGHT:  344 grams
SIZE:    190 x 120 x 10.5 mm

 

Is it the best tablet out there?  No.  But it is cheap and it gets the job done.

 

 

8. Acer Iconia A700

Price:   $429
OS:      Android 4.0
SIZE:    10.1 inches (1200 x 1920 pxl)
CPU:     1.3 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core
GPU:     416 MHz NVIDIA GeForce ULP
RAM:     1 GB DDR2
STORAGE: 32 GB
BATTERY: 3625 mAh
WEIGHT:  344 grams
SIZE:    259.1 x 175.3 x 10.9 mm

 

Decently priced for a 10-inch tablet, the Iconia’s biggest downfall is that it doesn’t really differentiate itself from the pack in styling or spec, other than perhaps having one of the nicer screens of the bunch.

 

 

9. Toshiba Excite 7.7

Price:   $479 (16 GB), $559 (32 GB)
OS:      Android 4.0
SIZE:    7.7 inches (600 x 1024 pxl)
CPU:     1.3 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core
GPU:     416 MHz NVIDIA GeForce ULP
RAM:     1 GB DDR2
STORAGE: 16/32 GB
BATTERY: ??
WEIGHT:  341 grams
SIZE:    210.8 x 120 x 7.87 mm

 

Toshiba is a latecomer to the tablet party, but its Excite is an excellent tablet with fresh hardware. That said, prices are pretty steep which may put off some buyers.  Still it is the thinnest tablet we looked at, which may attract some folks

 

 

10. HP Touchpad

Price:   $249 (16 GB), $287 (32 GB)
OS:      Android 4.0
SIZE:    7 inches (800 x 1024 pxl)
CPU:     1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 APQ8060 dual-core
GPU:     333 MHz NVIDIA GeForce ULP
RAM:     2 GB DDR2
STORAGE: 16/32 GB
BATTERY: 6000 mAh
WEIGHT:  740 grams
SIZE:    240 x 190 x 13.7 mm

 

The TouchPad’s library of free software is horrible and support is soon ending for webOS, but that doesn’t change the fact that the TouchPad had a lot of good features and is a steal for around $200 dollars.  If you can find a white 64 GB model for a reasonable price, it might be worth it — it packs a 1.5 GHz processor.  But the standard black models aren’t bad deals either.

For their pics, visit http://mylifescoop.com/?p=2442?utm_source=Disqus&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=mylifescoop

w0w

With the exclusion of the galaxy note series. This list is faulty.