Tablet Hands-On Roundup
by Vivek Gowri on January 27, 2011 10:25 AM EST
2011 is the Year of the Tablet. With all due respect to the rabbit, who would have otherwise been assigned to this year, I think the tablet has earned the right of representing 2011. If you followed CES at all this year, you’d know why.
I decided pretty early on that I would make a huge post with all the tablets we looked at instead of posting each one individually, simply because the sheer number of tablets on the show floor meant that I would have taken over AnandTech’s front page with tablet-related posts. It would have been impossible to cover all the new tablets, but I think we managed to get our hands on most of the high profile tablets in addition to some of the more promising new tablets out there.
Everyone, it seemed, was debuting a new tablet. The usual suspects were out in full force, with Motorola showing off the first Honeycomb tablet to hit the market, ASUS releasing a quartet of highly specced tablets, Dell’s 7”, Tegra 2-based follow-up to their first Streak tablet, Acer coming up with new 7” and 10” Honeycomb tablets, Samsung releasing a convertible slider PC tablet to go with the newly LTE-infused Galaxy Tab, and RIM showing off the PlayBook prior to its imminent launch this quarter.
But they weren’t the only ones. Notion Ink had the production Adam on hand, with the first US shipments going out this week. Panasonic’s Viera range of tablets was unexpected to me, since it’s been ages since Panasonic had a consumer-level computing device in the US. Razer debuted a pretty sweet looking dual screen gaming tablet running Oak Trail and Windows, though we didn’t get a chance to go hands on with it. And then there were new companies like Enspert coming out of the woodwork with new devices amongst all the big launches. So let’s get this party started.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
49 Comments
View All Comments
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, February 3, 2011 - link
You nerds are so fucking retarded and detached from reality.Hilarious, please keep posting.
kraeper - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
I can't speak for the rest of the market, but I agree on $500 being too high, and would add that the carrier contracts are the real deal-killers for me. Yes I know they can be purchased without a contract, but they're pricing them to be purchased with one. Thing is, I have a cellphone. All I would want is a tablet with wifi. If I need data access on the tablet while I'm out and about, well, that's why smartphones have hot-spot capabilities. Another 2-year contract, even if it's 'just' a $30/month data plan, is still $720 on top of the tablet cost. Yuck.Sure, plenty of people are too lazy to hotspot, or just figure they'll stick their tablet in their pocket and use it with Skype as their cellphone (lol) but the marketing/pricing on these right now baffles me.
michael2k - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
Actually, at least with the iPad, you get significantly longer battery life and a slightly higer resolution than with the iPod touch for that extra $180.ImSpartacus - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
If you're looking for value, grab a Nook Color. Root that bad boy and enjoy a $250 Android tablet.pandemonium - Friday, January 28, 2011 - link
So, Apple can do it, but no one else can?Cheap and knock-off is highly subjective and showing how little perception you've given to the article or what's within.
Shftup - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
I think you guys need to add a new section - Tablets (there is a sub section for every other computing catergory), especially if 2011 is the year of tablets.....lazn_ - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
So what I want is a tablet with a good IR transmitter..One that can be used to control my home entertainment system. Say browse Netflix on it, then click a button to have my TV load that movie up.. Or with Hulu and all that.. But without having to buy into a brand (like the Panasonic).
With an IR transmitter and GoogleTV it should be easy to implement.
lazn_ - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
I don't have any use for a tablet as a tablet...But a tablet as an interface to other devices, that I could use.
soydeedo - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
You might want to take a look at the Vizio offerings from CES:http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/05/vizio-tablet-ha...
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/05/vizio-phone-han...
They both have IR transmitters and universal remote capabilities.
Jorgisven - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
IR Transmitter? That tech is so 90's, a la Palm Pilots. New TV's are coming wifi/internet enabled, as are blu-ray players. It's all over network now. Google TV's have apps for android to control just that. Also, Comcast has an Xfinity App that, provided you're using their HD box, you can do all that - browse on demand listings, change channels, all from an iPad (or Android Phone). It's certainly not brand specific. I have a Dynex TV (cheap Best Buy brand). Getting the XBox App for Android allows Netflix, etc. In fact, Netflix apps are all over.IR is old and slow, and line of sight only, and I wish Nintendo hadn't bought into it. Cloud control is where it's all headed anyway.