Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Tablets
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season.
You didn't think we'd let the holiday season go by without an official Engadget Tablet Gift Guide did you? Hey, give us more credit -- we know it's not 2009 anymore! The past year has seen an explosion in the tablet category, and while the iPad may still be the market leader, there's no shortage of Android and Windows 7 alternatives out there that let you surf the web, read books, and watch videos with just a flick of a finger. Sure, more are on the way, and all signs point to Apple updating the iPad in early 2011, but if you've got to have a touchscreen slab before the end of the year, we're here to lend a helping hand. Hit the break for a rundown of the best choices by price category.
Stocking stuffers... sort of
Let's be honest: There are loads of Android tablets out there for under $300, but the majority of them are just utter crap. Archos, however, has elevated itself above the others, and has mastered the art of creating cheap tablets with decent specs. The 7-inch 70 and 10.1-inch 101 both boast capacitive touchscreens, Android 2.2, 8GB of storage, and front-facing VGA cameras. Okay, so you don't get the Market or any of Google's Apps preloaded, but you can always peruse the AppsLib store or sideload the Market apk for your giftee. Oh, and did we mention both of them are only .4-inches thick? |
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Oh, you shouldn't have
We highly doubt you need an introduction to the iPad -- Apple's 9.7-inch tablet basically transformed the gadget world in the last year. But, while the hardware itself is stunning, the appeal really comes in its snappy operating system and plethora of apps. With thousands of iPad apps now in the App Store (including our very own!) and iOS 4.2 bringing multitasking to the platform, there's no arguing that it's the best tablet on the market. The WiFi / 16GB version may be the lowest end model, but there's really nothing low end about it. |
Samsung Galaxy Tab - $600 | Dell Streak - $550 |
We can't afford the rent now, can we?
Sure, there are more affordable WiFi versions of the iPad, but nothing says "I really care" like some more storage and 3G. Whether you spring for the iPad and a MiFi or go for the integrated AT&T 3G version, you can give the gift of ubiquitous web connectivity in a beautiful aluminum tablet form factor. Believe us, they'll never forget this one... especially when they have to pay the monthly data charges. |
If you're shopping for someone in search of a tablet with Windows 7, the HP Slate is your best bet at the moment. The 8.9-inch capacitive display has an active digitizer, which means you can use a finger to navigate but also take notes with the included stylus. It also boasts a VGA front-facing camera and a 3 megapixel one on the back. HP is not promising that orders will ship in time for the holidays, so be prepared to deliver an IOU. |
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