Rajio
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Samantha_B
Tablets can be great companions for anybody who needs portability and convenience. Right now with a lot of you shopping gadgets to help with heading back to school I thought it was a good time to take a look at some of the tablet options that are out there. Today we compare four popular models and see how they stack up side by side, feature to feature.
To start with there is the third generation iPad from Apple. This is a pretty great little device that you can certainly do a lot with. It is one of the most popular tablets in the market and comes in a variety of optional configurations from 16GB to 64GB, and even has the option for cellular data. Unfortunately it lacks some of the flexibility offered by some of the Android tablets but it won’t make a difference to most users. One of the best features is it's very ubiquity, which means that there are many, many accessories to chose from when you start shopping for docks, covers, cases, et cetera.
Apple has taken mobile computing to a whole new level. Beyond its slim, fit-easily-into-any-bag design, the new iPad with Wi-Fi comes loaded with features such as a Retina display, 5MP iSight camera that shoots 1080p HD video, and the power to connect to everything you need. And with apps for iLife and iWork now for the iPad, there isn't anything you can't do on the go.
Next we have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2. The onboard card reader is a great addition to this unit, making it easy to manage all your data. In most other ways it's pretty comparable to the iPad, though it's worth noting that this tablet has some of the best battery life you’ll find, much better than the iPad and other comparable tablets.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 elevates the world of tablets to new heights. With a brilliant 10.1-inch Gorilla Glass display and a robust Dual Core processor, it's ready to take on the best in digital entertainment alongside tough business tasks. Equipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform enhanced by Samsung TouchWiz, you'll enjoy exceptionally smooth and intuitive performance.
The new kid on the block is the Google Nexus 7. It's significantly smaller, and less expensive than the other models we’re looking at though its 7” screen manages to maintain the same great resolution found on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2’s 10.1” screen. For the most part this tablet is pretty stripped down of all the bells and whistles found on other units. It doesn’t have a rear camera, card reader, or much else, though the Micro USB port could come in handy for some. Considering it's about half the price and weight of the other options, this could be a pretty good choice for many students.
The long-awaited Google-created Nexus 7 tablet has arrived and it's everything you expected it to be and more. The 7-inch Corning glass display features a high resolution that's perfect for HD video and gaming. A 10-hour battery life means you're in for the long haul. And new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean works alongside an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor to deliver unsurpassed performance.
Lastly there's the Acer Iconica A700. It supports a nice high resolution, almost at par with the third generation iPad’s retina display, and the same CPU as the Google Nexus 7. The most significant thing here is that this unit has HDMI output, straight out of the box where other units require the separate purchase of an HDMI adapter. This unit even has both an SD card reader and a standard USB 2.0 port, so you can connect standard USB flash drives making it the most convenient tablet in our comparison for transferring and managing data.
The tablet computer changed the way we work, entertain, and consume media. The Acer Iconia Tab A700 changes all that all over again with a 10.1" display with 1920 x 1200 resolution, NVIDIA Quad-Core processing, Android 4.0 OS, and a wide range of features that keep you connected and entertained with incredible speed and smooth, seamless performance.
For the most part, a lot of these tablets can seem very similar so it can be a tough task to select the right one for you. The key differences are in the details like the screen, portability, and connectivity. This handy comparison chart might make the differences a little more evident.
| Apple iPad (3rd Generation) | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 | Google Nexus 7 | Acer Iconia A700 | |
| Display type | LCD | PLS TFT | IPS Capacitive LED | LCD |
| Screen size | 9.7” | 10.1” | 7” | 10.1” |
| Native resolution | 2048x1536 | 1280x800 | 1280x800 | 1920x1200 |
| Built-in storage | 64GB | 16GB | 16GB | 32GB |
| Card reader | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Rear camera | 5MP, 1080p | 3MP, 720p | No | 5MP, 1080p |
| Front camera | 0.3MP, 480p | 0.3MP, 480p | 1.2MP | 1MP, 720p |
| Cellular data | Yes | No | No | No |
| CPU type | Apple A5X | TI OMAP 4430 | nVidia Tegra 3 | nVidia Tegra 3 |
| CPU speed | Unspecified | 1GHz | 1.3GHz | 1.3GHz |
| CPU cores | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| OS | iOS 5.1 | Android 4.0 | Android 4.1 | Android 4.0 |
| HDMI out | Adapter required | Adapter required | No | Yes |
| DLNA | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| USB ports | No | No | 1 Micro USB | 1 USB 2.0 |
| Battery life | 10 hours | 14 hours | 9.5 hours | 10.5 hours |
| Thickness | .94cm | .97cm | 1.04cm | 1.09cm |
| Weight | 0.652 kg | 0.585 kg | 0.340 kg | 0.680 kg |
