When it first appeared, the iPad set the standard for tablet computers. But now the first challengers are appearing on the market, offering different sizes and operating systems.
As it turns out, those are exactly the two features consumers who like the keyboard-free devices should be looking at.
Tablet computers seem to have taken the world by storm, probably because they offer such an easy way to access the Internet. But the newer models all have their own pros and cons.
“The iPad is great,” says Sophia Kim of Samsung, a Korean-based company. “But our device is different.”
The Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch diagonal screen and weighs in at 380 grams, making it significantly smaller than the iPad’s 9.7-inch display and 680 grams. As an added bonus, people can telephone with the Galaxy Tab, although that’s best done with a Bluetooth headset.
The features that the Samsung tablet — which comes with Google’s Android operating system (OS) pre-installed — offers as the switching station for a networked home are also interesting. With the right apps, the device can act as a remote control, set the household temperature or control the washing machine or the refrigerator.
At first, mobile providers are supposed to support the Galaxy Tab. Its going price ranges between $975 to $1,115 (700 and 800 euros). For comparison’s sake, the iPad costs between [$698 and $1,110], depending on how it is outfitted.
RIM, the Canadian manufacturer of the Blackberry, is also getting into the tablet game. Its Playbook also has a 7-inch display and should, as the name suggests, appeal not just to businessmen, but also to private users.
The company has forged its own path, coming up with its own operating system, and picking up software from recent acquisition QNX. But the Canadians also don’t seem to be in much of a rush. The…