By Brad Chacos on November 23, 2011 in
We might not yet be in the "post-PC world" that some tech pundits claim to see, but one thing's for certain: tablets are hot, and they're only getting hotter. Amazon poured gas on the situation with its new $199 Kindle Fire, and this year's Black Friday deals are looking to capitalize on the tablet craze with a bevy of tablets that ring up for even less than Amazon's budget offering. But does value pricing make cheap tablets a value purchase? Let's examine some of the $200 and under Black Friday tablet deals and find out.
Sylvania tablet computer
This year, both Toys R US ($74.99) and Sears ($79.99) are offering a 7-inch Android 2.2 tablet from Sylvania. We covered this tablet in depth last Black Friday (when it was discounted to $140), and then we said that considering its price, it might be worth picking up if you wanted to get a feel for tablets -- assuming that you could tolerate its poor performance and multiple flaws. For the most part, though, experts and owners say to give this one a pass.
Velocity Cruz R102
If the Sylvania tablet is just not cheap enough, the Velocity Cruz R102 e-reader -- which doubles as a cheap Android tablet -- is being offered by Kmart during the first six hours of Black Friday for just $69.99. Unfortunately, this is another lackluster performer, as the user reviews at Newegg.com attest. Not only is performance slow, according to reports, but the resistive touchscreen only responds well to a stylus, which isn't included. At that price, it might be useful as children's tablet, but not much more. If you still want to pick it up, skip the Black Friday lines -- the Velocity Cruz R102 often hits $70 in online sales throughout the year and can be picked up for less than $80 on Amazon.com right now.
Polaroid Internet Tablet
Menards is offering a 7-inch Polaroid Internet Tablet with accessories for $79.99 on Black Friday, while Kohl's is offering the same thing for $99.99. Worth it? Maybe. Wired saw this tablet and its 9.7-inch big brother at last January's Consumer Electronics Show and reports that they are rebranded tablets from Matsunichi (a Chinese consumer electronics maker), with identical components and features, save for the screen size. While there's no feedback on the tablet being offered on Black Friday, the bigger version, dubbed the TC 970, has done very well in user reports at Amazon.com (where it's available under the Le Pan brand for just under $200) and elsewhere. There are plenty of downsides, of course, but what sets it apart from other cheap tablets is reasonably speedy performance, long battery life and a great looking and responsive screen, which means a finger rather than a stylus is all you need for navigation. This could make the 7-inch Polaroid tablet an excellent buy at its Black Friday price, but there are two important caveats. First, we have been unable to confirm that the features and performance are indeed the same as the bigger Polaroid/Le Pan/Matsunichi TC 970 tablet (with the quality and responsivenes of the screen being a major concern). And, second, you only get the low price at both stores after mailing in a rebate. The bottom line? Proceed with caution, but this is one super cheap tablet that just might be worth a second look.
Acer Iconia Tab A100
Now we're really talking. Best Buy is offering the 7-inch Acer Iconia Tab A100 for $189.99 on Black Friday. This slate earns great feedback as a value-oriented tablet -- and that is at its normal $330 (and up) price tag. Unlike the cheap tablets mentioned above, the Iconia Tab A100 runs on the tablet-optimized Android Honeycomb operating system and offers speedy performance, although it does have a few drawbacks compared to tablets costing $400 and up. Still, at just under $190, it's a steal -- if you can get one. Best Buy only promises to have at least four in stock per location. You can find more information about the Acer Iconia Tab A100 in our report on tablets.
Amazon Kindle Fire
Finally, let's not forget about the Amazon Kindle Fire. It's not on "sale" anywhere on Black Friday, but still can be purchased for $199, right now. As noted in our tablet computers report, the Kindle Fire has some serious limitations -- for example, you can only access apps in Amazon's app store and not the much larger Android Market -- and overall performance is a step behind better tablets, though those also cost much more. However, if you are mainly interested in a tablet for watching videos and reading books, the Fire is both relatively inexpensive and easy to use.