Productopia | Tablet Computers

Gaming on your iPad or tablet doesn't mean the screen has to be covered in smudges or fingerprints. There's a cottage industry of iPad gaming joysticks that promise to keep your fingers off your screen while simultaneously offering better control in your favorite arcade-style games. These joysticks work with games that have on-screen control pads or "virtual joysticks," meaning designated spots on the screen where you press your fingers to control movement or actions. (Atari offers an app, available for iPhone and Android, with access to 100 of its classic games, all or most of which should work with these joysticks.) Check out our photo gallery of iPad joysticks, which includes a device that turns your iPad into a mini-arcade machine. Read more

A pair of low-cost contenders are setting the tablet scene ablaze this holiday season: the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, and we look at the pros and cons of both of those in our report on tablet computers. The bottom line is that they have a lot of similarities-- and not just price -- but they have some key differences, too, especially when it comes to content and storage. So, how do these two tablets stack up against each other? Let's break things down and find out. Read more

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. Read more

Although the original iPad faced some competition last year, experts say the new Motorola Xoom is the first tablet that can really give the iPad a run for its money. Apple upped the ante, however, with the release of the iPad 2. So which tablet comes out on top? We waded through dozens of reviews to answer this question for our recently updated report on tablet computers. Follow us after the jump for the tale of the tape. Read more