Tablet Computer Review

The current iPad remains on top despite tough competition

Tablet computers began to emerge in the mainstream two years ago, and the market has become flooded with dozens of these portable devices. Although tablet computers have been around for years, they were long considered niche products that were designed for business professionals. Some business-oriented tablets still exist, but the latest tablets have consumer-friendly designs and are made for watching movies, surfing the web, playing games and performing basic tasks, such as word processing.

Tablet computers take two main forms -- convertible tablets and slates -- although the terms tablet and slate are now used interchangeably, thanks in part to the complete dominance of slates in the marketplace and the increasing crossover between the two categories. Convertible tablets look like regular laptops or netbooks, but the screen swivels 180 degrees to transform the computer into a touch-screen tablet, or, alternatively, some convertible tablets come with detachable -- and sometimes optional -- keyboards or keyboard docks. Slates, on the other hand, get rid of the physical keyboard in favor of a virtual touch-screen keyboard. Slates are lighter and usually less expensive than convertible tablets, but the touch-screen keyboard can make typing long documents a chore.

The heavy hitter in the tablet world is the current Apple iPad, the much-hyped successor to the iPad 2. Although it retains the same price, the iPad boasts an upgraded display, a better processor and camera, and, in some versions, a 4G LTE radio. It has some downsides; it's a bit thicker than its predecessor, and it can become hot to the touch during prolonged gaming sessions. Reviewers say, however, that the iPad easily retains the title of best tablet for now.

However, Apple has some tough competition, most notably from tablets running the Android Honeycomb operating system (OS), such as the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (*Est. $500 and up) , the first tablet PC powered by Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 processor. Reviewers call the tablet an admirable follow-up to the original Asus Eee Pad Transformer and the best Android tablet to date. Other tablets featuring the Tegra 3 processor, such as the Acer Iconia Tab A510, are due to begin shipping in mid to late 2012. Qualcomm, another chip-maker, is working on a quad-core chip of its own -- the Snapdragon S4 -- that is due to appear in late 2012. Several tablets have also begun receiving over-the-air updates upgrading them to the Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating system, although many still ship with the older Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" OS.

All the bells and whistles don't necessary translate into better second-generation Android tablets, however. The Motorola Xoom (*Est. $400 and up) was the first Android Honeycomb tablet on the market and was well-liked by reviewers. Though it's still available, Verizon and Motorola released a successor, the curiously named Motorola Droid Xyboard 10.1. Although critics agree that the Xyboard is faster than the original Xoom and appreciate its 4G capabilities, the design and technology is panned when compared to similar tablets -- especially considering the Xyboard's high $700 price tag. Signing up for a two-year data contract with Verizon drops the cost to $530, but it locks you in to a plan that costs at least $30 a month. "And what do you get for the money?" CNET's Donald Bell asks. "Well, the Xyboard isn't the fastest tablet we've seen, nor the thinnest, the lightest, the brightest, or the longest-lasting."

Most of the major technology websites review tablet computers, but we found the best coverage at PCMag.com. This longtime reviewer covers more tablets than other sites and has detailed reviews and ratings based on in-depth testing. Helpful tablet reviews can also be found at CNET, Laptop Magazine, PC World and AnandTech.com. Single-product reviews of big-name tablets like the current Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 also appear in mainstream sites, such as The Wall Street Journal's All Things D. However, their helpfulness -- and objectivity, in some cases -- varies greatly. User reviews sometimes aren't as helpful for convertible tablets and slates as they are for regular laptops -- the scores tend to be about the same, and the number of reviews varies widely -- but Amazon.com is a good source for checking these opinions.

If you prefer a regular laptop or desktop computer, ConsumerSearch has separate reports on laptops, cheap laptops, netbooks, Apple computers and basic desktop computers as well as more advanced business and gaming desktop computers.