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Topic: Android

Best Android-powered tablets (December 2012 edition)

Summary: While there's no doubt that the king of the tablets is Apple's iPad, that doesn't mean that there's no demand for Android-powered hardware. There are some very good reasons why an Android tablet might be perfect for you.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

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Google Nexus 7

The Google Nexus 7 is the first Nexus-branded tablet to be released by Google. The hardware, manufactured by Asus, consists of a 7-inch display with a 1280x800 resolution screen, an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, a choice of 16GB or 32GB of storage, and a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera.

The hardware runs the very latest Android 4.2 "Jelly Bean" operating system, and features an improved software keyboard.

The tablet also features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and optional cellular, and all this is powered by a battery that can give 10-hours of usage under normal conditions.

Price: from $199.

Link/image source: Google.

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Topics: Android, Amazon, Google, Hardware, Samsung, Tablets

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43 comments
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  • I hate slide shows!

    I hate the waste of time it takes to go through these slide shows. Some have the option to see everything, but this one does not. (Probably so more ads can be sold.)

    So I'm not looking.
    mwells@...
    Reply 6 Votes

    • I agree, not true anymore.

      Apple was the the King, but that's fading quickly this year. Android tablets are about to pass Apple sales. Yes, Apple is top selling tablet as far as one manufacturer goes, but Android is now King of laptops. The Apple Mini by the way has had really lacklustre sales, so in the smaller format market, Google Nexus is King.
      Laurentian Enterprises
      Reply 1 Vote

      • Not sur I understand you? How is Android king of laptops for instance?

        I think that is still MS and by a wide margin in terms of both profit and volume. As for volume and or Market Share it is next to meaning little if at all. PROFIT per sale and after sales profit is what matters and in those terms Apple is KING. As for after sale revenue very few android OEM's see penny one while Apple rakes it in. So yeah let android have the market share crown big whoop.

        Pagan jim
        James Quinn
        Reply Vote

    • Honestly

      No one cares if you read it or not.
      Addison Szaksz
      Reply Vote

  • Sorry

    "While there's no doubt that the king of the tablets is Apple's iPad"

    Your opinion, and not shared by everyone.
    roteague
    Reply 3 Votes

    • Blue blooded competition

      Not that I personally care, being that I don't yet own a tablet, but if iPads outsell tablets by any other manufacturer or platform, then that's not a matter of "opinion," it's a statement of fact. (I personally, however, am sure that Android tablets will very soon outsell and dominate Apple. But for now, that's just not yet the case.)
      mjgriff1
      Reply 1 Vote

      • King of the...

        Toyota Camry outsells Bugatti Veyron by millions to one. Dare you to call the Camry "King of the road"
        warboat
        Reply 1 Vote

        • Well...

          Yes. But this is not spam.
          notme403@...
          Reply Vote

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 7 inch?

    Is there any Samsung Galaxy Note 7 inch coming out any time? Willing to buy. (I already have nexux 7)
    limanemin@...
    Reply Vote

  • Cheap units and words

    "Not that Apple has released the iPad mini, this seems to have rekindled interest in smaller tablets. For those who are looking for a highly-portable tablet on a budget, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is worth a look."

    Do you mean NOW not NOT? That is why we cannot rely on spell checkers! We have to actually read what is written.
    ----------
    Someone should review the ACCEPTABLE low cost ones that are at or below $100, for us cheapskates. Not everyone needs a fantastic $400 machine. Of course most of us don't need one to begin with, but that is another subject. What about the no-name or Polaroid, or KOBO, or.... others that can be found at Big Lots and other off market stores for instance. It may be like buying a Yugo instead of a Caddilac, but not everyone needs/wants or can afford a Caddilac.
    What about rebuilt ones, in lieu of new ones? I don't see anyone discussing rebuilt anything. I suppose it depends on who rebuilt it and how they stand behind it.
    My daughter had bought a Polaroid machine once, but couldn't get it to work right so she took it back and go ther money refunded. That may be what any of the low priced ones are like, but no one reviews the bottom rungs of the ladder like they do the "best" at the top rungs. I will never spend top rung money on any electronics, so appease some of us who may be able to afford one, but are unwilling to spend the money on an item that still, for most of us, is a glorified e-reader/toy relegated to once a month usage. I have other items to spend my money on.
    dhays
    Reply Vote

    • Rftech

      My first tablet is a Rftech tablet, 7" with dual cameras (not great but useable pictures), GPS (works great), decent battery life. It has an average but decent display as well. It has been running very well and I still use it on the road because it's very portable. Price? Just a tad over $100, I think it was $119 (and free shipping on DinoDirect). I would recommend it anytime for the casual user who just wants it to check e-mail on the road, browse the internet and a pretty good GPS.
      Laurentian Enterprises
      Reply 1 Vote

    • Playbook

      A good solid low-cost option is the Blackberry playbook. The OS is robust and the interface is one of the best around. It doesn't have the near the selection of apps that Apple or Android have but most of the bases are covered by what's there.

      I have a Playbook and use it a lot. I'd probably rather have a Nexus 7 but for what I use it for the Playbook is more than capable. It's really built solid. I've thought about replacing it with a Nexus 7 but there isn't anything there I really need to be honest.
      alawishis
      Reply Vote

      • yep

        i remember reading reviews a while back and the playbook specs/reviews looked pretty solid. Usually devices/os's targetting corporate use seem to be more solid.
        captainhurt@...
        Reply Vote

      • Re: Playbook

        Dead-end platform, though. If you're going to take a chance on a vendor that might go bust tomorrow, it's safer to stick to Android.
        ldo17
        Reply Vote

  • Excellent battery life

    Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

    The Galaxy Note 10.1 is Samsung's is a flagship tablet that commands a flagship price.

    The hardware is all top-notch, with a 10.1-inch screen with a 1280x800 resolution display, a 1.4GHz Exynos quad core processor, a choice of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera, and a 100hour battery pack.

    WOW! Where do you get the battery pack from?
    REBERY
    Reply 1 Vote

  • No GPS ??

    No GPS...really?
    Bill_SixPack
    Reply 1 Vote

  • uhh

    "While there's no doubt that the king of the tablets is Apple's iPad" Ipad is far frim king lol. It can't do anything that real tablets can do. Out of all, it's the least media friendly, least enterprise friendly, least family friendly, and most expensive. Every other tablet runs circles around ipad that you have lost all credibility with that one sentence. Learn your market author, Cuz you don't know sh** about tablets if you think ipad is king lol
    kikax
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Sales volume alone proves the authors point. Then their is profit margins

      per sale for Apple. Application numbers also could make the authors point especially counting the total Apps made specifically for the iPad in volume as well as quality. Last the claims you made about what one can do with an iPad are well false.

      Pagan jim
      James Quinn
      Reply Vote

  • uhh

    "While there's no doubt that the king of the tablets is Apple's iPad" Ipad is far from king lol. It can't do anything that real tablets can do. Out of all, it's the least media friendly, least enterprise friendly, least family friendly, and most expensive. Every other tablet runs circles around ipad that you have lost all credibility with that one sentence. Learn your market author, Cuz you don't know sh** about tablets if you think ipad is king lol
    kikax
    Reply 1 Vote

  • Let's Hold the Crown for Now

    "While there's no doubt that the king of the tablets is Apple's iPad, that doesn't mean that there's no demand for Android-powered hardware. There are some very good reasons why an Android tablet might be perfect for you."

    Perhaps you need to spend some time with some of these other tablets. I don't care how good of emulation some claim for Office applications, there is nothing like the real thing - that is something that is very important to some business people who deal with Excel, Word and Power Point every day. The business connectivity issues on your so-called king is also an issue. That platform is not a serious business computing platform - just a consuming device that lets you look at things, play games etc. Until we get beyond this, none of these except perhaps Microsoft Surface will ever penetrate the business market seriously. Yes, there are some specialized applications that have been written for the king, but those are technology islands that have nothing to do with the general business world...
    TurtleJ
    Reply 1 Vote
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