Tablet Buyers’ Guide: 5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy

In the past two years, tablets have gone from being expensive, niche devices to the hottest product category in technology. According to research firm Gartner, consumers will have purchased a whopping 63 million tablets in 2011, up from just 17 million in 2010, and heading toward a forecasted 326 million units in 2015.

If you haven’t jumped on the tablet bandwagon yet, now is a great time to purchase your first device. With a slew of slates in sizes ranging from 7 to 10 inches and prices starting south of $200, consumers have never had more choices. Before you buy a tablet, consider these five questions.

1. iPad or Android?

Just as the computer world has Windows and Mac OS as its main OS choices, the tablet world currently has two main competitor: Google’s Android operating system and Apple’s iOS. Here are the pros and cons of the two major platforms and a few words about the alternatives.

iPad + iOS

The super-slim iPad 2 running iOS 5 has the most intuitive interface and more than 140,000 dedicated apps, from console-quality games and video programs to productivity tools and music apps. The iPad also has the best selection of accessories. Plus, FaceTime is the only mobile video chat app we’ve tested that works reliably.

iOS 5 brings a lot of welcome enhancements to the table, including a new Notifications center, Twitter integration, and iCloud for syncing your media and documents across multiple devices. We also really like Newstand for easily purchasing newspapers and magazines.

On the other hand, the iPad only comes in one size, and the device lacks some features available on Android slates, such as higher-resolution screens and haptic feedback. The Android universe has a lot more variety.

Android

Google’s operating system is available on scores of tablets in different versions. Android version 3, also known as Honeycomb, was built from the ground up for tablet input, including such features as easy task-switching and hi-res display support. Android gives you multiple home screens that you can customize with widgets.

One other plus for Android tablets is that you’ll find a lot of hardware choices, including some slates that accept pen input (such as the ThinkPad Tablet) and some that include physical keyboards (such as the ASUS Eee Pad Slider).

Some tablet makers, such as Lenovo and Samsung, have added a few tweaks to Android’s default look and feel while others, such as Amazon, have made wholesale changes to the OS. The Kindle Fire is so customized that you wouldn’t recognize Google’s influence.

Unfortunately, there are much fewer apps available for Android tablets, and the Honeycomb interface can be complicated to use, even for those coming from an Android phone. Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) should be more streamlined.

Windows, PlayBook OS

BlackBerry’s PlayBook is the only tablet on the market to run RIM’s PlayBook OS, a unique and attractive operating system that lets you minimize and maximize apps by swiping up or down on the bezel. However, this device has few apps and still lacks a native e-mail client and calendar support so it’s hard to recommend, even to BlackBerry fans.

A number of vendors, including HP and Samsung, sell Windows 7 tablets, but due to that operating system’s touch-unfriendly UI, the high-cost of devices, and their relatively short battery life, these slates only make sense for a very specialized uses in vertical industries. Consumers and most businesses should not consider a Windows slate until Windows 8 ships sometime in 2012. 

2. How much do you want to spend?

You can purchase a 7-inch media tablet for $200 to $300. However, if you’re looking for the full 10-inch experience, expect to pay $400 to $500 for a 16GB model with Wi-Fi.

If you require a lot of local storage for music or video files, you’ll pay a hefty premium for 32 or 64GB models. For example, the 32GB iPad 2 costs $599, and the 64GB configuration sells for $699. You can economize by keeping your media files in the cloud and getting a device with only 8 or 16GB of memory.

You can spend much less on a 10-inch Android tablet than on an iPad. Both the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and the Acer Iconia Tab A500 sell for less than $400.

3. What size screen do you need?

If you’re looking for a lightweight device that fits in a purse or bag and allows you to read and watch video on the go, you’ll want to consider a 7-inch tablet such as the Amazon Kindle Fire, the Toshiba Thrive 7, or Acer Iconia Tab A100. Weighing less than a pound, 7-inch tablets are easy to hold with just one hand, but they don’t provide the most immersive experience.

An 8.9- or 10-inch tablet provides a bigger canvas for surfing the web and watching video and more real estate for editing documents. With a typical weight of 1.2 to 1.6 pounds, 10-inch slates aren’t quite as portable as their 7-inch siblings, but they easily fit into a bag or sleeve. There are a few 11-inch and larger tablets on the market, but these are too bulky for most users.

Bottom line: If you want simple eReading, music playback, web surfing, and light video viewing, consider a small media-consumption tablet such as the Amazon Kindle Fire or Barnes or the Noble Nook Color 2. If you want a tablet for productivity as well as entertainment, look to larger and more powerful 10-inch devices.

4. Do you need mobile broadband?

If you frequently need to use a tablet outside of an area with Wi-Fi, you can purchase a model with a built-in 3G or 4G radio. You’ll pay a premium to purchase a mobile broadband-enabled tablet. For example, the 16GB 3G iPad costs $629, $130 more than the Wi-Fi–only version. Data charges vary based on the amount of data you plan on consuming. For example, Verizon charges $30 per month for 2GB, $50 for 5GB, and $80 for 10GB.

If you use a smartphone, you’ll find yourself paying for data on two different devices, which can add up to a huge monthly bill. A better solution might be to pay a $20 to $30 monthly tethering fee to turn your phone into a hotspot so you get your tablet, your laptop, and any other devices you want online.

Some carriers also offer tablets at a subsidized price if you agree to sign up for a two-year data plan. But considering the high cost of data over the course of 24 months, these prices are hardly a bargain. For example, AT&T sells the 4G version of the Acer Iconia Tab A501 (pictured above right) for $329 with contract. That’s $80 less than the Wi-Fi-only Acer Iconia Tab A500, but an $1,170 commitment over two years. You’ll need to think long and hard about whether that premium is worth it.

5. Where will you get content?

Tablets are great for media consumption—whether you’re watching videos, reading eBooks, or playing games—which is why the media store(s) baked into a slate should influence your purchasing decision. If you are partial to iTunes, you’ll want an iPad so you can easily purchase and enjoy music and videos from Apple’s store on your tablet. You can use that same iTunes account to purchase apps, books, and magazines.

Google has beefed up the Android Market over the past year with books and movies in addition to apps. Music is said to be on the way, but for now you can buy MP3s from Amazon. Both HTC and Samsung offer their own video stores, which include TV shows. Sony sells music, video, books, and PlayStation games on its Tablet S. You can always access third-party apps such as Netflix and Slacker for media, but many consumers want an integrated experience.

The Kindle Fire is uniquely compelling because it’s the only tablet that lets you access Amazon video on demand, as well as Kindle books, magazines, apps, and music—all with a single account.

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