Top 10 iPad Alternatives
November 29th, 2011 by Mark Spoonauer, LAPTOP Editor in Chief From its slim design and unparalleled ease of use to the bevy of available apps, there’s little doubt that the iPad 2 is great. But Apple’s tablet isn’t the only game in town. There are several Android-powered slates we really like, including the ultraslim Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, which can be purchased with an active stylus pen. Then there’s truly unique iPad alternatives, such as the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime (which has an optional keyboard dock) and the Kindle Fire (which has a completely unique user interface and easy access to Amazon content).
Here are our top 10 iPad alternatives.
Amazon Kindle Fire
Thanks to its beautiful 7-inch display, unique bookshelf interface, and a direct supply of multimedia content, the $199 Amazon Kindle Fire is the best choice for tablet buyers with a budget.
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February 18th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Let me guess, AT&T tethering charge.
This looks promising, a good idea for travelers/business people.
February 18th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
htc flyer clear winner of them all because of stylus intergration
February 19th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Can’t believe you didn’t include the exoPC.
Oh wait! It’s actually shipping!!
February 19th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Yes, already shipping. But, we have a hard time recommending it given our review.
March 10th, 2011 at 1:22 am
I’ve read tablet article after tablet article and never a mention about true windows-based tablets. I want my tablet to be a computer, not a media device/toy. For me, the ASUS ep121 is what I’ve been waiting ever so patiently for. When I saw an article titled “Ten iPad Alternatives”, I thought for sure it’d be mentioned. How is it not considered an iPad alternative?? I was given an iPad as a gift, used it for a month and then sold it for a more-expensive Asus one because I wanted a Windows tablet. And I’m sorry – any discussion about Apple having the advantage over other tablet manufacturers is crap if you consider full-on windows. 65,000 can’t compete with millions.
March 10th, 2011 at 9:16 am
What a biased review. Are all these or most of them not tethered to a contract? I agree with Dave – PC tablets are the way to go and I too have been waiting for the Asus EP 121. I hope, though, that they address the sorry battery life…
May 18th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Another recommended app
is the ElectricityCalc.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/electricitycalc/id436453765?mt=8
You can see what your product use in electricity and what it cost
June 27th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
What about entry level tablet pc’s? E.g. Lenovo S10-3t for $500 and no contract (plus 8 hour battery life).
Also there are several windows slates coming: Viliv X70 slate, Fujitsu Q550, Samsung slider PC7.
June 27th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
My main trouble with these lists is that products not yet here are “better” than “not as good” products available now. For me this is non-sense.
Regarding Win 7, I believe the real one (not the phony one) is not ready for it’s touch-prime. There are no millions of touchy apps, not even 60000. Well, there are probably 60000 VERTICAL Win apps, but not a chance to see them in Windows Marketplace. Keep in mind that Apple sees iPad as a secondary device and they still trying hard to put MacOS X at every home with an iDevice.
June 30th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
This might be an ok tablet if it weren’t for the brand. Sooner or later it will need service, which is something you can never expect from ACER. They have the worst customer service among any of the brands i have owned.
July 25th, 2011 at 7:49 am
You missed the A1CS X220 Tablet, best seller on Amazon for a reason.
August 10th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
funny thing is Ive tired most of these, and am very appauld that the HP touchpad isnt the 1st alternative option smh, I guess thats politics.
August 15th, 2011 at 1:04 am
Hey Morons…. I’m not sure who is not doing their job on this site but you totally forgot the HP Touchpad which is better than all of these other tablets you mentioned.
It has a better cooked OS, honest and efficient mu;lit tasking, The OS looks beautiful and add to that some fabulous homebrew support.
Not sure if I can take this site seriously from here on.
Good job in showing your incredible bias.
August 15th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Appreciate the feedback. There are aspects of the TouchPad we really like but it didn’t make the cut here because we don’t recommend that tablet. It’s not oversight or bias. We also wish the software update did more to improve performance but it didn’t. We’re hoping that HP can work out the kinks because we’d like to recommend it.
August 22nd, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Uhhmmm … Where is the Motorola XOOM? In my opinion this is hands-down the best slate/tablet on the market today.
October 11th, 2011 at 11:14 am
I’ve read tablet article after tablet article and never a mention about true windows-based tablets. I want my tablet to be a computer, not a media device/toy. For me, the ASUS ep121 is what I’ve been waiting ever so patiently for. When I saw an article titled “Ten iPad Alternatives”, I thought for sure it’d be mentioned. How is it not considered an iPad alternative?? I was given an iPad as a gift, used it for a month and then sold it for a more-expensive Asus one because I wanted a Windows tablet. And I’m sorry any discussion about Apple having the advantage over other tablet manufacturers is crap if you consider full-on windows. 65,000 can’t compete with millions.
October 11th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Oh boy, that was a good one. Pretending there are real alternatives to the iPad, that is too rich.
If laptopmag is switching to comedy this is a great start. You should give The Onion a run for its money.
Ptttt!
November 30th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Uhh, just sayin’. The Nook Color at the end looks a WHOLE LOT like a Samsung tablet…. right down the the Samsung stamping on it…. (perhaps a picture change may be in order)
December 27th, 2011 at 4:29 am
RIM Blackberry PlayBook??? Fantastic device. Especially at heavily discounted prices. True multitasking O/S is a real treat. Screen is superior to ALL other tablets (including ipad2). 1080P external hdmi. Swipe bezel. How can you not mention this wonderful tablet? Such bias.
December 27th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Maybe the reviewer should see CNET tablet reviews. The Toshiba Thrive is quite impressive. The regular USB port is rather a smart feature.
December 27th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
Please kill the annoying Toshiba Flash popup or require an “x” so we can close it…I hate seeing an ad for every tablet…ironic also that the Toshiba Thrive was left off the list
December 27th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Absolutely agree with Luella. Desperate for good tablet options with a real operating system. These silly little “apps” that can basically do nothing are just rather pointless. Easy to say “why don’t you just get yourself a real laptop?” but to be fair, I’m greedy. I want a tablet that has laptop functionality, not a mobile phone with a bigger screen. There seem to be a couple of options: Dell Inspiron Duo or a bunch of Asus tablets.
So, given my perspective, can anyone tell me the best tablet that will allow me to do some serious work (run real windows/MAC applications), but then the portability to jsut take to bed and read a book?
Cheers!
January 4th, 2012 at 2:30 pm
I just got an iPad, and while I like it, I would not get another one. Computing capability aside, with Apple’s “proprietary” happy attitude where you have to buy or subscribe to Apple versions of normally free programs, like Adobe Flash Player, and any songs you download at the itunes store can only be played on Apple devices, unlike songs in the MP3 format, I am already disgusted with Apple and looking for a Droid replacement since I am very happy with my Droid Razr cell phone.
MJK
January 20th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Kindle Fire is NOT compatible with Ipad; I just returned it. You can’t hook it up to a tv and Ipad can.
January 20th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
Missing off this list is the Motorola Xoom – the first dual core tablet that had both a front and rear facing camera (before the ipad 2). It was also the first Android tablet to use Google’s Honeycomb OS.
Some of these other tablets are in the same league, but the Kindle, and the Nook are just toys.
Seeing how the kindle toy is shown prominently as Mr. Spoonauer’s first alternative, Amazon must be sponsoring this article. What a joke.
January 28th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
I’m a little disappointed with the model acer you listed A100 to be compared with an Ipad (there isn’t one), Try the Acer A500-16 or 32 and then your in the same league as the Ipad in terms of features and performance.