Tablets – iPad, Galaxy Tab, Playbook or eTouch?

Since Apple’s launch of its iPad in April, more and more tablets have been announced and some have recently hit the market.  The Samsung Galaxy Tab went on sale on  Nov 1^st and could be the first serious competitor to the iPad.   The Blackberry Playbook was also recently announced and is expected to be available in 2011.  We have also seen high street retailers enter the market with the cheaper tablets by Toy’s R Us and Next starting at just £90.

The question is do you really need a tablet?  What purpose does it fill if you have a high-end Smartphone and Laptop?   A recent study found that 25% of UK iPads never leave the home and so Samsung are positioning the Galaxy Tab as small enough to fit into your jacket pocket.

The prices of tablets are similar to a sim free high-end Smartphone’s and mid range laptops, so if you have both then you need to question what value it really adds. The capabilities of tablets vary with range of screen sizes, storage, connectivity, cameras and operating systems.  Here is my comparison of some of the tablets

With a wide range of prices, features and sizes different tablets will appeal to different customers. The operating system and its associated app stores is a key attraction with Apple and Android having a wide range of free and paid for applications compared to Blackberry App World.

My recommendation would be the Galaxy Tab with front facing camera its useful for video calls, small enough to keep with you and the growing Android App Store should offer you the applications you need. 

If your on a budget its worth considering the eTouch or Next Tablet at a lower price you can still surf the web and run some apps.   If you don’t feel the need for a tablet at the moment then sit back  and see what Apple launch as the second generation iPad.