We trust Apple so much because it is the world' tablet giants. But the market has changed in recent months, and Apple is starting to see some real competition. You can now find devices with easy-to-use interfaces, lightweight designs and compelling features you won't find on Apple's gadget. If you're searching for an iPad alternative, Google's Nexus 10 and Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook HD+ are all worth a look. Competing with Apple’s full-size iPad 4, other tablets are also impressive.
Following the success of the 7-inch Nexus 7—the first Google Nexus tablet—the Nexus 10 was released with a 10.1-inch, 2560×1600 pixel display, which in 2012 was the world's highest resolution tablet display. It’s packing a 10.1-inch screen with a whopping 2560×1600 resolution with 299 ppi, a dual-core 1.7GHz processor and 2GB of RAM Made by Samsung for Google, the Nexus 10's technical specifications match or betters those of Apple's device in many ways.
Price: $399 for 16 gigabytes of internal storage, $499 for 32 GB of storage
Screen size: 10.1 inches
Screen resolution: 2,560 by 1,600 pixels, at 300 pixels per inch
Weight: 1.33 pounds
Processor: 1.7 GHz dual-core Cortex-A15
Cameras: 5-megapixel camera on back and a low-resolution camera on front
Operating system: The Nexus 10 runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), the latest version of Google's smartphone and tablet operating system, which is silky smooth to the touch and a pleasure to use.
Pros: it is cheaper than newest full-size iPad. The Nexus 10 is undeniably powerful. It’s insane. The Nexus 10 has an incredible screen, the perfect combination of spec and price with a great user experience thrown in. The dual-core 1.7GHz processor combined with the 2GB of RAM makes this device the most powerful Android tablet on the market. And it accesses to a variety of games, utilities and other software for Android devices, though not as extensive as apps available for iPad. But its longer, narrower screen better suited to movies.
Cons: the Nexus 10 is comfortable but not very aesthetic. It’s nothing more than a standard, black, boring, rubber rectangle. Integrates with Google Play store, which is still new and isn't as robust as Apple or Amazon's stores. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards. No option for cellular wireless broadband.
Apple launched its brand-new iPad 4 just seven months after it rolled out the Retina display-equipped third-generation iPad in March. There was much umbrage at the launch of the new iPad 4, as it basically rendered the iPad 3 obsolete. However, though externally it remains almost identical to the third-gen iPad—save its new Lightning connector, which replaces the 30-pin Dock connector—internally Apple has revved up its processor.
Design: iPad 4 has rectangular shape with rounded corners and edges and it is only marginally thicker and a little heavier than the iPad 2. And if you pick it up with no knowledge of the former, you'll likely be mighty impressed.
Screen size: 9.7 inches
Screen resolution: 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, at 264 pixels per inch.
Weight: 1.44 pounds
Cameras: 5-megapixel iSight camera on back and the bigger and more useful change is the front facing camera which is now a 1.2Mp FaceTime HD shooter capturing up to 720p footage. This offers a much higher quality picture than before making your Photo Booth pictures better.
Processor: First and foremost is a new processor, the A6X. This dual-core processor with quad-core graphics is supposedly twice as fast as the A5 chip found in the iPad 3 with twice the graphics performance.
Operating system: Apple's latest operating system, iOS 6, was recently launched alongside the iPhone 5.
Price: Starts at $499 for 16 gigabytes of storage, goes up to $699 for 64 gigabytes, more for versions with cellular data access.
Pros: The newest iPad's faster A6X processor adds extra system speed and graphics power. Improved worldwide cellular compatibility makes the LTE model a more appealing proposition. And the iOS App Store remains best in class, with the widest selection.
Cons:The fourth-gen iPad is otherwise identical to its recent predecessor - same size, weight, and Retina screen. It's heavy to hold in one hand, and older accessories won't work without investing in a pricey Lightning adapter. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.
The just-released Nook HD+ is well-designed reading-and-entertainment Android tablets featuring beautiful, high-resolution screens, a significant rewrite of the Nook software and beefed-up video services.
Screen: 9 inch capacitive touchscreen display
Resolution: 1,920 x 1,280 pixels, at 256 pixels per inch
Weight: 1.14 pounds
Cameras: None.
Processor: dual-core 1.5 GHz processor. The dual-core processors clearly do their job, because I found the Nook HD's operation to be exceedingly smooth, with no delays or glitches when opening or reading books, opening or running apps, or watching on-tablet video.
Operating system: Modified version of Google's Android
Price: $269 for 16 gigabytes of storage; $299 for 32 GB
Pros:Cheap and portable. Storage is expandable with microSD memory cards. In addition to a full slate of books and magazines, it offers more than a thousand apps through its integrated (and growing) Nook Store and is optimized for Netflix and Hulu Plus video playback. The built-in Web browser works well and offers Flash support.
Cons: Selection of third-party applications is small. Barnes & Noble lacks wide range of content. No access to full Android Market; no Bluetooth, GPS, or camera; no video rental (or purchase) option.
