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The 6 Best Tablet Computers of 2011

Since the release of the first iPad in 2010, tablets have become almost ubiquitous, with many users now reaping the many benefits of being able to use a touchscreen computer on the go. Bigger and more powerful than a touchscreen phone, but thinner and more convenient than a laptop, the tablet offers web browsing, multimedia entertainment and much more.

If you’re in the market for a tablet, this helpful review of the The six best models of 2011 it will give you a great place to start.

1. Apple iPad 2
Apple was the innovator when it came to tablet computing, building on the success of its iPhone and iPod touch devices to bring multi-touch technology and the tremendously easy-to-use interface of iPhone to a larger portable device. Now in its second generation, the iPad is the original and still the best, especially if you’re a fan of Apple. That is why this tablet is the best seller on the market today.

Compared to its predecessor, the original iPad, iPad 2 offers a faster dual-core A5 chip, ultra-fast graphics that help apps run smoother, and dual cameras. With one camera on the front and one on the back, they are specially designed for making “Facetime” video calls and work together so that you can be filmed for the person you are talking to, while at the same time looking at your image on the screen.

iPad 2 is also 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original, so it feels more comfortable in your hands and is even more portable. The 9.7-inch diagonal LED-backlit display with 1024×768 pixels makes everything on iPad 2’s elegant screen remarkably sharp, vivid and bright. Ambient light sensors allow the device to automatically adjust the brightness of the screen to match its surroundings.

The iPad 2 has the same incredible 10 hours of battery life. This is enough juice to keep you entertained for an entire flight across the Atlantic, let you watch movies or play games all night, or keep you entertained for a week of travel across town.

The only real drawbacks to the iPad 2 are the ones that come with all Apple devices: First, it’s more expensive than any of its competitors, and second, you can’t replace the battery; send your unit back to Apple for a new one to be installed. Also, Apple is expected to release the next iPad relatively soon, so its iPad 2 may not be the latest and greatest for long.

2. Motorola Xoom
The Motorola Xoom, though slightly heavier than some of its rivals at 730g, sells well and gets good reviews. Xoom’s 10.1-inch display features the same 1280 X 800 screen resolution that a laptop would have. Ultra-fast dual-core processors run the Honeycomb operating system and support high-speed downloads over 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi networks. When you consider its 10 hours of sustained video playback and twin cameras and micro HDMI slot, the Motorola Xoom is as feature-packed as any other tablet and is significantly cheaper than the comparable iPad 2, though it’s currently only available in one Model of 32 GB capacity.

Some have criticized Motorola phones in the past for not having the most intuitive menus or user interface, but with the touchscreen tablet form factor much of this has been resolved and you should find the Xoom easy to set up and use.

3. Asus EeePad TF101 Transformer
Another Android tablet that uses the Honeycomb operating system is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. This offers a wide range of applications, as the Android application market is almost, if not as strong as Apple’s. It has a 9.5-hour battery life, so it’s only slightly less than the 10 hours of the iPad and Xoom, even though it’s the cheapest tablet reviewed here.

One of the downsides of the Asus compared to more expensive models is that the cameras aren’t that great, with the front camera only being 1.2 megapixels. It also comes in a 16GB and 32GB capacity, while the iPad, Xoom, and Blackberry Playbook have a 64GB model available. If you don’t plan on storing endless hours of video and music on your device and aren’t too concerned about the resolution of the front camera, Asus really is a great budget tablet.

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is widely considered to be one of the best Android Honeycomb based tablet devices on the market. The hardware is comfortable, attractive, and lightweight, and it features a 10.1-inch high-definition display.

Dual-core processors smoothly load the operating system and applications very quickly and the Android Honeycomb operating system easily manages the browser, plays media, and effortlessly runs and switches between multiple applications. Like the other tablets reviewed here, it has front and rear cameras and built-in speakers, and the device offers a 9.5-hour battery life. The only significant downside is that this tablet doesn’t come with built-in USB, HDMI, and SD card slots. The versatile Galaxy Tab can work with both Wi-Fi and 3G when you need Internet connectivity.

This device is the second most expensive reviewed here after the iPad 2, however it is also probably the closest competitor to the iPad in the Android market.

5. Acer Iconia Tab A500
The Acer Iconia is another budget tablet, offering great value for money for an Android Honeycomb-based device with the same dual-core NVIDIA CPU as all the other non-Apple devices reviewed here. It has a slightly shorter battery life than the other tablets at 8 hours, but that’s still a long time and will get you through most long-haul flights. It’s the heaviest of the six machines at 766g, but it still looks and feels classy. One of the main drawbacks is that it only supports Wi-Fi, so you won’t be able to use it over 3G when you’re away from home and want to have it online.

6. Blackberry Playbook
In the smartphone market, Blackberry has been a key player for even longer than Apple, and with so many fans of Blackberry phones, RIM’s tablet was highly anticipated.

The PlayBook has a browser that puts the Web in your hands. Weighing just 0.9 pounds, 0.4 inches thin, and with a 7-inch screen, the PlayBook is truly portable, even though it has a significantly smaller screen size than any of the other tablets reviewed here.

With the help of Adobe Flash 10.2 support (unlike the iPad), the QNX-powered operating system loads sites with all the splendor of a desktop. The dual-core processor lets you multitask on a high-resolution screen with more pixels than an iPad. With Full HD playback, an HDMI output, and front and rear cameras, the PlayBook packs a lot into a small space. It offers 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models, all priced substantially lower than the equivalent iPad.