When Apple announced it’s iPad back in January, I and many others expected to see a flood of Android tablets into the market. That obviously hasn’t been the case just yet. We reported that one factor holding the surge back is Android’s lack of high resolution support. Fortunately for us, tablet news has been plentiful as of late and it would seem that the rumored 1280×760 resolution support in Gingerbread is real. So now that the age of the Android tablet is nearly upon us, what features will you be looking for when you go to buy? I’ve compiled a list of 5 things to consider before shelling out any cash.
- Processing Power- At this point I wouldn’t buy a phone without at least a 1 GHz chip in it, and I’ll be asking the same from my tablet. That’s what you’ll find in an iPad, and honestly, you can’t complain with the speed of that device.
- Cameras- One gripe people have had with the iPad is the lack of cameras, but thats all part of Apple’s devilish scheme to put out slightly better versions of the same devices every six months. Newer tablets will likely raise the bar and get both a front and rear camera. There have also been rumors that Google will announce a Facetime like feature at the scheduled mobile event later today, even more reason to consider this.
- Screen Size- Right now it’s really anybody’s guess what the buying public will decide as too small or big for a tablet. The varied specs we’re seeing on some big players’ machines will tell us soon enough though. Dell is launching their Streak today, it has a 5-inch screen. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab will have a 7-inch screen and Motorola’s unnamed tablet will have a 10-inch screen. There have already been gripes that Dell’s Streak is too small but I think it may have it’s place in the world. Maybe a small business owner would appreciate the phone/tablet hybrid. They could manage their whole operation out of pocket and would probably appreciate the extra screen on a business phone. As for going too big, I don’t see that as much of a problem. The iPad is 9.7 inches for reference.
- Capacitive Screen- While all tablets will have touchscreen inputs, not all will have capacitive touchscreen inputs. Some of the cheaper products may be sporting resistive screens. This would have been on okay a device similar to this five years age, but not today. So kids, please don’t let K-Mart peddle one of these boy’s to your Grandma this X-mas because she didn’t know the difference.
- External Inputs- A lack of external inputs was another iPad bummer, but what would you honestly expect. Look for the majority of high-end Android tablets to be lined with USB ports, SD Card slots, and HDMI outputs. This will be another area where Android tablets can take an edge over the iPad.
So there you have it folks, that’s what I have to say on the matter. Let your thoughts be heard in the comments.
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