Best tablets

About The Author

CNET Editor

Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies. Twitter: @Joseph_Hanlon

Although tablet computers have been around for many years, they were previously clunky and expensive. Interest in tablets was reignited thanks to Apple's entry into the category, with the release of its relatively low-cost iPad.

In 2012, the tablet market has been thrown on its head by the introduction of new, seriously cheap tablet options. Aussie electronics company Kogan hit first, with a 10-inch tablet for under AU$200, and was followed shortly by Google, with its powerful Nexus 7 starting at AU$249. We've also seen the re-emergence of the Windows-powered tablet, with the Samsung Series 7 Slate PC. This is just the tip of the Windows tablet iceberg, however, with a huge wave of Windows 8 tablets due at the end of the year.

If you find the tablets in this feature enticing but you want more information about how to choose the best machine for you, check out our top tips for buying a tablet.




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PaulM13 posted a comment   

What about the Asus TF700T? From I have read it will be "the" tablet to beat.

 

Andrew1953 posted a comment   
Australia

Asus Infinity,forget the rest icluding the Asus Padfone which,for some moronic reason Asus are refusing to sell Australians with the proprietary keyboard? Think its too sophisticated for us Asus?

 

MattC3 posted a comment   
Australia

Acer for sure..... business WAKE UP!!! A tablet with USB support. I use it not only to view from my USB for work presentations, but also for my Logitech wireless mouse AND keyboard I already have for my laptop (for when docked at work)

 

nodepony posted a comment   
Australia

Really Ty? The list is not static? Looks to be the same list as 4 months ago!

I totally agree with Josh. If you say the Panasonic was borderline, why bother including it? The article was for tablets, not notebooks.

Obviously, you lot are Apple fans, so enough said really.

 

CreamingSoda posted a comment   
Australia

100% agree =D For statrters, the Toughbook isn't a tablet... Doesn't make it as a decent laptop let alone be in the same league as iPad 2 or Galaxy S Tab.

 

idiotphone4lover posted a comment   
Australia

If you want a PC tablet for work or play, get a Asus Eee Slate EP121 with windows 7 and 12" screen and get MS Office, you can use a printer, scaner or usb and SDXC drive on the Asus, it comes with 2 year warranty. Also look at new Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 (windows 7).

Ipad2 is NOT a PC, so stop this drool, and that's the end if it.

 

ozoneocean posted a comment   
Australia

Um... The ipad and the Android tablets aren't really Tablet PCs are they? More like tablet netbooks.
Apple and Google have done a great job optimising their OSs to run on these low power devices as well as take full advantage of the touch screen aspect, but they're STILL just low-power netbook/smartphone hardware.

Let's not get away from that. Tablet PCs a full, powerful computers in Tablet form, whereas things all arose out of Apple's late response to the netbook craze.

 

EwanM posted a comment   
Australia

Totally agree Josh, sick of hearing about the Ipad on CNET, mainstream Australian media and advertising. If your going to do a comparison do it properly, with all features compared against eachother. This guide is nothing more than another glorification article for the Ipad with a few links to other devices. If the iPad is better, why? I fail to see the reasons here.

 

joshaus posted a comment   
Australia

Im sorry but this is the worst article I have ever read.

For starters... you listed WHAT... a panasonic toughbook!?!?!? and an Acer Iconia?!?!?!

What about the asus windows 7 tablet, the asus transformer, the htc flyer, the dell streak, the exopc, but most of all, the motorola xoom and the upcoming samsung galaxytab 10.1 (yes... different to the 10.1v)

And for the samsung galaxytab 10.1v you sit there and write "it's lightweight and extremely responsive, but it's hard to overlook the features it is missing"

WHAT

Sure it doesnt have DLNA or HDMI out of the box (neither does the iPad2), or micro SD support (oh yeah the iPad2 doesnt either)...

But this is a tablet the trumps the iPad2 all over the place. Its the fully customizable honeycomb os and its not locked down like ios, the 8mp camera (with a flash!!) thats capable of recording 1080p, the front facing camera that isnt the horribly recycled camera from an old nokia 6120 that they stuffed in the iPad2, but most importantly, the full flash 10.2 support. Oh and samsung included this in their first version!!! Not the second so your first seems inadequate and you go and buy the second version!

Im sick and tired of apple getting free plugs and free advertisement from articles such as this one that compare it to devices like the panasonic toughbook!?!?!?!?!?!? and then shoot down the samsung galaxy tab 10.1v for things the iPad2 doesn't even have.

Rage over

But really... the panasonic toughbook?

 

Ty Pendlebury posted a reply   
Australia

Unfortunately, most of the products you've mentioned have yet to be released in Australia, or in the case of the Dell Streak are not quite as good as the products here. The Panasonic ToughBook is an "old-school" tablet product, and so therefore on the borderline, and not what we'd now know as a consumer tablet.

This list will not stay static and will be updated in the coming weeks and months, as we expect a full review of the (quite smart looking) Playbook very soon. You may even see some of the more contentious tablets drop off as better models arrive.

Some people feel strongly against the Apple iPad, and have good reasons for that, but we're going to give Apple the credit they deserve for creating a well-designed product. Albeit one that has well-documented flaws.




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