Tablet Shopping

[bjarvis]

Continuing my exploration of Android tables, I've just returned from Best Buy down the road, checking out their selection. My goal is a 10" unit, wifi, bluetooth, Honeycomb, 16GB of RAM (pref. 32GB), built-in USB port, front & back web cams, don't care about HDMI. Probably will use a bluetooth keyboard & mouse. I primarily want a device which can give me convenient Internet access around the house instead of lugging around & booting my laptop. I also want to be able to take docs, spreadsheets, ebooks & PDF files with me when I travel for quick reference. Music, movies and photos are lower to non-existent priorities.

• Asus Transformer. $400 for 16GB unit. Optional docking station but I'd prefer a detached keyboard & touch pad/mouse rather than a connected unit; the docking station has the USB ports though so plan on an extra $150. Felt heavy. Crappy camera resolution.
  
• Acer Iconia A500: $400 for 16GB unit. 1 USB port, 1 micro-USB port. Optional docking station. Thickest of all models thus far but didn't feel heavy.
  
• Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab: $500 for 16GB unit. 1 USB port. Crappy camera resolution. Slim & light though.
  
• Toshiba Thrive: $480 for 16GB unit. 1 USB port, 1 micro USB port. Lightweight & slim.
  
• Motorola Xoom, Blackberry Playbook, HP Web Tab: Not even in the running for various reasons
  

So far, for my purposes, the Acer Iconia A500 is the leader. But do I want to spend $400 for a tablet ($300 if I use my Staples coupon before July 31)? I'm not yet persuaded a tablet is the best use of money.

Edit: I've decided against purchasing in the near future. There's some nice hardware out there, but nothing compelling enough to make me open my wallet.

Comments

[abqdan.livejournal.com]

I'm also looking for a good reason to buy a tablet, and haven't found one. A netbook would probably be just as functional, though less 'cool'. A unit that is well spec'd and gets below $400 (eg $399...) will command some thought. For the moment, I feel the field is too immature to make the investment. So I'm glad you went through that review - kind of makes me feel I'm right not to buy!