The iPad Killer - A Review of the Major iPad Competitors

So you are drinking your coffee, reading your emails, typing up a document and designing a presentation. Then you realize that you have an appointment and can't be tied to your computer. With three projects do the next day, what are you going to do? Well switch to mobile computing, of course. You heard about that iPad Tablet. You also heard about other devices deemed the "iPad killers". Which one are you going to buy? This article will compare the iPad to its main competitors

The iPad. If you are reading this, chances are you already know what the specs of the iPad are. The iPad has a 9.7 inch multi-touch LCD screen; it has enough processing power to play HDTV video and is intuitive enough to allow you to make documents or presentations using iWork. There are two major criticisms however: multitasking and a closed OS. A closed OS means that you cannot install whatever you want on your iPad. The software must first be approved by Apple. While this is beneficial for security reasons, it might limit some users. The second criticisms - lack of multitasking can be both a cure and a poison. With no multitasking, you can only run one app at a time - this means that you would have no distractions. However if you are typing a report, and then need to verify some facts using Safari, you'll have to first close iWork, start safari, close safari and then re-open iWork. A tiresome process. Although this has not been officially announced, it is rumored that iPhoneOS 4.0 will have multitasking support.

HP Slate. The HP Slate will have a release price of slightly less than the iPad. It will have an atom CPU, include Flash support, USB connectivity, a memory card reader, and a back-mounted webcam. The major complaint against the HP Slate is that it is running Windows 7 on a touch screen device. All other tablets are running software that is optimized for the touch, yet HP is running Windows 7. Expect unresponsive controls, laggy interface and buggy programs. If you are looking for raw power, then the HP Slate is to go, however you'd get more bang for the buck from a netbook. And since HP Slate isn't optimized for touch, you'd be smarter to go for a netbook

The Notion Ink Adam. India's entry into the Tablet market. A significantly cheaper alternative to both the HP Slate and the iPad. The Adam features a bigger screen then the iPad, It uses a Pixel-Qi sceen (color e-ink), will be powered by a Tegra2 chip (1080p output), will have a swivel camera, will have a track pad and is powered by Android. If you can't afford the iPad, this device will give you the most bang for the buck. The touchscreen and trackpad is an intuitive combination. Apparently the explanation for the trackpad is to make surfing the web easier. One would think of the quality of the browser, if it requires a trackpad to achieve a positive experience. When I view the Notion Ink Adam, I can't help but get the feeling that it's software is of "cheap" quality. If you want good functionality at some GUI expense, go for the Adam. However, if you want quality software and hardware - I would recommend the iPad

The Microsoft Courier. I believe that the battle for the best Tablet device, will be fought, symbolically, between Microsoft and Apple. Right now, The Microsoft Courier is only a prototype, but a video has been leaked demonstrating its features. The courier is a dual screen concept. It measures only 5x7 when closed. Not much detail is known, only that the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on Windows CE 6. Microsoft's emphasis is on mobility. I cannot recommend this device, at this point in time, as not much detail is known. But keep an eye on this one folks, it will be a major competitor to the iPad

Should you go with Apple's quality, yet slightly underpowered revolutionary device? HP's powerhouse, running the wrong OS? Notion Ink's cheaper alternative to mobile computing? Or Microsoft's mysterious Courier? Time will tell. Or more properly speaking, the consumers will.

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