Budget Tablets

If you fancy a slice of the tablet world but you're on a budget (or just too tight to shell out on an iPad or Galaxy Tab), take a look at our "Budget Tablet Guide". You never know, you might find something you'll like...

*All prices were correct at time of post*


Archos 101 £269.99- PCWORLD:

A 10.1" capactive, high-resolution 1024 x 600 pixel screen takes up the front of the device which weighs only 16.9 oz (480g) and is 0.47” (12 mm) thin. Sporting Android 2.2 (not Stock Android, though, so no Market. All apps are via Appslib, Archos' own app store), so full Flash 10 support is provided.
The 101 has a HDMI out which supports full 1080 HD playback on your TV (720 when watching on the device itself), but if you fancy watching your flicks on the tablet itself, there's a handy little kickstand on the back.


Advent Vega £250- PCWORLD:

Sporting a 10.1-inch capacitive 1024 x 600 touchscreen, and powered by Nvidia's 1GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor, so there's plenty of power, and at 14mm and it's not too heavy either.
Another Android 2.2, again not a Stock Android device, so there's no Market. Strangley, the device houses no Home button either. Anywhere.
The buttons it does have (power, back and screen lock) are incredibly fiddle to use, and really do destroy the user experience.
   
The HDMI port that sits on the right hand side, will only output in the same resolution as the device's 1024 x 600 screen, so plugging into a 50" TV is a big no no.


aPad- £110-179- Amazon

I thought you said budget tablets? I can't afford an iPad! Wait...
Yep, that's no iPad, but a modest (outrageous!) compliment (imposter!) called the aPad.
Yet another Android tablet (not stock), only this time running 2.1, so no flash. The screen is an impressive 10.2", resistive 1024 x 600 pixels & HD 1080p. Did we say impressive? Yes. Did we mean it? No. A very unresponsive resistive screen, absurdly bad hardware. Avoid like the plague.




So, what have we learnt? If you want a tablet; get an iPad. If you want Android; get the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
If you pay on a budget, you'll get budget hardware. Obviously, there are far more tablets out there that suit your budget, and some are real winners, like the Archos 101, but sadly, these tablets are not iPad or Galaxy Tab beaters.
However, 2011 WILL be the year of the tablet, including the introduction of Honeycomb, Androids OS that's designed for tablets, so hey, start saving now...