The Leaderboard of Top 10 hottest tablets in 2011

The ZDNET author Jason Hiner made a Leaderboard for the top 10 hottest tablets in 2011 for people worldwide who might seek a good tablet. Read the post bellow and find your own favorite one. If you have any different opinions, make us know by putting your words on the Comment parts.

Summary: While tablets are the hot new thing, there are almost too many to choose from now. See our updated leaderboard of 10 tablets that are worth your attention.

Tablets are the technology’s industry’s latest gold rush. With Apple selling 15 million iPads in 2010 and projected to sell as many as 45 million in 2011, everyone wants a piece of the public’s sudden infatuation with multitouch slabs of silicon.  From the world’s biggest computer companies to obscure little parts makers, there have been an obscene number of companies releasing tablets this year and the number will only increase next year.

Which ones are safe to ignore and which ones are worth your attention? In February, I wrote a piece called The 10 hottest tablets to watch in 2011. Most of these tablets have finally come to market, a lot of them flopped, and other new tablets have popped up. In May, after reviewing many of these tablets, I wrote the first version of my leaderboard, with a lot of tablets moving up or down in the rankings.

Heading into the fall buying season, here is my updated assessment of the top tablets of 2011.

10. Motorola Xoom

In the past, when Google was ready to make a leap forward with Android, it anointed a hardware partner to produce a device that would be something of a concept vehicle for Google’s vision. For the Android 3.0 tablet OS, Motorola was the chosen one and the Xoom was that device. This 10-inch widescreen tablet launched with drool-inducing tech specs but the Android tablet software was incomplete and desperately needed more apps. The other big drawback was the price. It launched at $799 without a contract ($599 for Wi-Fi version). Today, you can get the Xoom for as low as $439 for the Wi-Fi version through Amazon. It’s still the most industrial-strength Android tablet on the market, but it’s also a little heavy and bulky compared to newer hardware. Read my full review.

9. BlackBerry PlayBook

I was at the event last fall where RIM announced the BlackBerry PlayBook and my first impressions were not very good — mostly because RIM kept it behind glass. However, after getting my hands on the final product, I was a lot more impressed. There are things to like about the PlayBook, especially for businesses that are already invested and committed to BlackBerry smartphones and the BES backend infrastructure. This is a 7-inch tablet, so that limits its appeal a bit — except for the vocal minority who like the smaller form factor. Still, the hardware feels great, the tablet OS is easy to figure out, and the performance is staggeringly good. It’s also one of the best tablets for Web browsing because of its excellent implementation of Flash, although the 7-inch screen is a drawback for trying to read text from most web pages. Also, if you don’t have a BlackBerry smartphone to tether to this one, then it’s difficult to recommend it over other tablets. Read my full review.

8. HTC Flyer

Over half of the tablets on this list are powered by Android and HTC is one of the powerhouses of the Android ecosystem. Unlike rivals Motorola, Samsung, and LG, who all unveiled high-end tablets at CES 2011 in January, HTC was remarkably silent on the tablet question. However, this spring, HTC announced the Flyer, a 7-incher with a 1.5 GHz CPU, 1.0 GB RAM, 32GB of Flash storage, and a special version of the HTC Sense UI designed for tablets. The Sense UI is by far the best Android skin on the market and it doesn’t disappoint on the Flyer, even though it’s running on top of Android 2.2 and not Android 3.0. Also, unlike most of the other Android tablets, the Flyer includes digital ink technology and a stylus — and it’s an excellent implementation. Unfortunately, the Flyer hardware leaves a lot to be desired. It is thick, awkward to hold, and feels like an oversized smartphone.

7. Acer Iconia Tab A500

Acer isn’t known for its innovative designs, and it doesn’t deliver one with this tablet, but the company does a decent job of delivering a lot of technology at a reasonable price. That’s what you get with the Acer Iconia Tab A500 — a 10-inch Android Honeycomb tablet with a dual-core Tegra2 processor, 1GB of RAM, dual cameras on front and back, and a price tag starting at $449. There’s nothing spectacular about this tablet, but it gives you plenty of hardware and features for the money.

6. HP TouchPad

A lot of people will think I’m being extremely generous by putting the TouchPad as high as number six since HP has officially killed product. But, if HP hadn’t killed it, I would have ranked the TouchPad No. 3 on the list (although keep in mind that my primary audience is people who use technology for business). Since HP is clearing out the TouchPad for $100 (16GB) and $150 (32GB) and you can still get them on eBay for $200-$300, this one still belongs on the list, for now. As I wrote in my review, the TouchPad actually trumps the iPad in productivity (especially messaging) and web browsing, but it lacks the entertainment and media options that most consumers want and the hardware feels cheap and clunky. Read my full review.

5. B&N Nook Color

When the Barnes & Noble Nook Color e-reader got an update to Android 2.2 and its own app store earlier this year, it turned into a viable low-cost tablet. Some will argue against it, since it has a heavy-handed UI forced on top of Android and doesn’t run the full Android Market app store. But, I couldn’t leave this little 7-inch tablet off the list. It has a great form factor — thin and easy in the hands — and you can’t beat the price at $249. Plus, if you’re highly technical, you can hack it into a full Android tablet.

4. ASUS Eee Pad Transformer

ASUS believes that the iPad has two weaknesses — lack of choice and limited content creation ability — so that’s where the company has focused its attention in tablets. The Eee Pad Transformer is a 10-inch tablet with a dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU that runs Android 3.0. The most innovative thing about this one is that it has an optional keyboard dock that also functions as an extended battery, giving the device up to 16 hours of life. With the Transformer’s dock mode, ASUS has pulled off an Android tablet that also doubles as a laptop. Plus, the price is right. At $399, this tablet is one of the best values on the market, so it’s no surprise that it it sold out in the US on its first day of online sales.

3. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The original Samsung Galaxy Tab was a 7-inch tablet that jumped the gun on Android tablets before Google was ready, but it offered the first legitimate challenge to the original iPad. If it wasn’t so expensive ($600), it might have faired even better than the respectable sales numbers it posted. Samsung’s second try at the tablet market is a lot more potent. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a gorgeous piece of hardware. I usually don’t like Samsung’s plastic mobile hardware (it always feels cheap to me), but the Galaxy Tab 10.1 looks and feels great. It is razor-thin, light, and still feels sturdy. It has all the specs you’d expect for a high-end tablet — great screen, dual cameras, solid battery life, and a dual-core NVIDIA processor. The only drawback is the software. It runs Android Honeycomb with the Samsung Touchwiz UX, which adds very little, doesn’t have a very appealing UI, and doesn’t have all of the experimental features (like browser thumb controls) as stock Android. But, Samsung is making these tablets very friendly for enterprise buyers and it can run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

2. The Amazon tablet

Okay, I realize that this tablet isn’t even out yet (or officially announced, for that matter), but a lot of what makes a tablet useful is not just the tablet itself but all of the services behind the scenes and Amazon is putting all the pieces in place to build its own Android tablet. In fact, it may be better positioned to compete with Apple than any of the other tablet makers because of its strengths in content and cloud computing. Amazon already had the Kindle e-book library and Web-based music and video stores, but in 2011 it has added the Amazon Appstore for Android and Amazon Cloud Drive. Since Amazon hasn’t made any official announcements yet, this tablet benefits from lots of positive speculation, but the stars are aligning for a formidable tablet product from the world’s e-commerce king. An Amazon tablet that draws on their design experience of the latest Kindle and is priced at under $300 would draw a lot of buyers away from the iPad. Again, although this is speculative, I think the Amazon tablet is destined to be No. 2 in the market by the end of 2011. If you’re thinking about buying a tablet this fall, you may want to wait until you see what Amazon announces.

1. Apple iPad 2

The iPad remains the king of the category and, even with the invasion of an army of challengers, the iPad will retain a commanding market share lead when we get to the end of 2011. It still has too many factors in its favor: dead-simple usability, long battery life, a massive catalog of apps, and a respectable price. The last factor might be the most important. The iPad’s rivals have had a very hard time beating the iPad’s price tag while offering a comparable experience. The iPad 2 doesn’t offer any revolutionary changes over the original iPad. It’s thinner and lighter, has an upgraded processor and display, and adds front and rear cameras. It’s a nice refinement, and with its big advantages in apps and entertainment, it easily has enough value to keep it at the top of this list — even for business users, who want the apps for business tasks and the games and entertainment for plane rides (and to distract the kids once in a while). Read my full review.

Source from: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/leaderboard-the-10-hottest-tablets-of-2011-updated/56840?tag=nl.e539

Related useful readings:

How to rip Blu-ray/DVD to iPad 2

How to convert Blu-ray/DVD to Sumsung Galaxy Tab

How to convert video to Nook Color for freely playback

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BlackBerry PlayBook Release Date Confirmed to Be April 19

Latest news for BlackBerry PlayBook: the Research In Motion (RIM) is preparing to release the long awaited BlackBerry PlayBook at April 19 to compete with iPad 2 and Moto Xoom, a month later than scheduled date. The BlackBerry PlayBook was supposed to be out the first quarter of 2011 but due to some hard ware and software difficulties, is set to be released this April 19.

From all reasons, two main reasons are most often mentioned for the delay of BlackBerry PlayBook release. One is about the touch screen glass shortage, and the other is the difficulty in getting Flash to work properly on the PlayBook. 

Trade magazine Digitimes reports that the reason that the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook is later this month is partly because Apple tied up the supply of touch screen panels from various Asian suppliers. Apple had booked up most of the available touch screen glasses for its iPad 2, which has postponed the manufacturing of touch screen glasses for BlackBerry PlayBook and delayed the release date.

Also, Digitimes also mentioned that aside from the touch screen glass shortage for the delay of BlackBerry PlayBook, the software testing contributes to the delay as well, mainly on the Flash support. This problem has been a common difficulty for many other tablet PCs, like Moto Xoom, which supports no Flash even though Flash support is highlighted as a key feature. Also, the sluggish performance and battery drainage of Flash have been a big concern for all tablet PCs. And without the Flash support, the PlayBook would have noting advantageous and competitive.

It’s been six weeks since Motorola released the Xoom, and April 19 is probably as long as Adobe can wait before Flash can no longer be considered “a few weeks” late. Adobe and RIM made no response to a comment request upon this story.

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Apple iPad 2 Shipment Available Today: Are You Ready to Experience the Newly Apple iPad 2

It must be an another exciting day for all Apple iPad fans, as today, the long anticipated iPad 2 would finally be available on market as planned. Are you ready to experience this faster, lighter, and thinner new gadget Apple iPad 2?

Apple yesterday officially announced its iPad 2 U.S. launch plans for today’s iPad 2 sale, including revealing for the first time that online sales had began at 1:00 AM Pacific Time / 4:00 AM Eastern Time. As previously announced, in-store sales at Apple retail stores and other retail partner stores will begin at 5:00 PM. In line with Apple’s plan, many retail stores and retail partners have made correspondence plan for this magic iPad 2’s debut sale like AT&T, Verizon, etc.

        Every customer who buys an iPad 2 at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping   them customize their iPad 2 by setting up email, loading new apps from the App Store and more, so they’ll be up and running with their new iPad 2 before they leave the store. iPad 2 will also be available beginning at 5 p.m. local time at AT&T, Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, Walmart and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

Many people have predicted the unit sale of this new iPad 2. Some predicted that the unite sale would reach 600,000 when iPad 2 firstly debuts this weekend. Another evaluation about the unite sales of iPad 2 is expected to half a million. These evaluations all seen to be reasonable as the Apple iPad 2 currently occupies really crowed market, especially upon the comparison with the unit sales of its predecessor, which was 300,000 in its first debut day.

Anyway, for Apple iPad 2 fans, all the mysteries of iPad 2 would be uncovered today ever since its shipment. Rather than predicting the unit sales of this great iPad 2, why not go to Mac App Store for some useful tools to enhance the performance of your iPad 2? Recently so many new software programs have been created and added to the Mac App Store for Mac users to download, like Mac video converting tools, Mac DVD ripping programs, etc. There are even some free giveaway products like the Leawo iAm Ringer, an iPhone ringtone maker for iPhone users to make customized ringtones, becoming free on Mac App Store for a time limited activity to all Mac users.

So, what would Apple fans say after they receive their eagerly iPad 2 and make a hurry experience with this new tablet? Compared with its predecessor, what this faster, thinner and lighter Apple product would bring to fans? It would be quite soon for us to get these feedbacks on Apple iPad 2.

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What Steve Jobs Had Brought to Apple Fans on the Apple iPad 2 Launch: iPad 2 Specs

For long waiting, the Apple iPad 2 was finally introduced in details on its March 2 launch in Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who made surprise appearance on the iPad 2 launch to introduce this much-anticipated gadget, had provided specifications about the Apple iPad 2.

Maybe for most people, the big news from Silicon Valley should be Steve Jobs’ appearance on the iPad 2 debut, instead of a result for all anticipations towards iPad 2. “Jobs took the stage to a standing ovation, and shares of Apple, which had been flat, climbed as much as 1.4 percent,” a report from Reuters. “He looks thin — but not more so than he did at September’s press event — but upbeat.” The appearance of this legendary leader who leads Apple to such top-notch in electronics had made a big surprise and excited all Apple fans. “Didn’t want to miss today”, Jobs said when strolling onto stage.

Anyway, the presence of Steve Jobs was to add stimulant to the iPad 2 launch. And let’s just take a look what Steve Jobs had brought to Apple fans on the launch. Here I have collected the big staff of the new iPad 2 gadget. Check these specifications to see what anticipations about the Apple iPad 2 have been realized:

• 1GHz dual-core A5 CPU

 • RAM currently unknown, presumably 512MB

• 16GB, 32GB, 64GB storage options

• Front & Rear Cameras, front is VGA, rear is 720p

• 9.7″ LED display with 1024×768 screen resolution at 132ppi

• GPU said to be 9X faster

• Video output supports up to 1080p

• Runs iOS 4.3

• 10 hour battery life

• White & Black color options

• 3G models are AT&T and Verizon compatible

• 1.3 lbs

• Thinner body

Most of the features are just as people anticipated before. But rarely would people guess the “video output supports up to 1080p”, which has successfully made it a surprise by Apple. And for the price and shipment availability, Steve Jobs also mentioned in the launch. The price would still start from $499 while white iPad 2 would be available on March 11 in America and “in at least 26 more countries on March 25”.

Well, it seems now we only need to wait for days to get the newly iPad 2. Believe that the Apple iPad 2 would make a better performance than anticipated.

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March 2: Exciting Day for Apple iPad Fans – Apple iPad 2 Finally Comes Out with New Features

Today, March 2, will be absolutely a worthy exciting celebration day for Apple iPad fans, as the long long awaited Apple iPad 2 would finally be released in Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco.

So many rumors in the past days had been pushed on the release date and the new functions of this new gadget. People around the world all show their anticipations towards the new coming features and performance from Apple iPad 2. And after numerous delays on production or other reasons, the Apple iPad 2 was confirmed to be released today in San Francisco. As the Apple iPad 2 has not been released officially, the specifications about this new popular gadget are still in guess. But so far, some features of Apple iPad 2 could be confirmed on the latest leaked news and pictures about iPad 2.

 The main feature in the near upcoming iPad 2 that catches consumers’ attention is the front and rear camera with a display for FaceTime. The rear camera will be able to take both high definition videos and photos. It will include a larger processor and hard drive, with a nifty feature with the ability to print wirelessly. And other supposed new features would include Multi-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, Dual-core SGX543 GPU, high definition 2048 x 1536 display at 260 dpi, GSM/CDMA chipset, SD card slot, larger memory space, etc.

There are also concerns about the shipment of the Apple iPad 2 since its launch today. Reports have indicated that hang-ups in the device’s production could cause some delay in the actual release of the new iPad. But Apple Insider sources say the tablet may arrive much faster than anyone expected. Some even rumors the Apple iPad 2 would be available immediately since the launch of March 2.

 Besides the gadget, Apple fans also concern that whether Apple CEO Steve Jobs would be able to be there in San Francisco for the iPad 2 release. Steve Jobs, who is in medical leave for battling cancer, has been seen around Cupertino in recent weeks and had dinner with President Barack Obama last month. But, his appearance is still not confirmed. For Apple fans, it might be a pity if Steve Jobs is absent from this long anticipated launch of the Apple iPad 2.

Whatever, these are all something we expect or concern about. Let’s just wait for good news from Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco.

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