Alternatives to the iPad or Two Times By The Seven Samurais - First Seven

The first seven (and still slightly)

The notorious site CrunchGear, on the eve of the start of sales of the iPad (or rather, the day before), published the second seven alternatives to the Apple iPad. The first seven on Habré in the search did not show up, so here at once all 14 alternatives. In my opinion, not all provided devices can be called an alternative with a clear conscience, but how many people have so many opinions. I am pleased to hear your comments.

ModBook

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Axiotron, for just $ 899 (prices may vary from dealer to dealer) will turn your MacBook into MacPad. If you do not have a MacBook, Axiotron will sell you already ready for 1849 dollars. Of course, you can choose the specifications to your taste, but it will be even more expensive. An option for those who want a tablet-performance full-fledged laptop.

IPad advantages

* Full OS X
* Multitasking
* Flash support
* Built-in camera
* Built-in optical drive
* 13.3 inch screen
* 120GB hard drive (and in the good - any, what you put)
* You can use Windows (either through virtualization or both)

disadvantages

* No built-in 3G modem (but you can plug in an external one)
* Missing multi-touch (perhaps the main drawback)
* No access to the App Store

Viliv X70

According to CrunchGear, this South Korean development includes almost everything that the iPad lacks. Maybe so, but why was it to throw away what the iPad has? And the price is not encouraging, at least for the moment, $ 597 and the lack of a multitouch cannot be combined.

IPad advantages

* Windows (I understand, this is not an advantage for everyone, but this, in turn, means that you can install any favorite Linux)
* Flash support
* Multitasking
* Unlocked (i.e., without being tied to an operator) 3G GSM modem
* GPS
* SD card slot
* Camera
* USB slot
* Haptic-feedback touchscreen
* Video out
* 128GB SSD

disadvantages

* Lack of multitouch
* No access to the App Store
* Screen size only 7 inches

Archos 9 PC tablet

Archos has been active in the multimedia device market for quite a long time, therefore, such scary words as Intel Z515 1.2GHz Atom, Hyper-Threading and Intel Burst Performance Technology are quite familiar to it. In addition, other magic spells were used in the preparation of the Archos 9 PC Tablet: 8.9-inch screen, 32GB SSD, Win7 Starter Edition and 1GB of RAM. The price of 549 dollars and the lack of a multitouch again suggest that this alternative to the iPad looks like a loser.

IPad advantages

* Windows 7 (or favorite Linux distribution)
* Flash support
* Multitasking
* Two USB connectors
* SD Card slot
* Camera
* Stand
* Optical trackpad

disadvantages

* Lack of multitouch
* No access to the App Store

Viliv S10 Blade

Personally, I don’t understand why CrunchGear happily included the Viliv S10 Blade in the list of alternatives, but forgot about other netbooks from other manufacturers (see below). Here you can read (in English) a full review of the device where the CrunchGear device is not very happy with the device - first of all because of a non-high-quality bracket that holds the swivel screen. According to them, the bracket is the first thing that will break when used more or less actively. In addition to this, it is impossible to fix the screen in the “tablet” position on this model, which increases the load on the bracket. Perhaps the next version will be more adapted to real life, since the screen with multitouch support is one of the best places for this netbook.

IPad advantages

* Windows 7 (or favorite Linux)
* Multitasking
* Flash support
* Unlocked 3G modem
* Camera
* 2 USB ports
* SD card slot
* Video output

Disadvantages

* No access to the App Store

In the same class of Netbook Convertible, there are at least two more devices that are not in the original review from CrunchGear, but which have been in stores for a long time.

ASUS T91SA-VU1X-BK Eee PC T91 8.9 "Touch Screen Netbook

Since Habré already has a detailed overview of this device , I will not dwell on it - I’ll just say that I don’t see any fundamental difference between the devices - the same Intel Atom, the same memory gig, the same ability to install Windows or Linux and the same opportunity use the touch screen putting it on the keyboard.

HP TouchSmart tm2-1070us 12.1 "Zero Force TouchSmart Display Notebook PC

I found several mentions on Habré, but no one seemed to have done a complete analysis of the device. The store configuration includes the Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.30GHz / 4GB RAM (upgradeable to 8GB) / 320GB HD / Intel GMA 4500MHD / 802.11N / Webcam / Fingerprint Reader / HDMI / 12.1 "1280x800 / Windows 7 Home Premium for $ 899. In my opinion, a very, very good configuration, as they say, is a good thing, a pity is not needed. By the way, this is one of the first laptops with a rotary touch-screen screen. I felt it in the store and should say that the screen itself did not impress me. On the other hand, half a year ago, nothing of the kind was close to it for that kind of money. All configuration options are available on the HP website .

Notion ink adam

The first really worth alternative to the iPad. Review and video on CrunchGear , article on Habré , the output is promised by June 10.

Advantages before iPad

* Android
* Multitasking
* Nvidia Tegra 2
* 10-inch screen that can work in either full color or ePaper mode
* Trakpad on the back wall
* USB and HDMI ports
* Unlocked 3G modem

Draw

* Android Market is available (but it seems to me that Apple will have a bigger set in the App Store)
* Multitouch

HP Slate

The same HP Slate that Steve Ballmer showed on CES 2010. On the HP website, you can find anything but non-technical specifications. Actually, based on such rumors, CrunchGear believes that the device will be released this year and will cost $ 500 - $ 600.

Virtues

* Windows 7
* Multitasking
* Flash support
* Camera
* USB ports

disadvantages

* No access to the App Store
* No 3G modem is announced (by the time the device really comes out, 4G will be announced at the time).

Dell Streak

Immediately - no. The screen is only 5 inches, that is practically a telephone. I once used the HTC X7501 Advantage, just with a five-inch screen - almost no difference with a regular phone. Based on the fact that on the Dell website, during a cursory examination, I did not find any references to the device at all - most likely many of the specifications mentioned below may still change.

Virtues

* Android
* Multitasking
* Two cameras - one on the front panel (for video calls), the other for photos on the back
* USB ports
* Two microSD slots
* According to rumors - unlocked 3G modem

Draw

* Android Market (again, in the App Store, the choice is richer, especially with the release of the iPad)
* Also does not support flash

disadvantages

* Small screen
* (for CrunchGear, the absence of a modem is indicated here, which is inconsistent with the dignity above - I would write an obviously weak processor here)

Original review on CrunchGear .

This article is in my personal blog .

To be continued!