Ten... Apple iPad Mini alternatives
Before you rush out and buy a device that the late Steve Jobs said wouldn’t, couldn’t and shouldn’t exist - well, kind of - you may care to consider some of the alternatives on offer, assuming that is you can’t quite make the nut and afford a full-size iPad. Until Windows RT fondleslabs percolate down to those of us empty of …
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Re: And the Note 2 .......
The problem with the note 2 is that it seems like a halfway-house between phone and tablet for about ten minutes. And then the screen seems a normal size, a. All other phones seem tiny by comparison.
So, your "massive" tablet-phone suddenly doesnt seem so big. So for media consumption you're going to want a tablet. Ideally a big one since a 7" one wont look much bigger. The Note 2 is not a replacement for a tablet.
Posted from my Samsung Galaxy Note II.
I kind of like my PlayBook
The PlayBook's screen and hardware is really nice, especially the touch which is the most responsive I've used on any tablet. The screen also seems to resist fingerprints extremely well. The speakers are excellent and the device lasts ages in standby.
Sadly PlayBook OS feels... lacking somehow. The apps all do what they say but there is a sense that they're missing features that they should have (e.g. to be able to remember passwords in the browser) and a sense that RIM is basically done with PlayBook OS. RIM also had to cobble together apps from different vendors and some of them are pretty basic and in some cases just glorified bookmarks (e.g. the Twitter "app" is just a link to the browser). I have to hope the device gets an update to BB 10.
Android support is actually pretty good in 2.1 but sadly RIM have gone out of their way to lock the thing down so it's hard to sideload anything and what stuff exists in the store is usually more expensive and less well supported than its counterpart in the Play store.
Anyway for £110 you're getting a really good piece of kit and perhaps if the device is just for email and some browsing there is no point spending much more.
Re: I kind of like my PlayBook
Is it possible to get a keyboard for the Playbook? I'd like a really cheap tablet that has a physical keyboard of some sort. Something light I can carry to and from work and use it to type fairly long documents on. pdf and ebook support is a must.
Any suggestions? =)
Re: I kind of like my PlayBook
Look for "ACC-41616-001" or "BlackBerry Mini Keyboard". If you want cheap, any bluetooth keyboard should do and there are plenty to choose from.
Re: I kind of like my PlayBook
There is an official Playbook bluetooth keyboard / trackpad comes with a faux leather cover / stand and is the same footprint as the tablet. It's charged separately and costs about £60. Alternatively there are a lot of generic 7" bluetooth keyboards on Ebay for less.
I haven't used a keyboard with my tablet to say what it's like with one. The onscreen keyboard is okay for stabbing out short messages which is about all I need it for since I use the tablet mostly for picking up at bedtime or in the morning to read a few websites and check my email. As I said, the tablet is okay for that sort of thing and the screen is really nice.
Re: I kind of like my PlayBook
Sorry Thomas, I don't have an answer for you. Just posting to suggest a RegHardware round up of Bluetooth keyboards in general would be good!
Re: I kind of like my PlayBook
You can get a bluetooth keyboard and case for circa £18. Ok, but basically my playbook is just used as a glorified bedside clock, with audio book capability and WIFI as a bonus. It's nicely built, I like the O/S, and for £129 with 64GB/GPS/etc, it's somewhat good value as such, however I can't see me using this format of device for anything different or useful. Laptop still king for mobile doing type stuff, Desktop for the money earning potential.
Re: Is it possible to get a keyboard for the Playbook
You're intended to use your bb. If that's not keyboardy enough, a bluetooth keyboard should work.
I bought a playbook recently at £125 for the 64g - glad to see other readers comments - it's so good but so unpopular I thought I was missing some huge drawback, but it all works really well, battery life is excellent, the screen is beautiful, control is easy, system is responsive and I got all the apps I want for free from their app store, though it's true choice is limited and prices generally higher that google play
The killer app that the kindle has is lovefilm streaming. Didn't see a mention of that.
BTW having had a playbook for about six months now there is no way it deserves a score of 70%. If you have a blackberry handset the level of integration between the two is a dimention of functionality no other tablet has.
no way it deserves a score of 70%
I'm confused. Does a "dimention of functionality no other tablet has" make it better than 70% or worse?
"The killer app that the kindle has is lovefilm streaming"
Funny, this is what enticed me to go to netflix so that I can watch on any device I choose, not what Bezos decided I should be watching on.
Bah
The playbook was horrible on release. But the updates have made it much more well rounded. The thing does all the basics better than my android stuff does (pics, film, media, pdf, music) with a weakness in the appstore. But £129 for a baseline tablet that is high quality and 64GB... its worth a much higher score on value alone than the 70% given.
Re: Bah
Yeah I got one...just because.....
I love it. It goes everywhere with me now and I hardly use my laptops. Superb bit of kit for £129.
Wont fall apart after 6 months like the Acer too.
Kobo Arc
Good article.
Although it is not released in the UK until the 16th of November, the Kobo Arc looks like a good alternative.
It is close to the Acer A110 in terms of spec; it has a higher res screen, but with a dual-core chip. However it is more open and will get JB at some point, so I thought would wait until it was in the shops before I make a final decision.
Re: Kobo Arc
Ick. I won't touch anything made by Kobo since I had the misfortune of using a Kobo Vox.
FWIW,
If I could purchase a 64G iPad Mini with 'Retina' screen, A6 chip, GPS, 1G RAM, wifi and 3g combined - 4LTE being way over the top - all for under £400 i probably would go that route, as it stands, in both specc's, performance and cost, the Nexus 7 holds the candle - tis a great shame it too is not offered with 64G with 3G and priced at £300 - I'd have one like a shot.
Now is not a good time to purchase the iPad Mini, it will be obsolete within 12 months - how else do you think Apple are going to gouge its customer-base - as for the App Store, never purchased anything from iTunes or their App Store and all my Apple mobile devices are jailbroken - I do like the iPod Touch, but like the iPad Mini, its way too expensive!
FWIW: " Apple are going to gouge its customer-base"
Of course they will update it, and probably in 6 months. But fanbois throwing away their iToys every 6 months to get the new one only happens in your imagination.
What really happens is that you get the device you want when you want it, and keep it for a long long time. Eventually you might get the latest and greatest, and sell the old one for a damn high percentage of what you paid for it because it's an Apple that still works like new not throwaway cheapo plastic rubbish.
We still have the iPad1, bought a month before the 2 came out, and it's still flawless, and we don't feel the need to change it. I also have an iPod touch which is approaching 4 years old now, and I'm still very happy with it thanks. I have an iPhone4 which I'd *quite like to change for a 4S as I'd like the better camera. A quick spin round ebay tells me I can sell the 4 for nearly the price of a comparable 4S, so the only thing stopping me is that the 4 is generally so good that I literally can't be arsed.
Re: FWIW: " Apple are going to gouge its customer-base"
Don't Fandroids do the 'oh shiny, I must have the latest upgrade right now' dance as well?
All the so called Apple fanbois I know don't throw their iToys away. They pass them on to other family members.
Funnily enough, the android fans do that as well (apart from the real cheapo devices running Android 2.2/2.3).
All this slagging off is getting rather tiresome.
I have two MacBook pro's (one 5 yrs old and still going strong) and a Kindle HD so what does that make me in your classification?
Re: "I literally can't be arsed."
sounds like a challenge
Re: FWIW: " Apple are going to gouge its customer-base"
I have three Macs, two iPods, an iPhone 4s and a Nexus 7.
All the Fanboi whining is getting stale from both sides.
I don't buy this obsolete argument - I have a 3GS I still use daily and it's over 4 years old.
If by obsolete there is a newer model out - well maybe - but it's no different to any other maker.
Re: "I literally can't be arsed."
Maybe he literally can't because that iPhone 4 is rammed too far up there already?
Re: FWIW: " Apple are going to gouge its customer-base"
"All the Fanboi whining is getting stale from both sides." +1
Not just stale, but positively decomposing. Our household has Macs, PCs, an iPod, an iPhone and a Galaxy tab. OS's are Windows, OSX and (occasionally) Linux mint.
Hardware agnostic and OS agnostic. I use what I consider the best bit of kit for the job as all have their strengths and weaknesses.
Re: FWIW: " Apple are going to gouge its customer-base"
Fandroids have to do this more because the device they bought a year ago turns out NOT to be getting the latest OS, whereas Apple devices remain in the upate path for years and years - my old spare phone (3GS) is still receiving updates and could be running 6 if I wanted it to. And it still looks and works like a new phone. I'm even thinking of getting another one so I can give them to my kids for Xmas - should keep them off my phone & iPod, and they're banned from even *thinking* about playing with my wife's 5 :)
Gosh I sound like a real fanboi but I'm platform agnostic really. I just like an easy life and Apple gives me that in spades for the present.
But surely the number of people in either camp who actively chase the latest and greatest are really very few (citation needed ;-) IME anyway. There's maybe 3 people in the office here who care about that sort of thing (out of about 50) - and we're a technology company.
PS Downvoted again by the fandriods!! - must be doing something right? Who cares though? Upvote - downvote..... not a single gram of fuck is actually given!
Does anyone know if its possible to Root the RIM Playbook so it can actually run Android - basically want something for media consumption and playing games?
"Does anyone know if its possible to Root the RIM Playbook so it can actually run Android",
As of version 2 of the O/S you can't 'root' the playbook and I'm not entirely sure you meant root, but meant replace the o/s. However the current version of the o/s is more than capable of running android apps in a VM, (as such), as long as they are packaged appropriately and submitted to RIM's playbook store for verification They run just as well as native apps, but tablets ain't open so for certain stuff they are being stone walled by 'other' companies.
Great article
In an increasingly crowded and confusing market, this an excellent article (entertainingly written too) spelling out the alternatives. Thanks!
I work in Mobile apps and have tested apps on most of these devices.
Whats most important to me is the quality of the screen and how the device feels in the hand.
Motorola Xoom2= POS
Archos=POS
Playbook= Antiques roadshow POS
Kindle Fire= Amazon content delivery system. Plus I believe they track all your browsing through MIMO.
Note 2= Best Phablet.
Nexus 7= The best Tablet by miles.
Not tested or had my hands on the rest or ipad mini yet. Hope this helps.
Galaxy Tab 2.0 7"
I wonder why this one didn't make the list? It seems a competent equivalent to the Nexus 7 and includes a rear camera (albeit fixed focus) and an SD slot.
Galaxy Tab 7.7
Should have been on the list. Not cheap but by far the best small tablet available.
Re: Galaxy Tab 7.7
As hardware definitely. They should of made a nexus version of this with latest architecture.
Nexus 7.7 = ipad mini killer
Why is the sony 9.7" tablet here? Not sure thats an alternative to the ipad mini?
Oh and its an expensive POS btw.
wrong site
Shouldn't this be on 'Reg Hardware' not 'the register' ? Someone miss filed it?
Re: wrong site
Ok well it is on Reg Hardware as well, now that throw me,
its here
http://www.reghardware.com/2012/11/06/ten_ipad_mini_alternatives/
and here
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/06/ten_ipad_mini_alternatives/
Re: wrong site
That would be because reghardware is fed from the Hardware category of posts on theregister. Anything categorised under Hardware on El Reg is picked up by the filter on reghardware.
Quite logical really.
What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
In that whole list, the only tablets with 3G were the Sony Experia (too big to be an alternative to the iPad mini), the Galaxy Note (too small) and the Blackberry Playbook (not Android). What the hell? This is supposed to be a mobile device, one I can use whilst on the move, not just sitting in a coffee shop! To be a reasonable alternative to an iPad mini requires similar performance, similar screen size, at least as good resolution, either an sd card slot or 32GB internal (maaaaaybe 16GB in a pinch), and 3G (4G is worthless till 2015), as well as access to an app store with more than a dozen apps. There isn't a single tablet either on this list or, AFAIK, anywhere at all, that ticks all these boxes, except the iPad Mini.
I guess that's why its so expensive. There's STILL no bloody competition.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
Nexus 7 32Gb 3G £239
iPad mini 32Gb 3G £449
There, competition. £210 cheaper competition. Now, care to explain why it's so expensive?
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
Aren't there a load of stats out there that indicate that more then 50% of tablets never get taken out of the home?
If that is the case then why would you need 3g in every one of them?
I take mine on my travels. It does not have 3g but there again, I have a MiFi (on the 3 network) which I use to connect up when needed which isn't all that often. Sometimes, it is nice not to be always connected to the internet unless of cource you have become addicted. If so, I can sell you a nice ocean front plot of land on an island in the Indian Ocean where (unless you have a satelleite receiver) the internet is a long way away (like 15km).
Peace and quiet. Delightful.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
The Nexus 7 32G 3G launched last week is 3G capable and costs a lot more less than a iPad Mini.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
"If that is the case then why would you need 3g in every one of them?"
I don't want it in all of them. Just some of them, so I actually have some choice that isn't apple (or fecking blackberry, but that's a whole other rant).
I like to be able to browse the interwebs on a train (in the morning, for example, usually to read the news). Or, say, waiting for the doctors or whatever. Or in a hotel, where they want to charge me by the hour for wifi (it was a 4 star hotel, so you'd think the wifi would be gratis, but nooooo). Basically any time that I'm sitting down and the alternative is to stare into space like a lobotomy victim. (and no, that's not all I want a tablet for, but its what I want the 3g connection for). This is hardly a niche use, you'd think SOMEONE would be wanting to provide a solution for it.
And, as another commenter points out, someone finally has with the latest Nexus 7 32 GB 3G, and its about bloody time (and its a shame that soft home button keeps driving me up the wall - I keep pressing it instead of the space button when typing - or I'd be seriously considering getting one right now). But my points (that none of the tablets in the article really are alternatives to the mini, and that tablet makers seem to hate 3G) still stand, and will do until there are several iPad mini alternatives, not just one. Maybe in 2013.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
> Nexus 7 32Gb 3G £239
iPad mini 32Gb 3G £449
There, competition. £210 cheaper competition. Now, care to explain why it's so expensive?
1) Quality of parts
2) Extra support that pays for a very effecient swap in the shop system if it's broken
3) Software support/development costs (inc. cloud services etc)
All the extra services don't come free and grow on trees. The Apple ecosystem does need money to support 300 million+ devices on its network.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
if 1) is true, 2) is irellevant, if you need 2) then 1) is a myth.
And Google develop Android for free? Their programmers do it just for the love of it?
Google Music, Google Drive, etc. cloud-based services, all free.
Keep believing the hype.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
1: No evidence to support this. It's like the homeopathy of technology - "These two things may be the same thing, but this one is 'better quality' because it just is, even though I can't tell you how".
2: It's your legal entitlement to get something broken replaced, and I've never had any trouble with any company. Unless it's your fault, in which case Apple won't replace that either. You can get insurance to cover it, but you have to pay extra for that, and lots of companies offer that kind of thing - and I've seen plenty of horror stories where even when you're paying the extra, they don't cover you. Not that my non-Apple ever seems to break. I guess that's because I buy decent build quality. Seems like Apple products are always breaking, from how people are always telling me about how they get to replace them... (I just love that Apple fans simultaneously praise Apple for things like "build quality" and just "working", as well as that Apple are great because, after paying extra money for insurance, Apple are always replacing their products when they keep breaking.)
3: Not sure what you mean here. On one, you can develop using free software, on any kind of device. You can publish on Google's site for a one off fee of $25, or anywhere else you like for no cost. On the other, you can only develop using a special Apple computer, and have to pay Apple $99 a year to develop for your own device, with no way to get round it.
The Android "ecosystem" is way bigger than IOS, as was Symbian before it. So that's not an argument to justify the cost.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
@theskyes
Google has their ads services to pay for all that. That's their source of income to keep you going round the Android loop. You see/click their ads, Google gets money for that, Google pumps money into Android to make it appear free & their eco-system and then back around again.
Seriously though, it isn't hype. The products speak for themselves. If you can find any early Android 2.0 devices still being used in the field, let me know. I do know there's plenty of 3G/3GS being used on a daily basis.
And the fandroids keep on coming... keep smiling!
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
@Mark
>
2: It's your legal entitlement to get something broken replaced, and I've never had any trouble with any company. Unless it's your fault, in which case Apple won't replace that either. You can get insurance to cover it, but you have to pay extra for that, and lots of companies offer that kind of thing - and I've seen plenty of horror stories where even when you're paying the extra, they don't cover you. Not that my non-Apple ever seems to break. I guess that's because I buy decent build quality. Seems like Apple products are always breaking, from how people are always telling me about how they get to replace them... (I just love that Apple fans simultaneously praise Apple for things like "build quality" and just "working", as well as that Apple are great because, after paying extra money for insurance, Apple are always replacing their products when they keep breaking.)
Technology breaks due to defects by human error in manufactuering. It's just the convinience. Most Android users have to wait 2 - 3 weeks at least to get a repair/replacement. Is there any manufactuer that can do it for you within an hour in a shop? Not seen any myself.
3: Not sure what you mean here. On one, you can develop using free software, on any kind of device. You can publish on Google's site for a one off fee of $25, or anywhere else you like for no cost. On the other, you can only develop using a special Apple computer, and have to pay Apple $99 a year to develop for your own device, with no way to get round it.
I meant the infrastructure of the whole iOS ecosystem plus the operating system updates, research & development etc. Keeping 3/4 year old devices updated is pretty tough. Something Google hasn't seemed to crack yet and retains their pump/dump stratedgy with devices. I mean, Google does have its ad cash to spend keeping the "technically" open-source Android low cost to develop. That's the benefit of an open system.
Thought I'd clear up my thoughts and take on some more pointless thumb downs.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
Quality parts?
What have you been drinking? I lose count how many iMac panels I've seen that have done the rainbow stripes of death... And wasn't there a macbook fault a couple of years back with the nvidia chipset?... And white iphone cases going yellow?... And faulty iphone with yellow tinted screen?...
And that's just what I can remember off the top of my head.
My own brother's 4s recently went mad, got really hot, drained the battery within 4 hours. He tried resetting it, still no good. Went to the store and got it swapped (as is your legal right). Two weeks later he's still trying to get all his music and contacts synced properly.
Hardly handed down from Mount Olympus are they.
Re: What did 3G do to tablet designers that they hate it so much?
The 'quality parts' thing is hokum. A piece of aluminium is not a 'quality part' that causes that much price difference, and I'm not aware that iDevices have a MTF that's higher than Android ones.
"Is there any manufactuer that can do it for you within an hour in a shop? Not seen any myself."
Manufacturer? No, but why would I need it to be the manufacturer, when the retailer can do it. You just walk into the retailer, say "This is fuggerd, I want a replacement" and they replace it. Simples.
Don't fool yourself that Apple are offering a unique and wonderful customer experience.
"Something Google hasn't seemed to crack yet and retains their pump/dump stratedgy with devices."
Seriously? And Apple don't? Apple's entire business model is based around flogging punters an updated product every year.
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