TECH VIEW

Time to succumb to a tablet ?

By Anoop Verma

Sales figures of major tablet makers indicate that the market for such devices in India is still in its infancy. However, most of us would have come across people who are already extracting value from their trendy tablet PCs. With Indian companies coming up with many low cost options, perhaps it is now time for us to start falling in love with the tablet. Here are few great options:

Spice MiTab

Paked with cutting edge technology, this all-in-one tablet from Spice offers an innovative framework and faster response. It can serve effectively as a smartphone, navigation device, and a gaming system. The 7-inch capacitive touchscreen display makes it easy for you to access various apps by swiping through various screens. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snap dragon 800 MHz Turbo Processor, the tablet runs Android 2.2. There is a 2MP camera at the rear and a front facing VGA camera. Connectivity options include 3G, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Surfing experience is quite good, as the tablet supports HTML browsing and Adobe flash player.

(Available at: Spice HotSpot stores,Price: Rs. 12,999)

Beetel Magiq

Even though the WVGA screen in this tablet is of only 7 inches, the form factor is such that you get the impression of holding a slightly larger device. The device boasts 1 GHz Qualcomm processor and Android 2.2 operating system. It comes with a docking port and a microSD slot at the bottom, the volume rocker is on the left, while on the right side we have the 3.5 mm audio jack, USB port and a proprietary charging port. There are two cameras of 2MP at the front and the back. Connectivity options include 3G and WiFi.

(Available at: Airtel stores, Price: Rs. 9000)

Reliance 3G Tab

This is another tablet that subsumes enough bangs for the bucks you pay. The Android 2.3 device weighs less than 400 grams and it features a 7-inch capacitive multi-touchscreen. There is a 2-megapixel back camera and a VGA camera in the front to facilitate video calling. Reliance is promising a download speed of up to 7.2 Mbps and an upload speed of up to 5.76 Mbps, something that seems quite feasible as the device runs on 800 Mhz CPU power and 512 MB RAM. There is a Live TV feature to facilitate viewing of TV shows. The device comes with a bundled 4GB memory card, which is expandable to 32 GB. 

(Available at:  Reliance Stores, Price: Rs. 12,999)

iPad 2

In case you are open to splurging, you can go in for Apple’s latest reiteration of its hot selling iPad – the iPad 2.  Being 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, the device feels even better in your hand. The large, beautiful display of 9.7 inches is a feast for the eyes, and the multi-touch technology feels completely natural. There is so much you can do by mere gestures of your fingers – surfing the web, typing email, reading books, swiping through photos, and much else. Connectivity is through 3G and WiFi. The two cameras, one in the front, and the second at the back, make use of the FaceTime video-calling feature to put you face to face with the person you are talking to.

(Available at: Apple Stores Price: Rs. 29,000 to 47,000 (Depending on configuration)

Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1

The latest tablet from the ensemble of Samsung has been available in India since last month. This stylishly designed, smooth running device uses Android 3.1 Honeycomb and is equipped with 1Ghz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM. The 10.1” screen delivers magnificent sharpness and the touch experience is as good as it can get. There is 16 GB of onboard memory and connectivity is through a range of options, including 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth. Support for Flash is there. We also have a feature called ReadersHub, which gives access to a plethora of online books, newspapers and magazines. Despite being feature rich, the device weighs only 565 grams and is a breeze to handle.

(Available at: www.ebay.in, Price: Rs. Rs. 35,890 (for 16 GB model)

HCL ME Tablet AE7-A1

Powered by an 800 MHz ARM processor and running Android Froyo OS, the AE7-A1 from HCL weighs 400 grams and has a 0.3 MP camera at the back and also a front facing camera. The interface consists of a 7” resistive touchscreen display; the flash memory is 256MB DDR2 RAM. The inbuilt memory is of 2GB, which can be expanded to 32 GB through an expandable memory card slot. Lack of 3G is a problem, but users can enjoy connectivity on the go through a USB dongle. Other connectivity options include WiFi and Bluetooth.

(Available at: http://www.hclstore.in, Price: Rs. 10,990.00)