Amazon's announcement of the Kindle Fire today threw down the gauntlet for both tablets and e-book readers. At just $199, it's not much more expensive than previous e-readers, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than competing tablets.
In fact, you might be asking yourself: Why would I want a drab, monochrome E Ink reader when for a little bit more money I could get an awesome 7-inch tablet?
Conversely, why would I spend $500 and up for an iPad or Galaxy Tab when I could get a slightly smaller tablet for a fraction of the price?
We're glad you asked. We can help you answer both questions. Here are the features, pros and cons of a number of tablets and e-book readers, sorted by price from low to high. What did we miss? Let us know in the comments and we'll update this list.
$79 Kindle
- Screen: 6-inch E Ink, 800 by 600 pixels
- Weight: 6 ounces
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi and USB
- Battery life: Two weeks to a month, depending on use*
- Price: $79 from Amazon.com
Kobo Wireless
- Screen: 6-inch E Ink
- Weight: 7.8 ounces
- Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
- Battery life: 10 days
- Price: $99 from Kobo retailers, including Walmart and Best Buy
TouchPad
- Screen: 9.7-inch LCD, 1024 by 768 pixels
- Weight: 1.6 pounds
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB
- Battery life: 8 hours
- Price: $100 (16GB model), $150 (32GB model) from HP
Kobo Touch
- Screen: 6-inch E Ink
- Weight: 6.5 ounces
- Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
- Battery life: 1 month
- Price: $130 from Kobo retailers, including Walmart and Best Buy
Nook Simple Touch
- Screen: 6-inch E Ink, 800 by 600 pixels
- Weight: 7.5 ounces
- Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
- Battery life: Up to 2 months
- Price: $139 from Barnes & Noble
Kindle Touch
- Screen: 6-inch E Ink, 800 by 600 pixels
- Weight: 7.5 ounces
- Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi and (optionally) 3G
- Battery life: Six weeks to two months
- Price: $149 from Amazon.com (3G version), $99 (Wi-Fi only version)
Kindle Fire
- Screen: 7-inch, 1024 by 600 pixel LCD screen
- Weight: 14.6 ounces
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB
- Battery life: 8 hours
- Operating system: Android 2.2 (modified)
- Price: $199 from Amazon
Nook Color
Barnes & Noble's other entry into the e-reader market, the Nook one-upped earlier Kindle versions with a slew of glossy tablet features. Running Android, the Nook Color has a full-color display and email, web, and video capabilities.
- Screen: 7-inch, 1024 by 600 pixels, 169 ppi
- Weight: 15.8 ounces
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB
- Battery life: 8 hours
- Operating system: Android 2.1
- Price: $249 from Barnes & Noble
BlackBerry PlayBook
Best Buy has reportedly cut PlayBook prices by $200, meaning you could pick one up for as little as $299.
- Screen: 7-inch LCD, 1024 by 600 pixels
- Weight: 14.4 ounces
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, BlackBerry tethering, USB, HDMI
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Operating system: BlackBerry Tablet OS
- Price: $499 from RIM (16 GB) to $699 (64GB) from RIM
Xoom
Announced at CES in January 2011, Motorola's tablet is a slick-looking 10-inch Android tablet with optional 3G.
- Screen: 10.1-inch, 1280 by 800 pixels; 150 ppi
- Weight: 25 ounces
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, 3G (optional), LTE 4G
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Operating system: Android 3.1 (Honeycomb)
- Price: $499 from Motorola (Wi-Fi only, Wi-Fi + Verizon 3G, with plan) $599 (Wi-Fi + Verizon 3G, no plan)
iPad 2
The product that started the tablet trend, Apple's iPad is still the market leader. It's set apart by great hardware design, Apple's slick mobile operating system, and a well-stocked App Store. It's also the priciest tablet currently available.
- Screen: 9.7-inch, 1024 by 768 pixels, 132 ppi
- Weight: 21.3 - 21.6 ounces
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G (3G version only)
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Operating system: iOS 4
- Price: $499 - $699 from Apple (Wi-Fi only), $629 - $829 (Wi-Fi + 3G) from Apple
Galaxy Tab
The Galaxy Tab is Samsung's Android tablet, announced in late 2010. Apple is currently battling with Samsung over patent infringement, which means that the Tab might not be available in your country.
- Screen: 10.1-inch, 1280 by 800 pixels, 149 ppi
- Weight: 13.8 ounces
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, 3G (ounces)
- Battery life: 7 hours
- Operating system: Android 3.1 (Honeycomb)
- Price: $600 from Samsung
Additional reporting by Heather Kelly
Related articles
- Amazon has yet another hit on its hands with Kindle Fire tablet, Kindle Touch (video) (venturebeat.com)
- 10 things you need to know about the Kindle Fire (venturebeat.com)
