Get your Christmas tablet treat early with Felix Tech

Seasons come and go, but Christmas never changes and considering that it’s only 65 shopping days away, you might as well get started making your wish list (parents do need something to spend money on!). So to help you get an idea, here are 4 budget tablets that might tickle your fancy!

iPad Mini

On the 18th of October 2010, Steve Jobs famously said: “seven inch tablets should come with sandpaper, so users can file their fingers down.” Now, almost two years to the day, the Apple rumour mill is going crazy about what will be released within the next weeks. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it seems Apple is releasing a 7 inch tablet. However, will this be the end of Apple and their marketing genius?

Steve Jobs: “seven inch tablets should come with sandpaper, so users can file their fingers down.”

The new iPad, referred to as the iPad Mini or iPad Air is not yet released, and officially Apple denies its existence. So all I can relay here are rumours painstakingly gathered from the internet. First to the basics, Mini is rumoured to be a 7.85 inch (diagonally) tablet with a screen resolution similar to that of the iPad and iPad 2. Also it seems that the iPad Mini will stick with the 16:9 ratio introduced with the iPhone 5, which makes sense as most movies are fitted to this ratio. Furthermore the Mini will sport dual cameras (front and back) as well as the same chip as the iPad 2. Thus it will not be as fast as its newest big brother, but the CPU will clock in at a respectable 1GHz. Unfortunately it seems that the Mini will use the 8-pin dock connector introduced with the iPhone 5, so if you have tons of “old-school” accessories then perhaps you should find something different.

Logic dictates that the software of the iPad Mini will be iOS 6, however it seems logic does not dictate Apple Maps. Yep sorry folks, you don’t seem to get a choice for the software if you want to purchase this pocket-sized Apple tablet. However, iOS 6 does have several positives, which perhaps will make this buy sensible for you; first and foremost the App Store. I cannot emphasize how big the iOS App store is: it drives the whole ecosystem. With more than 500,000 apps you will never be left wanting in

With more than 500,000 apps you will never be left wanting in your search for the perfect app

your search for the perfect app. The question is, with Apple’s constant fragmentation of its devices, are they heading the way of Android? How many of these half a million apps will work out for the Mini? We will have to wait and see! Another pro of the iPad Mini exists in the co-ordination it shares with the other Apple devices, so if you are one of those people who owns one or several Apple things, then perhaps this is for you.

Now to the price. If you’re thinking, I want it, how much do I have to spend? I’ll tell you that the price bandied around on the internet is quite intriguing! For different memory sizes (8GB, 16GB and 32GB) the web states a price in the range of £180 to £250! That’s right guys you could own an iPad for less than 200 quid! Now, if you are already mentally running to the Apple store in Regent Street, I have one last caveat: the release date! Sadly, we do not know the exact release date, as it seems production problems are haunting Apple’s production of the Mini, but with a new Apple conference titled “we have a little more to show you” on 23rd October, we’re pretty sure it’s then.

Kindle Fire HD

The original Kindle convinced everyone that ebooks were a winner, the Kindle Fire convinced everyone low-budget tablets could work. The question is now, does the Kindle Fire HD have enough to convince you to buy it? Well that is up to you, but here I’ll give you the juicy details to help you make your choice!

The Kindle Fire HD is also a 7 inch tablet, fitting in your pocket snugly. Its average of 8 hours of battery life isn’t spectacular but it could be worse, and the screen, with its 216 ppi (pixels per inch), is much sharper than that of the iPad 2 and other comparable tablets. The CPU is on-par with that of the

the screen, with its 216 ppi, is much sharper than that of the iPad 2

rumoured iPad Mini, which will lead to lag-free use. Most tablets speakers are good at sounding tinny, but not much else, and here Amazon is trying to change the game! Working with Dolby, they have added speakers that try to achieve that eardrum-bursting surround sound that Dolby usually achieves. Once we get our hands on this device we hope to confirm that this coming together has worked!

On the software side the Kindle uses a highly modified version of Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, which is almost unrecognisable from the original, and from that you can draw the conclusion that Jelly Bean and further iterations of Android will probably not come to the Fire HD anytime soon. However, Amazon tries to make up with that with free unlimited cloud storage for all your Amazon content. This may seem limiting, but when you own a Kindle you end up only buying from Amazon. Talking about buying, the Fire HD has a huge library of ebooks, movies and music, which is to be

the Fire HD has a huge library of ebooks, movies and music

expected. It’s in the app department where Amazon fails to be strong. Since the Fire HD (all Kindles as a matter of fact) don’t have access to the Google Play store, they are all limited to the Amazon app store, which only has...(drum roll)...50,000 apps. That may sound like a lot, but when you think that ios has 250,000 iPad apps alone, it’s quite meagre.

All in all, the Amazon Kindle does cater to all other needs and at its cost of £159 for the 16GB and £199 for the 32GB (with sponsored screen savers!) it’s quite a good deal, and if you have an Amazon prime membership you get to download ebooks for free. That’s a steal!

Microsoft Surface RT

When Microsoft first showed off its tablet in 2000 it was an absolute... fail. However, now, after Apple defined the tablet market, the Redmond-based company is trying another time to crack this growing market and this time it seems it may be a success! The “Surface” comes in two different flavours; their main difference being the OS they run. Sadly here we only discuss the Windows RT version, although there will be a Windows 8 pro article later on, so don’t worry!

Before we talk about the software, let’s talk hardware. The Surface has many differences to the other low end tablets that make it quite attractive for anyone looking at a purchasing a tablet. Not only does it have a beautiful 10.6 inch screen (something none of the other tablets discussed here have), it also has the option to add a micro SD card, and, perhaps the most amazing, a USB port!

it also has the option to add a micro SD card, and, perhaps the most amazing, a USB port!

The USB port may not sound like such a big deal, but when you think about all the tablets that have been released throughout these past few years, less than ten have USB ports. This will allow external hard drives, computer mice and many other things to be attached to your tablet. Also the Surface has a very good CPU (Tegra 3 (T30) that clocks in at a very fast 1.4GHz, which will allow you to use your tablet without lag. One worrying thing about the Surface though is the silence about the battery performance that Microsoft is practicing. Usually this is something that companies brag about so perhaps this is may not be spectacular.

Windows 8. What else can one say. Windows 8 is Microsoft’s newest OS, and it has been praised as well as criticized, so what will this operating system do for the Surface? I am quite excited actually, as it seems this will be the first attempt at a tablet that will give you a full desktop experience on a device you can hold in one hand! However, since this is the budget version, we can not expect the whole shebang, but what is still achieved is really impressive. This includes something that we expected on tablets but never got, but that Microsoft has promised us, and this is the “true multitasking experience”. On the Surface, Microsoft claims that you will be able to run two apps simultaneously, next to each other, which adds to the ability of the surface to work like a desktop-on-the-go for a student. When you purchase the Surface with Windows RT, you get the Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote thrown in,

When you purchase the Surface with Windows RT, you get the Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote thrown in

which for most students is a bonus! Two cons that I do have to mention, is, firstly, the apparent worries that many experts have about Windows 8. So when you buy the Surface, you will be buying into something that is new and untested. Secondly, programs can only be downloaded from the Windows store (“metro style”), but when you are used to tablets today, this sounds like what we all know and love. The problem with this, similarly to the Kindle, is the limiting app store. The Windows Marketplace has only about 100,000 apps. So what you ask? Well how many are going to be optimised for the Surface?

The Surface seems to be a great tablet, and it surely will make some kind of impact into the tablet market. Hopefully we will be seeing cheaper iterations of the Surface in the future, but, honestly, for what you are getting it is a bit cheeky wanting it to be less than 400 pounds.

Google Nexus 7

The Nexus 7 was hoped to be the Android answer to the iPad in the low-budget tablet market and from the reviews it really does seem that way. The tablet, made by Asus and Google, is the most successful Android to date

The tablet, made by Acer and Google, is the most successful Android to date

(barring the Kindle Fire if you count that as Android), so perhaps this is the one for you!

The Nexus comes with an extremely sharp 7 inch screen, as well as good battery life, wifi and NFC technology. This allows you to use Android beam with other Android devices with NFC, which makes sharing files even easier. Sadly the Nexus does not come with a rear camera, which means if you want to take pictures with your tablet (but honestly, who really does?) you not only have to get a camera app, you also have no option to see a preview of your picture. Compared to the other tablets looked at here, it’s quite a bit heavier considering its size.

The hardware might not sound so awe-inspiring, but it’s the software that really does this trick for this tablet. The Nexus is the flagship of the Android tablet world, and thus it has the newest Android version (Jelly Bean) and will most likely will be the first to get further updates. Furthermore, if you are someone who likes to get inside the guts of their possessions, Android is the way to go, as it (along with other Nexus devices) comes with a Boot Loader, which allows the user to get privileged control of the devices subsystems. Thus you can modify how your Nexus 7 will work. This freedom is unique to the Android experience

you can modify how your Nexus 7 will work. This freedom is unique to the Android experience

and a big selling point for people who want to control their environment and not be controlled by it. Another positive of Android is the integration that it has with your Google account and more importantly with Google Maps, as the whole Apple Maps fiasco shows how important mapping really is to users.

This tablet is the only one out at this very moment, and so you could go and buy it right away. Maybe you will when you hear the price: £159 & £199 for the two variations. This is definitely an absolutely amazing deal for what you get, and if you are an Android person you should really consider this tablet for Christmas or generally to buy.

Summary

We have looked at 4 different tablets, from 4 different companies with 4 (almost) different Operating systems. So now you are scratching your head and wondering, which one is for me? Well let’s compare them and see which kind of person they fit. Before we make any comparisons, we can safely ignore the hardware (unless its something radically different) because all of these are relatively the same, and thus software is the real variant.

iPad Mini

With Apple you always know what you get, you know that everything will be high quality and will work. Nothing will feel cheap, and if you own other Apple products it is only a plus. If you are a person who is happy to be confined within the eco-system of Apple and aren’t really that techie, this may be the tablet for you. Price: £180 to £250 Release Date: 23th October (rumoured) Memory: 8GB to 32GB OS: iOS

Kindle Fire HD

The Fire HD is the one who doesn’t seem to have a real target audience, but when you really look at it has a lot to offer. The people who will want to look into the Fire HD, are not really that focused on apps, but more into the ebook/music scene. The speakers as well as the unlimited cloud storage seem promising. I, however, really like this free-ebok-if-you-are-an-amazon-premium-member thing, maybe you do too! Price: £159 - £199 Release Date: 25th October Memory: 16GB and 32GB OS: Modified Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Microsoft Surface RT

The Surface, if it comes out as described, will be a game-changer in the tablet business. The fact that you have a USB port, a touch keyboard cover, as well a kickstand for it to stand on its own, makes this tablet pretty much a laptop (or “hybrid”). This may be the best option for a student, considering you get most of Microsoft office as well as a 10.6 inchw screen, but sadly the price may put some people off. Price: £400 Release Date: 26th October Memory: 32GB and 64GB with options to add more OS: Windows RT

Google Nexus 7

Google’s foray into the tablet market has been a successful one, and this tablet is for those who are not happy to be limited. Android is the Windows of the tablet world, and such modifiability will appeal to many tech-oriented students. The inclusion of NFC will also appeal to those who have a Android device with Android beam. Price: £159 - £199 Release Date: Out Now Memory: 8GB and 16GB OS: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)