Random Ideas

Who out there has not heard of the iPad by now? Surely only a select few people now live so far under a rock that the iPad is a mystery. But, what does a person do if they want something similar and can not swallow the massive price that Apple places on the device? Many people can’t justify a $600-$900 expense for what amounts to a very large (and heavy) iPod Touch. In it’s defense, it is fast, with a slick interface. Batter life is pretty good too…

In the other corner…

While Google has not yet declared Android ready for use in tablets, they are flooding the market. You can buy them on line and in Walmart. The quality and size varies greatly though. The two form factors that seem most popular are 7 inch and 10.2 inch. They offer different CPU speeds and storage. What is nice is almost all of them have a slot for adding a micro SD memory card to increase storage. Some come with GPS, cameras, or even 3G connectivity. Prices range from $77 to $600 depending on who you buy from. Verizon and T-Mobile both now offer the Samsung Galaxy Tab with a 3G plan.

If you shop for one of these interesting devices, remember that it is NOT an iPad. Even the slowest and cheapest of the Android tablets work wonderfully for eBook use. In fact, some come with a Kindle client installed and you can install the Nook reader as well as other eBook readers on the device. Battery life varies greatly, but the market is still young.

One area that is a problem is that the sellers often do not know enough about the devices. Often they will confuse the specs of the device and tell you things like, “It has Android 1.9!” For the record, the current Android versions are as follows; 1.1, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.1, and the current version, 2.2. What they are often doing is giving you a revision number for the chipset. That version has nothing to do with the Android version, but some diagnostic apps for Android misreport it as the Android version.

Apps for Android is one area where Apple can not compete. Apple has one app store, Android has at least three other than the one sponsored by Google. Not only that, but you can download the tools to make your own if the mood strikes you. There is no fee to pay or kit to buy in order to start making apps and sell them to other users.

I recently got my hands on a wimpy, slow, quickly discharged, android tablet running version 1.6. I love it! It cost all of $110. Web browsing is nice. Media playback works fairly well. The high point is the ability to read eBooks and create documents with Documents to Go. I also love to use it to get current weather and such.

As I see it, Apple has a LOT to worry about. Next year, Google has hinted they will release the first version of Android that they think is ready to be used in a tablet. By then, hardware vendors will hit the market with devices that promise to blow our minds. If I were a certain Mr. Jobs, I would be working on price breaks and heaping on the features before the market shifts to a consortium of vendors with choices for the users.