Tactile tablets, inventory before Christmas

There will be tablets at Christmas. Six month after the trumpet launching of 'Apple’s iPad, no less than four competitive products are available in French market. Dell, the American has shot the first, since the start of the new academic year, with a minitablet, Streak, sold in France in particular by the network. The Phone House. The French Archos followed close behind it with a big format model, 10.1 Tablet. In next days, the Korean Samsung and the Japanese Toshiba are going to start the ball rolling, with two very different models, Galaxy Tab and Folio 100.

All the new tablets have a common point: Android. That is not much astonishing because, those last months, Google ‘s operating system has imposed as the most credible alternative to Apple’s products in « smartphones » market. For the makers, Android presents multiple advantages: it is free, benefits from a reputation good enough and has already at its disposal an applications shop well-provided. Towards Microsoft, however in the origin of the term « Tablet PC » at the beginning of 2000 years, there is no one product available for the moment in France.

During this time, what is worth Android in front of iPad ? A little the same thing as mobile phone: it works well, offer multiple services but appears less elegant and intuitive than Apple’s iOS system. It has to be said in its defence that Android is an « Open-Source »open platform, that gives it a side you get out of it what you put in it the first place: « geeks » should be able to personalize without suffer from Apple rigidity and each maker can add to it almost what it wants and even changes his interface if he wishes…

At this little game, it is Samsung which comes out the better, without doubt because it has already practiced on various Android phones. Galaxy Tab distinguishes itself with a few functions well-thought, such as Swype, a revolutionary system to keyboard text while you make your finger slip on the keys of a virtual keyboard. All the models use except for Dell which is still in 1.6. version. An update is forecast before the end of the year.

If their system is the same, the new tablets play on the size to distinguish. No one takes again exactly the same screen as iPad, of a 9,7 inches diagonal (25 cm). Dell opted for a screen of only 5 inches, what puts it immediately separate: the object evokes more a big phone than a minitablet. At Samsung, the screen passes to 7 inches, that brings closer to electronical books and presents a few advantages, whether you like it or not at Steve Jobs. Galaxy Tab holds in one (big) hand, but does not takes too much space in a bag and people do not hesitate to take out in common transports, even standing up. At the opposite, Archos and Toshiba adopt screen a little bigger than iPad (10,1 inches). It is good to watch videos, good too to type text and surf on Internet but that makes products not very mobile – a reproach that we can make too to iPad. Another inconvenient, Android Market applications, designed until here for phones are adapted bad to such big superficies. At last, it is regrettable that the two biggest screens of our selection also are those whose display quality is the less good.

No film camera, neither in front (for videoconference) nor behind (to photograph or to film): it is one of the weak points of 'iPad. All the competitors have thought about it : Toshiba and Archos suggest a webcam, Samsung and Dell add to it a second film camera (respectively of 3 and 5 megapixels). For the rest, we find the almost same ingredients as in an iPhone: accelerometer (which make the screen revolve when we turn the tablet), GPS and compass (except on Archos), loudspeaker and microphone.

It is a base rule of computer science, which verifies from the first Mac in 1984: Apple, it is beautiful but it is expensive. Dell, Archos and in a lesser measure, Toshiba displays without surprise prices tighter than iPad. – the palm of low cost reverted to Archos. On the other hand, Samsung pays the luxury to be more expensive that the Californian firm: 100 euros more than with a smaller screen, it is a bit strong. But the Korean should do very well inspiring of mobile telephony: its model will be subsidized by French operators, who should sell it about 300 euro, on condition that you engage for twelve or twenty-four months.

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