Issue 8.11
If you have looked at or played with the I-Pad, you have probably been as impressed as I am. If, like many of us, you love the concept but balk at the $500-$800 price tag, you may be happy to learn that there are some very cool alternatives coming out over the next few months.
The first two items do not have cellular access but work with your home network. At the top of the list (and not cheap at $799) is the IBM Lenovo Ideacentre. It has a 21.5 inch HiDef Touch Screen (great for multimedia – about the size of a small flat panel TV) 4 Gigs of Ram, 1 Terrabyte Hard Drive and Windows 7. I think I want one of these more than the I-Pad. Another option that has been around for a while and is becoming increasingly popular is the netbook. Most of these do not have touch screen capability, but are fully functioning computers on which you can watch video, browse the web and create documents. They usually have a good internet capability on your wireless network and, other than a smaller keyboard and screen; they are a lot like your laptop computer. They do not have a CD/DVD drive, but you can add a USB attached external drive if you need it. Prices run from $250-$500.
Viewsonic has started selling seven and ten inch versions of their touchpad at prices in the $400-$600 range. It uses the Android (or “droid”) operating system that many cell-phones use and is pretty cool. Like the I-Pad, android devices use apps (applications) that are downloadable instead of programs you buy off the shelf. Many of these apps are free, some are a few dollars. Most are under $10 so you won’t spend tons on software.
Dell has jumped into the touch pad market with their own version that is based on the droid concept. It is priced at $450, but if you don’t mind making a 2 year commitment to T-Mobile, you can get it for $199. Most of the other manufacturers are also giving a price break if you commit to a service plan for a related cell phone company.
I also purchased a new 7 inch touch pad called the Sony Dash that sells for $150 and hooks up to your home wireless network. It seems to use its own operating system (not droid or Windows). It is so new that even the website doesn’t have all the apps and other content yet and it doesn’t actually have a web browser but uses feeds of data such as weather, on-line radio, netflix, your facebook and email, etc. The sound is good. Netflix movies play well and it has some fun apps with more to come. Limited (no cell access, must be plugged into a wall outlet) but inexpensive.
A couple of companies are selling a budget line of A-Pads (A standing for android) in the $100-$300 range. These are made in China and are very new on the market. I’m unsure as to how reliable or user-friendly they are. I will continue watching to see if they are worthwhile. You can take a look at them by going to Amazon.com or by searching “apad”.
As always, stay safe – and make sure you have a backup of anything important.
Shaun McCausland has been in the computer industry for 29 years (locally with Musicomp & Bits ‘N’ Bytes) and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions, you can reach him at 668-7118.