Battle of the Budget Tablets - Nook Color vs. Galaxy Tab
When Apple announced the iPad in January 2009, the entry price for the tablet market was set at $499. I saw (and still see) the web tablet as the successor to the netbook, so I assumed that it would go down over time, and we would eventually see tablets settle in the $350-400 range that netbooks sold for in their brief period of atomic glory (see what I did there?) ASUS and Acer are pushing that agenda for the moment, with the $399 Eee Transformer and the $449 Iconia A500. It’ll take some time for the market to settle, but all trends point to there. I’m sure at some point in the next 18 months, Steve Jobs will get on a stage in the Bay Area and proclaim to the world that he has decided to drop the price on the iPad. “We’ve decided to make this magical device accessible to even more people. How great is that?”
So there’s technically plenty out there, but when you start looking for high quality devices, your selection gets much smaller. The WiFi-only version of Samsung’s 7” Galaxy Tab is the first one that comes to mind, offering all that the previous 3G versions did, now at a $349 price point. Next is the Barnes & Noble Nook Color, which is surprisingly easy to hack and makes for a capable Gingerbread tablet with a few simple mods. And that's about it.
Budget Tablet Specsheet | ||||
Samsung Galaxy Tab (WiFi) | Barnes & Noble Nook Color | |||
Height | 190.1 mm (7.48") | 121.9 mm (4.8") | ||
Width | 120.5 mm (4.74") | 66.0 mm (2.6") | ||
Depth | 12.0 mm ( 0.47") | 12.7 mm (0.5") | ||
Weight | 380 g (13.4 oz) | 170 g (6.9 oz) | ||
SoC | Samsung Hummingbird | TI OMAP 3621 | ||
CPU | 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 | 800 MHz ARM Cortex A8 | ||
GPU | PowerVR SGX 540 | PowerVR SGX 530 | ||
RAM | 512MB LPDDR1 | 512 MB LPDDR1 | ||
NAND | 16GB | 8GB | ||
Cameras | VGA Front/3.2MP Rear | None | ||
Screen | 7.0" 1024 x 600 LCD | 7.0" 1024 x 600 IPS LCD | ||
Battery | Integrated 14.8 Wh | Integrated 14.8 Wh | ||
MSRP | $349 | $249 |
Between the Nook Color and the Galaxy Tab, we’ve got two rather promising budget tablets, legitimate options for those looking to get in on the tablet movement without breaking the bank. First up, the Nook.
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