Is there an electronic tablet that you don't need wifi or a mobile plan for?

Answer 1

t's difficult to remember a time before tablets, but it's been a mere 18 months since the first Apple iPad was released, and the current tablet market was born. Since then, we've seen scores of manufacturers trying to snag a slice of the tablet pie, which so far, has been dominated by Apple, who is now on its second iPad iteration. According to a study by Strategy Analytics, of the 7.5 million tablets that shipped during the second quarter, 80 percent were iPads, well ahead of those from rivals like Motorola, Samsung, RIM, Asus, and HTC.

That's not stopping others from trying. And the result so far has been a float of difficult-to-distinguish tablets at various price points, performance capabilities, and feature sets. There hasn't really been another standout. The latest big name to throw its hat in the already-crowded tablet ring: Amazon. The company's Android-based Kindle Fire won't be available until mid-November, but it comes at a very pleasing $199-a price low that no quality tablet has been able to yet manage. It will be interesting to see what Amazon's entry means for both the iPad and the non-Apple tablet market share.

So which of the plethora of deceivingly similar-looking tablets is worth your money? Let's look at the key factors you need to consider when shopping for a tablet:

First Off: Do You Even Need a Tablet?

Simply put, tablets aren't really filling any true need right now-they are neither replacements for full-fledged computers nor smartphones. A tablet is a touch-screen media device that is actually most similar to a very advanced portable media player-or an MP3 player with a much larger screen. Yes, many of them have mobile service features, but currently none of them make phone calls via a traditional mobile provider. And while you cantackle productivity tasks on a tablet, you won't get a desktop-grade operating system, like you'll find on a PC. Tablets are basically lightweight versions of laptops in every sense-they weigh less, and they're lighter on features. Plus, since we're talking about slate tablets here, you won't get a hardware keyboard. So if you're planning on doing any heavy-duty text input, you'll want to pick up a Bluetooth add-on keyboard. Still, the advantage tablets offer over laptops is an easy, portable way to check email, browse the Web, video chat, consume media, and play games, but with a much bigger screen with more real estate than your smartphone can provide. The bottom line is, you probably don't need one, but if you want a tablet, read on.