With the number of tablets available in the market rising steadily day after day, the options you have are becoming wider and, better yet, cheaper. The premium products are however staying on top of the line with performance as well as the prices. Not all prefer to shell out big money to have a tablet, but the burning desire as they flip through the pages of a online store eagerly to see if there is a tablet in their price bracket is a very common occurrence.
But are the cheapest ones reliable? Are the features in the expensive ones your requirement. Lets face it, most you may want a tablet to have a portable media player, with some exciting games apart from using it as a diary and scheduler. If you are still looking at an iPad that is priced way above what you need, though there are several features powered by beasts of processors and GPUs, you are in the wrong section. There are several alternatives to less powerful machines, but more than capable for most of your needs.
So here is a very short list of your best bets in the tablet market.
Ainol:My first, personal recommendation, choice would definitely be the China make, Ainol Novo 7 series of tablets. Don't underestimate the extremely capable tablet pc just because it is made in China. Even the iPad if you check sources is "Made in China". Take the Ainol Novo Crystal which has an 7" MVA screen with a great resolution of 1024x600 (best in the price range) with 16 GB of internal storage, Android, Jelly Bean 4.1, 1.5 Ghz dual core processor, Mali 400 GPU, 1 GB Ram, and expandable memory slot. All this for just under Rs 8000/- No other tablet gives you a dual core processor at this price range. With some intelligent tweaks available on the internet, you can tether your phone's GPS, use external Bluetooth dongles and much more to make it as capable as your extremely expensive counterparts. A reliable Indian site for the same delivers your tablets safely home without any custom duties levied on the same, www. ainolindia.com
Micromax Funbook: Available in 7" with or without calling facility, and also a 10" variant, this is one of the most purchased tablets in India. Though not as powerful as the earlier mentioned contender, this too has decent specs that make it the most preferred tablet in India. The screen however is poor with bad viewing angles and unusuable outdoors. This should be your best bet if you prefer to read e-books or browse the internet at home. Movies aren't crisp and as sharp with the painfully visible pixels.
The cheapest, Akash 2: What you get is what you pay for. China or not, at the price you basically have a capacitative device running Android 4.0 with some decent specs, despite poor battery life. It can replace your physical books and the apps currently under development for the device would make it one of the finest for education in India. With a tablet that commercially costs just under 5k this serves your purposes well. It has the performance comparable to Micromax Funbook.
Google Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD: If you are willing to shell a little more, you can probably go for the Kindle Fire HD or the Google Nexus 7. If you fancy more of pure and unadulterated Android experience with some raw power for high end games and basically everything possible in the android world today, you should opt for the Google Nexus 7. If you want a crisper screen, with more storage on board, you should go for the Kindle Fire HD. With either of these you will not be disappointed. They are priced just above the 15k mark for the basic versions. The Google Nexus 7 is officially available in India too.
(AW- Anil)
