2011 The Year of The Tablet

February 14, 2011 By 6 Comments

2011 The Year of The Tablet Web Tech Mobile Caravan
2011 The Year of The Tablet Web Tech Mobile Caravan
2011 The Year of The Tablet Web Tech Mobile Caravan
2011 The Year of The Tablet Web Tech Mobile Caravan
2011 The Year of The Tablet Web Tech Mobile Caravan

If 2010 was the year of the iPad, then 2011 will be the year of the tablet.

Apple rule the roost with the iPad, the interface, design and build are second to none. The price has been the only reason I haven’t recommended it to people that ask. This year cheaper tablets will take the market by storm.

The pics above show the Elonex eTouch 1000ET and it’s one of the first 10inch screen tablets hitting the market at under £150 (£129 Asda Direct) for that price I can overlook the fact that it’s plastic and not that powerful. As a living room or travellers Internet/mail, HD media device I can’t fault it.

Running Android 2.1 it doesn’t run Flash (yet) but HTML5 will hopefully negate the need for Flash in the future. With the Android Market Place providing Gmail, YouTube, Maps and Facebook apps it’s a pretty handy lightweight (650g) device.

A USB port allows the connection of an external hard drive or keyboard and it comes with an 8GB MicroSD for loading up with HD movie files. Battery life is reported at only three hours, but I’ll update on that once it’s had a thrashing.

As the year progresses expect to see 10inch Android devices at about £250 that will bridge the gap and provide decent processing power and battery life. Until then, either wait or accept that the Elonex may just suffice for the next 12 months.

On the other hand, If you are looking for a new monthly data contract you could kill two birds with one stone. Three have recently launched a few tablet based data contracts and the following have caught my eye:

But remember, these devices are for 24 months … not just for Christmas 2011 The Year of The Tablet Web Tech Mobile Caravan

(Sent from iPhone)

 

Related Travel Tech posts:

 

Related posts

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , ,
About Richard Mackney

Sharer of thoughts and Photography from an iPhone while touring the UK in a Caravan and drinking Beer. Co-creator of @fishmedia and two small fry.

  • Tristan Poyser

    Interesting reading, I’d would recommend getting a mifi internet device rather than a 3g enabled device similar costs but much more flexible.

  • Richard Mackney

    .@tristanpoyser I’m quite an advocate of the MiFi as you know and love the idea of a 15GB a month MiFi for £18 a month.However, I’m quite tempted by the fact you can pay £199 and then £25 a month and get an iPad or Galaxy Tab which both retail at around £500 – Ideally I’d like a MiFi and a tablet deal to have the best of both Worlds! (see MiFi post … http://richard.mackney.com/three-mifi-mobile-wifi) Bearing in mind a 15GB a month MiFi over 24 months would total £432 and the cost of the tablet at £500 is £932.The deal above for £199 up front and then £25 for 15GB over 24 months totals £799 … food for thought!

  • Tristan Poyser

    I’m glad i bought it up as, as it all make sense to me now! i’ll have to have a play with your tablet in the near future!

  • Tom Higham

    Food for thought indeed. I had a nightmare with 3 with mobile reception but there 3G data service was much better. Buy now or wait for the new iPad in spring?

  • Richard Mackney

    Hi Tom, I’ve found the data side to be great when travelling. I’ve always thought it good to buy when you need it otherwise you just end up waiting all the time. If it’s only going to be a month then I’d probably wait.

  • Tom Higham

    Thanks for the info Richard. I might hang on for a bit (but I can get impatient!)http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/ipad-2-rumours-what-you-need-to…