Although it's almost a given that the Apple iPad will sell well, there are still many complaints about the lack of various features such as multitasking (which might appear later this year), and the lack of flash support, pen input amongst other things. There are a number of alternatives out now or soon to be out though. CrunchGear put together a list of seven alternatives that are either available, or arriving this year sometime. There's actually eight although Crunch Gear for legal reasons cannot specifically mention the JooJoo due to the Crunchpad/Fusion Garage break up late last year.
Rather than rehash the complete list here, I'll just mention a few of my favourites which can be found below.
Modbook
First on the list is the ModBook which is essentially a MacBook modded by another company in to a tablet form factor. The price for the ModBook is $899 although you need to provide your own unibody MacBook which the company hack up and make in to a tablet form for you.
The ModBook has a 13.1 inch screen, 120GB hard drive, Camera, optical drive, flash support and runs OS X although there's no 3G like the Apple iPad and no multi-touch. Picture below...
Archos 9 PC Tablet
Another good option is the Archos 9 PC Tablet that costs $549. It runs Windows 7, has flash support, multitasking, USB, SD slot, webcam, stand and a trackpad. However, this tablet doesn't have multitouch either. Picture below...
Notion Ink Adam
The Notion Ink Adam is another fantastic looking device that if launched, has great potential. The latest we heard is that it will launch in the next few months, so stay tuned. Features included in the Adam are Android OS, multitasking, NVIDIA Tegra 2, 10 inch dual mode screen (colour and ePaper), track pad on the back, USB, HDMI and a 3G modem.
The full list is available over at CrunchGear.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree that the Archos 9 offers a lot better functionality than the iPad. But the battery life is only 5 hours. Not a problem if you only use it in short bursts, but a problem if you are trying to get in a full-day’s work done on the move. Can’t wait for HP’s Slate to hit the stores too.
The other promising IPAD alternative is LENOVO S10-3T. The device has a capacitive touch screen that runs Windows 7. And a physical keyboard if you prefer to type. It can multitask. Has a 1.3 megapixel webcam incorporated into the unit. And other features IPAD forget to include.