Here we will take a look at the inbetweeners that blipped our radar, the losers that sunk and the tablets still standing in the wake of what 2011 left behind and what 2012 will bring to the table.
The Winners
1. Asus EeePad Transformer
Finally, innovation done right. Was the Asus EeePad Transformer the thinnest tablet of 2011? Did it have the slickest UI, best battery life or indeed the most internal storage? The answer to all the aforementioned is a resounding no, however the Asus Transformer EeePad Transformer isn't just a tablet, it's a netbook too. With the world of tech bidding the short-lived reign of the netbook farewell, many analysts would have probably tried to dissuade Asus from making their EeePad Transformer quite so foldable, however the companies conviction and ability to churn out innovative, premium hardware propelled the dual-core Tegra 2 powered device to the top of the Android tablet tables. Adding an air of productivity to an otherwise self-indulgent genre, having reviewed and used one for the majority of the year, we can certainly attest to the copious amount of functionality added by the keyboard dock - not least of all in terms of the additional 8 hours of battery life, two USB ports, full sized SD card slot and full-sized chicklet QWERTY keyboard with track-pad. Crowned by many, including Trusted Reviews as the king of gadgets 2011, we would argue that the Asus EeePad Transformer is the best tablet out there in terms of productivity and functionality.
2. Amazon Kindle Fire
Showing everyone exactly where the balance between affordability, quality and brand power lies, the Amazon Kindle Fire has been one of the real winners of 2011, at least in the States. Yet to land on home turf, across the pond the $199 tablet sales are topping a million units per week proving that despite no access to the Android Market and the 500k apps it bears, users are happy to compromise in order to get an affordable tablet with tight Amazon integration on board. Amazon's proprietary user interface certainly lacks polish, but with a dual-core OMAP processor and 8GB of internal storage as well as decent capacitive display, given the solid physical specs, the fire will grow from strength to strength, with software updates on track to remedy the user experience woes. Due out in the UK in January 2012 at an unconfirmed price, we'd expect to see it retail for £179-£199 to compete with the likes of the Kobo Vox.
3. Apple iPad 2
Old faithful. In a genre overrun by meh, the Apple iPad 2 is the one tablet that in our opinion, offers a truly complete developed tablet experience and ecosystem for the average user, no accessories required. It's thin, it's light, it's smooth, it's solid and and it's simple. Apps look great, the A5 processor motors everything along nicely and there's no questioning its success. All it takes is a train journey through the heart of London and you're likely to see at least 5 commuters lost in their 9.7-inch portals. With reasonable pricing starting at £399, storage options available as well as Wi-Fi and 3G models on the market, whether you're looking to swipe and pan while watching TV, share content on the IPS display or keep up to speed with the latest current affairs to and from work, you won't get a more refined experience than on an iPad.
Notable Mention: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
The iPad of the Androids, for anyone looking for a lithe, powerful tab, isn't too fussed on typing and is heavily sold into the Android ecosystem, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the only real contender. Boasting a much slinkier chassis than the Asus EeePad Transformer, a bright, bold 10.1-inch display and some nifty accessories from Samsung in the form of a handy keyboard dock and super-skinny case, the Tab 10.1 proves that Android tablets can be standalone great. Loaded with Samsung's TouchWiz for extra user-friendliness, with some of the really handy features found on the Samsung Galaxy S2 such as Music Hub adding 7 Digital integration and Reading Hub with Kobo, Zinio and Press Reader on board, the Tab 10.1 arrives on users doorsteps and hits the ground running. While the majority of 2011 was spent trying to convince courts it didn't rip off the iPad, despite delayed launches and legal battles nothing can take away from the fact that the experience when using the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is exceptional.
The Inbetweeners
1. Motorola XOOM
As the seminal Honeycomb tablet, we both expected great things from the Motorola XOOM and at the same time were prepared to make allowances for teething problems associated with the operating system in general. Paving the way for all Honeycomb tablets up to this day, on the Motorola XOOM is where we first saw the now ubiquitous 10.1 inch display coupled with 1280x800 resolution, as well as 1GHz dual-core tablet processor - features that have pervaded through to next-gen tablets. That said, the Motorola XOOM was decidedly mediocre for a tablet that cost more than an iPad, with a then inferior OS, screen and app selection. After the release of other Android tablets, offering far less bulk and more affordability, it became clear that the Motorola XOOM had missed a trick, settling itself firmly in the mediocre camp despite its stake as first on market.
2. Acer’s Iconia Tab A500
Despite delivering a solid spec-sheet virtually identical to almost every other Honeycomb tablet released in 2011, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 was one of those solid tabs with no stand-out points and some pretty disappointing battery life. It did offer a reasonable price when compared with the XOOM, however, when compared with its biggest rival, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, with its foldable rather than mountable keyboard dock,it was inferior in every way.
3. Motorola XOOM 2
In the face of our criticism of the Motorola XOOM, the second coming, the XOOM 2 also landed in 2011 and improved upon many features that left the original looking so lacklustre in the face of the competition. Thinner, more powerful, additional ports, the Motorola XOOM 2 would have been a corker if it was released at the beginning of the year. Released internationally in the same month as the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime in the States, the Motorola XOOM 2 shows off less cores, less keyboard and less USPs in general. Sure, the inclusion of the IR port on the top end of the XOOM 2 and great note taking integration, not to mention super-fast web-browsing are pros, but with a yellowy palour to the screen and a design that just doesn't feel as refined as the competition, we're back to the mediocre camp for the Motorola XOOM series.
Notable mention: HTC Flyer
Speaking of tabs that lag behind the crowd, one tablet that epitomises Android's fragmentation and lengthy update time-frames is the HTC Flyer. Measuring 7-inches and rocking a stylus for all those pen-centrics who miss the Windows mobile resistive charm of old, the HTC Flyer is perhaps most renowned as the tablet that made us wait. Force feeding us Gingerbread when all we wanted was Honeycomb it took over seven months for the HTC Flyer to get the version of Android many feel it should have been released with. That said, the Flyer offered solid performance even with Gingerbread and a more portable size, mixing up the good and the bad and landing the HTC Flyer in the inbetweeners camp - not quite great.
3.ViewSonic ViewPad 7e
If there's ever been a product that proves scrimping too much on quality to get the lowest price is a bad idea, the ViewPad 7e is it. Priced at £150, what the ViewPad 7e lacks in cost it makes up for in shortcomings. Pitched against the Kobo Vox eReader and upcoming Kindle Fire, despite some pretty strong competition, it still marches full steam ahead into 2012 with a resistive touch-screen, poor battery life, dated version of Android and an exceptionally poor 3-megapixel rear facing camera. If the Fire and Vox prove anything it's that quality and affordability can indeed go hand in hand, so in the face of a generation of premium product bargain-hunters, the ViewSonic ViewPad 7e fails to make the grade, feeling at least 2 years behind the curb.
2012 Predictions
f you're holding off buying or upgrading your tablet until 2012, there are a few things you should know:
The Asus EeePad Transformer Prime is coming and its going to blow all other Android tablets out of the water, at least until the inevitable slew of quad-core Android tablets are unveiled from other manufacturers, probably this January at CES and February at MWC.
We will likely see a new Samsung Galaxy Tab, with many rumours suggesting it will boast an 11 inch high resolution display and a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor. Will we see an update to their 8.9 / 7-inch tabs there too? Who knows but if the success of the Kindle Fire is anything to go by, we probably will, along with a lot more 7-inch slates.
Google Nexus Tab. One of the major criticisms of Honeycomb is the lack of optimised apps. That fact coupled with a statement from Eric Schmidt when interviewed by an Italian newspaper earlier this week could well suggest mid 2012 will bring a Google tablet to the market, propagating the values of a stock Android experience in the tablet space as the Nexus line has done with Android phones.
iPad 3. While technically we don't know anything about the iPad 3 for certain, we are nevertheless expecting to see one next year. With technical specs suggested to include a retina display provided by Sharp and a slightly thicker casing to accommodate for this, one area that remains shrouded in mystery is the processor. Will the iPad 3 get the A5 chip of old or the fabled A6? We can expect to hear more in spring 2012. There have also been rumours circulating of an iPad Mini measuring in at 7.85-inches to dampen the Kindle Fire's flame.
Windows 8 tablets are on their way and Samsung and Nokia look like they will be playing ball. Expected to land half way through 2012, Microsoft's Windows is seeing an OS unification bringing a version of Metro UI akin to that found on Windows Phone itself on to the Windows tablet.
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