Perhaps you’re looking for an affordable tablet computer to assist you with a few general/basic tasks while at work, school or simply on the go. Maybe you don’t need the most expensive one with all the extra bells and whistles (aka features). Everyone has their own set of needs as well as budgets. When you hear the phrase “tablet pc” the word “expensive” might come to mind, but we’ve compiled a list of some highly capable and useful tablets you can purchase for under $500. This way you get a tablet device that has the features you need without having to break the bank.
Acer Iconia Tab A500
The powerful Acer Iconia Tab A500 comes equipped with the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system which is specifically designed for tablets. This tablet can do what the more expensive tablets can do at a fraction of the cost. It’s capabilities are quite impressive and there’s a lot more than meets the eye at first glance with this highly functional device. You’ll really love the external case as well which is made with aluminum and has a high-gloss anodized finish.
Acer Iconia Tab A500 Specs
Hardware
NVIDIA® Tegra 2 Dual Core Mobile Processor
1GB DDR2 Memory
NVIDIA GeForce GPU
eMMC: 16GB on board
MicroSD memory card up to 32GB
Dolby Mobile Technology
Dual Analog Microphone
Dual Speaker
802.11b/g/n Wireless (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
1 Micro USB 2.0 Port
1 USB 2.0 Port
1 Micro HDMI Out (support Dual Display)
G-Sensor, E-Compass, L-Sensor, Gyro-meter
Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer Battery
Up to 8-hours battery life
5MP Rear Facing Camera with Auto Focus and single LED flash
2MP Front Facing Camera
Operating System
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Dimensions
7 x 10.2 x 0.5 inches
Display
10.1″ HD Multi-Touch Display
1280 x 800 resolution
16:10 aspect ratio
Cost: $449.99
Order on Amazon10.2 inch Windows 7 Tablet PC
Usually you get what you pay for, but not in this case. Of course we mean that in a good way in the sense that you get a practical tablet pc for a fair and affordable price with the Windows 7 tablet from GINOVO.
10.2″ Windows 7 Tablet PC Specs
Hardware
1.66GHz Atom N450 Processor
2GB DDR2 RAM
320GB HDD
G-Sensor
Multi Touch Screen
HDMI Port
3x USB2.0 Port
3000 mah lithium rechargeable battery
1.3MP Webcam
Operating System
Windows 7 Ultimate
Dimensions
10.8 x 6.3 x 1 inches
2.1 pounds
Display
10.2″ Capacitive Multi-Touch
Widescreen (16:9)
1024 x 600 Resolution
Cost: $430.00
Order on Amazon10-inch Multi-Touch ViewSonic gTablet
ViewSonic is well known for making quality products and their 10″ gTablet is no exception. For a small device it sure comes bundled with a lot of really great features. You can use it effectively for work or play. It’s quite the multimedia powerhouse and this portable tablet is not to be underestimated.
ViewSonic gTablet Specs
Hardware
Nvidia Tegra 2 T20 Dual cortex A9 (1Ghz)
512 MB of DDR2 RAM
2D/3D Graphics processing
3.5 mm headphone jack
Mini USB port
USB port
1080p video playback processor
OpenGL ES 2.0
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n support
Bluetooth 2.1 wireless connectivity
8-10 hours battery life
Video conferencing via 1.3MP camera
Operating System
Android OS 2.2
Dimensions
13 x 2.8 x 9.8 inches
2.5 pounds
Display
10.1-inch display
1024 x 600 pixel resolution
1080p playback (HD)
Cost: $299.99
Order on AmazonSamsung Galaxy Tab (Verizon Wireless)
Although the Galaxy Tab has gone down in price quite a bit don’t let that fool you. This portable tablet is in fact very sophisticated. It comes bundled with a lot of cool widgets and it’s more than capable of completing your day to day tasks whether you use it for work or entertainment.
Since Apple owns such a large chunk of the tablet pc market the result has been that other quality tablet manufacturers have been forced to lower their prices. However, this does not necessarily mean they are any less capable as you will see in this example with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Specs
Hardware
1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor
2 GB internal memory
16 GB microSD card slot (with support for optional cards up to 32 GB)
6-axis motion sensor and accelerometer
Virtual keyboard
3.5mm headphone jack
Next-generation Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity
Ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n)
3G Mobile Hotspot capability
Multi-format media player
Swype input system
4000 mAh battery
Up to 13 hours of battery power
3-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash
1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat
Operating System
Android 2.2
Dimensions
7.48 x 4.74 x 0.47 inches
13.58 ounces
Display
7-inch touchscreen display
1024 x 600 pixels
16 million color depth
Cost: $299.99 (Price varies based on service type)
Order on AmazonViewSonic ViewPad 7 7-Inch Android 2.2 Tablet
Here’s yet another example of a small device that packs a big punch. The Android based ViewSonic ViewPad is a great choice if you’re looking to get the most for your hard earned money. You’ll almost feel guilty for paying less than $500 when you see all that this tablet can do.
ViewSonic ViewPad 7 Specs
Hardware
Qualcomm MSM7227 600MHz
802.11b/g networking
Bluetooth and is 3G ready (Quad-band GSM)
Supports Google Mobile Services (GMS)
512MB internal memory
Micro SD card slot (up to 32GB)
G-sensor, accelerometer and ambient light sensor
8-10 hours of battery life
3MP auto rear-facing camera
0.3MP front-facing camera
Operating System
Android 2.2 OS
Dimensions
0.4 x 7.1 x 4.3 inches
13.3 ounces
Display
7″ capacitive multi-touch display
High-resolution 800×480 screen
Cost: $300.00 (Price varies based on service type)
Order on AmazonVelocity Micro T301 Cruz 7-Inch Android 2.0 Tablet
If you’re looking for a beefed up e-reader then you have found it. The T301 Cruz comes with the Kindle reader preloaded. This is not a highly advanced tablet, but it’s a lot more than just a typical e-reader too. You can do things like play videos, surf the web and check emails. It has a lot of good features being that it’s a color e-reader, very light and portable, has a long battery life and is like your typical e-reader but on steroids. One unfortunate thing is it doesn’t support Flash, but other than that it’s a good little device for a descent price.
Velocity Micro T301 Cruz Specs
Hardware
256MB RAM
4GB internal storage
4GB SD card
802.11n Wifi
Up to 10 hours of battery life
Operating System
Android 2.0 (can upgrade to 2.2)
Dimensions
5.6 x 0.6 x 7.5 inches
1 pound
Display
7-inch screen
4:3 aspect ratio
800×600 capacitive color touch screen display
Cost: $179.99 (Price varies based on service type)
Order on AmazonDell Streak 7 4G Android Tablet (T-Mobile)
The Dell Streak tablet is a useful device with many great features. It’s compatible with T-Mobile’s 4G networks for ultra-fast download speeds and web surfing. You can use it for video conferencing, watching videos, listening to music, completing office/work related tasks and much more. It comes with both front and rear facing cameras. Google Maps is also integrated enabling you to do voice activated searches with satellite or street views along with step-by-step navigation.
Dell Streak 7 Specs
Hardware
1 GHz nVidia Tegra T20 dual core processor
16 GB memory
Ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi sharing)
Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity
Enabled for T-Mobile’s 4G network
Swype input system
3.5mm headphone jack
USB 2.0 port
microSD memory expansion
multi-format media player
2780 mAh lithium-ion battery
Rear 5-MP camera for photos and video
HD 720p video capture (from rear camera)
Front-facing 1.3-MP camera for video chats via Qik service
Operating System
Android 2.2
Dimensions
7.5 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches
13.4 ounces
Display
7-inch WVGA multi-touch display
800×480 resolution
Screen made of damage-resistant Gorilla Glass
Cost: $409.99 (Price varies based on service type)
Order on Amazon
Darryl Burma
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