Best Android Tablets Available Today

The range of Android tablets on the market is growing at an exceptionally quick pace and each one offers something slightly different than its rivals. Once you have decided to go with an Android tablet and not other platforms like in the case of the iPad 2, HP TouchPad or BlackBerry PlayBook, another difficult decision follows: Which Android tablet is right for you? Here are 5 Android tablets (3 Honeycomb and one Froyo) that are available on the market right now.

T-Mobile G-Slate

 

The T-Mobile G-Slate elbowed its way through the Android tablet crowd earlier this week and so far has some positive reviews in terms of exceptional hardware and performance. If there were any shortcomings it would have to do with its 4G speeds that are slower than the Motorola Xoom LTE and more complaints about Android 3.0 Honeycomb feeling like an unfinished product. The T-Mobile G-Slate features an 8.9-inch display, Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 5-megapixel camera and one key feature that no other tablet has on this list, 3D video recording and playback. T-Mobile is also throwing in 3D glasses for free.

Acer Iconia Tab A500

 

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is another well price Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet set to hit US shores very shortly. The Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet with a 10.1-inch display (same as Motorola Xoom) will reportedly cost $449 and deliberately undercut the base iPad 2 model which starts at $499 (16GB WiFi). For that price, you get a Honeycomb tablet packing a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera, microSDHC slot and HDMI output. There is also some custom widgets, DLNA media sharing using clear.fi and a couple of other handy apps. Expect some great games as well like Let's Golf and Need For Speed: Shift

Motorola Xoom

 

This was the first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet and although it had a buggy start (no Flash, 4G LTE coming later on, lack of Honeycomb optimized apps), it still stands as a good buy if you don't mind forking out for the higher than normal price tag. Some of the key specs of the Motorola Xoom Android tablet include a 10.1-inch widescreen HD display with 1280:800 resolution, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera for HD video capture and 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, full suite of Google Apps and services, access to Android Market, Adobe Flash Player support and a stock Android 3.0 Honeycomb platform.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer 

 

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer correct one of the biggest mistakes of the Motorola Xoom and that is the price tag. The tablet will set you back $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB). Now of course, this tablet won't technically be able to "transform" without the keyboard dock. That unfortunately is not included in the package and you will need to plunk down an additional $150. This technically makes $450 the lowest price point you are walking out of with the full ASUS Eee Pad Transformer experience. While it ain't cheap, you're still looking at $50 less than the base iPad 2 model for this WiFi-only Honeycomb tablet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

 

The first real Android tablet competition to the iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab sold worldwide in the millions and is still a sought after tablet. While it is the only Android 2.2 Froyo tablet on the list, it deserves a mention as it is still available through US carriers and severely marked down. On paper it doesn't have much to offer (both software and hardware wise). However its solid build and now decent price makes it a worthy option for those looking for an Android tablet that is a lot cheaper than the others on the list while still getting the job done.