Apple resort to refurbished iPad Mini

Apple cannot keep selling premium tablets, considering the onslaught of Android based tablets which are cheaper. It has now begin selling refurbished iPad Mini.

As it stands, the only model that's currently available is the 16GB iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular for Verizon in black. In refurbished trim, it's selling for $429, which is $30 less than retail (a 6 percent savings). That's not exactly a significant price break, but it's about the cheapest you'll find, and it comes straight from Apple. It's worth noting that even though it's refurbished, it's like getting a brand new device. It comes with a fresh new battery and outer shell, and all the retail trimmings, including a 1-year warranty. 

Source: Hot Hardware

It is still more expensive than Google Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire or Asus MeMO Pad, but you get Apple quality product and ecosystem.

Image Credit : Apple

iPad Mini Competition from ZTE V81

ZTE, a top 5 tablet manufacturers has announced its V81 Android Tablet. It is expected to have a low entry price. No specific price is mentioned. The specs ?

In terms of specs, the V81 has an 8-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1024 x 768. The tablet will arrive running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and powered by a dual-core 1.4GHz processor. Other specs include 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot (with support for cards up to 32GB in size), a 3700 mAh battery, 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a 2.0 megapixel rear-facing camera. 

The usual goodies will also be present including Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack, GPS, HDMI, USB and an accelerometer. And while ZTE has yet to reveal which markets the V81 would be released in, they have offered some details in terms of connectivity. The V81 tablet will have support for UMTS (850)900/1900/2100MHz and GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz. 

Source: Android Community

It will be great if it is priced similar to Google Nexus 7 or lower. We will have to wait for MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2013 for more details.

Image Credit : Android Community

Sub $150 tablet from Samsung

Not to be outdone by Google Nexus 7, Acer and Asus; Samsung is building a sub $150 tablet to complement its already successful Galaxy tablet series.

Now the second half of this rumor, Samsung is said to be working on a Nexus 7 competitor as well. We’ve already seen a ton of 7-inch Android tablets in the $200 price range, including the Acer Iconia B1, and the ASUS MeMO Pad ME172V. Now it looks like Samsung is getting ready to join in. Reports suggest that their 7-inch tablet will cost between $149-199 depending on the memory configuration. Currently, details are very scarce, but we should know more in the next few days at the rate these rumors are flying around. Could this be the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0? 

Source: Android Headlines

The other half of the rumor mentioned above is related to Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 which is targeting the iPad Mini market.

2013 is definitely going to be an interesting year for Cheap and Good Tablet PC !

Archos 80 Titanium contender for Apple Mini

The iPad Mini is Apple's answer to the growing 7-inch tablet PC market. Now, Archos 80 Titanium is challenging the iPad Mini. According to CNET :

The tablet houses a 1.6GHz dual-core processor, a quad-core graphics processor, and 1GB of RAM. It sports a stylish aluminum back casing and a 1,024x768-pixel resolution IPS screen. 

The 80 Titanium also comes with 8GB of internal storage with a microSD expansion slot, a 0.3-megapixel front camera, and 2-megapixel rear camera. It also has Micro-USB and Mini-HDMI ports. 

The Archos 8-inch tablet will possibly compete against the iPad Mini. Its stylish, lightweight design and 1,024x768-pixel-resolution IPS screen are comparable with the iPad Mini's, but the 80 Titanium costs considerably less.

 The price will be $169, with availability this April. The tablet will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. So it is not too far behind the leading 4.2.1 Jelly Bean.

Image Credit : CNET

South Africa Budget Tablet Choices

For those of you in South Africa, here are top budget tablet choices for you to consider:

It’s worth mentioning the budget tablets here as well, and three of the ones I have used give a satisfying price-performance ratio: Colpad 2 from TabletWorld, the no-name brand 7” from Android-tablets.co.za, and the locally adapted Wise Touch from Wise Tablets. 

iPad mini, 7.85” screen. R3395 (iStore) 

Samsung Galaxy Tab P7300 8.9” screen, 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 3G, Wi-Fi, USB. R6198 (8ta) 

Colpad 2 3G, Android 4.0, 7” screen, 1GHz processor, 4GB storage, dual SIM slot, 3G and Wi-Fi. R1999 (Tabletworld.co.za) 

Android-tablets 7”Gen 1, Android 2.3, 1.2GHz processor, 4GB storage, microSD slot, 3G and Wi-FI. R1150 (Android-tablets.co.za) 

Wise Touch 7” Gen 1, Android 2.3, 1GHz processor, 4GB storage, microSD slot, Wi-Fi, localised apps. R1395 (wiseshop.co.za) 

Source: Mail & Guardian

The iPad Mini also gain "Tablet of the Year" award from Mail & Guardian. It looks like in South Africa, the iPad still dominates the market.

Two Top Cheap Good Tablet PC 2012

The two top tablets of 2012 are Apple iPad Mini and Google Nexus 7. The Google Nexus 7 is, of course, my personal choice, due to its more affordable price. But we must also remember that Apple still leads the tablet market. By introducing the iPad Mini, Apple is now a competitor in the cheap good tablet PC, even though its price tag is still somewhat expensive.

Check out the head-to-head comparison of iPad Mini and Nexus 7 over at PC Tablet.

Announcing Archos 80 Cobalt

Archos is announcing a new tablet, called Cobalt. It is going to be the same size as Apple iPad Mini. With 1024x768 display resolution and 8-inch screen. The OS will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, dual-core processor and 8GB of internal storage which will be expandable. Ubergizmo speculates that the price is going to be under $200 to remain competitive.

There’s no pricing details yet–the deevice was announced on Archos’ Facebook page–but I highly suspect that it’s going to be under $200, because it won’t be able to compete with Google and Amazon with these specs at a higher price. 

Source: Ubergizmo

Do you have any additional info ? Please share using the comments system below.

iPad Mini sets the bar higher for cheap good tablet pc

Image Credit: Bloomberg Businessweek

Apple introduced the iPad Mini last Monday. What effect will it have on the low end tablet market ? Specifically the cheap good tablet PC ? According to Casey Newton of CNET, there are three views:

The first, articulated by some analysts, holds that lower-cost tablets have nothing to worry about. Reuters collected their comments in an article giving shape to their general lack of concern. The reason? The entry-level Mini's $329 price, enough to give it distance from cheaper tablets on the market. A note from Nomura Equity Research indicated that "demand for Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire is unlikely to be much affected by the launch of the Mini given the significant price gap," Reuters reported.

The second view says that the price difference won't matter as much as some analysts think. AllThingsD found several analysts who share that view. As J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz told the outlet: "Should Amazon and Google be worried? Yes, they should be worried." The argument here is that Apple greatly expanded its pool of potential buyers by making its entry-level tablet $329, while shrinking the pool of potential buyers for Android tablets by a corresponding amount. Given that cheap tablets compete primarily on price, the thinking goes, the cheaper iPads get, the more difficulty Apple's competitors will have. 

But there's a third way of thinking about the situation, which has gotten less attention. It's related to the first two lines of thought, and it goes something like this: Android-derived brands like the Kindle Fire and the Nook will thrive in an iPad Mini world -- but devices based on a more pure version of Android will struggle. 

Source: CNET

Price wise, the iPad Mini is no threat to the low-end tablet. Buyer are also more conscious in their purchase. They know that when they purchase a low-end tablet, their expectations are limited. They get their money worth.

However, the iPad Mini with its Apple quality surely have set the standard higher for low-end tablet. Soon it will no longer be acceptable to have a simple resized app that was made for smartphone, to fill the tablet screen. The app must be optimized for the tablet experience. No shortcuts are acceptable.

But there was Phil Schiller, the company’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, whaling away on the Google Nexus 7′s pitiful stretched-out phone apps during the iPad mini unveiling.

Source : LaptopMag

With Microsoft releasing Windows 8 and its Surface tablet, the tablet market is getting very interesting. Soon we will start seeing tablet that are cheap but of good quality. There are already rumors of sub-$300 Windows 8 tablet. The thought of having native Windows applications like Office, Outlook, Firefox and traditional desktop applications running on a tablet will make life a lot easier. Hunting for apps that performs similar function is no longer necessary. The tablet war is heating up. It is getting more interesting. We will soon see a booming cheap and good tablet PC market. Where good actually means great!

Amazon Kindle Fire HD caught in the crossfire

Amazon recently announced the availability of Kindle Fire HD. Its latest version of Kindle tablet optimized for Amazon experience. It is a 7-inch tablet and received great review from people who like to read e-books and watch movies on their tablet. Amazon Kindle Fire HD is now in the crossfire between Google Nexus 7 and the recently announced iPad Mini. Can it stand out ?

For those of you not familiar with Kindle Fire HD, I found a great first impression you can read below :

The Fire HD is a well built tablet, and the rubberised back and surround make it feel more durable than an iPad.  

Switch it on, and the 7 inch screen is sharp, clear and easy to read. 

However, the main difference is in the software. 

The Kindle software puts content, not apps first. 

It works using a 'carousel' you scroll through with a finger, with content divided into books, music, apps, video and others. 

It's extremely simple to get around, but does feel far more 'contained' that the rivals from Google and Apple - this is a gadget for consuming media rather than any attempt to work. 

Sadly, the app selection is also smaller than its rivals, with 50,000 available.  

However, there are still most of the big names in there (including the MailOnline app), and the web browser also works well. 

For app addicts, this probably isn't the right tablet.  

But for those who primarily want a gadget to read and watch films on, the Fire HD is an absolute bargain, and it's only real competition in the budget market comes from Google's Nexus 7, which runs the firm's Android software and has more apps, but a much more complex interface. 

Overall, the Fire HD is a winner and could see many people switching from dedicated ebooks into the world of tablets - and the lower price may even lure a few iPad mini purchasers to switch allegiance.

Source: Daily Mail 

 The best way to find out who has the best hardware is by side by side comparison. Here is a feature chart comparing the Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus 7 and iPad Mini that I found on the internet:

Another clear advantage for the iPad mini is its cellular connectivity—it'll be able to access 4G LTE mobile networks, while the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD are currently Wi-Fi-only (there's the 8.9-inch LTE-enabled Kindle Fire HD, but it's a bit too big to make this comparison). Still, the two Android based tablets have their advantages in overall connectivity. The Nexus 7 has NFC and GPS, which are missing in the Fire HD, while the iPad mini is missing NFC entirely and only offers GPS in its cellular models. The Fire HD is also the only one of the bunch with micro HDMI out, making it easy to hook up to any HDTV.

Source: PC Magazine 

As PC Magazine summed up, in comparison, the three tablets appears to be similar. It is the connectivity that differentiate the tablets the most, with Kindle Fire HD having the advantage of easy connection to HD TV, watching movies on big screen TV using Kindle Fire is easy to do. Price is also great. It is cheaper than the iPad Mini. Equipped with Android 4.0, albeit heavily customized for Amazon experience. The Amazon Kindle Fire HD is still a contender. However with Google announcing its latest Android updates, both in terms of software and hardware, will Kindle Fire HD still be relevant ? What do you think ? Please share your comment below.