Samsung Galaxy Tab. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is considered as iPad’s emerging top rival. It’s only at 7 inches (versus the 9.7 inch iPad) and it’s also lighter. It comes with Android 2.2, Flash 10.1, 16 gb or 32 gb of memory, GPS, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a 3.2-megapixel camera, with autofocus and flash. The Galaxy Tab can only be bought through a carrier. And yes, that also means that there’s a phone in the Galaxy Tab.

Toshiba Folio. Like the iPad, the Toshiba Folio doesn’t have to be bought through a carrier. You have the option for Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G. It has a 10.1 screen, an Nvidia Tegra processor, stereo speakers, a 3.1-megapixel webcam, two USB ports, an SD card slot, an HDMI connector, Bluetooth, and 16 gb of memory. It also comes with Android 2.2 and Flash 10.1.

The Streak. Dell’s 5-inch Streak is more of a phone than a tablet. Compared to most of the new tablet, the Streak only comes with Android 1.6. If anything, it shows that Dell is being aggressive in getting out this kind of product early in this category.

The Blackpad. The Blackpad from Research in Motion is reportedly being made as a companion to the BlackBerry. But, at this point, nothing much is known about this product; everything about it is still a rumor.

HP Slate. The company Hewlett-Packard has been making PC tablets for years. HP Slate runs on Windows 7. But the reaction of the market to iPad’s release demonstrated the demand for a light-weight, non-Windows tablet.

Source: CNN

And he’s got early adopters to thank for that. These are people who need to have their mitts on the latest technology. Never been one, but a few friends of mine are and I just can’t quite stomach the money that they spend (and lose just by being one).

Here are a couple of reasons why I think being an early adopter can run up your tab more than simply waiting it out.

You absorb the “introductory price.” The thing with first generation releases is that a next generation is not long behind which will almost always be better in terms of buck per bang. And the model that you bought will have a significant price drop.

You become part of the test group. If there are any defects, then you’d be the first one to experience them too. Sure, your experiences may warrant a recall but the added hassle and loss of usage time means it’s going to cost you money.

Research firm iSuppli says that the components of the iPad cost as little as $219.35. But that doesn’t mean Apple will sell it on a break-even price for parts and manufacturing. There’s also quite a lot of expense that need to be covered from the R&D side to marketing to logistics and everything else in between. Makes you wonder how much is the real profit margin for Apple on a per unit basis.

But it looks like Apple is looking into making it a more competitive product after a number of people indicated that the price is too rich for the tech being offered. And that’d be great. The most basic iPad would cost $499 and budget-conscious consumers are said to be hesitant with that price tag.

Realistically, I think Apple would only look into some double-digit price cut if they ever will. But if they do, I’d probably consider getting one.

You want an MP3 player, get the iPod. It doesn’t matter if the Zen and the Zune had much better tech per buck ratios (well, maybe not the Zune). PCs and Windows notebooks offered much more flexible computing capabilities but everyone wanted the sleeker MacBook. All because it’s got the Apple styling and Apple logo on it.

Now, just last week, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad (sanitary napkin jokes are in order. It’s dubbed to be the netbook killer with its sleek and small form. The multi-touch screen that everyone loves and wants. But besides those, it won’t feature netbook comforts such as USB connectivity, upgrades, a keyboard, etc…

The “fully-featured” one costs $829 with 3G connectivity and 64 GB of storage. A keyboard dock comes as an accessory but that would make the iPad’s form quite pointless. And at that price, it’s almost already a Kindle (if I want a portable reader) and a decent-powered Acer/ASUS laptop (if I want oodles of computing juice).

Money-wise, it doesn’t really offer much buck per bang. It’s really for people who buy gadgets without knowing the full extent of their use and for people who just want to get in to this whole “I got an iPad” thing.

People call it the next revolution. I call it a fad. But since people will be buying it and competitors will be imitating it, other people might just be right.

Social games may be free but the money comes in when people who have become hooked enough to the game spend real money on virtual goods to help them level up.

As the game never ends, and Zynga develops more features and levels to keep players on their toes, the possibilities to spend is also practically endless.

Zynga was founded by Mark Pincus in 2007 and if the business buzz is true, Zynga might be able to surpass its $100 million dollars this year.

Source: Brainstorm Tech