The Samsung Galaxy Tab is considered as iPad’s first real challenger. The Galaxy runs on Google’s Android 2.2 operating system, which means that it also comes with an existing library of a whooping 100,000 apps. It’s sleek and sturdy with its 7.5 by 4.7 by 0.5 dimension. It’s much lighter than the iPad (13 ounces vs. 1.5 pounds). The glass front is a 7-inch multitouch. Its touch response is immediate and reliable. And the whole thing is said to be superfast and a delight to use.

On top of those, the Galaxy also sports a front- and rear- facing cameras with a flash, video, exposure controls, and special effects. This tablet can also play Flash videos online. (Take that, iPad!)

But Galaxy’s biggest drawback would probably its price. It sells for $600. With that money, you can already buy two netbooks, or four Kindles. Or perhaps, a 16gb iPad, with a larger screen, aluminum body, and better battery life. You can also get it for $400 if you’re willing to sign a two-year contract for a cellular service.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab presents itself as a potent alternative with its incredible speed and highly refined hardware. It just sucks that the Galaxy costs more than what it’s supposed to replace.

Source: NY Times

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

Apple’s latest offering – the iPad – is selling better than hotcakes. The product moved a million units in just 28 days. In just less than 2 months, iPad sales totaled 2 million – that’s a rate of 24 iPads a minute.

This just proves that per-product brand names (how many jokes have we heard about the the iPad name?) can be trumped by a whole lot of other factors. Apple has clearly got the mobile market by the scruff of its neck.

So, were you one who made Steve Jobs and Apple stockholders a tad richer?

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.