Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit for “properly cheap” alternatives…I think I saw a Galaxy at Dixons airport Friday for £300, Advent Vega for £180, is anything else due out soon?

The Motorola, HTC, Dell etc are pricier than the ipad WTF? 😡

I’ve had a little go on the Blackberry Playbook but I don’t know when it’s coming to the UK

Edit – it’s on the Blackberry site

Galaxy Tab 10.1 does seem the best alternative option ATM.
Though I’ve yet to see one in the flesh and handle it… I did manhandle my friend ipad2 at the weekend and if I had a job, I’d just buy one, lovely lovely bit of kit.
Toshiba Thrive to arrive soon & looks cheap (in the US) – also very similar spec to the Galaxy?

Anyone know where the Acer Iconia fit into this market? Are the Win 7 tablets a different animal?
(I know Win7 isn’t optimised for tablets like IOS or Android)

The Galaxy is still WAY overpriced IMO. I think the Advent is the best VFM ATM.

Woooh too many acronyms there!

the Creative ones seem ok VFM. they might be guff though

Toyed with the idea of an Android tablet for a while – but watching the Gadget Show convinced me to buy the iPad2. Everyone else is trying to manufacture an iPad alternative, and there’s a reason for that I guess.

So wanted an alternative, but there just isn’t one I guess.

one would hope it wil go like phones and credible alternatives will be half the price in time.

You have to *really* be averse to owning an iPad to want an alternative IMO.

Interesting article/discussion on Slashdot today: http://slashdot.org/story/11/07/04/040215/Why-Are-There-So-Few-Honeycomb-Apps

I’d love to see more viable Android tablets and apps, just for some competiton. Right now though, you’d be bonkers to spend more than iPad money on a Xoom or similar.

I did wonder why the chap trying to sell me an iPad on Saturday had a bemused look on his face when I said I’d look for something else.

Like the OP, I would like a tablet, but want to avoid apple for some reason. I think it’s because I don’t like iTunes and the need to plug it into a PC to activate/register/back up and the problems I’ve had with the kid’s iPods. Oh, and the sound quality.

I was looking at the Archos 10.1, but there’s a new one of those coming out in September, so the answer again seems to be to wait.

I bought an Acer Iconia Honeycomb in the US – it was $450 which I think is a fair price. I’m really pleased with it – still waiting for more apps, but there’s enough to be getting on with and as an alternative to a lappy for tinterwebs on the sofa, games, social stuff, it’s brill.

I have used a few different tablets – and personally none really compete with the ipad yet. So looks like I am getting an ipad for my other halves birthday! Doh.

For me the the best thing about iOS is the developer support currently surpasses others by a long way – there is so much good content for it (and the iphone) – for me this is the winning point.

Like the OP, I would like a tablet, but want to avoid apple for some reason. I think it’s because I don’t like iTunes and the need to plug it into a PC to activate/register/back up and the problems I’ve had with the kid’s iPods

Wait till September, the need to sync with iTunes goes away in iOS 5.

Mods – Might want to take a look at your CSS.

Have a look at the Asus Transformer. Looks really nice, pretty cheap, runs Android (Honeycomb) and has a detachable keyboard so it turns into a netbook type device too.

Big

small

Yeah keep signing up to the Apple 30% margin game for all content through the itunes store, keep funding their development and complaining no one else can keep up.

If your balls hurt would you keep asking to be kicked in them?

Regardless of apples margin – developers sell more than enough on the apple app store to make up for it and yes it funds development so developers continually have a good platform to sell on.

I don’t want to avoid Apple per se, it just seems to me someone else will be doing it cheaper in time.

I also want a 7″ screen, I can type 2-handed and it means my forum output can keep up with my brain.

HP Touchpad?

If its just for couch surfing and nerd fun – then a flashed rom on a vega can’t be beat – I’m running gingerbread and honeycomb -£160 from dixon duty free.

imho 7″ hires screen wont get going until ‘ice cream sandwich’ launches later this year.

I now find myself wanting ot try this, even though it’s bound to be crap:

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/16255707/Disgo-Tablet-6000-2GB-7-inch-Touch-Screen-Android-2-1-Tablet/Product.html

Al, I thought you bought and sold an ipad a while back- what didn’t you like about it?

one thing that concerns me about Android tabs is long-term support. I’ve a fairly recent Android handset, an HTC Desire, and it looks like an official, full version of Honeycomb will not be released. yes, I know I can root it and do it myself but I’d rather not. contrast this with my old iPhone which survived a
few iterations of OS- I really got my moneys worth. the rush to release new hardware seems to affect Android vendors willingness to upgrade existing models.

Too big/heavy mostly (I do alot of my forum work on an Ipod Touch), also not worth the cash (as I reckon £150 will get something as good in the future)

+1 for the Asus Transformer.
Picked one up for myself and its an awesome piece of kit.

@codybrennan – Honeycomb (3.0) will never be released for phones as it is a tablet OS only.
If you mean Gingerbread (2.3) for the Desire then HTC are currently working on it and should be available shortly.

But why wouldn’t you root and custom ROM it?
My Desire is currently running the Oxygen 2.3 ROM and it’s ace.

Custom ROM’d the transformer as soon as I got it…

as I reckon £150 will get something as good in the future)

Undoubtedly true, for some value of “future”. But until then, you can’t do the stuff you want to do at the price you want to do it.

Cynical – the next verion of iOS has a split keyboard for typing as you mentioned.

Might be worth waiting for the Amazon tablet that is due out August/September. Tablets are really all about the end to end experience and the others on the market so far have found it really hard to also compete with Apple on price, weight and battery life. Amazon tablet might be able to compete as they have a whole ecosystem behind the scenes to push and manage content and apps. You only have to look at the Kindle 3G to see a well thought out simple device. I still find it amazing that I can download a magazine to the Kindle on a beach in Greece and it costs me nothing network wise. You buy the mag or book and Amazon just deal with the rest of getting it to you and all the cost involved. No need to log onto networks, find wifi, have separate data package etc. I think if they can bring this type of thing to the tablet market then they might be onto an iPad killer.

ARM announced last week that their sales figures for chips were predicted to be down as loads of manufactures are putting tablets releases on hold or scaling back production as they just cant work out a way to compete with Apple yet. I think they have realised its not just the hardware specs.

Until they can work out a better complete ecosystem and experience for the bog standard non IT consumer then I think they will struggle with Apple.

I would get an iPad or wait for the Amazon tablet and see what they is like.

@davcow: sorry, yes, meant 2.3. but you’re wrong re full 2.3- HTC have already said that a cutdown version only will be released. as to rooting it- little chances of me bricking it but it could happen, so I’d rather not. not a great fan of Apple per se but experience with Apple boxen tells me they tend to be better supported by the vendor.

Are there any particular features in 2.3 that you want? As far as I can tell there’s nothing too exciting in that release…

…in saying that, I may well root it.