Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 review: a budget-priced ICS slate with a few too many quirks

Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 review a budgetpriced ICS slate with a few too many quirks

Lenovo got the memo: it’s high time the company released a new tablet. With products from Acer, ASUS and Samsung keeping us plenty busy these last few months, Lenovo can hardly expect to stay relevant with the IdeaPad A1 and ThinkPad Tablet from 2011. So the IdeaTab S2109, a $350, 9.7-inch slate running Ice Cream Sandwich, comes in the nick of time.

That’s not to say we were surprised when the tablet launched in June. The S2109 made its grand debut at the FCC in March, and Lenovo teased its arrival with a YouTube video highlighting the 8.9mm-thick unibody shell and the 1,024 x 768 IPS LCD display. What the company wasn’t so quick to point out, though, was that this device packs a TI OMAP 4430 CPU rather than the Tegra 3 processor that’s quickly becoming the new tablet norm. So how does the performance stack up? Does this go toe to toe with all those other mid-range, 10-inch slates we’ve seen lately? Let’s take a look.

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Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 review: a budget-priced ICS slate with a few too many quirks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZBS A1000 Android 4.0 Tablet

ZBS-A1000-Android-4.0-Tablet

Powered by a 1.2GHz Rockchip RK2918 processor, this new Android 4.0 tablet ‘A1000′ from ZBS offers a 7.0-inch 800 x 600 capacitive multi-touch display, a 512MB DDR3 RAM, an 8GB of storage, a microSD card slot (up to 32GB), a 0.3MP front-facing camera, 1080p Full HD video playback support, 3G external support, WiFi, an HDMI port, a 3800mAh battery and runs on Android 4.0 OS. The A1000 retails for just $108.99. [Product Page]

Acer Iconia Tab A700 review: a 10-inch ICS tablet with Tegra 3 and a 1920 x 1200 display

Acer Iconia Tab A700 review

We’ll skip the long contextual intro about how high-powered Tegra 3 tablets are becoming a dime a dozen and get straight to the meat: the new Acer Iconia Tab A700 is an NVIDIA-powered slate with a super-charged screen. Yes, this device is all about the display, and we’re talking 1920 x 1200 pixels on a 10.1-inch panel. And until ASUS’ Transformer Pad Infinity goes on sale next month, this is the only Android tab with that resolution you can get your hands on.

At the risk of spoiling our whole review, bright colors and a high resolution make navigating Acer’s branded build of Ice Cream Sandwich a treat, and its quad-core Tegra 3 insides make the tablet more than just a pretty face. But the WiFi-only Tab A700, retailing for $450, is not the only good ICS option around — and it’s not the most budget-friendly, either. Let’s take a closer look to see if its considerable advantages make it worth swiping that plastic.

Continue reading Acer Iconia Tab A700 review: a 10-inch ICS tablet with Tegra 3 and a 1920 x 1200 display

Acer Iconia Tab A700 review: a 10-inch ICS tablet with Tegra 3 and a 1920 x 1200 display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba Excite 13 review: a big-screened tablet with a price to match

Toshiba Excite 13 review a bigscreened tablet with a price to match

Well, this lede pretty much wrote itself. A 13-inch tablet, seriously? Toshiba is pushing the form factor limits with the Excite 13, and while its dimensions make it stand out in a sea of 7- and 10-inch devices, that isn’t necessarily what tablet buyers are looking for.

There’s no shortage of skepticism about such a large slate — “slab” seems appropriate here — so the Toshiba Excite 13 needs to provide an exceptional experience, with a brilliant display and smooth graphics, to make 2.2 pounds seem more palatable. On paper, its specs are promising: there’s a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU under the hood, a 1600 x 900 display at 138 ppi and a clean build of Android 4.0. The company already has the Excite 7.7 and Excite 10 in its arsenal, and their good performance and bright displays make for compelling tablets. But how does a 13-inch tablet that starts at $650 round out that trio? Read on for our full impressions.

Continue reading Toshiba Excite 13 review: a big-screened tablet with a price to match

Toshiba Excite 13 review: a big-screened tablet with a price to match originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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