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Tablet choices abound

One of my earliest Practical Geek columns predicted your next computer would be a tablet.

One of my earliest Practical Geek columns predicted your next computer would be a tablet. I can't take credit for it, but that suggestion is coming true: next year, according to a recent estimate, at least half of all "computers" sold in 2014 will be tablets like the iPad and Surface.

Fortunately, for those of you who are considering getting a tablet (or a second or even third one), the choices and prices are the best they've ever been.

As before, your choices break down to size and operating system.

The two main sizes are mini tablets at seven to eight inches and "standard" tablets at 10 to 11 inches. (There are a few outliers, with Samsung trying to create a tablet for every conceivable hand size, and some manufacturers offering Windows behemoths of 20 inches or more.)

Mini tablets include the iPad mini, the Google Nexus 7 (made by Asus) and a new breed of Windows 8.1 tablets such as the Dell Venue 8 Pro. Mini tablets are less expensive than their larger cousins and are considered "consumption devices," best used for surfing, email, social media, ebooks, games and video. They are light, portable, and the perfect travel and coffee shop companion.

Thanks to their cheaper prices, they are also the most popular segment of the tablet market.

The best value tablet is still widely considered to be the Nexus 7, which starts at $249 at retail. It's fast, has a beautiful screen and features the latest pure version of Android, including the powerful Google Now feature that makes Siri look like a circus monkey.

The most expensive by far is the iPad mini with Retina display at a bracing $419.

By all acounts it's gorgeous ("Retina" simply means nice looking screen) and speedy and offers the widest selection of apps available for tablets.

Apple still sells the first-generation iPad mini for $319. It has a "lesser" screen and is technically slower, but I use one at work and think it remains a fine choice.

The interesting entries this year are Windows 8.1 tablets from Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Toshiba.

They offer the full power of Windows, including free versions of Office, and both the 8.1 Metro environment (that's the one with the colourful array of tiles), and the traditional desktop view on an eightinch touchscreen. I bought the Dell Venue 8 Pro for $299 and find it goes toe-to-toe with my Nexus 7 for ease and variety of use, while meshing much better with my Windows-based setup.

There are a slew of other mini tablets available, and models with good reviews include those from Samsung and Asus.

I'm not big on the Kindle Fire tablets because the Canadian versions lack access to Amazon's video and music stores, two major features which the Fire is designed to showcase. It also lacks full access to Google's Play Store.

So much of the tablet action is now in the mini category that standard sized tablets can be covered in one sentence: there are really expensive iPads, very expensive Windows tablets like the Surface, and often equally expensive Android devices. With a few exceptions, such as the Asus Transformer 10.1 tablet which comes with a keyboard for $399, you won't find many bargains at this size, which is why you should never give one to your kid to play with.

Standard size tablets are mostly used at home and are great for entertainment and media consumption. They also have a much better shot than the mini tablets at replacing a conventional laptop or desktop PC.

The iPad remains the king of the ecosystems race with the broadest selection of apps, the industry-leading iTunes store, and excellent hardware.

Windows tablets, or hybrids such as the Surface, are still catching up with apps, and might never really match the iPad's depth, but they cover the majors (Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Netflix, Audible, Kobo) and retain an edge in productivity thanks to features like USB and HDMI ports and the nifty ability to run apps side by side on the screen.

Many come with free versions of Office, a significant value, and Microsoft's Surface lineup offers beautiful hardware and very good tablet-based keyboards.

Standard sized Android tablets continue to make me shrug.

Some, like the 10-inch tabs by Samsung, are nice pieces of kit and have useful multi-tasking and stylus support, but Android still seems to struggle on a larger screen thanks to a reported lack of tabletbased apps.

Unless you like to experiment, hold off on larger Android screens and see what comes next year. There's no doubt they will improve.

Barry Link is the editor of the Vancouver Courier.