And speaking of Christmas gifts, Wired has a guide to what to look for when buying a tablet computer. The article notes that, even though Apple is still the frontrunner, enough tablets have emerged to offer credible alternatives, and offers a number of areas in which to compare each model to decide which one is best for you (or whoever the gift’s recipient will be).

One important area of consideration is the type, size, resolution, and dot pitch of screen, which can be important for readability. You should also consider wireless connections, because for media-rich applications it is important to be sure you have 802.11n and some tablets offer 3G connections but others do not.

Selection of apps is an area where the advantage is mostly Apple’s, but type of inputs and outputs is an area where it falls behind. Storage, speakers, and cameras round out the list.

The article does not directly mention e-book apps, though that could be assumed to fall under the area of OS and apps in general. And with the biggest companies (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.) coming out with reader apps for both platforms, it may be that this is a difference that makes no difference. But it seems to me there are quite a few more iPad-compatible e-reader apps in general than there are for Android yet.

2 COMMENTS

The TeleRead community values your civil and thoughtful comments. We use a cache, so expect a delay. Problems? E-mail newteleread@gmail.com.