10:00 PM
The Mobile
Toshiba Thrive
Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
The good: The Thrive's aggressive pricing gives it an advantage over most other tablets. Its grooved back, full HDMI and USB support, full SD card slot, and replaceable battery justify its bulky design. Also, its built-in file management system makes finding and accessing files in Honeycomb easier.
The bad: The Thrive's bulky design and hefty weight are not for everyone. Also, awkward back camera placement and a difficult panel-removal process make us wish more time had been spent in the design phase. The LED lights on the bezel can be distracting.
The cost: $398 to $435
The bottom line: The Thrive is a bulky but aggressively priced Honeycomb tablet that earns its girth with full port support and a removable battery.
Amazon.com Kindle Fire
Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
The good: The Kindle Fire is a 7-inch tablet that links seamlessly with Amazon's impressive collection of digital music, video, magazine and book services in one easy-to-use package. It boasts a great Web browser, and its abbreviated version of the Android app store includes most of the big must-have apps (such as Netflix, Pandora and Hulu). The Fire is ultra-affordable, and the screen quality is exceptional for the price.
The bad: The budget price means no premium features (3G wireless, cameras, microphone, GPS, and location services are absent), but the biggest issues are its paltry storage (only 8GB of storage - with no expansion slot), lack of Bluetooth and limited parental controls. Screen brightness could be better, and the app selection doesn't match Apple's or Google's (at least for now). Also, you'll need an Amazon Prime subscription to take advantage of some of its unique features.
The cost: $175 to $199
The bottom line: Though it lacks the tech specs found on more expensive Apple and Android tablets, the Kindle Fire is an outstanding entertainment value that prizes simplicity over wizardry.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5
The good: The Transformer Prime sports an iPad 2-inspired design that's even thinner and nearly as light, while also managing to include microSD and Micro-HDMI support. The Prime delivers smooth and clear 1080p video, and the 8-megapixel camera captures detail and color more accurately than other tablet cameras. Ice Cream Sandwich makes small but significant improvements to Honeycomb.
The bad: Not every game takes advantage of the quad-core CPU, and frame rates can suffer as a result. When connected to the dock keyboard, the tablet is top-heavy and can easily slide off a lap or table if you're not careful.
The cost: $500 to $565
The bottom line: The Transformer Prime is the best full-featured Android tablet yet, with a sexy design, thoughtful features and an impressive camera.
Apple iPad 2
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5
The good: The iPad 2 boasts front and rear cameras, FaceTime video chat, a faster processor and 3G options for both AT&T and Verizon.
The bad: The photo quality is mediocre, there's no Adobe Flash support, and ports for HDMI, USB and SD all require adapters.
The cost: $400 to $500
The bottom line: The iPad 2 refines an already excellent product. Its easy-to-use interface, vast app catalog and marathon battery life bolster Apple's claim to being the king of tablets.
These Cnet staff contributed to this report: senior editors Donald Bell, Eric Franklin, and Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews of personal technology products, go to www.cnet.com.
This article appeared on page D - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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