Technology review: tablet computers

Flat, hard packages will be welcome this year. Tablet computers are extremely popular, and electronic reading devices such as the Kindle have matured and come down in price.

Still debating which one to get? That's mostly a matter of your budget. The iPad and other full-blown tablets are more expensive, but they do virtually everything better.

If you have more than $300 to spend, go for one of these full-size tablets. They have color screens that are about 9 inches diagonally, and they have built-in cameras:

Apple iPad 2 ($499): The device that made tablet computing mainstream still reigns, outselling all others combined. It's thinner than competing tablets and has access to an unparalleled array of applications: half a million, of which 140,000 are adapted for the iPad's 9.7-inch screen. The range of third-party book apps also means the iPad beats dedicated e-readers at their own game by giving users the ability to read books purchased from any store.

Sony Tablet S ($500): There are a slew of tablets from Samsung, Sony, LG and other manufacturers built around Google Inc.'s Android software. The Tablet S stands out by including an infrared emitter, which makes it usable as a large universal remote control. It runs the latest version of Android, which is specially designed for tablets and is slick. But the selection of third-party applications doesn't match the iPad's in quantity or quality.

If you only want to spend $200 to $250, go for one of these e-reader/tablet hybrids. They add movies, games and other applications to the e-reader's capabilities, so they're not just for bookworms.

Amazon Kindle Fire ($199): The Fire is Amazon's first color Kindle. It runs a highly modified, user-friendly version of Android. The selection of apps is smaller than for other Android tablets, however. Notable inclusions are Netflix, Hulu and Comixology, a comic-book reader. The Fire also streams a selection of movies for free to Amazon Prime subscribers, and you can buy movies for download. The Fire has only 8 gigabytes of memory, which can't be expanded.

Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet ($249): The bookstore's answer to the Kindle Fire is an updated version of last year's Nook Color, a solid and successful e-reader. The Tablet has more memory than the Color or the Kindle Fire, and you can add even more. Barnes & Noble's app store has a smaller selection than Amazon's, but Barnes & Noble allows books from other bookstores to be read, while Amazon doesn't.