Whilst the iPad is the unrivalled king of tablets, many people are turning to Android 3.0 and beyond as it is finally a credible rival to iOS and the whole iPad package. A lot of people just want to be different, and why not? Thankfully PC and phone manufacturers have decided that they want some of that Apple tablet pie.  While Samsung has had success with its impressive Galaxy Tab Series, there are lesser known tablets of various sizes and crucially prices, which can stand their own. Here we can see three great 7 inch tablets which offer the improved portability but still offer the tablet experience, rather than just a large smartphone experience. The great thing with Android is just because it is not a huge selling tablet, it still has all the support of the Android Market to keep your tablet fresh.  So with that in mind, here are three fantastic alternatives to the most common Android Tablets.

Best for Portability – Viewsonic Viewpad 7x

Do not worry, this is nothing to do with the awful Viewpad 10. Bar the name, this is a completely different device. You cannot complain with Viewsonic for not trying to look different. It has a stunning red chassis which you will love or hate, but you cannot call its design boring. It is a great value device which is under £300 but still has got a dual core 1GHz processor and 1GB RAM. Plus it is available with 3.2 Android for tablet specific app fun. Battery is decent too.

Essential specifications: 1024×600 resolution, 7 inch screen, 380g, 8GB storage, Battery life 5 hours, Android 3.2

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Best for Media Buffs – HTC Flyer 

For some, this looks too much like a normal HTC phone. This is due to it running 2.3 Android. While the HTC Sense add on has some great apps, the rest of the Android apps do not scale well to a screen this large. At £450 you would expect a good amount of memory and features and the HTC Flyer does not disappoint. It has got 3G built in, and comes with a handy stylus for drawing or writing. However what makes it king for media fans is the huge 32GB of memory and dual speakers. this means you have room for many films, and reasonable speakers from a built in device. Add this with a HD Camcorder with 5MP camera and you have a solid media tablet, just let down by the lack of Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich.

Essential specifications: 195.4mm x 122mm x 13.2mm 7.7″ x 4.8″ x 0.52″, 420g, Flash & HTML5, Android 2.3, 1.5GHz Processor, 32GB, 1GB RAM, 3G, 8 hour battery,

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Best Bargain – Acer Iconia Tab A100

 

Everything you could want from a small tablet is present in this Acer. It looks smart, it has Android 3.2, it features a compact chassis for its 7 inch screen, HDMI, MicroSD, 1080p HD Playback, 5MP Camera, and a powerful dual core processor most importantly at a low price, dangerously close to £250! Acer has also put in its superb clear.fi software which can share media from Windows, phones, Linux and servers. Whilst not ground breaking, it certainly is a welcome addition. If it was not for the lack of 3G this would be all the tablet you could ever need. It really makes you wonder why you would ever want to pay £500 or $600 for a tablet.  More like this could see Acer take a large share in the Android tablet market  in the coming year.

Essential Specifications: 7 inch screen, 1024×600 resolution, 8GB or 16GB storage, 194x117x13mm, 400g, 5 hour battery, Android 3.2, 1080p HD video playback, 5MP auto-focus rear camera

 

On the Horizon:  Apple iPad Mini

Just leaked in a Taiwanese newspaper, news that Apple have received prototypes of an 8 inch tablet with the same resolution as the full size iPad. This would mean apps would work natively across all platforms. Possibly due early 2012 with the new iPad 3, or is this it? Let the rumours begin.