Wireless Wednesday (Thur) for 10/24/13: With Mitch Evans - Best Tablets of 2013

* TOPICS - Rick is back from Ridgeland, Mississippi where he was covering the Bassmasters Open and we talk tablets

We are going to have some sort of announcement about new iPads today, so Rick and Mitch take a look at the "Best Tablets" of 2013.

Tablets have become so popular so quickly that they're predicted to surpass both laptops and desktops by 2015. Why? Because they're portable enough to take anywhere, and -- thanks to an ever-growing roster of apps -- are versatile enough for work and play. With so many models available, choosing the best tablet comes down to your needs and budget.

Those looking for a device that's affordable and easy to use with one hand should check out 7-inch Android tablets. Quality options start as low as $150. The 7.9-inch iPad mini and the larger 9.7-inch iPad offer the most tablet-optimized apps and the most intuitive interface, but start at $329. Then you have Windows 8 tablets, many of which double as laptops, making them compelling productivity partners. Most Windows tablets are larger, but cheaper 8-inch models are starting to hit the market.

1.  Apple's iPad Air and iPad Mini w/ Retina display
Faster processor, lighter, better screens,

2.  Best Android Tablet: Google Nexus 7
$229

The Google Nexus 7 delivers pure Android 4.3 Jelly Bean goodness along with blazing-fast quad-core performance, long battery life and one of the best screens on the market. The 1920 x 1200, 7-inch display is not only amazingly sharp at 323 PPI, but eye-poppingly colorful and bright enough to be viewed from any angle without image degradtion. The latest Android OS allows users to create child-friendly restricted profiles for the first time while the front and rear cameras provide solid camera images on a device that weighs just 10.2 ounces and lasts over  8 hours on a charge.
 


3. Polaroid 7" Kid's Tablet
Price: $149

 Now little ones can have their own interactive fun! The Polaroid 7-Inch Internet Kids Tablet is loaded with 35 kid-friendly apps and interactive features, as well as 10 Dr. Seuss and Smithsonian interactive books. It has simple parental controls and a safe web browser so theres no wandering into off-limit sites. A kid-safe video player, camera, music player and game arcade provide hours of fun, and the large buttons make it easy to use. The backlit LED screen is crystal clear with a 16:9 aspect ratio. This 8GB tablet is Wi-fi enabled with USB 2.0 connectivity. Stand included.

    Simple parental controls & safe web browser.
    Includes 10 Dr. Seuss and Smithsonian interactive books.
    Preloaded w/over 35 premium apps (full versions).
    Appshop for kids (safely download kid-safe content).
    Camera & music player specially designed for kids.
    Maximum Resolution: 800 x 480
 


4. Best Tablet Value - ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7

How much tablet can you get for $150? A lot more than you might think. A chearp tablet that feels anything but cheap, ASUS's MeMO Pad HD 7 features a colorful 1280 x 800 screen, a powerful quad-core processor, high-quality front and rear cameras, 16GB of internatl storage and a microSD card slot for expansion. Throw in 9 hours and 40 minutes of battery life  and a host of custom Android features and you have one of the best bargains in all of tech.
Price: $150
 


5. Best Tablet for Reading Books - Amazon Kindle Fire HDX

When it comes to eBooks, no one tops Amazon, especially if you're looking for free stuff to read. Both the best tablet its size and the best tablet for entertainment, the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX gives Amazon Prime members ($79 per year) a host of compelling books, movies and TV shows for free. However, the HDX offers more than just a compelling content library as it provides impressive audio, blazing fast quad-core speeds and a 1920 x 1200 screen that's even better than the Nexus 7's, along with 8 hours and 39 minutes of endurance. A special Mayday button in the interface allows you to get live, video support on the tablet 24/7 while FreeTime allows parents to limit what their kids can do with the tablet.

Starting Price: $229
 



6.  The Wildcard in the fight:  Samsung Galaxy Note 3  - $299

A tablet and a phone
Strong battery life; Gorgeous full-HD screen; Sharp camera; Useful pen apps; Powerful performance
A gorgeous 5.7-inch full-HD display, a fast Snapdragon 800 processor and lots of improvements to the pen experience. It gets better. Verizon's version of the Galaxy Note 3 offers nearly 10 hours of nonstop use on our tests and is capable of next-generation AWS LTE speeds. Then again, the Note 3 is considerably larger than your average smartphone.

 
App of the week:

The Apple iWorks Suite of apps is now free when you buy a new iPad, IPad Mini, etc
 Apple announced its iWork suite of apps have been updated for iOS devices! The new apps will be free with any iPad, iPhone, or Mac and have been upgraded to make use of the new iPad and iPhone hardware and iOS 7 software.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iOS have all been udated visually and performance-wise. All three are sporting a new look that fits iOS 7′s flat aesthetic.