Event Coverage

Sitex 2013 - Telco, Tablets, & Mobile Accessories Buying Guide

By Sidney Wong - 28 Nov 2013

Tablets

Tablets Deals at the Show

Here are some highlighted tablets deals at the Sitex this year.

ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7

The ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7 is like a decent buy for the mainstream consumer who is looking for a no-frills tablet. It is essentially a repackaged Nexus 7 (2012) in a different skin and processing platform.
 

Sitex 2013 Offer

Location

ASUS - Hall 6, Booth 6B01

AC Ryan Tab 7.2

The AC Ryan Tab 7.2 sports a 7-inch display (1,024 x 600 pixels) and is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz processor. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and has a host of connectivity options such as mini-HDMI, micro-USB, micro-SD and mini DC jack.

Sitex 2013 Offer

  • Sitex Price: $139 (U.P: $199)
  • Promotion: Free casing and HDMI cable worth $49.
  • Brochure

Location

AC Ryan - Hall 5, Booth 5D60

Google Nexus 7

The Google Nexus 7, manufactured by ASUS, is probably the best Android tablet in the market. 

It is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB RAM and has a 7-inch Full-HD display (1,920 x 1,200 pixels).

As a Nexus device, you will be guaranteed to receive the latest Android updates from Google ahead of the rest. In addition, the stock Android interface gives you the smoothest user experience.


Sitex 2013 Offer

  • SITEX Price: $379 (16GB, Wi-Fi), $429 (32GB, Wi-Fi), $529 (32GB, 4G LTE)
  • Promotion: PWP Travel Cover for $15 (U.P $29) 
  • Brochure
  • More Information: HWZ Review

Location

ASUS - Hall 6, Booth 6B01

Toshiba Excite Write

The Toshiba Excite Write is powered by NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core 1.8GHz processor, 2GB RAM and sports a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. It has a TruPen stylus that works in conjunction with the Wacom technology digitizer which supports 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Sitex 2013 Offer

  • Sitex Price: $899 (32GB)
  • Promotion: Free Folio Case (black only), screen protector, micro-USB cable, Wacom Digitizer Pen and $40 Capitalland shopping vouchers.
  • Brochure
  • More Information: HWZ Review

Location

Courts - Hall 6, 6C10
Harvey Norman - Hall 6, 6A10

 

Sitex 2013 Tablets Portal

Tablets Buying Guide

The tablet market is more crowded than before, with Apple iPads taking the lead and Google Android tablets fast catching up. Microsoft's Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets are beginning to make their presence felt in the tablet scene.

 

TABLETS TODAY

If you want to get a tablet today, there are three main options available: Apple, Google Android and Microsoft.

Apple is the company that started the tablet craze three years ago with its 9.7-inch iPad. Drawing lessons and experience from developing iOS for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple replicated the same formula and strategy successfully in the tablet space with four generations of iPads. 

It entered into the 7-inch tablet space last October when it unveiled the 7.9-inch iPad mini. While the market conditions were no longer friendly to Apple, the company managed to achieve significant sales of the iPad mini worldwide.

A wide range of tablet accessories, a robust mobile platform combined with an intuitive user interface and support of tablet-optimized apps enables Apple to stay ahead of the competition.

Before the introduction of the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets, Google left the tablet wars in the hands of its Android vendors, who met with little success in toppling the market leader, Apple. 

Having decided to take things into its own hands, Google partnered with ASUS to manufacture the 7-inch Nexus 7 and offered it at extremely attractive price points. It also launched Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the smoothest Android experience to date. Towards the end of 2012, Google collaborated with Samsung to build the Nexus 10 which has an ultra high resolution display.

Since then, there's a race to the bottom in the tablet market as Android vendors built low cost, entry level tablets.

A smoother, more fluid user experience, coupled with the growing support of developers for the Android ecosystem may finally give Apple and its iPads a run for their money.

 

 

The tablet market has grown to be too big and important for Microsoft to ignore, and the Redmond company ventured into the tablet space with not one, but two Windows operating systems.

To compete with the sea of ARM-powered Android tablets and Apple iPads, Microsoft specifically designed a special Windows operating system, called Windows RT that can be used on devices powered by ARM processors.

As the competition has yet to conquer the enterprise sector, an area that is especially friendly towards Windows operating system, Microsoft licensed Windows 8 to its partners to develop tablets that can provide the same functionality as laptops and desktops.

Samsung, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Fujitsu, Acer have since jumped on the bandwagon to offer Windows 8 and RT tablet devices.

If you are looking for a desktop-like environment on a tablet, you can consider the diverse range of Windows 8 and RT-powered tablet devices from the various partners.

 

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Should you get a 7-inch tablet? 7-inch tablets are better suited for reading due to their 4:3 aspect ratio. In addition, 7-inch tablet form factor offers better mobility and portability. However, if you are into heavy multimedia consumption and require larger screen real estate, it is obvious that 10.1-inch tablets are recommended. As a general guideline, there is no one size fits all for tablets. It depends on individual preferences, what and how you use the tablet.

Do tablets come with keyboard accessories? Yes, some tablets come with optional keyboard accessories while others are included as a bundle. For example, the ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T comes with the keyboard dock. Apple iPads, being the most popular tablet devices, tend to enjoy more support from third party vendors who make a wide range of Bluetooh keyboards for them. 

Should you get a Wi-Fi or cellular model of the tablet? Some tablet models such as the Apple iPad, iPad Mini and ASUS Nexus 7 are available in two variants: Wi-Fi only and cellular. The cellular models will definitely cost more, but bring the convenience of staying connected on the move. However, you have to fork out extra cash to sign up for a multi-SIM card or another data SIM card for the tablet. In addition, cellular models will take a hit on battery performance since they are constantly connected and searching for data connectivity.

It also depends on where and how you will be using the tablet. If you tend to use the tablet at home or office, it is advisable to get a Wi-Fi model as you can connect the device to the office or home's Wi-Fi network. If there is no Wi-Fi network , you can always tether from your smartphone. On the other hand, a cellular tablet model will come in handy if you tend to be outdoors most of the time. 

For more information on getting a tablet, check out our Tablet Tech Guide.

Check out the latest tablets at our HardwareZone Tablets Product Guide.

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