More Tablets

There are pluses and minuses to Samsung's Galaxy Tablet (middle image). Biggest plus is a slightly lower cost. A smaller screen (7") makes it easier to hold than an iPad, but -- it's smaller! Biggest minus -- it crashes a lot more than Apple's iPad. http://hothardware.com/Reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-Review/

To date the Galaxy Tablet has shipped over 1 million units (much of that "filling" the sales channel). iPad has sold over 8 million since April, and is #1 on every kid's holiday wish list.

If' you're trying to decide, the old rule of thumb is: "Look at the applications first". To complicate this, it's not just Windows vs Mac -- an Apple iPad is NOT a Mac, it's "iOS", which covers iPhone & iPod Touch as well. Galaxy Tab is "Android" which has an entirely different set of applications for smartphones and tablets. And then there's the Blackberry OS, Microsoft's latecomer "Windows Mobile 7", and HP/Palm's fading WebOS/PalmOS. For an application developer who has to convert applications from one 'platform' to another, which one would you choose first... and then second? Right! iOS first, and Android second.

A word of warning: even Google cautions Android won't be fully tablet ready until v3.0 next year)...
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20016085-260.html?tag=mncol;txt
...and vendors such as Lenovo, LG and Acer, are timing their own tablet releases to coincide with Android 3.0...
http://gigaom.com/mobile/galaxy-tab-rises-to-the-ipad-challenge-with-1-million-sold/
...and next year there will also be tablets from HP (WebOS) and Blackberry (the "PlayBook").

Smartphones with cameras have already caused a 16% decline in sales of basic "point and shoot" cameras. As Tablet applications become more sophisticated, this all spells trouble for PC sales ... and Microsoft revenue/profits.