Lifestyle Technology
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Keep taking the tablets Tablet computers have become the new must have electronic accessory. Henry Northmore compares some of the best and most interesting tablets on the market
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1 iPad 2 Storage: 16, 32 and 64GB models Operating System: iOS 4.3 Price: £399–£659 (depending on storage and 3G compatibility) Screen Size/Weight: 9.7”/603g (608g with 3G). Pros: The market leader with the smoothest operating system and thousands of apps already available. Cons: Doesn’t support Flash or HDMI. 2 Pierre Cardin PC-7006 Tablet PC Storage: 4GB Operating System: Android 2.2 Price: £275 Screen Size/Weight: 7”/520g Pros: The first designer tablet, from fashion house Pierre Cardin (comes with a logoed ‘faux leather protective case’). Cons: Accessories cost extra.
3 Archos Generation 9 Storage: Up to 250GB Operating System: Honeycomb 3.1 Price: 8” starts at £199, 10.1” from £249 Screen Size/Weight: 8” or 10.1”/weight tbc Pros: Tons of storage, up to a whopping 250GB, full 1080p HD and a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor (‘50% faster than the iPad 2’). Cons: Android hasn’t caught up with the iPad’s apps yet.
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4 Asus Eee Pad Transformer Storage: 16GB Operating System: Honeycomb 3.0 Price: £429 Screen Size/Weight: 10.1”/680g Pros: Compatible keyboard docking station can be attached for faster easier typing. Cons: No 3G support so you’ll have to rely on Wi-Fi hotspots (although 3G is expected soon). 5 BeBook Live Storage: 4GB Operating System: Android 2.2 Price: £229 Screen Size/Weight: 7”/426g Pros: Excellent value for money, small, light and portable it offers all the basics at a decent price. Cons: This isn’t the flashiest model out there and offers limited screen resolution.
6 Binatone Homesurf Tab 8 Storage: 2GB Operating System: Android Price: Currently £70 at Comet or Amazon Screen Size/Weight: 8”/weight unconfirmed Pros: Super cheap, if you desperately want a tablet this is a great entry level machine. Cons: You get what you pay for, just don’t expect any bells and whistles.
GAMES REVIEWS Murray Robertson reviews some of this favourite current time wasters
Gran Turismo 5 PS3 (Sony) ●●●●● After five years of development, Gran Turismo 5 features over 1000 cars and 71 tracks. It’s a petrolhead’s dream, although its claim to be ‘the real driving simulator’ is somewhat undermined by moronic AI drivers and some flat textures. Still, there’s a huge amount of content, and the urge to replay races in search of that elusive gold medal remains strong. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters Xbox 360/PS3 (EA Sports) ●●●●● Another year, another slightly improved iteration of EA’s all- conquering golf game. This year’s new features include the groundbreaking ability to save a game mid-round. In fairness, the addition of The Masters is a long-awaited trump card and against precious little competition it remains the best golf game.
Bulletstorm PC/PS3/Xbox 360 (EA) ●●●●● Bulletstorm distinguishes itself by its over-the-top combat. It’s not enough just to shoot enemies, instead you’re encouraged to leash them into the air and kick them into the environment to earn credits for better weapons. It’s a gloriously creative kick in the face of a genre that rarely innovates.
106 THE LIST 11–18 Aug 2011