What if I tell you that here is another competitor of iPad named as iFreeTablet, you would say that I have gone nuts or you may think that I am against the Apple iPad which I am not. I want to get you all acquainted with other alternatives so that you may make the perfect choice while buying a tablet for you. I know you must have got allured by Google Chrome OS Tablet and even we are well aware of the last year’s Microsoft Courier Tablet PC Launch. Apple is facing the same degree of competition for Apple’s iPad as it faced when it introduced iPhone in the market.
If the products like iFreeTablet are getting ready to be rolled out in the markets, we can not exactly foretell the success of any of these applications. But, we can at least see what iFreeTablet has in store for its prospective buyers. The credit of making iFreeTablet goes to Spanish EATCO Group from the Universidad de Cordoba. This tablet is pocket friendly as its cost is kept low (price ranging from 300 Euro (US$417) to 400 Euro (US$556)) as compared to the ones developed by Microsoft, Apple, and Google.
A glance at its specs will help to conclude that the features of the iFreeTablet betray its price. It has a 10.2″ touch screen which is bigger than the iPad’s 9.7” LCD. If we talk about the processor, the iFreeTablet is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor while the iPad uses Apple A4 processor of 1GHz. iFreeTablet’s HDD of 160 GB takes an edge over Apple’s 16GB-64 GB models. It has built-in Ethernet and WiFi 802.11b/g support while iPad boasts 802.11n wireless capabilities. The exclusive features of iFreeTablet viz. 3 USB ports, 1.3MP camera, VGA out, for security Kensington Lock and card reader which iPad lack makes it grab a rank above iPad. You can also opt out for optional 3G version in case you like to have 3G gadget.
I guess looking at the impeccable features of iFreeTablet you would have stopped thinking about Apple’s iPad. You should know the cons of this tablet too before stepping forward to buy one. It weighs a bit more than the iPad with weight around 2.27lbs (1.03kg). Its battery life isn’t good so you can only enjoy its use up to 2.5hrs after which it requires charging. Apple’s iPad scores well on battery with 10 hours running time. But guys, as per the latest update on twitter, Linux Magazine Spain stated that they have summoned Carlos De Castro Lozano, professor at the University of Cordoba to work on improving the battery life of the models that are to be put on sale. So, battery problem will be solved making iFreeTablet better than iPad in every respect.
Lastly, the open source SIeSTA operating system which is based on Debian Linux poses a threat to iPad. Don’t you think that this is a better option than the Apple’s iPad?
