You Can Trust Our Reviews
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Buying Guide: What Not to Buy in 2010
Contents
- What Not to Buy in 2010
- 3D, DVRs and Zoom
- 802.11N, 500 GB, and GPS
It's that time of year and I am getting a lot of questions: Which laptop should I buy for my kids? Is one point-and-shoot digital camera better than the other? Apple iPad or Amazon Kindle? I do my best to answer them all, but what I really yearn to do is to tell you what you shouldn't even consider buying—a literary product block, if you will. As in previous years, I'll tell you what not to buy, what you might consider and, where possible, what I think you should buy. Don't forget, if any of my advice is unclear or you want more details, be sure to visit pcmag.com's huge library of product reviews.
Don't Buy: Cheap knock-off tablets
Sure, we're still in the early days of the tablet races, but Apple has built a commanding lead with its Apple iPad, a product its competitors would do well to emulate. For now, though, they've had little success. It's true, there are iPad alternatives like the $188 CherryPad and the Augen (only $168 at Walmart!), but these are but pale imitations. If you do buy one of these tablets as a gift, expect to know what if it feels like to have one bounce off your head. Also, don't buy any Windows 7 tablet that the company isn't willing to market (HP Slate, anyone?).
Maybe Buy: A Samsung Galaxy Tab. It is, as our review points out, the nearest thing to an iPad competitor we have today. I don't love the 7-inch screen, but I am beginning to realize that, for some at least, 7-inches is the tablet sweet spot. One gent told me how he loves that a mid-sized tablet can fit in the breast-pocket of his jacket.
Do Buy: An Apple iPad
Do I even have to make this point? It's powerful (for what it is), versatile, and has a number of attractive pricing options.
Don't Buy: Feature Phones
Here's the problem I have with many of today's feature phones: They typically try and do too much without providing the requisite interface and touch-screen chops. I used to believe that feature phones served a generational gap: Young people wanted customizable phones, while baby boomers and older preferred simple phones that do little more than make calls. Watching my own 60-something parents with a pair of EVO 4Gs made me realize the error of my thinking. The reality is everyone wants to get as much functionality as possible out of their phones, from taking pictures and video, to playing games and managing contacts and social networking interactions. I've seen people try to do some of these on feature phones. It's painful to watch. Yes, feature phones are typically cheaper than "smartphones", but isn't your time and frustration worth something? Don't save $50 now for countless hours of hair-pulling later.
Do Buy: Almost Any Touch-Screen Phone
This is the golden age of touch-screen phones. There are countless options from virtually every carrier. They feature powerful mobile OSes like iOS 4 Android 2.2, and Windows Phone. The interfaces are intuitive and the capacitive screens are responsive. With most of them featuring high-rez screens and at least 1 GHz of processing power, there's little these phones can't do.