I live in a beachside community about a 45 minute drive from a Best Buy or any other large box store that has a decent computer department.  I usually make a stop into a Best Buy about once a month.  I was surprised to see how many tablet computers they had on display last week.  I have an iPad and am well aware of the Kindle Fire($199) and the Barnes and Noble Nook Color ($199), but there were many brands I had never heard of that I got to put my hands on.  What's more surprising was the price.  Many were under $300 and some even below $200.  They looked great and seemed to offer a decent array of features, so I thought why not do an article on the lower priced tablets that are out there.  I am sure I am not the only one that was surprised to see these lower cost alternatives.  The prices below represent the lowest price I could find using the shopping tab in conjunction with a basic Google search.

1.  PanDigital 7 Inch Tablet $79

This 7 inch tablet is surprisingly very nice (and not just for the money).  It has the Android operating system, 2 GB of storage space, a camera, and Wifi ready.

I did get a chance to kick the tires on this one at Best Buy and it looked and felt great.  It seemed to work just as well as my iPad, but what do I know?  Sure it has a lot less memory, but how much memory do most people really need on their tablet computer?

This would make a very nice gift for a young person this Christmas and won't break the bank.  Hey, you might even get one for yourself. 

2. Mid 7 Inch Tablet $98

I was not able to preview this one in person, but it seems well equipped for the money.  Through the SD card slot this tablet has potential store of up to 32GB.  It also has a built-in camera, is Wifi ready, and is compatible with 3G through an external modem connection.

3. Coby Kyros 7 Inch Tablet $79

2.3 GB of storage, Wifi ready, and operates on the Android system.  Offers expandable memory through an SD card slot.  No camera on this one, but otherwise it seems to stack up nicely.

If you would have told me five years ago that this technology would exist at these price levels I would have never believed it.  What we are seeing now is a merging between eReaders and tablet computers.  The result: smaller, less expensive tablets that double as eReaders and slimmed down versions of the iPad.  While these lesser expensive tablets may not be for everyone, they seem like one of the best values this Christmas shopping season.  Imagine gifting one of these to a young person with the ability for them to watch videos, play music, access the Internet and e Mail, read books, and even make Skype calls!  This, not to even mention the thousands of Android apps that are available for purchase. The best part of all, a tablet will most likely fit easily into that stocking hung by the fireplace.

Helping you make the most of God’s money!

James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
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