iPad mini
Comparing the iPad mini with Google’s Nexus 7, Schiller said that Apple’s mini screen is more than one-third larger than the 7-inch diagonal screen of the Nexus 7, making for better Web browsing.
Robert Galbraith / Reuters
iPad mini
The device boasts a 7.9-inch screen diagonally, compared with the 9.7-inch screen of the current iPad.
/ Via Bloomberg News
iPad mini
The iPad mini is as “thin as a pencil,” Schiller said, and is more than 53 percent lighter than the full-size iPad. By comparison, he said, it’s as “light as a pad of paper.” The iPad mini will cost $329, which is far more than the competitors’ price point of $199.
Noah Berger / Bloomberg News
Kindle Fire HD
Amazon.com shook up the tablet world when it released the seven-inch Kindle Fire late last year. The company, equipped with a massive library of movies, books and music, offered the tablet at less than half the price of the iPad. Because of its vast arsenal, Amazon is seen as a serious threat to Apple’s dominance. And in September, Amazon turned up the heat by moving into the higher end of the market with its Kindle Fire HD.
Joe Klamar / AFP/Getty Images
Kindle Fire HD
Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos holds up the seven-inch Kindle Fire HD and the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD. Starting at $199, the seven-inch tablet comes in 16 GB and 32 GB models with dual-WiFi antennas and speakers.
Gus Ruelas / Reuters
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Galaxy Tab 2 7.0
No stranger to the mini-tablet space is Apple’s legal sparring partner, Samsung, which released its first seven-incher in November 2010. The South Korean company’s latest contender in this market is the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, which has a 1 GHz dual-core processor, a three-megapixel rear-facing camera and a front-facing camera for video chat. The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 runs Android 4.0, a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich, and is available as a 8 GB model with 4G LTE and as an 8 GB version with WiFi only. The starting price for the tablet is $199.99.
/ Samsung
Nexus 7
In June, Google entered the arena when it took the wraps off its first tablet, the Nexus 7. Priced competitively with the Kindle Fire, the $199 device has a Tegra 3 quad-core processor and runs the latest Android operating system, Jelly Bean or Android 4.1.
Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg News
Nexus 7
Unlike the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, the Nexus 7 doesn’t have expandable memory. Among early reviewers, there was nearly universal agreement that to compete in the seven-inch tablet game, Google must build out its media store. So far, the Nexus 7 has had some success. In July, Google announced that its 16 GB model had sold out on the Google Play store.
Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg News
Galaxy Tab 7.7
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet is in the higher end of the seven-inch tablet market. Retailing for $399.99, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 has a 3.2-megapixel rear camera, two-megapixel front-facing camera and a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor. It is equipped with 4G technology.
Sean Gallup / Getty Images
Excite 7.7
This year, Toshiba decided to cater to the higher end of the mini-tablet market with the release of the Excite 7.7. The tablet, which starts at $499.99, is available as two models: a 16 GB version and a 32 GB version. Both run Android 4.0 and have a Tegra 3 quad-core processor.
/ Toshiba
BlackBerry Playbook
Research In Motion was an early mover into this space, but its tablet, the PlayBook, has been a sore point for the company. Launched in May 2011, the tablet debuted to lukewarm reviews, and sales have been slow. In February, RIM tried to revive its seven-inch tablet by adding features including a native e-mail client and more ways for BlackBerry phones and the PlayBook to interact. The tablet has 1 GB of RAM and can easily multi-task. RIM calls it "the first professional-grade tablet."
Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images
Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon also unveiled its enhanced e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite, in September. The Paperwhite features a six-inch, monochrome e-ink screen rather than vivid color displays used in pricier tablets such as the Fire HD and iPad. It sells for $119.
David Paul Morris / Bloomberg News
Iconia Tab A110
Upping the ante in the mini-tablet space, Acer announced Oct. 18 that its Iconia Tab A110 tablet will hit stores this month. The multi-touch tablet runs Android 4.1 and sports a Tegra 3 quad-core processor. The price tag for the Acer device? $229.99.
/ Acer
Nook HD
William Lynch, chief executive of Barnes & Noble, displays the new Nook HD+, left, and the Nook HD tablet. Barnes & Noble took another swing at Amazon in the seven-inch space when it unveiled its Nook HD in September.
Michelle McLoughlin / Newscast via Bloomberg News
Nook HD
The 8 GB Nook HD model costs $199 — the price of the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7. The tablet will have an e-mail service, access to the company’s app store and a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor. It will hit stores in November.
/ Barnes & Noble
