Tablet gift guide: Our picks for play, productivity, and parents
Tech Industry
-Whether you're shopping for a grandparent or grade school student, a tablet makes a great gift.
The only question is, "Which one?" For many shoppers, Apple's new ultra-slim iPad Air and iPad Mini are the default choice and with good reason: They're easy to use, gorgeously designed and--
-You know, they have the most and best apps.
The Apple iOS version will look and be even better, have more features sometimes,
it will run smoother.
-Making the iPad, especially the Mini, a favorite among gamers.
You will pay a premium, though.
The Air starts at $500 for a 16-gig model.
The Mini with the sharper Retina display starts at $400 for the same amount of storage.
If productivity is a priority, the Microsoft Surface 2 starting at $450 for 32 gigs is preloaded with Microsoft Office and has a generous 10-plus-inch screen.
-The Microsoft Surface 2 is the
more laptop replacement type of tablet.
-On the more affordable end, there's the Kindle Fire HDX and the Nexus 7, both start at $230 for 16 gigs.
The 7-inch Nexus, an Android tablet, has improved greatly since it debuted two years ago.
Thanks to more offerings in Google's app store, Play.
The Kindle Fire HDX is the go-to choice for bookworms and the Amazon faithful.
Prime members have the added benefit of access to thousands
of movies, TV shows, and book titles.
Other key selling points: Strong kid controls.
Parents can set time limits on tablet use and restrict what they watch and play.
And then, there's Amazon's Mayday feature.
-Within 15 seconds, it connects you with an Amazon service rep.
-And you know what that means.
You don't have to play tech support, win-win.
In San Francisco, I'm Sumi Das, CNET for CBS News.
