From Coby to Apple: A Plethora of Tablet Deals from $100

The Apple iPad is clearly one of the all-time top tablets, but it's also regrettably a budget buster for many. But there are a lot of tablet options out there, and if you're looking for a handy device for your casual surfing or writing needs, it may be prudent to seek out a cheaper option. Today's roundup has your back, with good deals from Amazon, Archos, and Coby. And what the hey, if you want to shoot the moon on a refurbished iPad 2, we've got a deal on that too.

1. 
Coby Kyros 7" 4GB Android Tablet
   
Vendor: eXpansys
   Price: $99.99 with free shipping

   Lowest By: $17

   
Is It Worth It?: eXpansys is selling the Coby Kyros 7" Widescreen 4GB Android Internet Tablet for a penny less than a C-note: $99.99 with free shipping. That's tied with last week's mention and the lowest total price we could find by $17. CNET writes that this Android device is available "at an attractive price," although it has reservations about its performance. Features include a 7" 800x480 widescreen resistive touchscreen LCD, 802.11g wireless, 4GB flash memory, microSD card slot, miniHDMI output, USB connectivity, Android 2.3, and more.

2. 
Archos Arnova 9 G2 4GB 9.7" WiFi Android Tablet
   
Vendor: P.C. Richard & Son
   Price: $229.99 with free shipping

   Lowest By: $19

   
Is It Worth It?: According to theandroidsoul, the "Arnova 9 G2 looks good if you're looking for a cheap and cheerful tablet." Cheap indeed, as you can get it for $229.99 with free shipping — the lowest total price we could find by $19. This 1.4-lb tablet features a 1024x768 capacitive touch-screen LCD display, ARM Cortex 9 1GHz processor, 4GB built-in memory, microSDHC card slot, 802.11g wireless, 1080p camera, Android 2.3 OS (Gingerbread), USB connectivity, and more.

3. 
Refurbished Apple iPad 2 16GB WiFi Tablet
   
Vendor: The Apple Store
   Price: $349 with free shipping

   Lowest By: $50

   
Is It Worth It?: As one of the most popular consumer products of all time, the iPad 2 needs no introduction. Now that the iPad 3 is out, there are all kinds of opportunities to save on what remains a top-notch tablet. The Apple Store is offering the factory-refurbished Apple iPad 2 16GB WiFi Tablet in Black for $349, which is $50 less than what Apple charges for a new iPad 2. The 0.3"-thick tablet weighs 1.3 lbs. and features an Apple A5 1GHz dual-core processor, 9.7" 1024x768 LCD touchscreen display, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, accelerometer, compass, up to 10 hours of battery life, and more. A 1-year Apple warranty applies. If you're keen on more storage or 3G connectivity, there are several additional refurbished iPad 2s on sale right now as well.

4. 
Huawei IDEOS S7 Slim 7" Android Tablet
   
Vendor: eXpansys
   Price: $149.99 with free shipping

   Lowest By: $70

   
Is It Worth It?: Engadget deemed the 1.1-lb. Huawei IDEOS S7 Slim 8GB 7" Android Tablet "satisfyingly thin and light," and at eXpansys you can get it for for just $149.99 with free shipping — a full $70 less than the lowest total price we could find for a similar Huawei S7 tablet elsewhere, tying our mention from last week. Features include a 7" 800x480 touchscreen LCD, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1, microSD card slot, webcam, microphone, microUSB connectivity, Google Android 2.2 (Froyo), and more.

5. 
Refurbished Kindle Fire 7" Android Tablet
   
Vendor: Amazon
   Price: $169 $139 with free shipping

   Lowest By: $30 $60

   
Is It Worth It?: Although completely different, the Kindle Fire has proven to be a great challenger to the iPad thrown in that it's simply so cheap. And if you don't mind a factory-refurbished device, you can save even more. The Kindle Fire runs a heavily-modified version of Google's Android OS and sports a dual-core processor, 7" 1024x600 IPS display, and 8GB internal storage. Amazon offers a 1-year limited warranty.

   Update: Today only, Amazon has slashed the price to $139, which is the best deal we've ever seen for a Kindle Fire.


 Front page photo credit: Com Luv