Phillips: Other tablet computers compete with Apple’s

This week’s column features several computer tablets other than the better-known iPad. Obviously, taking into consideration last week’s hints as to weight, size and price will help to make up your mind as to the tablet best suited to your own needs.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab, much smaller than the iPad, is less than a half-inch thick and measures less than 7.5 inches long and 4.75 inches wide. It weighs only 0.825 pounds and is priced from $349. See www.samsung.com.

• LG G-Slate’s dimensions and weight go up a bit. It is still only a half inch thick, but measures 9.6 inches in length and is 5.9 inches wide. The LG G-Slate weighs 1.37 pounds. It’s priced from $400 and may be further checked at www.t-mobile.com/gslate.

• The Acer Iconia A500 (Android) is perhaps more popular than the first two. Measuring 10.25 long and 7.5 inches wide (also only a half inch thick) and weighing 1.7 pounds, it’s priced from $450. See www.us.acer.com.

• Blackberry’s Playbook is a lightly weighed 0.9 pound. It mneasures only 0.4 inches thick, 7.6 inches long and 5.1 inches wide and is priced from $499. Logon to www.us.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet.

• HP’s TouchPad may be more recognizable than some of the others, but it’s definitely larger at 9.5 inches in length and 7.5 inches in width.

While it weighs a tad less than the Android (1.6 pounds), it costs a tad more — from $500. Check it out at www.hp.com/touchpad.

“But I want an iPad!” you yell. The iPad was initially the only tablet around and so, of course, its name lingers in the minds (and even emotions of some of my iPadding friends).

Even though it doesn’t support Flash animation and is often too large to cart around for every minute use, the name does have a certain cachet and, therefore, remains the most popular specimen.