In the market for a tablet....

I'm planning on getting a tablet computer anytime now. Do I really need one? No, but I want one, and I can surely use one. I'm all for the "connected" lifestyle so to speak, since much of what I do with my time is browse the internet and read, so why not have a device that makes it convenient to do both regardless of whether I'm at work, at home, on vacation, or anywhere in between?

I'm not an early adopter, otherwise I would have already had one by now. Nor am I filthy rich, but I'm willing to pay high if it's worth it in features, design and construction quality...well, "reasonable" high at least, which for me is in the middle 20s (in thousands of PHP), though lower would be better.

Right now the tablet I'm eyeing is the Samsung Galaxy Tab. At first glance it seems to have all the features I want, from the obvious ones like Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, front and rear cameras, memory expandability, to the not so obvious ones like GPS, and an open architecture via Google's Android OS.

For most people I guess, the obvious choice when it comes to choosing a tablet would be Apple's iPad. And why not? It certainly deserves the distinction of being the de facto standard of what to expect in a tablet device, with more than 15 million units sold and demand still high.

But the iPad is not for me. Not for now at least.

I have always admired Apple products for their elegance, aesthetics and design, but I have never really warmed up to their closed architectures and design philosophy of always putting form ahead of function. So, while most techies I know are raving about their Macs and iPods and iPhones, I have yet to own my first Apple product...unless you count that old Apple II Plus my parents bought for me in the 80s.

Call me a stickler, but I could never get past the lack of software (especially games) and hardware upgrades for the Mac. I never liked the idea that I couldn't easily change the batteries of the iPod and iPhone when they were run down, and I didn't really appreciate Apple telling me what software I can and cannot install. Most of all, I couldn't rationalize paying more for something prettier, but had less going for it. Yeah, it's debatable, but that's just how I feel.

Sure, I still feel a twinge of envy whenever I see someone with a Mac, or an iPod, or an iPhone, and now an iPad, but whenever I get the money to buy a device of my own, I always end up with something without the Apple logo on it.

Like now. Still haven't fully committed myself to getting a Galaxy Tab yet, but I'm getting close. If and when I get around to really getting one, I'll let you guys know what I think of it.