I had an issue deciding between a "Reader" and a "Tablet" so chose the Nook Tablet - that seemed a good compromise between the two.
Pretty powerful dual processor tablet. And I get the bonus of Barnes and Noble books free when I'm there, Free Fridays, etc. Unfortunately, because it's somewhat a proprietary Android platform designed for B&N, I can't just load anything I want, but the apps available through B&N have been good enough for me to get work done on it, emails, etc.

What I don't want is to tote three or four items around. Smart Phone, Tablet, Laptop, Reader. No sir. So I chose to go with the Nook Tablet and the Smart Phone. So far a good combo. I do wish I had a 10" screen, however. So will probably look at the ibook at the next release, and ditch the Nook.

I'm waiting for the Transformer Prime HD (TF700).

It is reported that, besides the fantastic resolution, it will have better Wi-Fi performance, as its back will not be made entirely of aluminum.

There is some speculation about the resolution of the iPad 3 being even higher, but I'm not an Apple fan, for the motives the OP stated.

One also must take in account that the higher the resolution, the worst will be the graphical performance (relative to a given processor)

That sounds pretty much like what I am looking; doing the same thing on a tablet as I am currently doing on my personnal mini-laptop, expandable storage, etc...

How is the battery life on your unit if you don't mind me asking? That seemed to be the major weak point for the majority of Android tablets compared to the IPad so I would be curious to hear how it stacks up in real life conditions?

Have you tried using it to play videos? Any stuttering?

Price is not necessarily an issue (I'm also looking at the Transformer Prime which isn't exactly cheap...) provided that the value is there for the money and that it does what I want.

Max

My 1st generation Asus Transformer gets 7-8 hours, depending on how I'm using it. When attached to its keyboard, the keyboard charges the tablet. That extends the life to 14-16 hours, again depending on how I'm using it. At conventions, I'm able to take notes all day, even when I leave the keyboard at home. It came with Polaris Office, so I can create, edit, and save Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. I've found it quite useful to forward attachments from BlackBerry to tablet for easier reading.

It works great for videos, and the microSD card reader makes it easy to move them over. It's played everything I've thrown at it, including 720p and .mkp.

As to battery life I had it run about 7 hours in mixed use world. This included blue-tooth on as well as wifi, I did not get a 3G one since I have a MIFI device. Please note it was not dead but I was done and then charged it. I have also played movies on it without issue, and I think this is a major advantage. I had the movies on a 64GB memory stick not on the device and they played without issue. I have also loaded my PPTs and Word docs on the same stick, I just always save them back to the stick and this makes transporting easy. I do use handbrake to create the movie for use on the Thinkpad as I also do for my wife's Touchpad.
Additionally, I have the folio with the built in keyboard which I love. I also got the pen for writing on the screen which it turns I I do not love so much.

I used samsung Galaxy tab and found it a great one.

We use and test all kinds of tablets at work. If you are willing to go with a Win tablet the Fujitsu STYLISTIC® Q550 Slate PC is not a bad choice. Getting the extended life battery will give you 6 hours or so and of course you have the ability to run Win apps.
Second choice would be the iPad and then the Galaxy Tab.
Just something to think about.

Just got asus t prime last week. really great, way better than the xoom i thoughtlessly donated to a seatback pocket

Still using my Samsung Galaxy Tab and generally happy, but I am not very happy about a few things:

1. Android platform is still 2.2. I've called Samsung from time to time and it seems they've forgotten the Galaxy Tab users.

2. Frequent "Forced Close" with my internet browser.

3. Poor customer service in general.

Probably the size is still the most attractive feature. Even with a cover, I can tuck it into my purse (shoulder bag, not one of those giant totes) and go.

Considering rooting your device and installing a custom ROM. A quick check shows several builds of Gingerbread for the Tab.

The lack of upgrades is not limited to Samsung and most manufacturers do this to force people to buy new devices.

Will I lose my apps?

Yes and no. If you just root, then yes.

If you use Titanium backup (free version), you can make a backup of your apps and reinstall after you have a custom ROM. However, don't backup settings as that will tend to screw things up. Just backup your apps.

If it's your 1st time rooting an Android device, read the instructions over and over until you're 100% certain of what to do. While the chance of a full brick is low, the steps to get out of a semi-brick are even more complex. Having said that, it's not difficult. Just take your time.

IMHO:

1) Content Consumption (Movies, Gaming)
Nothing beats the Ipad. And if Apple boosts the screen res in the IP3 and keeps the graphics snappy, nothing will beat it anytime soon.

2) Productivity:
Props to the poster who mentioned the Fujitsu 550. It is woefully underclocked but for SINGLETASKING productivity it is hard to beat a machine that runs Windows. All your apps work, all your files work. Fujistu has been making tablets FOREVER and they get most things right, just wish this unit had a little bit more HP. But it is running Windows 7 which isn't tablet optimized.

Have to mention Windows convertable tablets and the Samsung Series 7 tablet. Way more expensive, but fully capable Windows machines. The Samsung runs the preview of Windows 8 pretty well too, but sadly, while improved, the Win8 beta still drops you into touch unfriendly Win7 desktop territory too often.


3) Android
Not the best of class for either, but consider the Thinkpad Tablet. You can purchase a keyboard folio that works very nicely, AND the screen is one of the few that works well with a pen. Hardware is excellent AND Lenovo has promised an ICS update. It is too expensive if you pay retail, but Lenovo has some REALLY great sales periodically. $399 for a 32GB machine and a $120 add on for the keyboard folio and pen. Plus Lenovo actually services these machines. Tablets get beat up, it is the nature of the form factor. Had a couple of Transformer users jump ship when the they had hardware issues that required the units to be sent in. When they saw a Lenovo tech deliver a replacement tablet SAME DAY we called for service, it made an impression.

4) Readers
If it fits your usage pattern, nothing wrong with a reader. Kindle Fire seems to have a pretty good browser. Realize the limitations of the walled garden, but if that works, the price can't be beaten.

Cheers.

Thanks for the info. This is probably not what I'll do in the short term, but it's good to gather ideas and information.

For those of you that have the Thinkpad Tablet... If I were to have found one for, say, $330 (16Gb model), would you say that's a good value? Or have you found deficiencies that make it worthwhile to wait for the next gen?

Keep in mind that Lenovo's update cycle is long so I wouldn't expect a new Thinkpad Tablet 2.0 to be available until at least Q3/Q4 of this year. They tend to announce things and then take their time bringing them to market. They did just announce that the ICS (Android 4.0) update will roll for the tablet in Q2.

P.S. I run IT for a Lenovo-based design firm, so I naturally like the brand and their service... But this would be a personal purchase. I have a Kindle Fire and while I like most things about it, I dislike the lack of cameras, external storage and access to the Android Market.