最近，如果你曾留意过药店柜台后面的架子的话，可能已经发现，在一堆超强感冒咳嗽糖浆和廉价的耳塞中，还摆放着一些与周围环境不协调的商品——廉价平板电脑。尽管有时这些低端设备的名字有些不着边际，但其市场在迅速膨胀。目前，在苹果（Apple）iPad、亚马逊（Amazon）Kindle Fire等产品的带动下，平板电脑市场规模已达290亿美元，而我们前面所说的这些廉价产品都在这一市场的低端互相残杀。下文即介绍其中一些最貌不惊人、默默无闻的平板电脑，过去你肯定没听说过它们的大名。

    A report Friday that the Kindle Fire costs a few dollars more to make than its $199 selling price is drawing renewed attention to Amazon's adherence on the "razors and blades" theory. That theory has been around for a long time and has been much discussed with the rise of new technologies over the past few decades. Whether it will work for Amazon is an open question, but the odds may be against it.

Maylong M-150

    俗话说，一分钱一分货。Maylong M-150就是一个证明。去年，该产品在沃尔格林药房（Walgreens）仅售99美元。这款平板电脑搭载安卓系统（Android），其7英寸（18.8厘米）的触摸屏性能不够稳定，400 MHz的处理器能力有限，内置256 MB RAM、2GB的内存， WiFi功能极不稳定，经常掉线。太差劲了。待机时，电池续航时间为2~3小时，使用时只有屈屈1小时。

Maylong M-150

    You get what you pay for. The Maylong M-150 proves this to be true. Sold at Walgreens last year for $99, this Android-based tablet has a 7-inch and temperamental touchscreen, a weak 400MHz processor, 256MB RAM, 2GB of storage and WiFi that often sputters. The most egregious deficiency? Battery life between two and three hours on standby -- and a paltry one hour while in use.

Augen GenTouch 78

    这款平板内置800MHz处理器，256MB RAM。即使售价只有149美元，这款7英寸平板电脑存在的问题仍然说不过去。这些问题包括：低劣的设计；不支持多点触摸；尽管其显眼的标签上注明内置有HDMI（高清多媒体接口）端口，但实际上根本没有HDMI端口。使用几分钟之后，它对触摸就没什么反应了。此外，大概是自惭形秽，该平板电脑的主要按钮全都隐藏在机身背面。

Augen GenTouch 78

    With an 800MHz processor and 256MB of RAM, this 7-inch tablet has issues that even its $149 price tag might not pardon. They include cheap design, no multi-touch gesture support and a lack of an HDMI port -- despite the prominent label indicating an HDMI port. The GenTouch 78 is also scorching to the touch after a few minutes of use. What's more, the tablet's main buttons hide inexplicably on the back of the device, perhaps in shame.

黑莓 PlayBook

    你很可能曾经听说过黑莓手机生产商RIM公司的PlayBook。但由于其销量甚微，人们可能早已将之抛到了脑后。但该产品也有一些优势：搭载所谓的QNX操作系统，提供多任务窗口，用户在多个应用程序之间进行切换时甚至比在iPad搭载的iOS 5下还要顺畅。但其致命弱点在于，不提供独立的电子邮件客户端软件。这真的是RIM出品的设备吗？去年，该公司这款设备仅发售了20万台。现在，零售商们为清空库存，可能得降价甩卖。

BlackBerry PlayBook

    Ok, chances are you've actually heard of Research in Motion's PlayBook. Given its paltry sales, you may have forgotten about it, though. As plusses go, it uses the so-called QNX operating system with a multitasking pane that lets users juggle apps better than even the iPad's iOS 5. The lack of a standalone email client, however, is its Achilles Heel. This is a RIM device? The company shipped just 200,000 units last quarter. Now, retailers may have to slash prices to move inventory.

Coby Kyros

    神户（Kobe）牛肉也许是世界上最优质的牛肉。那么Coby电子产品呢？可没那么神气。它是为数不多搭载8英寸（约合20.3厘米）显示屏的平板电脑，但它的显示效果太糟，一位评测师甚至将使用它的感觉比喻为“水下阅读”。且不论这到底是一种什么样的感觉，反正听起来不怎么样。此款平板电脑售价不足200美元，其唯一的亮点是内置的4GB内存，但用户只能使用其中的2.9GB。

Coby Kyros

    Kobe beef is among the highest quality of its kind. What about Coby electronics? Not quite. One of the few tablets with an 8-inch screen, the display is so poor that one reviewer compared using it to "reading underwater." Whatever that's like, it doesn't sound pleasant. The lone bright spot for this sub-$200 device is the 4GB of built-in storage, of which only 2.9GB is actually available to users.

Kobo Vox

    由于Kindle Fire和Nook在市场上引起的喧嚣，人们很容易忽视Kobo。日本乐天公司（Rakuten）最近斥资3.15亿美元收购了Kobo这家加拿大电子阅读器厂商。上个月，该公司发布了Kobo Vox。这款产品也采用了7英寸触摸屏，搭载安卓操作系统，主要用于阅读。其设计酷似施乐（Xerox）产品，比Kindle Fire大点儿，跟RIM的PlayBook差不多。

Kobo Vox

    With all the fuss over the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, it's easy to overlook Kobo, the Canadian e-reader manufacturer recently scooped up by Japan's Rakuten for $315 million. It launched the Kobo Vox last month, another 7-inch Android-based device focused on reading. Its design looks like a Xerox of a Xerox, a bulkier Kindle Fire, which itself is very similar to RIM's PlayBook.

CherryPal CherryPad America

    “我们会通过市场营销活动来弥补产品的不足。”尽管名声在外，CherryPad America却让人感觉徒有虚名。由于技术规范乏善可陈，因此用起来也慢如蜗牛，与其说在使用一款先进的电子产品，不如说更像在用一台年久失修的自动提款机。有时用手指点触屏幕根本没有任何反应；视频播放也时断时续，无法连贯。

CherryPal CherryPad America

    "We'll fix it in marketing." Voluminous name aside, the CherryPad America doesn't have much else going for it. Paltry technical specs make for a sluggish experience that's more like using a beat up ATM than a cutting-edge electronic. Finger taps sometimes don't register at all and video playback stutters.

戴尔 Inspiron Duo 平板电脑

    从理论上说，戴尔（Dell）售价549美元的Inspiron Duo平板电脑是款颇有潜质的产品：这款搭载全功能Windows 7的上网本看起来坚固耐用；轻轻一推，它就摇身一变，变形成为一台10英寸（约合25.4厘米）的平板电脑。但是，实际用起来就是另一回事了。毫无特色的硬件无法满足Windows 7的需求；此外，触摸屏也不够灵敏。

Dell Inspiron Duo Tablet

    In theory, Dell's $549 Inspiron Duo Tablet sounds promising, serving up a solid-feeling, fully-functional Windows 7 netbook that, when nudged, swivels and transforms into a 10-inch tablet. Practice is a different story. Lackluster hardware chokes under the demands of Windows 7. An unresponsive touchscreen doesn't help much either.

华硕 EeePad Transformer TF101

    售价400美元的华硕（Asus）平板电脑同样拥有一个拗口的名字。该产品还配有一个价值150美元的外接键盘坞，连上它，平板电脑转瞬间就成了笔记本电脑。可惜的是，它的外观实在是令人不敢恭维，1英寸（约2.5厘米）宽的硕大的插槽以及糟糕的视频播放效果是其致命伤。

Asus EeePad Transformer TF101

    Another phonetically-challenged contender, Asus's $400 tablet has a $150 keyboard dock accessory that turns the device into a notebook. Unfortunately, so-so build quality, a huge 1-inch bezel and jerky video recording are fatal flaws.

优派 ViewPad 10

    ViewPad 10售价679美元，可谓昂贵。此外，该产品还患有严重的“人格分裂症”——同时运行安卓和Windows 7两套系统。虽然它向标准的上网本看齐，搭载的是1.66 GHz的英特尔处理器，但无论运行安卓还是Windows 7，效果都不甚理想。

Viewsonic ViewPad 10

    At $679, the ViewPad 10 is pricey. It also suffers from a serious split personality disorder, running both Android and Windows 7. It does neither particularly well, despite the inclusion of a 1.66 GHz Intel processor commonly found in full-blown netbooks.

联想 IdeaPad 平板电脑A1

    这款产品将于未来几周内正式发售，售价250美元。A1采用7英寸的触摸屏，确实具备一些与众不同之处：提供强大的安卓使用体验，可访问Market、Gmail、Maps、以及一个导航系统，该导航系统使用的是全球定位系统（GPS）卫星而非互联网连接。此外，它还采用多点触摸屏，带有前后两个内置相机以及蓝牙。但是，IdeaPad是否会受到欢迎，还需拭目以待。

Lenovo IdeaPad tablet A1

    Shipping over the next few weeks, the $250, 7-inch A1 actually differentiates itself from other cheaper offerings by serving up a robust Android experience, with access to Market, Gmail, Maps and a navigation system that uses GPS satellites instead of an Internet connection. Also onboard: a multitouch screen, front and rear cameras and Bluetooth. Whether people catch onto the IdeaPad remains to be seen.

Vizio VTAB 1008

    Vizio并未采用大众思路，搭载股票版安卓系统但又不能使其性能得到充分发挥；相反，它在Android 2.3的基础上上建立了一个简化的用户接口。许多评测人员都发现，这种架构提升了VTAB 1008的易用性。但是，Vizio为了将价格控制在300美元而在其他几个方面削减了成本，其中包括仅有4GB的内存，而且整个机壳外形笨重。

Vizio VTAB 1008

    Instead of using a stock version of Android and crippling it, Vizio built a simplified user interface on top of Android 2.3. Many reviewers find this approach makes for a more accessible device. But the company cut a few corners to achieve a $300 price, including just 4GB of built-in storage and a thick, heavy casing.

宏碁 Iconia Tab A500

    这款重近0.8公斤（1.7磅）的10英寸平板电脑虽然体型颇为粗壮，但并未影响其外形的美观。分辨率为1280*800的显示屏也够靓丽。虽然该设备速度很快，但总体性能受到安卓蜂巢（Honeycomb）的拖累。业界认为该操作系统仍有待改进。

Acer Iconia Tab A500

    At 1.7 pounds, this $450, 10-inch tablet is one of the portliest around, though it is well-built. The 1,280 by 800 resolution display is bright as well. The device is certainly fast, but overall performance is held back by Android Honeycomb itself, an operating system that arguably has some headway to make.

东芝 Thrive

    Thrive比多数平板电脑都要大，甚至比第一代iPad还要重，售价399美元。但是，该产品的诸多优良品质也弥补了上述不足，其中包括：10英寸高分辨率触摸屏，双核Nvidia Tegra 2处理器，总体性能优异。Thrive能否名符其实，在市场上大显身手呢？时间将告诉我们答案。

    译者：大海

Toshiba Thrive

    Bulkier than most tablets and heavier even than the first iPad, the $399 Thrive has plenty of redeeming qualities, including a 10-inch, high-resolution touchscreen and a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor that makes for overall snappy performance. Will it thrive in the market place? Only time will tell.