Looking for tablet for wife

Weazol,

I have to say, there are so many options for your budget, but excluding Archos 7. After several days you will find 7" useless, especially for eBook reading.

The first option is Archos 101, 10" screen is AWESOME, alike A4 size. Some online sellers sell it under $300, so if you have some interest, that is a chance.

The second option is iPad clones. Chinese manufacturers are rolling out several "high-end" iPad clones recently. The screen ranges from 8" to 10.2" with resolution 800x600 (8") / 1024x600(10.2"). Some models come with Android 2.2 system and Cortex A8 processor that is decent configuration for eBook reading, Internet surfing and multi-media consuming. There are two typical models around $200 below:

10.2" Android 2.1 Tablet - 1GHz Telechips 8900 Processor - 256MB DDR2

8" Android 2.2 Tablet - 1GHz Cortex A8 Processor - 512MB DDR2

If you want higher resolution 1024x768 pixels for a 10" screen, then you have to hold your pennies for some days. I heard one or two models with such a resolution would be released this November.

 

Your best bet right now is the Cruz Reader available at Borders for 169 (on sale ) it plays music, has web access, views photos and you can read books on it. There is also a hack to add android market to it. It has a nice 7 inch form factor too, which is easier to hold and to carry around.