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In time for the holidays, the year’s best gadgets

Tablets

It’s been a great year for tablets, and not just for iPads. Yes, Apple Inc. continues to dominate. The newest full-sized iPad came with better cameras, a sharper screen, and a faster processor, with the same starting price of $499. Its follow-up, the downsized iPad mini is an even better value for money. It runs all the same apps, but is lighter, easier to handle, and starts at $329.

Comments

Great advice, mostly. I know you love Windows 8 phone and I played with the Lumia at the Verizon Wireless store two days ago. Then I opted for the iPhone 5. I have covered most of the angles buying or upgrading a phone. It's almost as miserable as buying a car. Where I disagree with your advice is that a bargain is a good idea when buying a smart phone that comes w a two-year contract. Have you looked at Verizon Wireless and AT&T contracts? No bargains there. Searching for bargains when chaining yourself to these oppressive contracts is a bad idea. Get the phone that's best for you, not a bargain that you'll regret two weeks or months into the contract.