3 Top Tablets to Tempt iPad Buyers

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Tablets are going to be on a few gift lists this season, and it's Apple's(AAPL) iPad that will be getting most of the ribbon-and-bow treatment.

There are, however a few challengers that may also end up under the tree, helping to keep Apple from collecting all the proceeds from the tablet giving season.

One would think that the market was teeming with tablets, given all the hype lately. But so far, the list of available tablets is short, though not unimpressive: Hewlett-Packard's(HPQ) Slate, Amazon's(AMZN) Kindle, Samsung's Galaxy Tab and the Apple iPad.

But it's the iPad, with 7.5 million sold so far, that's shaping up to be this year's netbook -- selling at more than twice the price. Let's face it, the iPad was not a flop. Not even close. About 80% of people planning to buy tablets intend to buy iPads, according to a ChangeWave survey of 3,108 people last month.

The WiFi-only version of the iPad starts at $500. The 3G version sells for $630 and can go as high as $830; that price does not include the additional data service plan.

AT&T(T) offers a $15-a-month limited plan and larger $25-a-month offer. Verizon(VZ) started selling the iPad last week as a bundle with a MiFi wireless hotspot device for $630 plus a data service that starts at $20 a month.

Here's how the other tablets stack up.