The Tablet Is Not Dead. It's Getting Cheaper: $90 off NOOK, $139 Kindle Fire

If the news of Barnes & Noble discounting the 9" NOOK as a "Mother's Day promotion" doesn't get you excited for a new tablet, then perhaps this full roundup of cheap tablets will. All of today's Windows 8 and Android tablets are Editors' Choice deals; prices start at just $70.

1. NOOK WiFi Tablet Sale
   Store: Barnes & Noble
   Price: From $149
   Shipping: Free shipping

   Is It Worth It?: Not only is the 7" 8GB HD WiFi NOOK (pictured) priced $90 off at $149, but its larger siblings — the 9" 16GB NOOK ($179) and 9" 32GB NOOK ($209) — are also at all-time low prices. The aforementioned 7" slate features a 1440x900 HD display, while the 9" models feature a 1920x1280 (1080p) HD+ display. The battery life of all NOOK models supports about 10 hours of reading and up to nine hours of video to boot.

   Rather a refurb unit? The refurbished Barnes & Noble NOOK 7" 8GB Android Tablet is $67.49 via coupon code "EMCXRXL52" with free shipping from newegg. That's $13 under our mention from last week and the lowest total price we've seen for this model, and it's also an Editors' Choice.

2. Kindle Fire HD 16GB 7" WiFi Android Tablet
   Store: OfficeMax
   Price: $169
   Lowest By: $30
   Expires: May 11

   Is It Worth It?: If you're in the market for a Kindle Fire HD, head to your local OfficeMax and pick up this model for the lowest price around (though we saw it for $19 less in March, since expired.) This 13.9-oz. tablet runs a modified version of Google's Android OS and features a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 7" 1280x800 multitouch IPS display, 16GB internal storage, 802.11n wireless, front-facing HD camera, and more.

   While the "Amazon Kindle Fire HD is the Kindle Fire as it should have been," said current-gen is still a fully-functional slate. It runs a heavily-modified version of Google's Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS and sports a OMAP4430 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 7" 1024x600 multi-touch IPS LCD, 8GB internal memory, WiFi, has up to nine hours of battery life. The latest Kindle Fire 7" 8GB Android Tablet can be yours for $138.99 with free shipping (a low by $35).

3. Used ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime 10.1" 32GB Google Android Tablet
   Store: CowBoom
   Price: $179.99 with free shipping
   Lowest By: $67

   Is It Worth It?: This 1.3-lb. tablet "is the best full-featured Android tablet yet," says CNET. It's also presently $9 cheaper than it was in December and is now the best price we've ever seen for a used unit. It features an NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 10.1" LED backlit 1280x800 touchscreen LCD, 1GB RAM, 32GB internal flash storage, 1.2-megapixel front camera and 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, 802.11n wireless, and more. Of note, an Android operating system is included; however, the version isn't specified. No warranty information is provided. Also, this used item may have cosmetic imperfections, scratches and/or blemishes, and may be missing accessories.

4. Lenovo IdeaPad A1 7" 16GB Android Tablet
   Store: newegg
   Price: $69.99 via coupon code "EMCXRXL52" and $20 mail-in rebate with $3.99 s&h
   Lowest By: $32
   Expires: May 11

   Is It Worth It?: The Lenovo IdeaPad A1 is a classic Android tablet at an attractive price" despite what some might consider its "subpar screen." Other features of this 14.1-oz tablet include Texas Instruments OMAP 3622 1GHz processor, 7" 1024x600 touchscreen LCD, 512MB RAM, 16GB of storage, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1, 1-cell battery, USB, and Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).

5. Acer Iconia W510-1674 32GB 10" Tablet
   Store: Dealfisher
   Price: $359.99 with free shipping
   Lowest By: $39

   Is It Worth It?: This 10.1" tablet is great for its all-day battery life," though power users may be wary of the Intel Atom Z2760 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Other features include 2GB RAM, 32GB SSD, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, 2-megapixel front-facing camera and 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras, media card reader, 2-cell battery, and Windows 8 32-bit.

Front page photo credit: Geek.com