Amazon Kindle Fire

 The Amazon Kindle Fire is the second-best-selling tablet on store shelves behind Apple’s iPad. Part of that is due to its $199 price tag, but it’s also because of its strong integration with Amazon’s many cloud-based services. The Kindle Fire doesn’t have the firepower the new iPad does, but it’s appealing enough to at least be considered an alternative.

 If the Amazon Kindle Fire is worth considering to replace the new iPad, the Barnes & Noble Nook tablet must also get a nod in this roundup. The device, like the Kindle Fire, starts at $199, and comes with a neat design. The tablet’s 7-inch screen and Android installation might not appeal to everyone, but nearly all reviewers can agree it’s a solid option.

 The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 arguably does the best job of competing against Apple’s new iPad. The device comes with a big (10.1-inch) screen, 4G LTE connectivity and enough storage to get most customers through the next couple years. Plus, at $499 for a 32GB WiFi option, it’s cheaper than the new iPad.

 The Asus Transformer Prime is arguably the unique tablet among those in this roundup. The device lets users place the tablet into a keyboard dock, effectively turning it into a notebook. Plus, it features a really great design that, most can agree, will be able to match the new iPad.

 The Acer Iconia Tab might be one of the best deals in this roundup. The device comes with a 10.1-inch display, but only costs customers $444 online. Combine that with its 1GB of onboard memory (the same as the new iPad) and its Nvidia GeForce GPU, and it quickly becomes clear that the device is a winner.

 One of the most desirable new iPad features is the device’s big (9.7-inch) display. So, if you can’t get your hands on a device that would come with that big display, why not try to find something even bigger? The Toshiba Thrive comes with a 10.1-inch display, Android and all the features you’ll want. Even better, it costs just a bit over $400 online.

 The Lenovo ThinkPad tablet is designed for enterprise users that don’t want to settle for anything other than a corporate-focused device. The tablet comes with more security features than you’d expect to find elsewhere and works with a stylus, as well as touch. Consider the ThinkPad an iPad alternative for enterprise users, exclusively.

 Another enterprise-focused tablet, the Research In Motion BlackBerry PlayBook has finally entered a position where it might be considered a new iPad alternative. How did the 7-inch tablet achieve that, you might ask? By bringing native email to the device. Previously, it lacked that function, making it awfully useless.

 If you haven’t ever heard of Le Pan, it might be a good time to look the company up. The TC 970 tablet comes with a 9.7-inch screen like the new iPad, but runs Android. It also features 720p high-definition video recording, 32GB of storage with an external microSD card and GPS. Oh, yeah, and it only costs $199.

 All this talk of the new iPad makes us forget one important point: Apple is still selling the iPad 2. Even better, it’s selling it for $100 cheaper than the company’s new slate. If you can’t get your hands on Apple’s latest and greatest tablet, why not buy last year’s latest and greatest option?