I didn't want to spend that much for the iPad, so I bought the Samsung Galaxy Tablet - the 7" was $249, the 10" is $349-399.....still cheaper than an iPad ($500).....my tablet does everything the iPad does and is Android based. Bought it to play Words with Friends while I was walking on the treadmill (instead of playing while sitting on my butt!!).. but I can do lots of other stuff with it including pictures, Skype, Internet, email etc.....
This brand was the best for the price (after iPad). There are other even cheaper brands, but we did our homework and found the samsung was as close to iPad as we could get. The 7" fits great in my purse......the 10" would have been nice to have but I didn't want to have to carry a bigger purse. Good luck and have fun with it!!