Mike, you haven't commented on how you're going to use your tablet - whichever one you get - with the internet. Do you have a smartphone? What wireless company are you with? What's your data plan?
If you already have a smartphone with a data plan, that's all you'll really need. Tethering, wireless hotspot, and sharing plans are for n00bs. Well, a sharing plan might be the way to go if you have multiple people (family) on the same plan. Tethering/hotspot plans are typically $20 a month for 2gb of data, regardless of your provider, even if you have an "unlimited" contract (like Sprint or TMobile). But you don't need this. By FCC regulations, any bandwidth you lease from a provider is yours to do with as you wish. If you have a smartphone with data, tethering/hotspot "services" are merely that. They give you access to an app that allows you to tether your device, or use it as a mobile hotspot, for a monthly fee. But since the bandwidth is already yours, you're not paying for that, you're only paying for the "service". And if you have an unlimited plan, it's still unlimited because you're not using their extra "service".
Adding another device to your plan makes it a "shared" plan, and costs even more. A LOT more. For the same amount of data (or less, or WAY more for more).
There's a multitude of apps out there that do the same thing, for a one-time purchase. And most costs are less than you'd pay per month through your provider. Sometimes downloading/purchasing these apps are blocked through your provider for download via Google Play, but that doesn't mean a damn thing. You can always "side load" the app (installing from a downloaded file). There is absolutely nothing illegal or unethical about doing this. Remember, the bandwidth you're leasing from your provider is yours to do with as you wish.
PdaNet/FoxFi is probably the most popular way to do this, but there are other programs as well. I've tried it, and it works just fine. It's also great if you travel, whether you have a tablet, laptop, or whatever. As long as you have data with your cell phone, you don't need to find an internet hotspot, because you already have one in your pocket.
Regardless of what tablet you end up with, doing what I suggested can not only save you on a wi-fi only model vs a 4G model (if that option exists), it can save you hundreds of dollars over the length of any contract you might have. $20/month x 2 years (typical contract) = $480. Even more if you have a "shared" plan.
For example, I have Verizon, a Droid RAZR MAXX, with 4gb/month data. Minimal talk time, and 1000 texts. I pay about $90/month (after fees/taxes). If I bought a Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 32gb of storage, they'd charge me $629 for the device, $35 for the activation fee, and my monthly bill would jump to about $130/month, for the same 4gb of data (although, I would get unlimited talk and text...not that I'd use it). Minus the cost of the device and activation, that's still nearly $500/year.
Or I could buy a Google Nexus 7 16gb for $250, pay $10-20 for a licensed, full access version of a mobile hotspot/tethering app like PdaNet/FoxFi, and save myself a ton of money, both initially, and over time. If you need more storage space than that, then you shouldn't be putting the Lord of the Rings trilogy on your tablet, or putting that much music or porn on it. Or maybe you're a big gamer, I don't know. But if you do need more space than a device offers, there's always dropbox style accounts/programs (google gives you a few free already), clouds, or programs that let you access your home computer remotely. "Office" type files typically aren't that big, and shouldn't put a very big dent in your data allowance, assuming you don't have "unlimited" data and that point is moot. Keep in mind that the providers that offer "unlimited" cell phone plans still limit their tethering/wifi plans to 2gb/month or so.
To summarize, if you have a smartphone with a data plan, you can save a TON of money by utilizing a certain app or two, because they're a one-time purchase with no monthly fee, and don't require additional service fees. Remember, the FCC says that the bandwidth you lease is yours to do with as you wish. For obvious reasons, wireless providers do not pre-load these programs (or even block them, but there's ways around that), and try to make you use their own services. But you don't have to, and you're a dupe if you do. To be fair, maybe there is a convince of having 4G on your tablet without having to connect to your phone as a wifi hotspot, and there also might be the issue of battery life of your phone by using it as a hotspot, but IMO that's a small hassle in comparison to saving hundreds of dollars per year
