Apple is dominating the tablet market with iPad 1 and iPad 2 since ever. Actually there was no real tablet market before the release of iPad 1. The sudden success of the iPad “forced” many other companies to get into the process of developing their own tablet and try to challenge Apple. Among the strongest tablet contenders are 3 tablets running the newly released Android 3.0 OS. These are the Motorola Xoom, the Samsung Galaxy 8.9 and Toshiba (still unnamed device). Are these devices ready to threaten the iPad or is it just another failed attempt? Can Google win the tablet market as they did with the smartphone market a couple of months ago? No one can be certain what the next few months will reveal but for sure these 3 devices can stand up next to the iPad without shame or fear.
Motorola Xoom
The Motorola Xoom is an android tablet with terrific specs. Running the Android 3.0 OS, it trumps the iPad 2 in a number of areas. Motorola’s philosophy seems to have been to take a spec rich approach to the Xoom and in many ways it seems to have worked. The Xoom uses a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core Processor and has 1 GB of RAM. This pairing allows for lightening quick functionality and amazing multitasking capabilities up there on a similar terrain to the iPad 2.
Screen wise it sports a 10.1 inch screen that’s close to half an inch larger than the Apple screen. Its two cameras are far superior in quality to iPad 2, on both the back and the front – one is a 5MP, the other a 2MP. It should be noted the device is slightly larger and heavier than the Apple iPad 2.
The Xoom also has HDMI and USB ports can run Flash player and also has a SD port that allows the addition of up to 32GB of extra memory to its 32GB of internal fixed memory ñ Apple’s iPad has none of the aforementioned but comes into 16/32/64 GB versions.
Samsung Galaxy 8.9
Not released yet the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 is aimed to be slightly cheaper than the Apple iPad 2 on price, but will have similar specs. The Galaxy Tab 8.9, not released until the middle of summer, will be slimmer and far lighter than the Apple iPad 2 – making it a far more portable option.
The Samsung will also offer an 8.9 inch display at a 16:9 ratio, displaying LCD images with a stunning resolution of 1280×800. It will also use the same chip as the Xoom, the 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core Processor and Honeycomb OS. Meaning it will be somewhat akin in power and capability to that of the iPad 2.
As far as cameras go, it has by far the best, with an 8MP flasher on the back capturing at 1080p as well as a 2MP camera on the front. It will support flash player (all android 3.0 devices have support for Flash Player 10.2) and has USB ports and a SD port to increase the memory by up to 32GB, on top of its internal 16 GB or 32 GB size.
The fact the Samsung is cheaper, smaller and just as powerful shows how serious Samsung are about taking a bite from Apple’s apple.
Toshiba
Toshiba’s new tablet, to be released in the second half of this year, is also looking like an iPad threat. It will run the same Honeycomb OS as the other two Android tablets; the Toshiba will also offer an array of top end specs to consumers.
This will surely mean it will be as much of a player in the Android market as in the tablet market as a whole. The tablet is expected to have a 16:10 ratio, seen as more viable for a media orientated machine and will have a removable battery, coloured covers that can be swapped and mini USB ports.
The iPad may be the consumer choice for now, but with these three big boys on the horizon we can be confident that Android 3.0 is pushing things in the right direction. Who the winner will be it’s up to the consumers to decide but the good news is that we now have more choices and the increased competition will lead to the development of better and cheaper tablets.
No comments:
Post a Comment