By NMT | No Comments
Last updated: Friday, January 14, 2011

After last week’s CES conference, lots of buzz has been circulating about upcoming releases. An especially hot topic is Android’s Honeycomb OS for tablet devices, to be seen in products like the Motorola Xoom which was demoed at CES and will supposedly be released any day now. However, what will this mean for Apple, which has been dominating the tablet sphere thus far with the ever so popular iPad? And how will the competition stack up when the iPad 2 comes onto markets (reportedly in a few short weeks)? Many different sources have leaked information on what to expect from the respective devices, but no articles so far have compiled and compared all the rumors. Here’s what we know so far: The original iPad saw immense success, so we can only imagine how awesome its uprgraded form will be. iPad 2 will have Verizon capability and some say there will even be 4G support, but it will not be exclusive to any networks and should still have WiFi and UMTS versions for those who do not want to be tied down to a service provider. In terms of add-ons and improvements, the iPad 2 will have front and back cameras (along with Facetime, of course), a USB port, more RAM, more speed, and a large speaker along the bottom. Although the actual screen will remain at 9.7 inches (the same as the original iPad), it will be thinner and the frame is rumored to be 3mm smaller than its predecessor. Furthermore, the back will resemble the iPod Touch in that it will be flatter instead of curved as it currently is. It is also “within reason” that the iPad 2 will have retina display, but if not, there were certainly be better resolution. The price point of the iPad 2 is expected to be $499, and the original iPad will likely decrease in price by $100-150. Conversely, the Motorola Xoom is expected to be priced between $500 and $800. It will be on the Verizon WiFi/3G network, and will only potentially include the 4G network after further upgrades. Furthermore, it will include NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 dual core processor and it will have 512 MB of RAM, a 1280 X 800 multitouch display, full HD 1080 p, WiFi and bluetooth support, HDMI, and 32 GB of internal storage. Other features are rumored to include a 5 megapixel rear facing camera, a 2 megapixel front facing camera, a 3.5 mm headphones jack, a full-sized SD card slot, and mini and full sized USB ports. Finally, the most anticipated features of the Xoom include GPS, a barometer, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor, and a gyroscope. It will be interesting to see which product comes out on top, if Android can get a tablet device right on its first try, and whether or not the second generation iPad will be a game changer. Which, if any, would you invest in? What do you anticipate will happen?

Originally posted here:
The Looming Rivalry: iPad 2 vs. Motorola Xoom

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