Motorola Xoom versus the iPad 2

According to this blog item in Computerworld, the Motorola Xoom is better than iPad. Originally the writer compared the Xoom with the original iPad on eight counts. Even when iPad came out he finds that the Xoom is still better! While jury is still out on which is really better, quite often the arguments border on religious fervor, we'll have to wait and see what wins in the market.


The original eight counts of better features were the OS, better hardware, better screen resolution,  front and rear cameras, better browser, it is able to play Flash, no Apple big brother to decide what you should see or not and apps are better on it.

Honeycomb or the Android 3.0is meant for tablets and improved quite a from the earlier versions. As easy to use as the iPad OS it can be customized and is rich in features. Notifications are handled better and multitasking and switching between apps is easier. NVidia Tegra 2, 2 core processor gives you better graphic capabilities. That includes 3D games. iPad processor is a single core one.Xoom wins over iPad with a 10 inch, wide aspect, 1280x 800 pixels vs. 9.7 inch with 1024x 768 pixels.

Tow cameras lets video chat to be done easily while making photo/video taking quite easy.Chrome on the Xoom with tabbed browsing is better than the Safari on the iPad. Motorola has not barred Adobe flash, so you can get to see all the flash content and download them as you like. Xoom does not have Apple breathing down you neck and decide what is good for you! Google's built-in apps, including Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Calendar, is better than IPad comes with.  Xoom's Tegra 2 chip, lets you use vector graphics and 3D rendering in Google Maps.

That was in early March. Then came the iPad2 announcement and the author Preston Gralla still finds the Xoom to be the better one. iPad2 moved to 2 core processor and 2 camera configuration. So that was a bit of catch up. He is still not happy with whatever tweaks have been done to iOS 4.3 but Honeycomb remains better still. Xoom advantages of the apps, no whims of Apple affecting you and ability to still enjoy flash remains advantages according to the author. I, too, think he is probably right. But, as I have said it still may get decided on entirely different reasons. These advantages will remain, however.

Motorola Xoom versus the iPad 2 --- the Xoom is a clear winner - Computerworld Blogs

OverDrive Helps Connect Libraries and Users with eBooks - AppScout

With the coming about of eBooks, what happens to the libraries!This application from OverDrive is an example of things to come. With the dematerialization of content (everything is just electronic bits and bytes)  one would think the library, as we know it, may cease to exist. instead the libraries are evolving too and they now lend out a lot of electronic books and other contents. This app from OverDrive finds you the library, in your neighborhood that has the content and lets you get connected. The library would lend out the material and use it the way you want to.

The application allows users on multiple platforms to download its OverDrive Media Console app to read eBooks too after the content has been downloaded.  The OverDrive Media Console is available for iOS and Android. You thus have them on iPads as well as Android based tablets. Phones like iPhone as well as other Android phones can be used too. The same app can be used to search for specific books or media in electronic format. The Console app is available for free from iTunes App Store and the Android Market.

OverDrive Helps Connect Libraries and Users with eBooks