Motorola XOOM vs Apple iPad

Introduction:

Sitting atop of the throne for the better portion of the last year, the Apple iPad’s grasp is somewhat unrelenting seeing that it has proven itself as a threatening competitor in the general computing space. So far, we’ve seen some passable offerings coming from the Android sector, but the Motorola XOOM has seemingly taken the whole approach to a new dimension since Android 3.0 Honeycomb was built to be optimized for tablet usage. Obviously, as of right now, the now year-old iPad and the just-released XOOM are the most relevant tablets currently available on the market. And even though they might share some similarities, they boast their own unique branded experience to appease a wide array of users out there.

Design:

Placing the two against one another, we’re not especially more fond of one design over the other – that’s partly because they’re almost the same size when you hold them in your hands. However, they do share many commonalities such as their razor thin profiles sizing up at around half an inch thick, premium choice of materials, and their overall weight; granted that the XOOM is just a tad bit heavier.  Nevertheless, we’re happy to see that both are solidly constructed all around, but the XOOM’s brushed metallic exterior seems to sustain fingerprints and smudges more than the repelling nature of the iPad’s brushed aluminum casing. Ultimately, their designs are pretty much typical for their product category, however, their high-quality choice of materials definitely catapults them to the upper end of the spectrum against others.

Just by looking at both head on, it’s quite apparent that the XOOM sticks to using a 16:10 aspect ratio with its 10.1” capacitive touchscreen – which end ups giving it a widescreen appearance. While on the other hand, the iPad appears to look almost boxy with the 4:3 aspect ratio of its 9.7” display. Overlooking the miniscule size difference, the XOOM boasts a higher resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels versus the 1024 x 768 resolution of the iPad. Honestly, there isn’t a drastic difference in detail between the two, especially when they have good viewing angles, but there is a little bit more brilliance with the iPad’s display. And when we set them to their highest brightness setting, it’s evident that the luminance of the iPad is also stronger. Regardless, we didn’t experience any issues with their capacitive touchscreens since they accurately measured our gestures and presses. Though, we find it a lot easier to clean the iPad’s display over the XOOM – which requires some hard scrubbing to remove smudges.



The power buttons of both are reasonably sized to feel out with the finger, while an acceptable tactile response is felt when they’re pressed down. Obviously, the placement of the button with the iPad is at a customary location, much like what’s found with the iPhone, but we were baffled to find the location of the button in the rear with the XOOM. Nonetheless, it’s an ideal location since your index finger has perfect access to it while holding the XOOM in landscape.

Although the Motorola XOOM doesn’t have any physical or separate touch buttons, we still find the iPad’s single home button to be a convenient and useful thing. Sure we didn’t have any accidental presses this time around with Android’s built-in buttons that are located in the lower left corner of the System Bar, but as a matter of fact, we’ve never experienced any problems with the springy home button of the iPad either.

Without hesitation, the volume rocker of the XOOM is one pain in the neck thing to feel out or press – and that’s why we prefer the iPad’s elevated and clicky one. Moreover, there’s a switch on the iPad that will instantly place the tablet in vibrate mode, which is nice seeing you have to manually lower it on the XOOM to get it completely silenced.

Thanks to its left and right speakers, the Motorola XOOM is able to offer stereo sound that should enlighten those while watching a video of some sort. Meanwhile, the iPad only designates a single area around its bezel for its speaker.


Taking into consideration multimedia connectivity support, there’s no arguing that the XOOM features quite a few ways to instantly share content with other devices. Surely by now we’re accustomed to seeing Apple’s proprietary 30-pin connection port gracing the iPad, but we’re enthralled to see a traditional microUSB port and an especially useful microHDMI port on the XOOM. However, there is a separate power port that you’ll need to connect to supply power to the XOOM since it doesn’t do it via the microUSB port.


Supplementing its arsenal, we find a 0.3-megapixel front facing camera and a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with dual-LED flash with the XOOM. Naturally, you’ll be able to take photos and videos with the tablet, but it even enables you to do video chat – all of which are non-existent with the current Apple iPad.

Shunning away any prying individuals out there, the battery for both tablets is not all that easily removable and requires you to send it away to get it replaced in the unfortunate event that it goes bad. Also, the iPad is available is capacities ranging from 16GB all the way to 64GB, with varying prices obviously, but the XOOM only provides a total of 32GB of internal storage. Albeit, there is a microSD card slot that will enable owners to increase its capacity – but it’s not yet supported by the platform.


Lastly, one distinctive advantage with the XOOM is the fact that it’s going to be upgradeable down the road to support Verizon’s 4G LTE network; while currently working with their 3G network. Whereas some variants of the iPad feature microSIM card slots to get it working with certain 3G networks around the world.

Interface and Functionality:

Another first that the XOOM can claim to fame is being the first tablet on the market to feature a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor which operates at a feverish rate – all the while showing off some nifty looking visuals. On the other hand, the 1GHz Apple A4 processor is found powering the iPad internally. Impressively, the two devices exhibit a high rate of performance in almost every aspect with very little lag to muddy down its operation. However, it’s quite noticeable that the iPad has the more fluid response in scrolling, while there are some instances of choppiness with the XOOM in navigating around its homescreen. Even so, we’re still excited to see everything moving at a rate that’s easily high above water than other offerings.

So it’s the never ending battle between Android and iOS, but they’re now on the same playing field since Android 3.0 Honeycomb is optimized for tablets – whereas previous Android tablets merely ported over the smartphone experience. On one side, iOS on the iPad is a very simplistic platform that’s straightforward enough for anyone to quickly learn at a first go over. However, it doesn’t offer much in terms of personalization since you’re only limited to things like rearranging icons on the homescreen, changing the wallpaper, and grouping icons together to make folders. Oppositely, we love the myriad of ways that you can personalize the XOOM thanks to its useful widgets, live wallpapers, and various toggles. Furthermore, the futuristic appearance of Honeycomb makes it feel so different versus what’s out there, and that’s one of the alluring things about its presentation.



Attempting to type something up while using the portrait keyboard, we find the XOOM to be more comfortable to use since there isn’t a much travel required by your thumbs – partly due to its narrower layout. However, the predictive text option of the iPad is still the preferred choice between the two since it works almost flawlessly. And when using the landscape keyboards, they provide a responsive feel that makes typing feel very natural and without making too many mistakes along the way. Moreover, the spacious layout almost mimics any physical keyboards out there – so we’re pretty much satisfied with the experience of both tablets.

When it comes down to the Gmail experience, it’s very easy to see why any Android device would win so easily in this category – but that’s mostly because it brings over a lot of the elements found with the desktop experience. The  email interfaces on both are once again almost similar, seeing that they heavily utilize various panes to display content, but the XOOM’s close appearance and functionality to the Gmail desktop experience elevates it over the iPad. Still, it’s not bad with iOS, since you’re treated to an optimized experience, but doesn’t have the depth of functionality and productivity that radiates with the XOOM.




Fortunately, most of the core apps offered by each tablet take advantage of the roomier confines of their large displays – thus providing some usefulness without much complications. For example, the calendar apps are closely identical with their presentation as they intricately display pertinent appointments on one side while giving you the full view of your calendar. In addition, we see the same paned characteristics found on other apps, like address book, since one area gives you access to your listing, while the other displays the relevant information associated with each contact.



Multi-tasking is one area that keeps any tablet user motivated and productive, but between the two, we feel that the XOOM’s deployment and implementation is particularly more inviting. In fact, it’s mostly attributed to the powerful dual-core processor it’s packing as a good chunk of non-intensive apps retain their positions. Granted that the iPad can move around opened apps, it’s not at the same level that’s exhibited by the XOOM. Actually, we’re impressed with the XOOM because we were able to continue where we left off in a 3D intensive game after switching back and forth through a variety of apps.

Lastly, the notifications system with Honeycomb is light years ahead of what’s available with iOS because it’s informative without being too obtrusive. Likewise, we see notifications coming in with other apps, like Twitter or Facebook, that keep you aware of things happening in real time – where on the iPad, you literally have to launch each app to see what’s new. Kudos to Google on keeping this in mind as they developed the platform!

Internet and Connectivity:

Web browsing is a fantastic experience on both tablets since they fully make use of the real estate, but when you meticulously compare their performance, it’s evident that Safari on the iPad exhibits the more fluid response between the two. It’s especially prominent with its smooth pinch-to-zoom gestures and kinetic scrolling. On the other hand, the same execution on the Android browser is acceptable by any means, but you can sense it’s not as tight as the iPad. Right now, the XOOM lacks support for Flash 10.1, but it shouldn’t be long before it’s available – giving it that true desktop like feel. Likewise, we adore how the Android browser will sync with your Google Chrome bookmarks and provides the no cookies left behind function of incognito mode.



As we mentioned already, the one strategic advantage seen with the Motorola XOOM is that it’ll be able to connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network in the future; while still offering 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. When the time arrives, it’ll complement the already speedy nature of the tablet – thus giving you complete freedom in uploading and downloading items. Conversely, the 3G version of the iPad will get it connected with AT&T’s 3G network; which should prove to be sufficient for most people out there. Moreover, the XOOM can act as a mobile hotspot that will share its data connectivity via Wi-Fi or through a USB connection. Although it’s not available with the iPad, hopefully a software update down the road will enable a similar functionality.

Camera and Multimedia:

Augmenting its allure, the Motorola XOOM packs on a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera that takes some sharp looking photos that can easily replace most basic point and shoot cameras. Additionally, it has 720p video recording that looks moderately satisfactory with its output and complements the XOOM’s overall features prowess. And lastly, there is a front-facing camera on board that you can use to take self-portraits or enlighten yourself with video chat – all of which are not available on the iPad.

Shockingly, the Honeycomb music player vastly separates itself by essentially providing an engaging experience with its presentation. Naturally, we’re greeted to similar items being displayed while a song is played; such as the album cover, track information, and on-screen controls. However, the slick 3D carousel interface of the Honeycomb player adds in some nice eye candy while browsing through your albums. Unfortunately, Apple’s visually impressive Cover Flow mode is missing in action with the iPad. In terms of audio quality with their speakers, they both emit some equally deafening tones, but there is just a small hint of crackle with the XOOM on the highest setting.



Watching videos is no problem whatsoever with either tablet since their comfy sized displays makes for a very conducive experience – which also makes for the perfect companion on long trips. Videos play at a smooth frame rate with no instances of any lag or slowdown to muddy the experience, but you’ll have to bear in mind that the widescreen format of the XOOM is going to be the preferred choice.



Even though they might list photos and videos in a grid-like view with their respective gallery apps, the XOOM’s graphical prowess is once again being shown off with its 3D like qualities. When tilting the XOOM, it emulates a sense of depth by making it appear as though photos and videos are stacked up top of one another. Naturally, you have all the sharing functions on board that are prevalent throughout Android, but we’re also presented with some editing functions with the XOOM. With the iPad’s gallery app, it’s fairly simplistic with its operation, and unfortunately lacks any editing tools.



Previously, we mentioned that the Motorola XOOM is only offered with 32GB of storage, while the iPad ranges from 16GB to 64GB. Once it’s supported, the microSD card slot on the XOOM will quickly allow owners to increase its total capacity – plus, it gives you the freedom of instantly hot-swapping cards on the go.

Finally, the microHDMI port on the Motorola XOOM will basically mirror the entire Honeycomb interface on your high-definition television set. From browsing the web or playing a YouTube video, it’s nice to see that you can still receive the full Android 3.0 Honeycomb experience on the big screen. Again, it’s not something that’s available with the iPad.

Software:

Running the YouTube apps on both tablets, we’re greeted to yet another optimized interface that makes use of every nook and cranny of their displays. Overall, we prefer the layout and presentation of the XOOM’s YouTube client since an abundant set of functionality is available with it – like being able to share videos with your social networking accounts.



Google Maps?  Just by uttering the first word you already know which one is going to deliver the goods. Rightfully so, the Motorola XOOM is leaps and bounds over the iPad thanks to its long listing of features and functionality. Not only do you have voice guided turn-by-turn directions with Google Maps Navigation, but we’re treated to other novelties such as 3D view with select cities around the world. When you compare the two, there’s no arguing that the experience is night and day – especially when there hasn’t been much improvement found with Google Maps for iOS.


Even though both the YouTube and Google Maps apps are so closely tied with Google, it doesn’t mean that third party apps right now are better with the XOOM. Interestingly enough, the iPad boasts a ton more tablet optimized apps in the App Store, whereas the Android Market only lays claim to a handful right now. Certainly the iPad got a jump start since it has been on the market for quite some time, but now that the Honeycomb SDK is available to developers, we’ll quickly see an abundance of apps for the platform that are specifically tailored for the tablet experience. Last but not least, we shouldn't forget that the iPad is capable of running almost every iPhone application, greatly expanding the list of things it can do.

Performance:

In our testing, we used the 16GB Wi-Fi only version of the Apple iPad, and of course, the Motorola XOOM is running off of Verizon’s 3G network. With that in mind, we can’t accurately say which one is going to deliver the better battery life, but in our everyday usage with both devices, we’re glad to see that they’re able to provide a solid day without any recharge. Meaning, we can essentially use the tablets and not have to worry about battery life draining all the way down during the entire day. However, we do find it necessary to plug them up at the end of the day to get some needed juice.

Conclusion:

When you think about tablets, the Apple iPad and Motorola XOOM should be the first two to come into mind because they’re able to provide a satisfying and appropriate tablet experience. Though, pricing is one glaring item that sways people in making an informed purchase – and with that in mind, the $800 cost of the Motorola XOOM places it at the upper end of the spectrum. However, considering that it boasts plenty of features not found with the iPad, like taking photos & videos, video chat, HDMI output, 4G LTE support down the road, the higher pricing may be considered justified to an extent. However, we can't help but admit that the significantly more affordable iPad, which is now a year-old product, comes in at just $630 when similarly equipped with 32GB and 3G connectivity.

Looking past the hardware and cost, the platform experience is undoubtedly different between the two as the iPad sticks to its usual straightforward approach, while personalization and presentation are at the utmost top of the list with the XOOM. On the surface, it’s clear that Android 3.0 Honeycomb is the truly optimized tablet experience since its overall appearance and characteristics differ from what we see on smartphones. But with the iPad, it still retains the iPhone’s original look and feel of the platform – which isn’t particularly tailored for tablets, although still quite usable. However, we actually see a lot more third party apps available with the iPad that are tablet friendly (read: with better visuals and sporting more functionality).

All in all, if you want to experience a respectable tablet without spending a whole lot of cash, then you should consider the now quite affordable at $399 iPad 16GB Wi-Fi, which got discounted recently thanks to the introduction of its successor, or the $529 iPad 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G if you need more connectivity. On the other hand, if you're ready to spend more money for a tablet, and want to experience a modern-looking user interface the Google way, then the XOOM will do the job for you. However, do not forget that the iPad 2 is right around the corner, adding more functionality and setting new standards in the design field.

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