Want A Motorola XOOM, Win One Just By (re)Tweeting!

Motorola XOOM Tweet http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Motorola Tweeted telling us, if we retweet the above tweet, we might have a chance in winning a Motorola XOOM. I wish if Motorola has done a proper job in marketing / pricing the XOOM, i do not have to retweet the tweet, because, I would have already have one.
In case you want one here is the tweet.

Improved Google Search With Tablets!

Google on Tablets http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

As a part of Google's on going efforts to maximize the user experience in it's search portal, tablets are getting a better experience when visiting Google now.

Tablet users will now find an improved interface, a simplified but improved to support touch. The search results page contents, text, buttons and other touch targets have been enlarged so that touch could be focused easily.

These improvements provide tablet users a comfortable and faster experince, when visiting Google.com, either in landscape or portrait mode.

Once a search is conducted, buttons below the search box will further provide ability to compartmentalize the results in to either images, videos, shopping etc. Large buttons will receive your taps easily and take you to your destination.

Experience the new enhancements by just visiting your home page :) www.google.com.

PS above image is on a Motorola Xoom, but it looks even better on my EEE Pad Transformer!

New Google Search experience for tablets - Official Google Mobile Blog

DELL's 7' Tablet With Slide Out Split Keyboard, Spy Shots.

DELL's 7' Tablet With Slide Out Split Keyboard http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Every Tablet manufacturer wants to be different and DELL is no different. Looking at these newly uncovered spy shots, looks like DELL got the thinking cap on.

I can imagine wanting to type with my thumbs while holding tablet with both the hands. Currently I have truble typing on virtual keyboards, on both iPad and XOOM. I have to let go one hand in order to anything with tha tablet, let alone typing. But I do not know if I will go for DELL tablet, just for the keyboard. Currently I am waiting to grab a Asus Eee PadTransformer tablet with a keyboard as the cover, I like high resolution big screens, and those keyboards will look tad ugly on 10 inch tablets!
Via Engadget

Android Tablets Will Overtake Apple iPads, Like Android Phones Did With iPhones : Nvidia

Android Tablets Challenge Apple's dominance in tablet market http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Nvidia co-founder Jen-Hsun Huang at Reuters Summit has told that Android tablets powered by Nvidia processors will surpass Apple's market-leading iPad's leading position that it enjoys today. Just like the Android phones won the smartphone market share over from iPhone.
Nvidia's Huang told at the Reuters technology conference that Apple's lead in tablet computers will soon diminish with better, faster Android tablets, most of which are powered by Nvidia Tegra 2 processors.

"The Android phone took only two and a half years to achieve the momentum that we're talking about. I would expect the same thing on Honeycomb tablets,"

Apple currently enjoys the marked lead in tablets with iPads. The original iPad was a huge success and the next iteration, iPad2 has only helped the cause.
But leading manufacture's creations like Motorola XOOM, Acer's Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Samsung's Galaxy Tab and even Barnes & Noble's Nook Color are marching forward.
It is products like Asus Eee Pad Transformer that will be the challenger for iPad dominance. With prominant capabilities and proper pricing, they become attractive to customers. Asus Eee Pad Transformer was sold out everywhere and I am waiting for the next shipment as I have passed over Motorola XOOM as my personal Android Tablet.

The upcoming Nvidia's next generation processor – codenamed Kal-El might give the Android tablets it's push against the Apple. Kal-El will boast quad-core processing and higher-resolution graphics as competitors Qualcomm (QCOM.O) and Texas Instruments (TXN.N) also gear up to launch new tablet chips.  According to Huang, the processor had already earned a place in the plans of ten major next-gen devices.

"It's got to be at least ten. We have five major phone companies and we have five major PC (manufacturers),"

Huang also mentioned that Android OS is evolving;

"As a result of so many different parties working together, the first versions tend to be a bit clumsy to roll out. However, as is the nature of these organic industries with very, very large players, you have continuous improvement at a very rapid pace, Everyone recognized the shortcomings of Honeycomb 3.0, jumped in working on Honeycomb 3.1, and if you haven't had a chance to play with it -- it's just delightful,"

Via Reuters

Motorola XOOM Gets Android 3.1

Android 3.1 http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Android 3.1 update announced at the annual Google I/O event is now alive on some of the Motorola XOOM tablets. The mostly under the hood improvements will make the tablet experience even smoother. These improvements include host mode for the tablet which allows import photos directly from a digital camera, better HTML5 support, faster performance, and USB host functionality for connecting peripherals like game controllers and mice.
But on the surface there are improvements too. On the apps front, there is Google's new Movies app through which you could rent thousands of movies from the Android market for $1.99 to $4.99 for 24 hours of playback. In addition there are few more apps, a new Books app, a new video editing app called Movie Studio. The standard Google's main apps are also updated which include a faster web browser with a new Quick Controls menu assisting and enhancing the browsing experience.
There are re-sizable widgets for email, Gmail inbox, calendar and bookmarks which lets users stretch or shink widgets. The other most noticeable is the  task switcher upgrade that now lets one scroll through last 18 launched apps.

We Are Happy With Motorola Mobility's XOOM, ATRIX, Verizon AT&T

We Are Happy With Motorola Mobility's XOOM, ATRIX, http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Responding to various analysts and critics of the Motorola Mobility's flagship Android products, XOOM a tablet and ATRIX 4G a smart, smartphone. Naysayers have cries both the devices to be duds but both the carriers, Verizon (XOOM) "We are pleased with customer response to the Xoom." and AT&T (ATRIX) "Our customers are very satisfied with the Atrix, and we are equally as pleased with the results to date." are very satisfied with the devices according to ComputerWorld.
Neither carriers revealed the sales figures.We stayed out of 3G XOOM but gladly picked up two WiFI only XOOMs last week. As of now, I am sure only ATRIX could replace my AT&T iPhone if I decided to stay with the carrier. I doubt it as continue to discover dead zones in my neighborhood in the bay are while my colleagues on Verizon and Sprint happily surf and talk.

iPad2 One Weeks Later? How Do You Like It??

iPad2 One Weeks Later http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
I do not have an iPad2 so one of the votes above are mine (Don't have a iPad 2) But one of my colleagues does and he is happy about it overall. Except he is pissed off about not having location services or GPS on his WiFi only version.So his verdict is Get a 3G version if you care about location services. (But I do not know if the GPS works if you do not have service activated on a 3G version)
From the poll above, it seems people are happy about it and the poll just began. So hop over to TiPb can cast your vote. More the participation, better the samples will be. I am holding off for a white iPad2 3G or Motorola XOOM WiFi version.
To me the black iPad2 looks like a digital photo frame!
TiPb iPad2 Poll

WiFi Only Motorola Xoom Tablet To Take On iPad2 Surge!

Motorola Mobility Unveils WiFi Only Motorola Xoom Tablet   http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

After a long enough wait, Motorola Mobility has unveiled that Motorola XOOM without 3G to be arriving soon, on 27th of March.
After lackluster sales of Motorola XOOM 3G, even without the iPod 2 attack, the Motorola XOOM was beyond the the reach of many consumers with $800 but the new lower price, $599 Motorola XOOM for 32GB WiFi might sway me away from a similarly equipped and similarly priced iPad 2, just to get away from draconian Apple measures. But what I do not understand is why Motorola lack market analysis brains. They had a good product and yet lost to Apple with it's iPad 2 Surge! I am sure there is a way Motorola could jump back on the road, hope they know how!

Press Release;

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – March 16, 2011 – Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the upcoming availability of MOTOROLA XOOM^™ Wi-Fi edition from leading retailers across the United States starting March 27. Amazon.com, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam’s Club (select locations), Staples and Walmart will be offering the 10.1-inch widescreen HD tablet with Android^™ 3.0 (Honeycomb) through both online and retail store channels. The MSRP for MOTOROLA XOOM Wi-Fi with 32 GB of memory will be $599.

“MOTOROLA XOOM is a truly innovative tablet – its design, coupled with being the first tablet to have Android 3.0, results in a user experience that is one-of-a-kind,” said Dan Papalia, vice president of retail sales for Motorola Mobility. “We are now continuing to expand the choices available to consumers with the MOTOROLA XOOM Wi-Fi to be available soon from numerous leading retailers in the United States.”

In addition, the MOTOROLA XOOM Wi-Fi will be available to commercial IT channels and regional retailers through a distribution agreement with Synnex Corporation, and regional carriers through Brightpoint, Inc.

MOTOROLA XOOM showcases the innovations of the Honeycomb user experience – including widgets, true multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization – on a 10.1-inch widescreen HD display, enabling video content that’s richer and clearer than ever before. With a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM, MOTOROLA XOOM delivers exceptionally fast web-browsing performance. The latest Google Mobile services include Google Maps 5.0^™ with 3D interaction and access to more than 3 million Google eBooks and apps from Android Market^™. MOTOROLA XOOM also supports a Beta of Adobe^® Flash^® Player 10.2 downloadable from Android Market, enabling the delivery of rich Flash based web content including videos, casual games and rich Internet applications.

As the first device running Android 3.0, MOTOROLA XOOM benefits from our aggressive work with developers across the ecosystem through MOTODEV, Motorola’s developer support program to enable world-class tablet and smartphone experiences. These devices will be able to access more than 150,000 applications within the Android Market as well as the rapidly increasing number of applications optimized directly for the Android 3.0 OS. In addition, thousands of Flash-based web applications and sites will become available for the MOTOROLA XOOM.

As a part of the company’s commitment and leadership -- along with Google’s -- to the Android ecosystem, Motorola announced a series of global developer events in 11 cities across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. These MOTODEV events give developers access to tools, support and Motorola's team of Android experts. The first of these events was hosted in San Francisco on March 1 and had more than 665 developers in attendance.

MOTODEV also recently announced a new testing and certification program for Honeycomb applications, encouraging developers to submit their applications to get early feedback and support on MOTOROLA XOOM performance. This is a part of the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting the ecosystem in delivering high quality experiences to the consumer.

More information about MOTODEV tools, resources and events can be found athttp://developer.motorola.com.

iPad2 Review, It Is So Good!

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Looks like Apple is cementing it's position of tablet king with the iPad 2. The competition has got work laid out for them.

Yes, tablets like XOOM are attractive on the hardware side and the OS front with non restrictive Android OS. But like with XOOM price, is killing the product. On the hardware front the iPad has improved but aside from the dual core processor, more memory and dual cameras, there is nothing much to the original iPad.

But the presentation has the people wowed, one of my friends stood in the line to get 32GB White version,WiFi only but ended up buying a black one as the white versions got sold out before he could reach the counter. That is good news for Apple and not so good for the competition.

The iPad 2 is not what I really want. The display is of high quality but it is the same resolution as last year and the iOS has some kinks to be worked out. What is good about the iPad 2 is the price point, Starting point of $499 and all the options like memory and carriers make it the tablet for the consumers.

After reading how the apps like Garage Band operates, even though the tablet is yet to gain the business usage capabilities, stands out in the crowd.

One striking feature is the cover or screen protector. With some clever engineering and with the help of magnets the cover protects the screen, put the tablet to sleep when closed and wakes it up when opened. It is also an stand for the iPad 2 when folded at various angles. One thing it does not do is protecting the back of the iPad 2. If you are looking to keep the back clean and nice, better look for other covers for the iPad 2, like portfolio type.

The apps, iMovie and the Garage Band were favored by testers and users. Both providing some surprising results and crashes.

Browser performance has improved but not spectacular. Much slower than others, even XOOM according to Sunspider results by Engadget.

The disappointment seem to be concentrated around the iPad 2 cameras. Both front and back cameras seem to be doing a pretty bad jobs. Yes they look really bad.

Battery life seem to be very good, in a video test (running an MPEG4 video clip on loop, WiFi on, screen at roughly 65 percent brightness), the iPad 2 managed an astonishing 10 hours and 26 minutes of non-stop playback.

Testers found the processor on the iPad 2, 1GHz, dual-core chip called the A5 drove everyone happy with the performance. According to Geekbench, the CPU has a 800MHz clock and is as fast as twice of the previous iteration of the tablet.

But I am waiting for Motorola to reduce the price of Motorola XOOM and to bring out the WiFi only version., then I will compare!

Engadget has the scoop.

Pre Order Motorola XOOM (NOT) For Thursday Delivery At BestBuy!

Pre Order Motorola XOOM (NOT) http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Bestbuy announced the availability of Motoroa XOOM I have been waiting. But I will not buy, pre order. Why? Because of one line in the fine print!

*1 month data activation required.
"To activate WiFi functionality on this device, a minimum of 1 month data subscription is required." 

Yep here is a lolypop Verizon / BestBuy, Are you planing to do the same what you did with Galaxy TAB? Disable WIFI when one discontinues data plan? Nice try BestBuy / Verizon
I will wait for the cheaper $600 model! See Android fanboys are different from those of Apple, they think.
 
But if you do not mind playing to whims of Verizon and BestBuy, or planing to use it over the 3G, you can pre order it today.
The $799.99 3G-equipped model which we already knew has, in layman terms;

Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), designed specifically for tablets

Large 10.1" widescreen HD display

Super-fast, dual-core processor for advance performance and superior graphics

Front- and rear-facing cameras

Multitask with ease and PC-like performance

Full-functioning HD camcorder for great videos

Supports Adobe Flash Player for optimal browsing

Monthly 3G Verizon Wireless rate plans available (3G upgradable to 4G LTE)

Compatible with Wi-Fi networks*

Variety of Motorola XOOM accessories available online and in store

Those accessories incluse,  a $40 portfolio case, a $50 basic charging dock, a $130 stereo speaker dock, and a $70 Bluetooth keyboard.

Bestbuy
Discussion on contract at DSLReports.