Tablet Talent Show
Motorola XOOM Review
Published by Toronto Mike on October 4, 2011 @ 17:53 in Tablet Talent Show
 I've been enjoying Motorola's Xoom tablet running Android 3.1 Honeycomb since August. I'm trying to play with as many iPad challengers as possible in my little Tablet Talent Show. So far I've reviewed a Touchpad from HP, a Playbook from RIM and now a XOOM from Motorola.
First things first... where's the power button? Here it is, by the rear camera. Not the ideal place, but better than where RIM stuck it on the PlayBook.
Because size matters in the tablet world, it's important to note that the XOOM is 9.8 inches wide by 6.6 inches tall. It looked great in landscape, lousy in portrait and felt a little big after playing with the PlayBook for a while. That damn PlayBook got me digging the 7-inch tablets, but that damn PlayBook didn't run Android.
Android looked and felt great on this device. The browser snapped open in a flash (no pun intended) and felt awfully Chrome-ish. Aw heck, that pun was intended. It's great visiting Google Analytics and other sites that display Flash and actually seeing the content.
On this Android device, my Google login acted as a passport of sorts, automatically customizing everything for me. My calendar was populated by Google Calendar, my Gmail was there, looking great, and Talk and YouTube were ready to go. And yes, I quickly found and installed a Google+ app to complete the collection.
Comparing the XOOM to the PlayBook might be as simple as comparing your link to Google to your link to your Blackberry. If your Blackberry acts as the heartbeat of your virtual world, the PlayBook is your tablet. If you're a Google bigot, an Android device is the way to go, and I'm told there's no better Android tablet on the market than the XOOM.
Although it's sold separately, Motorola sent along a great docking station for video chats and great audio. My daughter loved blasting Adele on this Speaker HD Dock.
When I close an application on an iPad, it disappears from whence it came until I call it once more. On the XOOM, my active apps are lined up and ready for recall - as they are on the TouchPad and PlayBook. I don't understand why the iPad doesn't do something similar as I find it very convenient.
There were plenty of amazing apps for Android, both free and paid, and installing them was simple.
I don't really have any major criticisms of the XOOM. It felt a bit big when compared to the PlayBook, but it felt sleek when compared to the almighty iPad. Its Google integration is awesome, its ability to play Flash in the browser is convenient and the audio and video was great. I had this thing since August and not once did the battery run down to a point where I was warned to charge it. I wish I could say the same thing about the TouchPad.
Right now at Best Buy Canada I see the Motorola 32GB XOOM with Wi-Fi Tablet is going for $499.99. A 32GB iPad 2 will cost you $619.99. When you factor in the fact the XOOM has a microSD Card Slot, runs Honeycomb and has a kick-ass battery, I'd go with the XOOM.
PlayBook Review: Toronto Mike vs. RIM
Published by Toronto Mike on September 16, 2011 @ 13:38 in Tablet Talent Show
When HP sent me a Touchpad in July, I dove into the tablet market for the first time. The Touchpad didn't make it, but it got me wondering if there's a viable iPad alternative out there. No doubt Apple's iPad is a dominating #1, but what's #2?
I've been playing with RIM's Blackberry Playbook since August. What better day to publish a review of the PlayBook than the day after RIM's financial results told us how little demand there is for this device. The numbers tell us there really isn't a tablet market... there's an iPad market.
RIM's Playbook arrived with a very cool soft cover that made transporting it a breeze. I don't know why all tablets don't come with such a shield. This thing does the job perfectly, and I never felt a need to use any other case.
As much as I liked the case it comes with, I hated the power button. Of all the tablets I've tried this summer, none of them had a more frustrating power button. It's simply too small and in a very awkward place.
Those of you with iPads will notice how much smaller the PlayBook is by comparison. It's 7 inches vs. 10 inches, but you can't appreciate the size difference until you've held a PlayBook in your hand. It's this 7-inch size that had me loving the PlayBook. If I were Apple, I'd launch a 7-inch iPad. In my experience, 7-inches is the sweet spot (insert joke here).
In addition to the size, my favourite part of the PlayBook very well could be your least favourite part. You see, my smart phone is a Blackberry, and Blackberry smart phones sync wonderfully with the Blackberry PlayBook. You use an app called BlackBerry Bridge to get your messages, calendar and BBM on your PlayBook. You can also tether via Bluetooth to smart phones, if you're not near a wifi hotspot.
Now, if I didn't own a Blackberry, the Blackberry Bridge would be useless to me, and the value would be completely lost. At least the tethering doesn't depend on a Blackberry smartphone.
When I first wrote about the TouchPad, I complained about the lack of apps. I didn't have that problem with the PlayBook. I found a good one for Facebook, Twitter and the usual suspects.
If you're already using a Blackberry phone, I think you'd find great value in owning a PlayBook. The Blackberry Bridge works great, and the 7-inch tablet is the perfect size and ideal to do just about anything you'd want to do on a tablet.
RIM is trying to make headway in a market completely dominated by one company. Here's hoping they don't end up where HP ended up, because they've got a pretty good device here. Terrible power button notwithstanding.
The Original Tablet Circa 1958
Published by Toronto Mike on August 30, 2011 @ 15:37 in Tablet Talent Show
Today I learned about the Port-A-Punch from IBM.
IBM's Supplies Division introduced the Port-A-Punch in 1958 as a fast, accurate means of manually punching holes in specially scored IBM punched cards. Designed to fit in the pocket, Port-A-Punch made it possible to create punched card documents anywhere. The product was intended for "on-the-spot" recording operations -- such as physical inventories, job tickets and statistical surveys -- because it eliminated the need for preliminary writing or typing of source documents.
The Port-A-Punch reminds me of those Scantron multiple choice tests we took back in high school.
1958... decades before the Tablet Talent Show!
By the way, here are the four tablets I'm playing with this week. The PlayBook is the smallest one, and the TouchPad and iPad 2 are tied as the biggest. The Xoom, as you can see in this pic, is somewhere in the middle.
Motorola Xoom Arrives - Early Thoughts on the Xoom
Published by Toronto Mike on August 27, 2011 @ 12:00 in Tablet Talent Show
I'm trying to play with as many iPad challengers as possible in my little Tablet Talent Show. So far I've got a Touchpad from HP, a Playbook from RIM and now a Xoom from Motorola. The Xoom just arrived yesterday.
The Xoom arrived running Android 3.2 Honeycomb, which makes it the first Android device I've ever had the opportunity to test drive. Right away, it wanted my Google account info so it could fully integrate with the Google services I already use.
Because I'm a Google bigot, who swears by Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Reader, etc, I welcomed this. We were off and flying in seconds flat, and my Google Account even gave me access to the impressive Market of Apps available for an Android. I quickly installed apps for Google+, Twitter, Facebook, IMDB and other staples of my web life.
Both the Playbook and Xoom reigned supreme over the now unsupported Touchpad when it came to apps, and all three seem to handle multiple concurrent activities better than the iPad.
I'm happy to try other iPad competitors during this Tablet Talent Show, so drop me a line if you can hook me up with a Transformer, Galaxy or whatever else is out there. There's room for more.
Tablet Talent Show: RIM's Playbook Arrives!
Published by Toronto Mike on August 24, 2011 @ 10:54 in Tablet Talent Show, Technology
When HP sent me a Touchpad in July, I dove into the tablet market for the first time. The Touchpad didn't make it, but it got me wondering if there's a viable iPad alternative out there. No doubt Apple's iPad is a dominating #1, but what's #2?
In my quest to experience more than the iPad and Touchpad, I decided I'd like to spend some time with RIM's Playbook, Motorola's Xoom, Samsung's Galaxy and Asus's Transformer.
RIM's Playbook arrived earlier today and I'm right now installing Blackberry Bridge to connect it to my Blackberry.
Motorola is installing the Android 3.1 update and then shipping me a Xoom. I'm hoping to have that by the end of the week. I still need a connection at Samsung and Asus, so if anyone can help with that, I'd appreciate it.
This tablet talent show should be fun. I'll rank 'em all and list the pros and cons here.
I Couldn't Save the HP TouchPad
Published by Toronto Mike on August 18, 2011 @ 23:16 in HP TouchPad Tablet PC, Tablet Talent Show, Technology
Just a few weeks ago, HP gave me a TouchPad. Alas, I was unable to save the tablet. Earlier today, less than two months after it was launched, HP announced that it is discontinuing the TouchPad.
It's a fun product, and I enjoy using it, despite the lack of apps, but being a fun product in this space isn't nearly enough. It has to give consumers a reason to choose it over the iPad. When I was given my TouchPad, it was $549 at Costco. Why spend $549 for a TouchPad when you can spend that money and get an iPad 2?
Since the prices were similar, the TouchPad had to be revolutionary. Instead, it was just an iPad wannabe. Expensive iPad wannabes are going to be in tough against... well... against the iPad.
I'm sorry I couldn't save the HP TouchPad. If Motorola is reading this, I'm quite interested in trying your Xoom. I promise to do better this time.
My HP TouchPad Tablet (So Far)
Published by Toronto Mike on July 30, 2011 @ 11:56 in HP TouchPad Tablet PC, Tablet Talent Show
The good folks at HP were nice enough to give me a TouchPad Tablet PC, and I'm finally getting around to seeing what she's made of.
I didn't already own a tablet PC. I alternate between a desktop running Ubuntu Linux and my work issued laptop which still runs Windows XP. Already, I find the tablet more accessible. It's like an always current issue of your favourite magazine just sitting on the table waiting for you to pick it up and absorb.
This HP TouchPad runs on webOS, which is new to me. It looks good, is easy to multi-task and seems pretty quick. I've spent some time with an iPad, and I own an iPod Touch, so I understand the importance of apps to a device like this. The TouchPad is still missing a number of apps you'd get with an iPad, but I did find an app called Spaz for Twitter.
Here's a shot of how the muliti-tasking works. A flick of the finger and I can toggle open activities.
And yes, this tablet plays Flash. Here I am listening to some new Kanye and Jay-Z.
On the app front, I've found a good one for Twitter and Facebook. I'm still using Google Reader and Google+ in the browser. The email app works fine, but I'd like a good Gmail app for that.
I have noticed that the tablet is great for reading, listening and watching, but when it comes to writing, I'm still reaching for my laptop. I could have written this entry on the TouchPad, but I didn't. My typing speed on a keyboard is still way faster, so I'm only using the TouchPad for single sentence email replies and tweets.
I'll touch base (no pun intended) later to let you all know how it's going. I still need more time with this thing, but so far so good. We just need more apps.
A Letter From Within RIM
Published by Toronto Mike on July 25, 2011 @ 19:11 in Tablet Talent Show, Technology
 A regular commenter on this blog happens to work at RIM, so I asked him to jot down some thoughts about today's news that RIM would be laying off 2000 employees.
These words belong to Blackberry Ryan:
It was a bit of a somber day around Waterloo. We got an email in the morning explaining that the layoffs would be done by this week, which was good because the cloud of gloom and doom would be gone, but meant I may not have a job by the end of the week, and perhaps that day.
Most of the people that I saw get let go were dead wood: people who have been there forever and simply are in their job because they have been there forever. While my heart goes out to all the people who got laid off, it seems as though the cuts that were made were fair and needed. I have seen much of the organization and there are many people like this. There were some poor cuts, which I believe are strategic, but this is a normal thing in the tech world. RIM has no turn-over and that can be a bad thing. When you have turn-over, you are able to bring on new talent and fresh ideas...I think after this is done, you'll see some awesome ideas coming out of Waterloo that will truly revolutionize the way you work.
After this week, I'll be happy to get back into the old RIM spirit. I can't wait to launch the new products, they are truly great and move us up with the arms race we have been seeing in North America. Contrary to the media portrayal of RIM and our leaders, I believe in the company and I see great things happening. I believe that the senior leadership knows what is going on and has made some great changes to help us become more competitive in North America.
I always hear in the news that we are losing market share. Well, this may be true in North America, but worldwide (you know, the other 95% of the world), we are growing like crazy! We announced that we added 1 Million subscribers in 3 weeks in Europe, Middle East and Africa. How does a company that is "losing" add that many subscribers in 3 weeks?
I'm gonna leave this like this. My apologies if you owned stock when it fell, but right now would be a great time to buy some RIM stock.
Blackberry Ryan is clearly unfazed by the RIM cuts this week. But is he worried that Toronto Mike is currently testdriving an HP TouchPad?
Fred Patterson Update, My HP TouchPad and Load Times
Published by Toronto Mike on July 25, 2011 @ 11:02 in HP TouchPad Tablet PC, Humble and Fred, Tablet Talent Show
 As we discussed during this weekend's Open Mike, Freddie P is out as Program Director for the Corus cluster of stations in Peterborough. Here's an update from the man himself.
I will also think about the next step, and besides talking to a couple of people who have reached out already, I will huddle with a former humble partner and map strategy on an exciting project.
If you're keeping score at home, both Humble and Fred are currently unemployed, causing many to speculate as to what's next for the duo I awoke to throughout the 90s. I promise to post everything fit for public consumption right here.
In other news, I dropped by HP Canada headquarters this morning to pick up my new TouchPad. I'm going to try and break this sucker, and I'll share my experience here. So far, it looks pretty slick.
And finally, in this 3-for-1 update, many of you have experienced longer-than-usual load times for this site. I'm having a little trouble duplicating the delay, but I've heard from enough of you that I'm confident there's an issue. If you're feeling the delay, comments with lots of detail will help me resolve the issue.
That's all for now. Happy Monday, y'all.
|
Entry Permalink
2 comments