The Motorola Xoom became available February 24th. With its 10.1 inch screen and 1280 by 800 resolution display, it is perfect for displaying pictures and presentations. The Xoom’s Honeycomb OS runs Nvidia’s Tegra 2 platform, with a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of on-board user memory (plus an SD card slot). What’s not to love? Why not rush out and buy it now?

Motorola Xoom – Buy Now or Wait?

You might want to wait a bit before rushing out and buying the Xoom. According to JR Raphael, PCMagazine, the Wi-Fi-only edition of the Xoom may be worth waiting for. The Wi-Fi only version is supposed to be an additional $200 cheaper. In addition, the Xoom has shipped without Adobe Flash. (The Flash upgrade is expected in a few weeks.) Right now the Xoom is available at BestBuy and Verizon stores for $800 with no contract. With a 2 year contract Verizon will let you have it for $600, plus a $20 per month data plan and a $35 activation fee.

Are you a Honeycomb OS purist? Go with the Xoom. Motorola has promised to keep the “proprietary” junk off the Xoom. In addition, Google is using the Xoom to test and develop the Honeycomb OS. When it comes to system upgrades, you can bet that the “pure” Google tablets will get them first. Also, the other Android tablets don’t have as many cool features as the Xoom.

The iPad 2 premiered yesterday and will be available on March 11th. If you are vacillating between the Android OS and the iOS, the new iPad 2 has some really nice features. The biggest drawback to the iPad is that it doesn’t have Adobe Flash either. If you are a Google apps user, you will want to stick with the Android OS. The iPad doesn’t have a USB port and the video calling feature only works between Apple users. If you aren’t sure, wait a week (until the iPad 2 is available) and go to BestBuy and play with both the iPad 2 and the Xoom.

To wait or not to wait? There are almost 100 Android tablets coming in 2011. If you want to wait a little, you will probably see some stiff competition for the Motorola Xoom. Size options will be available, which will give some price options as well. My personal preference is to wait for the Amazon Kindle Android. It will have all the features of a tablet, as well as be Kindle oriented. I love my Kindle, and it seems like a good combination to me.

Pad wars are heating up. Today Apple is hosting an event in San Francisco where they are rumored to be revealing the new iPad 2. Google revealed the new Honeycomb (Android 3.0) last month. And the race is on! There are many Android based tablets debuting this year. Will they be able to compete with the new iPad 2?

Android 3.0 vs. iPad 2

HP revealed their new TouchPad today in San Francisco as well. According to ZDNet, at Hewlett-Packard’s event in San Francisco today, Senior Vice President and GM Jon Rubinstein shows off the company’s long-awaited tablet. Running WebOS, the TouchPad features a 9.7-inch screen and is designed to work in conjunction with the company’s WebOS-based Smartphones. Obviously this event was made to coincide with Apple’s event and to take away some of the limelight from the new iPad 2.

We are still speculating on the features for the new iPad 2. The new HP TouchPad is boasting many options that the iPad 2 won’t have. The main component that is missing from the iPad 2 is Adobe Flash. Apple and Adobe don’t play well together. This can be a problem when it comes to viewing websites on the iPad. HP’s new toy has Adobe Flash and comes bundled with QuickOffice, giving you the ability to access and edit Microsoft Office documents. It is compatible with DropBox and Box.net and of course, Google Docs.

What will it take for the Android Honeycomb to compete with the iPad 2? The experts at Light Reading Mobile have posted their opinion on what it will take. They say that the biggest thing going for the Android systems is that there will be potentially up to a 100 different tablets based on the Android OS, with varying pricing, size and functionality. Apple will only have 2 devices to carry their brand. In addition to the variety of devices, the Androids will need something more. Light Reading Mobile suggests the Androids will need all the G’s (3G, 4G and Wi-Fi). They will need to hit the carriers not supporting Apple (like Sprint and T-Mobile). Of course they should play up the fact that they include Adobe Flash. And one of the best suggestions Light Reading Mobile has made is that the Android needs to include more ports. Heavy Reading’s Ayvazian says Android tablets should include additional standard ports like USB, DVI and HDMI, and an SD card slot.

Will either the iPad 2 or the Honeycomb tablets include being used as a cell phone? Dean Bubley, founder, Disruptive Analysis Ltd. adds, “A good telephony experience, either with a headset or using the tablet with a stand as a pseudo desk-phone, well implemented SMS and MMS, NFC reader and open APIs for developers and easy support of USB 3G dongle modems.”

I want a new Android tablet. What about you? Are you holding out for an iPad, perhaps version 3, or are you a Google-based user? And then there is the rumor of the new Amazon Android Kindle. So many choices… Which appeals to you?

The much touted iPad 2 is rumored to be revealed today in San Francisco at 1:00 pm. Special invitations for the event were sent out with a sneaky-looking iPad peeking out from behind the date. Rumors are flying about just what the new features will be. According to Catharine Smith, The Huffington Post, MacLife offers a sobering prediction: “While many may be disappointed if Apple doesn’t ’shock and awe’ with the next iPad, the reality is that the company’s tablet is leading the market by such a wide margin at this point, Cupertino can still afford to coast a little bit — at least until September, when the rumor mill claims we’ll likely see a more spectacular iPad 2 with the bells and whistles that make us all swoon.”

iPad 2 Event in San Francisco Today

What do you think the next iPad will feature? Rumors are flying speculating about everything from front and back cameras with flash to a new smaller size. Steve Jobs says the smaller size won’t happen, and ridiculed 7″ tablets as “tweeners.” Some of the rumors include an SD card slot, a new multi-core “A5″ processor based on Cortex A9, a very high-resolution display (2048×1536), a side port for docking while in landscape, improved speakers and iLife for iPad. I guess we will just have to wait until the event this afternoon to see just what they reveal.

What about pricing? Rumor has it that the original iPad will remain at about $399 while the new version will go for about $599. Do you think $599 is too much to pay? I know right now you can also get a 32 GB iPad for $899, and people seem to be fine paying that price. Perhaps the new iPad will also have an upgraded “premier” version.

iPad vs. Android tablets? If you are an Apple user (iPhone, Mac, iPod, etc.) you will probably want to stick with the iPad. I have a Motorola Droid X Smartphone so I will probably stick with an Android tablet. Actually there are rumors that Amazon will be releasing a new Kindle Android tablet. I already have the Kindle and love it, so a hybrid of the Android system and the Kindle would suit me perfectly. What about you? iPad or Android?

Wonder what impact your cell phone has on the environment? GoodGuide has just published a report rating the top 5 “virtuous” cell phones. The ratings are based upon not only environmentally safe practices, but also takes into consideration the social attributes as well? “Social attributes?” you may ask. This rating has to do with the safety and labor policies of the company manufacturing the cell phones. GoodGuide ranks individual models and manufacturers on 3 levels: health, environment, and social attributes. 576 phone models were rated.

GoodGuide Lists Top “Virtuous” Cell Phones

Which phones were rated highest by GoodGuide? According to an article posted by Martin LaMonica, GreenTech, “Nokia phones hold the top spot with a model that contributes to a score of 7.7 out of 10. That’s followed by phones from Samsung, Motorola, Palm, and Sony Ericsson. BlackBerry and its phones are at the bottom, with the lowest score a 3.3 out of 10. Phones from LG, Garmin-Asus, Casio, and Sharp contribute to scores that are largely between 4 and 5.” Apple’s iPhone came in just about middle of the ratings.

How are the ratings derived? Rating the environmental attributes, GoodGuide took into consideration the cell phone’s standby power consumption, as well as the use of recyclable materials used in the packaging and the phone itself. Those products not using bromide flame retardants and PVC are rated higher. Cell phone radiation emissions are not factored in, as there is no consensus about the amount of radiation allowable.

The social attributes rating is based on several factors. Compliance with labor laws is only one aspect. Another consideration is how a manufacturer rates on policies and practices related to conflict minerals, according to the Enough Project. Employee safety is another big concern affecting the ratings. The ratings even include the ethics of the manufacturer.

Are consumers concerned with how their cell phone rates by GoodGuide? I’m not sure too many people are even aware there is a rating like GoodGuide’s. However, as more awareness grows, consumers may make their cell phone purchases based not only on the features the cell phone offers, but also may take into consideration some of the issues rated by GoodGuide. What’s your take on the cell phone ratings? Do you see yourself consulting the ratings by GoodGuide before purchasing another cell phone?

Windows 7 Phones may just surprise you. While Windows 7 Phone sales are still way behind the Android and iPhone, (there are currently about 300,000 Android devices and over 3 million iPhones have been sold), Bonnie Cha, CNET, touts the Windows 7 Phone features as “more to love than not love.”

Top Windows 7 Phones

What are the top Windows 7 Phone models? Well in the opinion of choiceopinion.com, there are 3 top Windows 7 cell phones. There are currently only 4 being sold in the US, and only 1 of the top 3 touted by choideopinion.com is being sold here. Their top choices are the LG Optimus7, the HTC HD7 (sold here in the US through T-Mobile) and the Samsung Omnia 7. These are the features by phone that impressed them:

• LG Optimus 7 – This was the first Windows 7 mobile to hit the market. LG added a few new features to help make it different from the rest, including the Scansearch feature and the Play-To feature.
• HTC HD7 – The HTC offers the full HD experience via SRS surround sound and Dolby Mobile and even comes with a kickstand so that you can sit back and watch a film on your cell phone. Other top features include Wi-Fi, a 720p HD camera, and motion light.
• Samsung Omnia 7 – The Omnia 7 comes with a 5mp camera and 1GHz processor. What is unique about this cell phone is that Samsung utilizes the AMOLED screen instead of the widely popular LCD screen. It boasts of  720p HD video recording and an FM radio, aligning it with other Samsung music friendly cell phones.

With CNET liking the Windows 7 Phone, perhaps we should take a look at it. I am a proponent of the Android phones, but perhaps I should be open-minded. However, the only thing that I noticed in the review that interested me was the HTC’s surround sound feature. Otherwise, my Droid X seems to have better features. The camera on the Droid X is 8 megapixels, functioning as both a great camera and an HD video camera. The screen is larger as well. Windows 7 Phones are not compatible with Google Docs, so they won’t function as well for my needs. Me? I’m sticking with the Android platform.

Comparison chart shows paid apps for Windows Phones are on average more expensive than apps for iPhones. According to O’Reilly Research, the average Windows phone app will cost you $6.16, whereas the apps for the iPhone are only $3.43 on average. In an article by Jay Yarow, Business Insider, gives us a comparison chart for the various app categories.

Windows Phone Apps More Expensive than iPhone Apps… Really?

True or false? Windows Phone 7 apps are actually much cheaper than the rest of the Smartphone apps. According to research done by app store analytics company Distimo, “overall, paid apps on Windows Phone 7 average $1.95 in the U.S., compared with more than $4 on the iPhone and more than $3 on Android.” Why such a difference in reports? The research done by O’Reilly doesn’t make obvious that the research is done for the old Windows Mobile platform. According to an article by Todd Bishop, TechFlash, Seattle, WA, prices are much lower for the new Windows Mobile 7 apps. Paid apps for Windows Phone 7 “are the cheapest of all stores,” compared with the average price of paid apps for Palm, BlackBerry, Android, iPhone and Nokia devices, according to the Distimo report.

Microsoft debuted the new Windows Phone 7 in October in New York City. Microsoft was hoping to lure users away from Apple’s iPhone and Google Android phones. The new interface is reportedly pretty cool, but is seriously lacking in apps. Apple has more than 300,000 apps available for the iPhone, and Google is fast on Apple’s heels. As of November 22nd, there were only 2,674 Windows Phone apps. Microsoft will have to really hustle to catch up. Knowing this, Microsoft has been wooing the game developers as well as going after business apps. At the October 11th debut, Microsoft touted apps from big name developers such as Netflix. The integration with Xbox Live may draw some folks as well. It is easy to conclude however, that Microsoft has some marketing challenges ahead of them.

New Windows Phone 7 apps are coming down in price compared to previous Windows Mobile devices. According to the article by Todd Bishop, the average price of $1.95 for paid Windows Phone apps is down from an average price of $6.27 for paid apps in the marketplace for the previous Windows Mobile 6.x devices. Microsoft has been encouraging app developers not to underprice their apps, but still keep them within the affordability range. Microsoft is counting on the new Windows Phone platform to bring them back into the mobile market. The company is promising 3,000 new apps by the end of the year, with some 15,000 app developers working on new products.

Will the new Windows Phone 7 make a ripple in the Smartphone market? From all the ratings, the Windows Phone 7 is receiving outstanding marks. It is apparently pretty snappy as far as speed goes, and the user interface is friendly. With more apps, both paid and free, it may claim a larger portion of the market than some of the other platforms like BlackBerry and Palm. Time will tell..

Microsoft has entered the phone market! The new phones, Kin One and Kin Two will hit the US market in May through Verizon, and through carrier Vodafone Group PLC (which owns Verizon Wireless in partnership with Verizon Communications Inc.), in Germany, Italy, Spain and The United Kingdom later this fall. Microsoft did not mention a release date for Canada.

Microsoft unveiled two new Smartphones on Monday

At a press event in San Francisco on Monday, Microsoft’s Robbie Bach and Derek Snyder unveiled the Kin mobile phones. Based on the Windows 7 operating system, the new Smartphones will have extensive social networking built in and will also be able to access the Zune music service. There are some other cool features. Both Kins are black with screens that respond to multiple finger gestures, similar to the “multitouch” technology on the iPhone. The shorter Kin One has a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the bottom, while the Kin Two has a full QWERTY keyboard that comes out from its side. Both include Wi-Fi access and cameras capable of taking higher-resolution photos than most handsets. The Kin One will include a 5-megapixel camera, while the Kin Two will have an 8-megapixel camera. The Kin Two will also be capable of shooting HD-quality video.

The Kin handsets will not be obviously branded as Microsoft products. They will sport a sizable “Kin” logo on the back and, in smaller type, an indication that they are Windows phones from Verizon and Sharp. Another thing to be wary of is that the Kin devices won’t allow you to download add-on software applications. You will be stuck with whatever Microsoft deems necessary.

Am I rushing out to buy one? Not likely. I am more interested in the Droid technology. But for teenagers and those totally addicted to social media networking, these Kin phones may be an affordable way to go. Of course Verizon’s subscriber service will be very costly since in addition to the unlimited talk and text access ($89.95 per month), you will need to subscribe to their $29.95 per month data subscription. This can run about $120 per month, so parents beware! Without the unlimited subscription service, most teens will “overshoot” their monthly plans, costing even more.

So what about you? Ready to become a Kin user?

Google announced it is postponing the launch of the Android phones in China due to cyber spying coming from China. Google says it can no longer accept the censoring of search results on its site in China. Because of this, analysts say it could drastically hurt both Motorola and Samsung who have placed a big emphasis on the Droid phones.

Google postpones launch of Droid phones in China

What is the Droid phone without the Google applications? Without being able to access Google on the phone, many users may opt for Apple’s iPhone or the BlackBerry. If this postponement becomes a cancellation, this could have a devastating effect on not only Motorola and Samsung, but may impact Google’s stability as a business partner.

Would you be interested in a Droid phone without the Google maps, email and search? The Android is an open source system, so phone makers could still market in China, and perhaps utilize a different set of apps. This wouldn’t be good for Google, but Motorola and Samsung may still benefit from selling in China. Will China’s consumers embrace the iPhone or BlackBerry? So far the users in China have balked at the high price items.

Motorola may still come out okay in the China market. China Mobile and China Telecom have existing commitments to sell Motorola’s Droid phones. And so far, this is just a delay, not a cancellation by Google.

Most concerning to me is the cyber spying in China targeting Google. We all use Google. Many of us use Google’s applications to centralize our bookmarks, documents and email. This brings up a question of security for a lot of us. It makes me want to back up my files shared on Google and remove them from the Google service.

Are you concerned? Are we being naïve about using online document backup?