Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way since we have yet to mention it and tomorrow is the day. Even if you live under a rock, you probably know that Apple is going to announce their new iPad tomorrow, rumored to be called the iPad HD  because of some insane resolution. They also may introduce their first TV, meaning they will tell you that they re-invented something that has already been re-invented a dozen times and then sue the world for it because they filed a patent for it 5 years ago, but failed to actually produce the technology until now. Yeah, it’ll happen. But back to the main point.

Verizon’s site since last night has had this big banner with a “Something Is Coming.” slogan across it. It’s about the new iPad. It has nothing to do with any Android phone or family share plan or self-charging LTE battery-modem-combo-work-of-art. The only other time that I have seen them place a banner like this on their front page, was for one of the iPhones – I think it was the iPhone 4S.

So with that out of the way, feel free to provide your thoughts on any thing I just rambled off.

Verizon’s Website Says that “Something is Coming” Which Means the Next iPad, That’s It. is a post from: Droid Life

When we got our hands on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 at Google I/O, the first thing we noticed almost immediately was that its display was far superior to that of the Motorola XOOM.  It was bright, vibrant, and left us constantly wanting more.  Those claims of ours (which mean nothing by the way) have now been backed by one of the most recognized display aficionados of our time, Dr. Raymond Soneira.

You may remember one of his first tablet comparisons (XOOM, iPad2, Iconia, and Transformer) that included some choice words for Motorola’s offering?  Well, he’s back to round out his report which at the time, was missing the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (since it had not been released yet).  The results peg Samsung’s newest tablet as the top display in all the land – yes, even topping the iPad2…

…As things stand, based on all of the display tests, the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 are reasonably close in performance in most categories, so it’s almost a tie, but the Galaxy Tab is ahead more often than the iPad 2, so the Galaxy Tab is the Winner, by a nose… But should Samsung or Android add a color picture control to the Galaxy Tab with a software update as we describe below, then the Galaxy Tab would be the decisive Winner, by a lot.

So if you are still contemplating a tablet purchase, this should definitely be at the top of your list alongside the Asus Transformer.  Both are considered by most to be the top Android offerings, but this news of the Tab 10.1′s impressive display should have you leaning a certain direction.  The 4G LTE version of Verizon launches this week and WiFi versions are already available at a variety of retailers.

To read the full report, you’ll want to head over to DisplayMate.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Takes Down iPad2 as the Best Tablet Display is a post from: Droid Life

Dr. Raymond Soneira is the guru of all things display, so when he drops a comparison or digs deep into a device, we tend to listen.  He just published his comparison of the Motorola XOOM, Asus Transformer and iPad2 which are more than likely the top 3 selling tablets on the market right now and had some not-so-pleasant things to say about the flagship Honeycomb device.  The results came out favorable for both the Transformer and iPad2, but the XOOM is another story altogether.  

Here is the quick version of his conclusion on the XOOM:

The display on the Motorola Xoom is a lower performance LCD than on the other Tablets, compounded by poor factory calibration. Colors and color saturation were much worse than the other displays. The Xoom screen has 49 percent higher ambient light reflectance than the iPad 2 and the variation with Viewing Angle is awful. The Xoom also has a Dynamic Backlight that varies the screen brightness in a peculiar fashion – it slowly dims the screen based on the Average Picture Level down to about 60 percent and then just stops. It makes dim images dimmer – it’s counterproductive and just strange display behavior… The other Tablet displays have standard Backlights, which don’t vary the brightness with picture content.

He continues on, even mentioning the “outstanding” display from the original DROID:

…the Asus Transformer, which delivers very good performance across the board and comes in a solid second, all the more impressive because it is $100 cheaper than the iPad 2 and $200 cheaper than the Motorola Xoom. And finally, the Motorola Xoom comes in a distant third and last place – it’s not a horrible display but definitely significantly below the display quality of the iPad 2 and Asus Transformer. This is all the more surprising because the Xoom is by far the most expensive Tablet, and Motorola previously included an outstanding display in the original Motorola Droid Smartphone – so they once knew how to deliver a great display. This time it seems they just settled for a cheap low-end poorly calibrated display.

I’d attempt to argue with him, but if any of you remember my instant reaction to the comparison of my XOOM to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 from I/O, you’ll know exactly how I feel.  From a non-display guru perspective, I would say that the XOOMs display is not where it should be.  As the most expensive tablet on the planet, and one that was supposed to lead the charge for Android, it has fallen short in a number of categories over the last few months.

It’s not that I already want to look to see what’s next from Moto in the tablet game because I forked out some serious cash for a XOOM just like many of you did, but as I hold my Galaxy Tab 10.1 each day, it becomes more obvious that Sanjay and the boys need to step their game up.

Via:  DisplayMate, MaximumTech

Cheers Jason!

Motorola XOOM Display is “Low-end” and “Poorly Calibrated” According to DisplayMate Showdown is a post from: Droid Life

Probably shouldn’t mark this Thursday (March 10) on your calendar as the official release date for the HTC Thunderbolt, even though a lot of rumors suggested that it would finally be the day.  According to this pretty Verizon chart, it looks like they are throwing all of their time and planning into the iPad 2 launch which we all know is this Friday (March 11).  Yep.

We’ll now set our sites on St. Patty’s day which is March 17 (next Thursday).  Panda knows all.

Cheers money!

No HTC Thunderbolt this Week as Verizon Prepares for the iPad 2 Launch? is a post from: Droid Life

It’s a pretty slow day in the world of Android, so how about we all take a break and look at some silly iPad 2 spots that are now floating around.  Let’s try to keep the conversation light today; too much negativity in the house this week.  Relax and laugh a little, people…it’s just a blog.  

Click here to view the embedded video.

Conan’s take…

And a bonus video that is just too funny to pass up on…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cheers to everyone who sent these!

The Banned iPad 2 Commercial Revealed, Conan Also Gets in on the Fun is a post from: Droid Life

After comparing the original iPad to the Motorola XOOM a few weeks back, we took a lot of heat on how “unfair” it was to do that to a product that was almost a year old.  The Apple enthusiasts came in waves and the cries for “Just wait for the iPad2!” rang out through the night.  Well peeps, here is your comparison to the newly announced iPad 2…nothing groundbreaking at all here.  Straight from their spec sheets.

Cheaper price and a thinner body.  That’s it.

We’ve already seen dual-cameras, dual-core processors and HD recording.  What we aren’t seeing on this new product though, is 1080p on-device playback, Flash support (hah!), 4G capabilities, or expandable storage.  And what’s up with that giant bezel?

*Note* – HD playback on the XOOM is now questionable.  Motodev site lists it as “Max” 1080p, but the regular consumer XOOM page says just 720p.

Chart: iPad 2 vs. Motorola XOOM vs. LG G-Slate vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a post from: Droid Life

In case you had not heard yet, the next version of the i*ad will be announced next Wednesday and talk of it killing the XOOM’s chances of success have already begun.  Since that’s a topic that no one on either side will walk away from feeling clean, we’ll avoid it for now and instead switch it up a bit.  What we want to know, is how many of you are putting off your purchase of a XOOM tomorrow until you see what Apple has to offer?  And let’s try to keep it as clean as we can, OK?  Hypebeast.

Wednesday Poll: Motorola XOOM Tomorrow? Waiting for Next Week’s iPad2 Announcement? is a post from: Droid Life