Android alternatives to iPad 2

THE much-anticipated iPad 2 finally came to Singapore last week. However, while the Apple tablet hogged the limelight, a number of equally interesting and feature-rich tablets based on the Android OS have also been launched.
At the top of the heap are the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and the Motorola Xoom, both 10.1-inch tablets with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), followed by the Sony S1 and S2 tablets, and, finally, the HTC Flyer. The Iconia Tab A500 and the Xoom have many common features. Both are powered by dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 CPUs and come with 32GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM.
Both are Wi-Fi-only devices, although the Xoom has a 3G version which is not yet available here. The webcam and the camera are 2-megapixel and 5-megapixel respectively. The screen resolution of both tablets is 1280x800.
However, the A500 has a sharper screen and a functional microSD slot, whereas the Xoom's microSD slot will work only after a software upgrade, which is currently not available.
The A500 also seems faster and has a cleaner and neater design. But the Xoom appears to be more sturdily constructed. It is also lighter and has a longer battery life.
Price-wise, the A500 comes out ahead as it is about $90 cheaper. So, which tablet should one choose?
Motorola, after winning accolades at the International Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, has not followed through with important software upgrades, like the microSD functionality. Small wonder that the Xoom did not sell well in the United States.
Acer, in contrast, seems to be more on top of things. It shipped its product with all the important features ready.
One point to note is that Honeycomb is a new version of the Android OS, so there are few applications in the Android Market tailored for it. For example, a video player like Vital Player (available for Android 2.2 devices) does not work on Honeycomb devices.
Unlike the 10.1-inch tablets, HTC's Flyer uses Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The 7-inch Flyer has a pen-and-touch user interface. It is unclear which market segment HTC is targeting - smartphone users who want more features or tablet adopters who seek full multimedia functionality.
There is little doubt that 7-inch devices are more portable and usable - such as Samsung's Galaxy Tab, the best Android tablet in that category - but, at the same time, the tablet market seems to be moving towards 10-inch devices and the Honeycomb OS.
Meanwhile, Sony's S1 is optimised for rich media entertainment, while the S2 is tailored for mobile communication and entertainment. Both tablets are compatible with Wi-Fi and 3G/4G, and use Android 3.0.
The S1 has a 9.4-inch display and the S2 has two 5.5-inch displays which can be folded like a book. The dual screens can be combined and used as a large screen or used separately for different applications.
How much: Motorola ($888), HTC ($1,068), Acer ($799), Sony (price not announced).