T-Mobile G-Slate vs Motorola Xoom – Full Specs Compared
Both T-Mobile G-Slate and Motorola Xoom are Android based tablets unveiled at the CES 2011 in Las Vegas. The same processor is used to power both tablets and both run Honeycomb which use a refined Android UI with improved widgets and a new system bar at the bottom. The new system bar holds the navigation controls, task manager button and the status panel. The notification system is also at the bottom without hindering other operations. However, there are many difference in specs and also in the external architecture. In the CES 2011, where both tablets were introduced Motorola Xoom won the best device award.
T-Mobile G-Slate
LG’s 8.9 inches G-Slate is a solid device having a single sheet of glass covering the display with rubberized plastic body, it would have been nice if the glass had finger print resistant oleophobic coating. The HD display is quite good with 1280 x 786 resolution. An odd aspect ratio of 15:9 is used in the display. Though the image quality is quite impresssive, the display is not very responsive to touches. So that the G-Slate is not taking the full advantage of the speed of 1GHz dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor.
Talking on other hardware design, G-Slate has both microUSB port and HDMI port with another port for optional docket connection. On the backside it has dual 5MP cameras with a LED flash that has 3D video recording capaility. The cameras support 720p 3D video recording and 1080p standard video capture. To view your 3D creations, G-Slate has 3D video player and LG has included a pair of 3D glasses to the package. Inside it has 1GHz dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM and 32GB internal memory.
G-Slate is a Google branded device, that means it has full access to Google Apps and Android Market. Android Market does not have that many tablet optimized applications, however nearly all apps are compatible with Honeycomb. G-Slate supports Adobe Flash Player 10.2, but it is not integrated to the system, users have to be download it from Android Market.
One of the other important feature of mobile devices is the battery life, G-Slate is quite strong on that feature. For connectivity it has Wi-Fi, 3G-WCDMA and HSPA+. In practical use HSPA+ offers up to 3 – 6 Mbps download speeds and 2-4Mbps upload speeds.
G-Slate is available online and with T-Mobile stores. It’s priced at $530 (it has 32GB internal memory) with a new 2 year contract. To enable web based applications T-Mobile data plan is required, you can choose either monthly plan (min $30/200MB data) or pre-paid plan (week pass -$10/100MB, month pass – $30/1GB or $50/3GB).
Motorola Xoom
The Motorola Xoom that was rated as one of the best device at CES 2011 is a large 10.1-inch HD Tablet with Dual-Core Processor and sailing on Google’s next generation OS Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Motorola Xoom is the first device to run on Google’s next generation mobile operating system Android OS 3.0 Honeycomb, which is entirely designed for tablets. There is no tweaks, Xoom is a pure Honeycomb device. The Android Honeycomb has attractive UI, gives enhanced multimedia and full browsing experience. The Honeycomb features include Google Map 5.0 with 3D interaction, Tablet optimized Gmail, Google Search, redesigned YouTube, ebook and thousands of applications from Android Market. The business applications include Google Calendar, Exchange Mail, opening and editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It also supports Adobe Flash 10.1.
The Honeycomb tablet has an amazing specs that includes a 1 GHz dual core NVIDIA Tegra processor, 1GB RAM, 10.1″ HD capacitive touch screen with WXVGA resolution (1280 x 800) and 16:10 aspect ratio, which gives a wider screen effect. The display covered in a Corned Gorilla Glass is bright and produces vivid colors and very responsive. It also supports 1080p HD video content.
The device is attractive though compared to other tablets competing with Xoom it is bit thick and hefty with a dimension of 9.80″ (249mm) x 6.61″ (167.8mm) x 0.51(12.9mm) and only 25.75 oz (730g).
The Xoom holds dual camera, 5MP with 720p video recording capability at the rear and 2 MP at the front. It has both microUSB and miniHDMI port and a separate charging port. Strangely it does not support charging via USB. The internal storage capacity is 32GB. And the rated battery life is very impressive, which is an important criteria for any mobile device.
The device has built-in gyroscope, barometer, e-compass, accelerometer and adaptive lighting for new types of applications. The tablet can be turned into a mobile hot spot with the capability to connect up to five Wi-Fi devices.
For connectivity it has Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Blutooth v3.0, 3G network support and 4G ready. The Xoom is compatible with Verizon’s CDMA Network and upgradeable to 4G-LTE network, proposed in Q2 2011.
Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi +3G/4G model is available with Verizon for $600 with a new 2 year contract. The Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi only model is available universally for $600.