[Noah98]

My on topic response would be that the Blackberry Playbook is a seriously flawed device. I messed around with it again yesterday, and having it sitting right next to the Samsung Galaxy Tab didn't do it any favors. The playbook had a slightly nicer screen, and the OS was unique and interesting. Other than that, the Galaxy Tab is much nicer. The biggest disappointment is the design. The Playbook had a terrible power button, a chunky bezel, and a boring design. The Galaxy Tab looks really nice, and is easier to hold. While the OS isn't that exciting, at least everything works well, and the app selection is far superior.

My response to all the silly bickering: why is it so hard for people to accept that two different companies can create quality devices for different audiences? I'm not sure where all the apple hate comes from, and where all the snap judgments of android comes from as well. Apple product are not just for "blind sheep consumerists" as has been suggested (although as with every stereotype, there are those that fit that description) and android users are not all "techie nerds."

If we compare the best android tablets with the ipad 2 we should be able to objectively see that neither is perfect, but both have unique advantages. The important consideration is how important the advantages and disadvantages of each device affect the individual user's needs. We are not talking about fundamentally flawed devices or extreme price variations. Those are issues that go beyond preference. If a device is ridiculously expensive, or lacks critical features, then it is fair to render a harsh judgment. In the case of the Blackberry Playbook, the combination of design flaws, app scarcity, lacking features, and high price justify the criticism.

As an ipad 2 user, and former android user (although I still have a Pandigital Novel, and probably will buy an eee Transformer of Galaxy Tab wifi when I can afford it) I can try to give an unbiased assessment. I could care less about the different companies. I have no loyalty to any brand, I just know what I want.

In sum:

android tablet advantages = 16:9 screen, slightly higher resolution, micro sd support, Native Flash Video, Flash Games, HDMI ports, open ecosystem, widgets, live wallpaper, better notification system, phone apps scale up better (although still not perfect, and some require the Spare Parts app)

ipad 2 advantages = 4:3 screen, more vibrant colors on the screen, lighter, and more aesthetically pleasing design, many more quality, tablet specific apps (including Netflix), less buggy software, skype with video (although only the phone version)

As an ipad 2 owner I can definitely say that, yes, it would be nice to have an sd card slot and an HDMI port, rather than having to buy adapters for each. But, for me, it is all about the apps. Netflix, Pages, Garage band, imovie, Infinity Blade, etc. Hell, there are so many free and .99 quality apps, that are made to take advantage of tablets, that I'm set for years to come already. The second most important thing for me is the screen. I love the more vibrant colors (although the eee Transformer might be able to match in that area, the Xoom, definitely not even close), and I prefer the 4:3 aspect ratio because I hold my tablet in portrait mode the majority of the time. Third, I use Netflix all the time. I never use widgets, not even on my laptops. I don't see the point of having mini views of my apps since I don't stare at my homescreen. For example, if I want to check a sports score, I can tap my ESPN app, or enable notifications. I can't see myself ever using HDMI at home. My laptop has HDMI, so I can watch videos on my TV through it. If I'm going to watch a movie at home, I'm not sure why I would use my tablet. If I really wanted to, I could use airplay or buy the adapter. Micro sd is a bummer, but it really isn't that big of a deal to hook the device up to my laptop and go through itunes. If I want to send pictures, my camera has an eyefi card, so I can wirelessly send pictures to the ipad 2 anyway. And finally, I haven't come across a website yet that I use that requires native flash support.

Before I bought the ipad 2, I spent way too much time at Best Buy testing all of my favorite websites on both the Xoom and the ipad 2. None of them didn't work on the ipad 2, and videos that didn't play natively, worked fine on Skyfire or their respective dedicated apps. The Xoom even seemed to be a bit more sluggish. I would actually like to challenge someone to give me a list of quality websites that the ipad 2 can not handle effectively either through an app, or Skyfire, that an android tablet can. Having the option of Flash support would be nice, but there is no doubt that flash is still buggy and there are some issues that can slow down the browsing experience. Still, playing flash games would be nice.

Again, these are my personal preferences (not based on apple brainwashing) and will surely be different than users with different needs. For example, if video was really important to me, the 16:9, higher resolution screen would be more important.

I do miss live wallpapers though...

So, can't we all be realistic and admit that each device is unique, and not marginalize the advantages that each possesses?