What's the big tech tablet debate of 2011? Perhaps it's Android tablets vs. Apple iPad. IPad 2 launching makes this competition much bitter. Since the iOS 4.3 iPad 2 has been avainable on 11th March, some reports said iPad 2 has sold out in debut weekend at Apple stores and other retailers. Apple iPad 2 is really a synthetic benchmark with its great real-life performance. The new features of iPad 2 make it the market's key driver, including 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, the much expected dual-cameras with camera-focused apps like FaceTime, iMovie, and Photo Booth, built-in built-in gyroscope and HDMI connectivity for playback on HD TVs. Laying in bed and reading has become much easier. iPad 2 has WCDMA and CDMA EV-DO Rev.A 3G network. The CDMA 3G iPad comes to the market for the first time. What's more, if past Apple product upgrades were any indication, the new, improved iPad was going to be the same price as its predecessor. And it is, with the Wi-Fi-only version of the iPad 2 (16GB) starting at $499.
Now, the top competitor for the Apple iPad is Google Android tablets, like Motorola, Samsung, Dell and others. If you're looking for a tablet and don't fancy an iPad, then Android is the way to go. Android tablets are running on some version of the Android OS from Google. These days, many developers prefer Android over iOS because it's much easier to get a new app into Android’s app market. The first and most obvious advantage of this device over a netbook is the touchscreen. Statistics show that the android tablet OS is ranked second among all smartphone OS handsets in North America.

One of main advantages of android OS is its Flash capabilities. While it is true that the internet itself is trying to limit its content which relies on Flash, the android OS is built on the idea of an open platform allowing anybody to add, or remove, whatever plugins they feel like. Unlike with Apple where all applications, programs, and addons are created by them and a user can only get just those programs. Apple's OS is quite intolerant of third party applications, the exact opposite is true of the android tablet OS which allows anybody to share with everyone what they have developed, even just for this reason alone, the android tablet is already better than the competition. But If you buy a tablet that runs Android 1.6 or earlier, you'll probably encounter two problems: You won't be able to run Adobe's Flash video, and you won't have access to Google's primary app store, the Android Market.

We cannot say that the iPad 2 is the perfect tablet but the difference between current tablets in the market (including Motorola Xoom) is very evident. At 1.35 pounds, the iPad 2 is also lighter, on a par with Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet as the lightest of the roughly 10-inch-screen tablets. Motorola's Xoom and HP's TouchPad are slightly heavier at 1.6 pounds. But its processor appears to be on a par with those of other devices, and its cameras' resolutions seem to be lower. The iPad 2 has a lot to improve including its display, camera quality, OS performance, storage, USB port, connectivity etc. With all the tablets on the horizon, it's possible that even Apple will find it difficult to stay ahead of the game for long. Rumors goes on. The iPad 3 or iPad 2.5 might come out of the blue in future.

Related article:New iPad 2, Apple Tries to Stay Ahead in the Tablet Market