Apple iPad2 Vs. Motorola Xoom, I went with the Xoom

I am fortunate to have a job where I can get my hands on the latest tech gadgets.  Recently this has involved a few of the brand name tablets and mobile phones.  One of the issues that I have found with the recent slew of tablets is that if you own a similar product like the iTouch or an iPhone, it pretty much ruins that new and exciting feeling of having let's say an iPad placed in your hands. You immediately feel the similarity of the device, you know how to work it, it's just bigger.

I had this sensation when picking up a Samsung Galaxy a few months ago.  My current phone is a HTC Aria and the operating system seemed in all appearances identical to the Galaxy's.  Again, I was so familiar with how it worked that I immediately passed it off to someone who was not familiar with that flavor of Android to demo it, feeling a little disappointed.

Image from Ubergizmo

I figured I had played the wait and see game long enough and decided to finally come off the sideline and be a tablet owner.  It all came down to the iPad 2 and the Motorola Xoom for me.  On one hand, the apps are fairly refined for the iPad 2, they have been around for a while and it is a popular if not dominating platform.  I like the experience of the iDevices and have been a long time buyer of iPods.  However, there is something limiting about the Apple products despite the fluid and graceful user interface.  You are pretty much tied to iTunes, which has some great stuff but difficult to port over to another device.  I use my iPod as a hard drive for the X amount of Gigs of music I have, and have performed the move from old iPod to new iPod over the years, despite how hard Apple makes the process.

Being a somewhat recent and hooked Linux user on a desktop (Ubuntu) and laptop machine (Mint), I cannot deny the sense of computing freedom one can experience from this totally free operating system.  I love the pre-packaged Rythmbox (media player) that comes with Linux distros and could probably depart from iTunes altogether considering I rarely buy music and videos but rather enjoy various podcasts and live music streams all of which is possible to consume with a free application like Rythmbox.  The speed that one can get up and running on a Linux machine is perhaps the best selling point of all.  Need to check your email, but don't want to wait 5 minutes for all the Windows bloatware to get up and running?  Not a problem with Ubuntu or the other Linux flavors out there.

The Motorola Xoom is more of a computer in a tablet skin.  It has the flexibility that Apple just can't seem to provide to it's customers and I am primarily talking about connectivity to other devices and the openness that a Linux based OS affords it's users.  I have plans to stream video to my HD TV via a HDMI micro port, which is exciting for me.  I can dump files from my Linux machine at home on the Xoom via a USB and dump them off on my office Windows machine.  I may even spring for a Bluetooth keyboard, since one of my issues with mobile devices is the limitations of productivity one can achieve with one. 

Well, let's say I have lots a plans with my new Xoom.  I haven't even had a chance to get my paws on it, but my iDevice has just informed me that it has been delivered before the expected arrival date, which is something considering the snails pace that packages have been arriving via Amazon's Super Saver Shipping.  An update on my experience with Motorola's Xoom (Wifi version) is coming soon.

Read about the Ice Cream Sandwich update for Xoom!

*Information contained within these pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Schreiner University

iOS 4.3.2 Reportedly Coming Soon for Apple iTouch

A day after I blogged about my Apple iTouch Battery Woes comes the news that Apple will release iOS 4.3.2.

While there is no mention of the wi-fi iTouch draining battery problem, let's hope this issue is being addressed in the new iOS update.

So far, the iOS 4.3.2  update is said to address some bugs, security holes, and a few "enhancements".

I will say that by turning off all push notifications seemed to help improve the life of my iTouch battery.  Sadly, the battery is still not performing like it was prior to the 3.1 update.  I am hoping that this issue will be addressed by Apple soon.

*Information contained within these pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Schreiner University.

Apple iTouch Battery Woes and iOS 4



iTouch is a great smartphone without the phone bill.


Like many other iTouch owners, after updating my iTouch to iOS 4 my battery goes from full charge to 20% in less than an hour of use (browsing the web, using the device with the screen on, etc.).  It used to stay charged for hours, even during heavy use.  I used to watch full length feature films on it and have plenty of power for the rest of the day. Nowadays, I browse the web for a half hour and get warnings that my battery is low.

The iOS 4 update also affected iPhones.  Apple has fixed the battery problem for the iPhone owners since however with subsequent iOS updates.  Meanwhile, the unlucky iTouch owners are left to running our devices in spurts broken up with trips to the charger.

If you go to the Apple help and iTouch web pages they illustrate all kinds of ways that you can maximize your iTouch battery life.  You can employ these techniques to the point that your iTouch no longer serves any purpose at all.

Apple's Maximize Your iTouch's Battery Life Tips 

1. The first suggestion Apple gives us is to turn off the device itself.  No, I lied.  The first piece of advice they give us is to, "update the device to the latest software", which is frankly why the iTouch owners are having issues in the first place.
2. Use iPod Regularly.  Yep, but that's tough to do these days unless you are near a generator or a wall socket.
3. Hold and Pause.  Turn it off when it is not in use (can't argue with that, though it is mostly off now anyway).
4. Under "Optimize", Apple tells us that, "Wi-Fi consumes power even if you are not using its features to connect to a network. You can turn it off to save power." The list goes on and on.

So, apparently Apple fixes the iPhone and decides to let the iTouch folks deal with a busted OS, and ultimately a broken device.  It kind of feels like Apple doesn't want to fix the iTouch.  I mean it is basically an iPhone without the phone part (no, an iPhone without the contract and monthly bill).  Some of us can use the iTouch as a phone with applications like Skype, but you can run Skype on an iPhone as well.  Would Apple sabotage the iTouch so everyone is forced to migrate to the iPhone or an iPad?

I like my iTouch very much.  Despite the battery issues it has been a solid device.  I just bought the MLB At Bat 11 app for it recently and it is amazing to see live MLB games on my iTouch (great quality too).  I am usually always in a wi-fi enabled environment so I don't need the iPhone.  For the in between times I have an Android HTC Aria work phone, which is ok but not as easy to use as the iTouch.

I am thinking of buying the iPad2 because I think I am getting carpal tunnel from the small screen, but I feel as though I am being pushed to do it by Apple and I don't like to be told what to do by consumer electronics companies.  It has been almost two years since I bought the 3rd gen iTouch. I believe 2 years to be the average lifespan of any Apple product before it self destructs or fails to be relevent anymore.  The thing is, this iTouch works just as well as the day I bought it and has the same functionality of the new Apple products (sans the rapid power loss). 

Maybe the outcry from iTouch users cannot be heard by Apple, or they are just choosing to ignore it. They are on to bigger and better things and slyly telling us lowly iTouch users to hurry up and buy their new shiny devices.  I am not sure I want to buy into this Apple type of situation again though. This is my 3rd iPod and in the past I have only upgraded due to monumental changes in the device (video, wi-fi, etc.). 

*Information contained within these pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Schreiner University.