About six months ago (Oct) I mentioned that I liked the Galaxy over the iPad.
As far as hardware specs go, the new iPad2 and Xoom have significantly improved the playing field since that time. Leaps and bounds, really...
But the decision to buy is still a tough one for me.
For one thing, I don't intend to buy a 3G device simply because I don't feel it's worth the extra monthly charge on the data plans, since it is more than offset by the subsidy offered by the carriers.
You can buy a Xoom or iPad2 wi-fi only model for about $500-600. That's a lot of $ for a toy, if you already have a decent laptop, as we do. We're trying to sell our desktop, but it probably won't go for much (if anything).
In comparing the two devices, the iPad2 wins on its apps at the moment, but I have a strong feeling that Android's software and app store will both win out in the long run. It's just too hard to beat open source, and Honeycomb is much newer than the iPad2's predecessors, which set the stage for app development a long time ago. The iPod Touch, iPhone and original iPad mean that Apple simply had a huge head start in the app game. But all it takes is literally browsing the Apple App store, finding neat ideas, and copying them into the Android SDK. That's why the "app advantage" is simply a matter of time, and shouldn't be a serious part of your consideration of which one to buy.
A lower-cost and somewhat attractive alternative is buying a Nook Color for about half the price ($250), and rooting it with either Froyo or Honeycomb. Although the NC doesn't have cameras or the newer software advantages, it is a 7", not a 10" tablet, which I think is a more perfect size for a tablet. The drawback here are the hardware limitations and the eventual problem updating the OS as the hardware was never built for Honeycomb.
So...decisions, decisions...but I'm in no rush.
