The Screens

Cameras (or lack thereof)

Storage Space

Data Connection

Other Hardware

The Software Experience

The upcoming Motorola Xoom is the first Android tablet that Google has really given their blessing. Yes, the Galaxy Tab has the Android Market on it, but it runs a version of Android that Google has explicitly said is not for Tablets. The Xoom is likely going to be the first true competition that Apple's iPad has seen. When it comes down to it, what are the advantages of each, and what can we expect as the devices develop? Is the hardware the most important element, or is it the software?Some of us may have chuckled at the iPad's 1024x768 resolution display when it came out. But admittedly, that was mostly a snap judgment. The image produced by the iPad is good for most situations. The screen itself is 9.7-inches, so that works out to 132 PPI. Not quite as high as the Xoom, but in the same ball park. The iPad is intentionally designed to feel comfortable in any orientation, so the 4:3 screen ratio actually works well here.This one is simple. The Xoom has two cameras, the iPad has none. Google is building in support for native video chat for the new Google Talk client, so that front facing Xoom cam will actually be put to use. Despite Apple's robust Facetime network of iPhones and iPod Touches, the iPad can't play in that sandbox.The Xoom sensors clock in at 5MP rear, and 2MP front. A 2 MP front sensor for video chat could be awesome, but they went further than they probably had to for the rear sensor. Rarely, if ever, can we see ourselves shooting lots of pictures with a 10-inch tablet. We recently had the opportunity to shoot some images with the Galaxy Tab, but even a 7-inch tablet seemed preposterous to hold up to take images. So, it might be nice to have, but a rear-facing camera is not a big selling point for a tablet.The iPad comes in various storage sizes. There are 16, 32, and 64GB models. All this is non-expandable memory that is soldiered onto the mainboard. There is, in Apple fashion, no SD card expansion. So you need to pick the model you want at the start knowing that's all the space you'll ever have. A benefit from having the internal memory is that is tends to be faster to access than removable memory.The Xoom will apparently only have a single SKU, a 32GB unit with expandable storage via a MicroSD card. This is the best of both worlds as you've got faster internal memory, but if you just need more space, you can drop in another 32GB of space on an SD card.The Xoom is a Verizon device that will run on 3G at launch, with an update to 4G LTE later on. It's not entirely clear how that upgrade will happen. Verizon may need to add a component to the device itself, which could mean sending it out. Still, having access to 4G data on the Xoom is a solid benefit.Most of the other hardware in these tablets is less important in the comparison, but here's the rundown. The Xoom will have a Tegra 2 dual core CPU at 1GHz per core. It's also going to have 1GB of RAM. The iPad is running a 1GHz A4 CPU, and has 256MB of RAM. Infinity Blade to see that much. Similarly, we expect the Xoom to be snappy with its hardware. Although again, we have not had a chance to see the device in action.Down the road, the Xoom may be able to run more impressive games with that Tegra 2 chip and 1GB of RAM. We know it has the potential for great things, but developers will have to get on-board. The iPad probably has some juice left in it too, but it's likely closer to its ceiling than the Xoom is.More than anything else, the software will make a tablet either a win, or a flop. The iPad has proven that it is a robust development platform, leading to some excellent mobile apps. The interface, however, is limited. You're tied to the paradigm of the rows of icons on the home screen. Multitasking is limited, and low-level hardware access is mostly unavailable. That said, the iPad is, by its very nature, easy to use. By keeping the interface streamlined, Apple has kept it snappy and simple to learn.One factor that has made the iPad so huge, as mentioned before, is the developer ecosystem. This may be the area Google has the most catching up to do. Apple has an SDK specifically for the iPad, and developers can easily take advantage of the additional screen space. Android has always had scaling ability built into the SDK, but that may not be enough. Google recently added some new features for developers to tag resource elements for tablet-size screens, but developers will need to see the market before any truly compelling apps will surface.