iPad vs Samsung Galaxy vs Toshiba Folio 100 vs OlivePad

Apple iPad has set in a tablet frenzy. Hardware vendors of all sizes have jumped on the tablet bandwagon to challenge Apple's tablet and cash on the new computing segment. Latest to join the fray is Korean giant Samsung and Toshiba who recently unveiled their iPad challengers. 

In India too the tablet PC market is hotting up. Recently, Olive Telecom launched its iPad contender which is country's first 3.5G tablet. 

Here's how the recent launches in the tablet space -- Samsung Galaxy Tab, Toshiba Folio 100 and OlivePad VT100 -- compare on looks, OS, camera, connectivity and apps front with each other and Apple iPad.

1: Dimensions

iPad: Apple's iPad measures 9.56 inches in height, 7.47 in width and 0.5 inch in depth. iPad weighs 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg), the 3G version is 0.1 pounds heavier.

Galaxy: Measuring 7.84 X 4.74 X 0.47 inches, the device weighs mere 380 gram. 

Toshiba Folio 100: Folio measures 181 x 281 x 14 mm and weighs 760 gram. 

OlivePad: Measuring Width 110(W) X 11.5 (D) X 179.4 (H) mm, the device weighs 410 gram.

2: Display

iPad: The device has a 9.7-inch LCD colour screen. iPad uses iPhone's multi-touch technology, Apple's Magic Mouse, and the company's trackpad technology found in some of the company's laptops. 

Galaxy: Sporting a 7-inch TFT LCD display, the Galaxy Tab has a screen resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels. 

Toshiba Folio 100: Featuring a 10.1-inch display, the device has a multitouch screen. The screen has a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels. 

OlivePad: With 7-inch touch capacitive screen, the device has screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The device can also be used to make phone calls.

3: Camera

iPad: Apple's iPad lacks camera. Lack of camera is widely seen as a negative in iPad as the device is said to be placed somewhere between a smartphone and laptop. 

Galaxy: Unlike iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab comes with a 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera. The device also has a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera. 

Toshiba Folio 100: There's a 1.3 megapixel camera. 

OlivePad: The device boasts of a 3 megapixel camera with 4x zoom and a front facing camera.

4: OS & processor

iPad: iPad runs on Apple iOS 3.2. The device has a 1GHz chip that has been custom designed by Apple. 

Galaxy: The device uses Google's Android 2.2 operating system. 

Toshiba Folio 100: Folio runs Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. The device will come with Google Android 2.2 OS. 

OlivePad: The device runs on ARM11 600MHz processor and packs Android 2.1 (Eclair) OS.

5: Memory

iPad: Apple iPad comes in 16, 32 and 64GB versions. 

Galaxy: The device comes in 16 and 32GB version. 

Toshiba Folio 100: Toshiba's iPad rival comes with 16GB of storage. 

OlivePad: In terms of storage, OlivePad VT100 has 512 MB of internal memory which can be extended upto 32GB.

6: Adobe Flash

iPad: The device doesn't offer support for Flash. This means users will encounter those 'big, empty video boxes in the middle of a page' while surfing on the pages which require Adobe Flash. Youtube will be supported just like in iPhone but no Flash games. In iPhone 3GS too when users browse through Web pages with Adobe Flash, it displays empty spaces with missing icons. 

Galaxy: Samsung Galaxy Tab offers support for Adobe Flash 

Toshiba Folio 100: Folio 100 supports latest Adobe Flash Player 10.1. 

OlivePad: The device runs Adobe Flash.

7: Connectivity

iPad: It supports both WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. The WiFi antenna supports 802.11 a/b/g/n. The device also packs GPS. 

Galaxy: For connectivity, Galaxy supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G cell phone networks. 

Toshiba Folio 100: The device supports WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1. Toshiba announced that a 3G version will be launched soon. 

OlivePad: The device has WiFi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR), and microUSB connectivity.

8: Battery

iPad: It offers battery life of upto 10 hours. The standby time is approximately a month. 

Galaxy: It promises upto 7 hours of video playback. 

Toshiba Folio 100: As for battery, Toshiba claims that the device promises upto 7 hours of Web browsing. 

OlivePad: The device comes with 16 hours of standby time and 7 hours of talktime.

9: Apps

iPad: The device can use virtually all the over 140,000 apps currently available for the iPhone. However, iPad will let you download applications only from Apple's AppStore. iPad doesn’t allow users to download any apps other than from the App Store. 

Galaxy: For applications, Galaxy Tab offers access to Android Market in addition to non-Market apps. 

Toshiba Folio 100: Users can download apps from Toshiba App Place. 

OlivePad: It has access to Android MarketPlace.

Apple TV versus Google TV

Apple Inc unveiled its new Apple TV on Wednesday, setting it up to compete with Google Inc's soon-to-be released Google TV. Here's a look at how they compare: 

Cost

Apple: $99 (Rs 4455) 

Google: Not yet announced

How they work

Apple TV is a compact box that hooks into TVs and allows viewers to stream shows and movies that they have rented or downloaded from iTunes. It requires an Internet connection and can access YouTube, Flickr and other sites. 

It can stream music from iTunes and play shows or movies that have been downloaded on separate devices from iTunes. Apple TV can be controlled through iPods, iPhones and iPads after downloading an app. 

Google TV: Google TV will allow viewers to search and watch programs from the Internet and their DVR recordings. Sony TVs and blu-ray players, as well as Logitech TVs, will come with Google TV installed. 

A separate stand-alone device is also available. The software has a Chrome Web browser built in so users can access whatever videos, photos, music and games are online. The Android Market will be on Google TV starting in 2011.

Availability

Apple: Chief Executive Steve Jobs said Apple TV would be available in a month, and the devices can be pre-ordered now. 

Google: Unknown date this fall.

Content

Apple: TV shows will cost 99 cents (Rs 4455) to rent, movies will cost $4.99 (RS 224.55) to $2.99 (Rs 134.55) to rent. 

Google: All free online content can be accessed. DISH Network Corp subscribers can also browse and watch their content with the device.

Partners

Apple: Netflix Inc, News Corp, Walt Disney Co 

Google: Sony Corp, Logitech International SA, Intel Corp and DISH Network Corp

Track record

Apple: This is the second incarnation of the Apple TV. Jobs has said the first version, released in 2006, has "never been a huge hit." 

Google: This is the first Google TV of its kind for the company.

Tech to improve voice clarity on mobile phone

A technology that improves voice clarity on mobile phones by filtering out unwanted sounds is on offer. 

High Definition (HD) Voice claims to reduce the background noise and 'hisses' that often mar mobile phone calls and offer users 'crystal clear' sound. 

HD Voice, which went live Wednesday, should help those people who frequently make calls from trains and noisy workplaces, reports the Daily Mail. 

The firm also claims that HD voice is able to 'eliminate the perceived distance between callers making it easier to hear the emotions in people's voices.' 

Jonathan Leggett of mobile phone comparison website Top10.com said: "It's ironic that as smartphones have become more multi-functional, they're arguably not much better at their primary function as a conduit for calls. 

"We don't expect Orange's HD Voice technology to sway young smartphone users. 

"However, improving the calling experience will appeal to less tech-hungry consumers who use their handsets predominantly for making calls and texting," added Leggett. 

Recent research from Orange has shown that a third of business leaders say they routinely struggle to hold phone conversations due to the noisy environment they work in. 

Other countries already have networks using the technology including Moldova and Germany.