The examination of Apple's continues, and now benchmarks of its graphics performance compare it favorably with both its predecessor and one of its most capable rivals, the Apple's claim of the iPad 2's graphics performance over the iPad 1 might be exaggerated, according to AnandTech's reviewer Daniel Dilger, who said he's "not sure that you'll ever see 9x running real game code." In fact, the iPad 2's graphics performance with the original iPad and the Motorola Xoom, and using GLBenchmark 2.0, the iPad 2 was between 3 and 7 times faster than the iPad 1, and was a surprising 2 to 7 times faster than the Tegra 2-packing Motorola Xoom tablet.
Dozens of new tablets were unveiled at CES this year, most of them running Android -- Google's "organic," open-source operating system, that people and corporations can use without paying a license fee. It gives them a head start in creating devices you'd want to use, whether they're hot new toys in the spotlight (like the Motorola Xoom) or relatively obscure cult favorites (like the Notion Ink Adam).
LAS VEGAS— Motorola Mobility's Xoom tablet computer powered by new "Honeycomb" software from Google was crowned the best gadget at the giant Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Saturday.
Along with being declared the top creation at the dazzling gadget extravaganza, Xoom was also honored as the best of the scores of tablets introduced here as fresh competitors in a market dominated by Apple iPads.
Motorola also scored a victory with its Atrix smartphone designed to work with high-speed 4G wireless networks and which can be used in a dock to power a laptop.
Atrix won the top spot in a smartphone category at the official Best of CES awards.
"We took big risks and they paid off," said Motorola Mobility chief software engineer Seang Chau. "We didn't know if people would get it; but obviously they got it."
US telecom maker Motorola Mobility jumped into the bustling tablet computer market Wednesday when chief executive Sanjay Jha unveiled Xoom at CES.
Motorola Mobility's hotly awaited tablet computer, the "Xoom," will be available in the first quarter of the year, Jha said.
With a 10.1-inch (25.6-centimeter) screen, the Xoom is about the same size as Apple's iPad, which hit stores in April and has other leading technology companies around the world scrambling to catch up.
Xoom will be a fierce competitor in the marketplace because Google built Honeycomb software specifically to power tablet computers, according to Jha.
"This is really the next generation of tablets," Motorola Mobility device team head Alain Mutricy said as he held a Xoom in one hand at the awards ceremony.
"Our partnership with Google has been very intense and has enabled some great technology."
The CES accolades came just four days after Illinois-based Motorola split into two companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions.
Motorola Mobility will focus on mobility, the Internet and computing markets while Motorola Solutions will target next-generation communications solutions to government, public safety and enterprise customers.
"This has been a great week for us," Mutricy said of Motorola Mobility. "It is a good beginning."
The official CES awards were sponsored by tech news website Cnet, which had editors pick the winners.
Japan-based Wii console maker Nintendo took top honors in a gaming category with a version of a DS videogame handset that allows 3D play without the need for special glasses.
A Sony "HandyCam" handheld video recorder with a built-in projector placed first in a Digital Imaging category, while a Casio Tryx digital camera was deemed the slickest gadget design at the show.
US chip giant Intel got some of the spotlight, with a speedy new generation of "Sandy Bridge" chips that thwart film piracy and enable quick handling of data-rich video and games rated the best computer innovation at the show.
A Toyota Entune innovation that makes fun or helpful software applications available while driving won top spot in a car category.
A Vizio TV that features Internet television from Google and online videogames from OnLive was declared the best in its category.
A sleek Razor Switchblade laptop that packs desktop computer gaming power into a small "netbook" won a People's Voice award based on votes logged on the Internet.
Meanwhile, a dual-screen Acer Iconia laptop with a second screen, touch controlled, where a keyboard would usually be won "Last Gadget Standing" honors at another CES competition.
A color version of the Nook electronic reader was the favorite in online "Last Gadget Standing" voting.
US telecom maker Motorola Mobility jumped into the bustling tablet computer market Wednesday with a touchscreen device powered by "Honeycomb," the latest version of Google's Android software.
Sanjay Jha, the chief executive of Motorola Mobility, also presented three new Android-powered touchscreen smartphones to reporters here on the eve of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Motorola Mobility's hotly awaited tablet computer, the "Xoom," will be available in the first quarter of the year, Jha said.
With a 10.1-inch (25.6-centimeter) screen, the Xoom is about the same size as Apple's iPad, which hit stores in April and has other leading technology companies around the world scrambling to catch up.
More than 100 firms are expected to unveil tablet computers at CES, which officially opens on Thursday and features more than 2,600 exhibitors of the latest gadgets.
Jha said the Xoom will be the first tablet computer to hit stores featuring Android 3.0, or Honeycomb, an operating system developed with tablets in mind instead of smartphones.
"It's been designed ground up for the tablet, the user interface, the whole interaction," Jha said. "It has multi-tasking capability."
"All of these things, I think, deliver an experience which makes Android 3.0 on our tablet probably in my opinion the most competitive product in the marketplace," he said.
Jha pointed out several features on the Xoom that the iPad does not have including front- and rear-facing cameras and the ability to play Adobe Flash video software, which is banned from the Apple device.
He said the first Xooms to hit the market will feature 3G connectivity to the Internet through US carrier Verizon Wireless. A 4G Xoom will come out later in the year and 3G versions can be upgraded to 4G.
Jha also unveiled three new smartphones, the Atrix 4G, available through US telecom giant AT&T in the first quarter of the year, the Cliq 2 and the Droid Bionic.
A laptop dock for the Atrix 4G allows a user to connect the phone to a computer monitor and surf the Web using a full Firefox desktop browser.
The Cliq 2, available through Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile in the United States from January 19, features a slide-out keyboard and was described as a device offering "business-ready features and robust entertainment options."
The Bionic Droid, which will be available in the second quarter of the year, is designed specifically for Verizon's 4G network, which was launched in December and currently covers about one-third of the US population.
It offers mobile Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G and will, for example, allow high-quality streaming of television shows.
Chief executive Jha rolled out the new products here a day after the Illinois-based Motorola split into two companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions.
Motorola Mobility will focus on mobility, the Internet and computing markets while Motorola Solutions will target next-generation communications solutions to government, public safety and enterprise customers.
