I used to be such an Apple fan, and believe it or not, it was the iPod and its eventually closed-nature which bothered me so much that I stopped buying Apple products.

I expected its successor, the iPhone, to be a total failure, but I was wrong - it was a smashing success.

Still, I am wary to purchase anything made by Apple, so when Google came out with Android, I was very interested.

It wasn't until the Droid X came along that I found the opportunity to buy an Android-powered device, and I'm glad I waited! Thankfully its on the Verizon Wireless network, and it has some very useful apps.

Frankly, I'm not sure why anyone would bother with an iPhone anymore!! The Droid X can even do one thing that any iPhone certainly cannot: be a 3G mobile hotspot. :-)

Sorry Apple and AT&T Wireless, the Droid X is the phone for me.

See Also:

• Driving with the Droid X
• Droid X Review and FAQ

Apple has publicly disclosed its new tablet:

The iPad

What does it do?

Web, Email, YouTube, App Store

Good, but not astounding

Usual Apple media tools: iTunes, iPhoto, videos

Good, nothing new

eBook reader

I haven't used this or the Kindle, but I've seen the Kindle and it looks more specialized.

Personal Information Management (PIM): notes, calendar, address book

Yawn, boring!

Home screen

Why do they list this under features?

What I Don't Like About it Already

• $499 base price is too steep
• All proprietary hardware; no USB host?!?
• No hybrid screen
• No handwriting recognition??
• No mention of what operating system it runs
• Seems awfully proprietary
• Requires an iTunes store account

What I Want to Know More About

• A4 Chip
  • Was it designed by PA Semi?
  • Does it run on a PowerPC architecture?
  • Might be... A4 is kind of like G3 / G4 / G5
  • It could be the ARM platform
  • Apparently it runs at 1 Ghz
• Operating System
• Battery

Without having tried one yet, I have to reserve final judgement, but so far I'm totally disappointed with it. To me, its less cool than the Newton, and the only reason Apple has for producing it is the their Multi-touch technology and the App Store. Might be compelling for some, but not at all for me. I'd rather get a Nokia n900 for a handheld, a netbook for a tiny computer, and a Kindle for ebooks.

Wireless connectivity on the Apple tablet will be important for the device to succeed.

Probably not crucial though. I wouldn't consider switching to AT&T just to get an iPhone because in my opinion Verizon Wireless has superior connectivity - at least in the Northeastern part of the United States. But obviously, other people want an iPhone enough to use one anyway.

Regardless of which network has better connectivity, Apple is reportedly in talks with both Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless. I will be surprised if they go with both carriers from the outset.