Although the iPad 2 now offers a front-facing camera for videoconferencing and a rear one for taking pictures and capturing video, the quality of still photos and movies taken from the iPad 2 are not that good -- the camera seems to be the same, poorly regarded model used in the latest iPod Touch. The iPad 2's camera also lacks a flash and support for high-definition range, both of which the iPhone 4's camera does support but the iPod Touch's does not. Apple hasn't released the camera's megapixel (MP) rating, but my photo-editing software pinned it as a measly 0.7MP; by contrast, the iPhone 4's camera is 5MP. The iPad 2's camera does perform better for motion video, taking decent 720p, 0.9MP video -- fine for casual videos but no more.

The Xoom's camera quality is no better than the iPad 2's, despite its 5MP camera. In fact, it had a lower dynamic color range, resulting in flat, soft still images compared to the iPad 2's sharper and more vibrant shots. The Xoom does have a flash, a wider-angle lens, and adjustment controls lacking in the iPad 2 to help improve image quality through manual overrides. For motion video, the Xoom's 720p, 0.9MP video capture results in much better video quality than the iPad 2, especially in low-light conditions, where you get lots of pixelation. (The iPad 2's video quality is about the same as the iPhone 4's, despite the higher resolution of the iPhone 4's video file.)

For still photography, both tablets are clearly aimed at Web-oriented images, such as for posting on Facebook and Flickr. You're not at all likely to keep any for your family albums, project portfolios, or client sales presentations; you'll want a real digital camera for those. For videography, both tablets are fine for casual video -- don't buy into either Apple's or Motorola's HD video hype -- though the Xoom clearly bests the iPad 2.

The Xoom and the iPad 2 are equivalent in quality when it comes to audio output, despite the fact the iPad 2 has a single speaker and the Xoom has two. To get stereo-quality audio, connect either tablet to a stereo.

Finally, both devices use touchscreen keyboards but support external Bluetooth keyboards. To be safe, get an Apple or Apple-verified keyboard for the iPad 2 and a Motorola keyboard for the Xoom -- neither tablet would pair with the other tablet's Bluetooth keyboards. Neither the Xoom nor the iPad 2 supports mice or touchpads, but both support Bluetooth headsets such as for using Skype.