I love the movie “Searching for Bobby Fischer” and I think that most who’ve seen it would agree that the best scene in the movie is when young Josh offers his opponent a draw, saying: “You’ve already lost, you just don’t know it yet.”

When it comes to the tablet device game, this might as well be Apple’s slogan. The iPad already reigns supreme in early adoption and while other companies (Motorola, HTC, Samsung, etc.) are rushing to get their own competing devices to market, I don’t know if they realize that they’ve already lost.

Sure, they might compete when it comes to specifications - the Xoom even has the current iPod outmatched with it’s dual-core processor, higher resolution screen, additional memory, better camera, and so-on.  That pretty much concludes the discussion of where current tablets best the iPad, though.

In the technological chess-match currently unfolding, here is where the competition has already lost.

Operating System - While Android has made great leaps and bounds in trying to catch up with iOS, it still isn’t there yet.  Even when it comes to cellphones, an area in which Android outnumbers iOS, it has taken a custom-modded ROM (Cyanogen) to deliver the performance and features and experience that I want from my phone. On paper at least, Android can match what the iPad can do, but the experience is far different.

Apps / Content - First of all, there are just more applications available in the iTunes app store right now.  Because of this, game creators, media outlets, and technology companies are going to create their apps for iOS first.  Second, love it or hate it, the fact that Apple maintains a stringent approval process for applications tends to weed out more of the crap than does Android.  Finally, not only does the iPad offer more applications it also provides seamless access to all sorts of content.  I don’t think that users are going to be satisfied with only hulu, youtube, and manually managing new media on competing devices.

Price - The iPad isn’t cheap, but the fact remains that the entry-level model comes in at $499.  Other options, such as the Samsung Tab, can be found for a lower price point, but not without a $30+ monthly data plan and a two-year commitment.  The Xoom might boast impressive specs, but at $800 I don’t see a compelling case for paying up for it at this point.

Apple has made a bit of noise over the past few months regarding their efforts to buy up supplies of components well in advance.  Not only does this allow them to get parts at a discount, but it means that competing devices are going to have to scramble to find suppliers and pay more for the same stuff when they do.

Availability - This may be the most important reason of all.  The Mororola Xoom or the RIM Playbook sound great and all… but you still can’t buy one!  What happens if Apple announces and releases it’s second generation iPad (which many rumors suggest could happen as early as next month) and the competition still hasn’t gotten their own products to market?  More people who have been waiting to get into the tablet game might go ahead and pull the trigger instead of waiting any longer.  For every person that goes with Apple, that’s one less from the pool of folks that have to be split up by all the rest.

At the end of the day I know that technology companies are going to try and capitalize on any new market, but throwing yourself headfirst into a losing battle just isn’t smart.  Learn a lesson from very recent history: when Apple brought the iPod to market the boom was on.  Companies like iRiver, Sansa, and even Microsoft with its ‘Zune’ tried to get in on the game, but did any of them come close to competing?  Did anyone even turn a profit?

Competition is essential, but rushing a half-baked product to market helps nobody.

Let us know!  What are your thoughts?  Who’s the ultimate winner in your book?

I’ve never had a blackberry, so my only experience with texting on a physical phone keyboard has come in the form of t-9 input.  It was something that I was able to get used to for short messages, but since I’m generally a stickler for grammar, spelling, and sentence structure, it wasn’t really something I ever grew to love.

When I upgraded to an iPhone 3G a couple years ago I was introduced to a ‘virtual keyboard’ and found it to be a huge step up.  Although the keys were still too cramped in portrait mode, I was able to write out messages and emails fairly quickly while making diligent use of punctuation and capitalization.

Then, when I moved to the Android OS this spring I was able to try out another different virtual keyboard technology.  Swype largely eliminated the problem of hitting multiple virtual keys with my fat thumbs while providing enhanced (IMO) predictive text.

I can clearly see several advantages of a virtual keyboard based on the tradeoffs I see in other phones.  Blackberry seems to have persevered as a viable option for heavy text / email use, but is clearly limited vs iPhone and Android in terms of screen size.  On the other hand, phones like the original Droid offer a slide-out QWERTY, but add extra bulk to the package.

The next technology that seems to be on the rise is voice input.  Android offers a native voice input feature, but other apps like “Vlingo” brings even more features to the table.  Their newest iteration offers a hands-free mode which allows you to wake the application up with a voice command, speak a text message or email, hear your message played back for correctness, and then send it on its way without ever even touching your phone.  Pretty neat, if you ask me.

So, faithful reader, where do you stand in the battle of the ‘boards?  Let us know!  Are you a virtual person, or do you need real buttons?

‘Angry Birds’ was downloaded two million times during the first two days it was available for Android.  While this version of the game is free (ad supported), other versions can be purchased for anywhere from $0.99 to $4.99.  Surely, the total downloads are far greater than just the Android platform represents, which means…

Rovio is making a killing, and even at a 70% take that means anywhere from 1.7 to 6.9 MM dollars in revenue based on just the measly 2 million copies that went out to those Android users.

Finally, don’t think that just because this version is free that the game isn’t making money.  Advertisers know how popular the game is and you can bet that they’ve paid for the advertising room accordingly.

Well played, Angry Birds.  Well played.

Update: It was announced today that Electronic Arts has agreed to buy Rovio for $20MM.

Several weeks ago I brought up the question of whether the iPad could hold it’s own as an eReader.  I was lucky enough to score one for a long weekend trip to the West Coast and have had another couple of weeks since to really put it through it’s paces.  So, what’s the bottom line?  Here are my five thoughts:

1. As a piece of hardware - Pretty slick.  Big, bright, crisp screen and very responsive interface.  Navigating the web was pretty nice, although anything requiring more than a sentence was cumbersome to type out on the virtual keyboard.  Also, I was very impressed by the battery life.  Given a couple hours worth of use per day, you could probably make it a week or so between chargers.

2. As a media player - also pretty impressive.  Just as you’ve come to expect of your iPod, Apple excels at making media players.  Movies, music, and even a couple of video rentals were easy to access and played very well.  Although true multi-tasking isn’t available as part of the iPad OS just yet, you can still listen to your iTunes music while playing inside apps etc.

3. As an eReader - there are pros and cons.  First of all, I thought it was easier on the eyes that I had expected, but only after switching to ‘night mode’ which placed white letters on a black screen.  The second nice thing was that I could easily link to my wife’s ‘Nook’ account and get access to all of her books without having to download them a second time.  This is a nice value thing if happen to share similar reading interests.  On the other hand, reading in bright light is a pain.  The reflective nature of the screen means you either have to find an off-angle to read from, or you can’t really read at all.  This isn’t a deal breaker for most folks since, if you’re like me, you don’t do a ton of pool-side reading. (Sorry Kindle)

4. As a laptop replacement - forget about it.  People claim that they’ve gotten rid of their living room laptop after buying an iPad, but I don’t buy it.  Even writing an email was painful on the virtual keyboard, so forget about anything productivity related.  As a bonus, don’t forget that you still can’t view flash content on an iOS device. 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  If Apple could find a way to make the iPad a dual-boot machine capable of running iOS or OSX (when docked, perhaps) it’d be a true killer device.  Until that day arrives, you’re still going to need another real computer in your house.

5. Bottom line - a cool toy if you have money to burn.  At the end of they day you can’t really compare the iPad to any other eReader out there because it’s really just so much more than that.  Had I just brought a Kindle with me on my trip out West, I would have really struggled to stay entertained for the five hour flight.  As it was with the iPad, I had movies, music, and games (apps) at my disposal and it really helped pass the time.  On the other hand, I just can’t justify spending $500 on something that I’m only going to use on trips or as a reading device most other times.  Sure, you could keep it on your coffee table to look something up on the internet real quick, but chances are you’d be better served by a laptop for the same price. 

The iPad is cool, but it isn’t there just yet.  Just as the original iPod was groundbreaking, it’s pretty much a piece of crap compared to today’s iPod Touch.  Tablets aren’t going away, but I say save your money for something better from the next round of devices.

The skinny from today’s live Apple event [Last Update: 2:09 PM EST]

• HDR photos (coming in iOS 4.1) - basically, the camera will take three pictures, one underexposed, one normal, and one overexposed.  Somehow all three will be combined into one uber-photo for your viewing and sharing pleasure.
• Multi-player games will allow you to challenge friends, or be randomly placed in a live online game with someone.  (Zzz Zzz)
• iOS 4.1 will be available this week to iPhone and iPod Touch users for free.
• Sneak Peek at iOS 4.2 coming later this year, combines the iPhone and iPad OS, but wont be arriving until November.
• Allows for wireless printing from iPad.
• Introduces ‘AirPlay’ which will allow streaming of content over Wi-Fi to any of your iTunes devices.
• Moving on - there will be new, updated models for all iPod devices.
• New Shuffle - Same button layout, but even smaller.  $49 for 2GB version.
  
• New Nano - Now touch-based on a tiny square screen and has a clip like the nano.  Starts at $149 for 8GB version.
  
• New iPod Touch - Steve touts this as the best-selling portable gaming system, surpassing both Nintendo and Sony’s offerings.  It’s now thinner, contains the same retina display as the iPhone, A4 chip, 3-axis gyro, and a front-facing camera with facetime.  $229 for 8GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB versions.
  
• The iTunes logo will also get a facelift, as the image of the CD is removed.
  
• Also, iTunes is introducing ‘Ping’, a social network for music.  “Facebook and Twitter meets iTunes”  Ping can be accessed through iTunes (version 10 available today), iPod, or iPhone.
• One more thing… here comes Apple TV.
  
• Small, black, palm-sized with no external ‘power brick.’  HDMI, ethernet, wi-fi, rental only (but you can stream a la ‘AirPlay’ from a computer), and everything in HD.
  
• First run HD movies $4.99, tv shows $0.99 with ABC and Fox signed up already, and Netflix will be available if you’re a subscriber.
• Only $99 for the new Apple TV, available to pre-order today, and ships in 4 weeks.

That’s all gang.  Why don’t you leave us your thoughts?