That’s going to depend on exactly what experience consumers are looking for. With Android 4.0, dual-core processor, two cameras and integrated GPS, the Galaxy Tab 2 is a low-cost Android tablet with few limitations. It can run any third party app from Google Play, take and sync pictures or be used as a GPS navigation device. The Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet are far more limited in what they can do out of the box but what they can do, they do very well.

Amazon did remove one limitation this week when it added support for in-app purchases. This could lead to a greater number of free third-party apps that make money through upgrades or additional content within the application. This “freemium” model has been supported by iOS and Android for some time and has begun to bring more money to developers over paid mobile apps. I also expect more Android developers to bring their apps into Amazon’s AppStore; good for Kindle Fire owners.

My latest Android gadget is similar to the Kindle Fire, in that you’d never know it actually runs on Android. I bought a MotoActv wearable device about a week ago, hoping to find a way to track my outdoor exercise without having to carry my smartphone and use its GPS. The MotoActv works quite well for this, but I also gained some unexpected benefits from my $199 purchase.

Because the MotoActv is crammed with sensors and radios — accelerometer, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and FM radio — I’m actually wearing it from the time I wake until the time I sleep. The 1.6-inch device with capacitive touchscreen measures calories burned as well as steps taken, so I gain that health data.

It also has 8 GB of storage, so I’ve added several albums and use it to enjoy music as needed. And of course, when I run, I turn on the GPS radio and track my route, pace, and distance, plus my heart rate with an external heart rate monitor.

The MotoActv also works as a watch, complete with several difference faces to choose from. And when paired with a smartphone, it can receive notifications such as SMS messages, caller ID and calendar events. When the device launched last October, the notification feature was only supported on Motorola handsets. However, a software update earlier this month added support for all Android handsets.

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For Android users, the $3.99 Pro version gains a new interval workout feature. Audio cues will guide runners through their customized workout comprised of fast distances and slow recoveries. Current owners of the Pro version will gain this feature directly through an app update. Both the Pro and free versions of Endomondo for Android can now sync workout data across multiple platforms. Owners of a Garmin Endomondo-ready GPS will have their data sync with the Android app for example.

Windows Phone handsets aren’t left alone at the starting line; their Endomondo updates are even wider in scope. A new Live Tile shows both workout history using Endomondo and updates from any friends also using the app. This Newsfeed of friend activity also support comments directly in the app. Customized music playlists are also part of the update and now Endomondo users can selectively or automatically share workout information on Facebook.

This social aspect is becoming a key element for exercise tracking apps. As a daily runner, I find that I often push myself more during a workout or race knowing that several hundred of my friends will see the results. This self-induced peer pressure can be a powerful motivator!

And it also provides opportunities to see different types of workouts, which can be adopted for your own use. I haven’t yet given Endomondo a “trial run”, but I’ll do so in the near future. In the meantime, check my reviews of Strava and RunKeeper.

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Five months after it debuted an app for iOS, the team at Fitbit has followed up with a version for Android smartphones and tablets. The free software works on Android 2.1 or better and works in conjunction with the Fitbit Wireless Tracker, a small $99 sensor that tracks steps, flights of stairs walked, and hours of sleep.

Fitbit’s new app doesn’t actually track any activity, but instead lets users view their Fitbit stats on the go. All tracking data is handled by Fitbit’s wearable hardware, which syncs to a user’s account on a Windows PC or Mac computer. So this free software doesn’t take the place of the $99 sensor; it simply offers a convenient method to view activity and sleep data.

Still, this doesn’t mean the new Fitbit app isn’t handy and useful by itself. The software does assist with monitoring food and water intake. By tracking daily calories within the app, the Fitbit software tells you how many more calories you have available left in your daily, healthy limit and if you need to be drinking more water.

Fitbit’s sensor and new app are part of a growing trend: Smarter, connected devices are building a market for health-monitoring. ABI Research recently estimated this to be a $400 million industry by 2016; up from $120 million this year. As more mobile apps are created to use internal phone sensors or low-powered external gadgets, the smartphone will continue to be the core device for the web, apps and even our health.

Disclosure: Fitbit is backed by True Ventures, a venture capital firm that is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.

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It’s great to see my heart-rate data after a run, but even more important to see it during a training session. The Wahoo Blue HR works with a number of apps, including a free native app. For now, you can only use this monitor with the iPhone 4S because most handsets aren’t yet using Bluetooth 4.0. That should change during 2012, however. And I foresee uses other than exercise tracking for these types of gadgets. Imagine doctors that can remotely monitor the pulse of their patients after a procedure or upon starting a new medication.

For now I’ll just be using the Wahoo Blue HR during my road race and track-and-field training. At least until I get older and out of shape, that is; at that point, I’ll hope my doctor actually can monitor my health from afar!

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