Why I'm returning my Xoom after just 24 hours - Xoom General

I would consider myself as an Android advanced user. I've had the G1, MyTouch 3G, NexusOne and Droid X. I've purchased each device the day it was released and I've helped dozens of people switch from dumbphones and Iphones to Android. I've rooted, used custom ROMs, etc. Additionally, my company is very much google-based (Gmail, docs, and talk are all core components to how we do business).
I really expected the Xoom to deliver greater capabilities than my Android phones, primarily for consuming media and viewing AND editing spreadsheets.
I pre-ordered the Xoom and picked it up yesterday morning (2nd in line out of 12+) and after less than 24 hours I've decided to return it. Primarily it is because I can actually do MORE with my Driod X than I can with the Xoom based on my daily usage. The biggest pains/frustrations I have with the Xoom are:
Lack of flash support/real browser: I know it's coming "in a few weeks" but in the meanwhile when I want to read news items with flash videos, browse "real" sites or play flash games, I have to actually pull out my phone because the Xoom can't do it! I should be able to pull up my browser, visit any media site and start consuming media. Instead I'm limited to standard browsing. With this much processing power and the huge screen it's absolutely ridiculous that the device doesn't include a full-featured browser!
Apps: The lack of tablet-optimized apps is extremely frustrating. All the apps I need to use work just fine on my Droid X. I was hoping for additional functionality on the Xoom, but it's actually worse because some of my regular-use apps are quite buggy on the Xoom (e.g., spreadsheets in DocumentsToGo simply does not work).
Having to carry both a charging cable AND a USB cable...it's just ridiculous.
Mobile Google Docs: because Google Docs is such an important tool for my business I NEED full google docs capabilities. The processing power in this device is FAR superior to that of my netbook, why can't they put that to use? Spreadsheets in Google Docs mobile is absolutely useless.
Bugs: In the market, clicking on "my apps" always loads the most recently installed app rather than loading the "my apps" list in Market. Additionally, pausing a movie and attempting to browse back to the movie list in Gallery fails, so I have to browse to Home, load Gallery and then browse back to the movie list.
Lack of DLNA. On my Droid X or NexusOne I'm able to access my media, download it, upload it, or stream it from any computer on my home network. With the Xoom I can't. So, if I want to watch a movie while sitting in bed I have to connect the Xoom to my PC, download the movie, disconnect it and then I'm ready to watch. In this case the Xoom is a DISCONNECTED media device...I haven't owned a disconnected media device for 1 1/2 years! Ridiculous! I should be able to jump on the network, browse for media and start streaming, but it's impossible with the Xoom.
I'm frustrated that this device - which cost FOUR TIMES what my cutting-edge phone cost can't even keep up.
What are your thoughts? Are there solutions for the issues above that I'm just not aware of? Have any of you experienced similar frustrations?
P.S. the battery life and screen are really cool, but I don't see any significant improvements in Honeycomb over Froyo...maybe I should go buy a Galaxy Tab?

I'd say give it at least until your 14 day return period.
When the iPad came out, I had a friend who got it first day (He's an Apple fanboy...the annoying kind. lol) He whined and moaned for two weeks about there not being any iPad oriented apps. Now he defends the iPad like it's the holy grail.
Just give it time. The XOOM's main purpose at this point is to give developers a platform for developing on Android tablets. They JUST got the thing, so it might be a little while.
The charger thing is kind of frustrating, but I'm not going to let that ruin it for me. My backpack has plenty of pockets.

mitchweight said:
I would consider myself as an Android advanced user. I've had the G1, MyTouch 3G, NexusOne and Droid X. I've purchased each device the day it was released and I've helped dozens of people switch from dumbphones and Iphones to Android. I've rooted, used custom ROMs, etc. Additionally, my company is very much google-based (Gmail, docs, and talk are all core components to how we do business).
I really expected the Xoom to deliver greater capabilities than my Android phones, primarily for consuming media and viewing AND editing spreadsheets.
I pre-ordered the Xoom and picked it up yesterday morning (2nd in line out of 12+) and after less than 24 hours I've decided to return it. Primarily it is because I can actually do MORE with my Driod X than I can with the Xoom based on my daily usage. The biggest pains/frustrations I have with the Xoom are:
Lack of flash support/real browser: I know it's coming "in a few weeks" but in the meanwhile when I want to read news items with flash videos, browse "real" sites or play flash games, I have to actually pull out my phone because the Xoom can't do it! I should be able to pull up my browser, visit any media site and start consuming media. Instead I'm limited to standard browsing. With this much processing power and the huge screen it's absolutely ridiculous that the device doesn't include a full-featured browser!
Apps: The lack of tablet-optimized apps is extremely frustrating. All the apps I need to use work just fine on my Droid X. I was hoping for additional functionality on the Xoom, but it's actually worse because some of my regular-use apps are quite buggy on the Xoom (e.g., spreadsheets in DocumentsToGo simply does not work).
Having to carry both a charging cable AND a USB cable...it's just ridiculous.
Mobile Google Docs: because Google Docs is such an important tool for my business I NEED full google docs capabilities. The processing power in this device is FAR superior to that of my netbook, why can't they put that to use? Spreadsheets in Google Docs mobile is absolutely useless.
Bugs: In the market, clicking on "my apps" always loads the most recently installed app rather than loading the "my apps" list in Market. Additionally, pausing a movie and attempting to browse back to the movie list in Gallery fails, so I have to browse to Home, load Gallery and then browse back to the movie list.
Lack of DLNA. On my Droid X or NexusOne I'm able to access my media, download it, upload it, or stream it from any computer on my home network. With the Xoom I can't. So, if I want to watch a movie while sitting in bed I have to connect the Xoom to my PC, download the movie, disconnect it and then I'm ready to watch. In this case the Xoom is a DISCONNECTED media device...I haven't owned a disconnected media device for 1 1/2 years! Ridiculous! I should be able to jump on the network, browse for media and start streaming, but it's impossible with the Xoom.
I'm frustrated that this device - which cost FOUR TIMES what my cutting-edge phone cost can't even keep up.
What are your thoughts? Are there solutions for the issues above that I'm just not aware of? Have any of you experienced similar frustrations?
P.S. the battery life and screen are really cool, but I don't see any significant improvements in Honeycomb over Froyo...maybe I should go buy a Galaxy Tab?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, no offense but your entire post you seem like a whiney little kid. Your a early adopter of a device and complaining on this forum about early adopter syndrome.
Flash? Man i'm sick of seeing flash post's as flash is becoming irrelevant. iPad(#1 tablet) doesn't even have flash. Get over yourself.
Apps? O-M-G the Tablet has been out a grand total of 1 day. You surprised they don't have apps? Wow...
Bugs? It's Honeycomb fool it was just released!!!!!!!!!!
Streaming media... Bro the device has been out 1 day.
All your points sound so dumb...

Sorry to hear bout your frustrations. But it is what early adopters are supposed to be. We pretty much for the device to test it. Google will indeed update the software and makes this experience on honeycomb better. Your frustrations are largely because of apps developers have not yet update
their apps. Hope you'll come back here soon once this thing is updated in a few months.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

I don't know, but if I read your reasoning it looks like you already knew before you buy or you need to just postpone your purchase.
1. You can postpone your purchase until Flash 10.2 available
2. You can postpone your purchase until all your apps are available in Honeycomb version
3. I agree with this, but charging this beast via USB will take long long long time!
4. You can postpone your purchase until Google doc updated
5. Hmmm, I think this is normal, right? At least in my Nexus S is like this.
6. You should know this before you buy the Xoom

jamaicansolja said:
Man, no offense but your entire post you seem like a whiney little kid. Your a early adopter of a device and complaining on this forum about early adopter syndrome.
Flash? Man i'm sick of seeing flash post's as flash is becoming irrelevant. iPad(#1 tablet) doesn't even have flash. Get over yourself.
Apps? O-M-G the Tablet has been out a grand total of 1 day. You surprised they don't have apps? Wow...
Bugs? It's Honeycomb fool it was just released!!!!!!!!!!
Streaming media... Bro the device has been out 1 day.
All your points sound so dumb...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AMEN Brotha!

jamaicansolja said:
Man, no offense but your entire post you seem like a whiney little kid. Your a early adopter of a device and complaining on this forum about early adopter syndrome.
Flash? Man i'm sick of seeing flash post's as flash is becoming irrelevant. iPad(#1 tablet) doesn't even have flash. Get over yourself.
Apps? O-M-G the Tablet has been out a grand total of 1 day. You surprised they don't have apps? Wow...
Bugs? It's Honeycomb fool it was just released!!!!!!!!!!
Streaming media... Bro the device has been out 1 day.
All your points sound so dumb...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash is still present on a lot of the internet. People are buying Android tablets because they want Flash. If they didn't, they'd already own an iPad. You can down play it if you want, but it's supposed to be a huge advantage of Android.
The tablet's been out one day, but the iPad had several tablet-specific apps ready on day 1 and from what I hear did a good job of scaling up phone apps so they were at least usable on the iPad. Google has had a year to catch up and to find a way to make most phone apps translate properly to Honeycomb. It's not a big complaint of mine, but it's a valid complaint.
Bugs are bugs. Nobody has to like them, but it's what you get with a new OS.
Streaming media is what most tablets are used for, it should work.
Why are you insulting him for expressing what he doesn't like about it? He's offering constructive criticism about the Xoom.

mitchweight said:
I'm frustrated that this device - which cost FOUR TIMES what my cutting-edge phone cost can't even keep up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it's 1.4 times the cost of your phone. Comparing the subsidized cost of your Droid X to the retail cost of the Xoom is a bit uneven. The retail of the Droid X was $560ish when I bought mine a few weeks ago, making it 1.4 times.

mitchweight said:
I would consider myself as an Android advanced user. I've had the G1, MyTouch 3G, NexusOne and Droid X. I've purchased each device the day it was released and I've helped dozens of people switch from dumbphones and Iphones to Android. I've rooted, used custom ROMs, etc. Additionally, my company is very much google-based (Gmail, docs, and talk are all core components to how we do business).
I really expected the Xoom to deliver greater capabilities than my Android phones, primarily for consuming media and viewing AND editing spreadsheets.
I pre-ordered the Xoom and picked it up yesterday morning (2nd in line out of 12+) and after less than 24 hours I've decided to return it. Primarily it is because I can actually do MORE with my Driod X than I can with the Xoom based on my daily usage. The biggest pains/frustrations I have with the Xoom are:
Lack of flash support/real browser: I know it's coming "in a few weeks" but in the meanwhile when I want to read news items with flash videos, browse "real" sites or play flash games, I have to actually pull out my phone because the Xoom can't do it! I should be able to pull up my browser, visit any media site and start consuming media. Instead I'm limited to standard browsing. With this much processing power and the huge screen it's absolutely ridiculous that the device doesn't include a full-featured browser!
Apps: The lack of tablet-optimized apps is extremely frustrating. All the apps I need to use work just fine on my Droid X. I was hoping for additional functionality on the Xoom, but it's actually worse because some of my regular-use apps are quite buggy on the Xoom (e.g., spreadsheets in DocumentsToGo simply does not work).
Having to carry both a charging cable AND a USB cable...it's just ridiculous.
Mobile Google Docs: because Google Docs is such an important tool for my business I NEED full google docs capabilities. The processing power in this device is FAR superior to that of my netbook, why can't they put that to use? Spreadsheets in Google Docs mobile is absolutely useless.
Bugs: In the market, clicking on "my apps" always loads the most recently installed app rather than loading the "my apps" list in Market. Additionally, pausing a movie and attempting to browse back to the movie list in Gallery fails, so I have to browse to Home, load Gallery and then browse back to the movie list.
Lack of DLNA. On my Droid X or NexusOne I'm able to access my media, download it, upload it, or stream it from any computer on my home network. With the Xoom I can't. So, if I want to watch a movie while sitting in bed I have to connect the Xoom to my PC, download the movie, disconnect it and then I'm ready to watch. In this case the Xoom is a DISCONNECTED media device...I haven't owned a disconnected media device for 1 1/2 years! Ridiculous! I should be able to jump on the network, browse for media and start streaming, but it's impossible with the Xoom.
I'm frustrated that this device - which cost FOUR TIMES what my cutting-edge phone cost can't even keep up.
What are your thoughts? Are there solutions for the issues above that I'm just not aware of? Have any of you experienced similar frustrations?
P.S. the battery life and screen are really cool, but I don't see any significant improvements in Honeycomb over Froyo...maybe I should go buy a Galaxy Tab?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of curiosity, why not use one of the streaming service apps from the market? I use VLC Stream & Convert Pro. Works for me (haven't tried it yet on my Xoom, but can't imagine why it wouldnt work).
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gmail.traveldevel.android.vlc.license

only the strong survive
Early adopters are a rare breed. especially in the google expereince.
you have to except that google moves fast, but not in a bugless manner. regardless its something people can deal with and are fine with.
i bought it, i enjoy it, and i can see the areas of needed improvement. but im happy, because im all android and trust in google making this a great experience. maybe its not on day one, but through google/dev support it will sure enough be a great package.
my suggestion:if you were expecting perfection. you are not a early adopter. your a brat.

buyers remorse threads from complainers should be deleted on any forum.

falconeight said:
buyers remorse threads from complainers should be deleted on any forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/thread
10chars

I honestly don't see too much reason to complain about some bugs in the device at this early stage. The device hardware-wise is awesome (disliking how much fingerprints get on it, but meh, I carry a cleaning cloth around), and Google will only keep updating Android to make it run better.
Software support from 3rd party developers will catch up quickly. In less than 24 hours, the number of apps in the Android for Tablet section nearly doubled since I bought the Xoom yesterday morning.
It's rootable, the bootloader is unlockable, and once the source goes live, I know some of the really talented devs out here will start picking apart bugs in the source and making some really sick custom ROMS for the Xoom.
Yeah, there's some inconvenience with using the device, certainly Honeycomb has its share of bugs, and some missing features that really should have been a part of the OS at launch. But after showing my Xoom to a couple people at work that have iPads, they were completely blown away by how tablet-like Honeycomb is. In fact the most-used remark was "It's not a giant phone."
All-in-all, I'm very happy with my Xoom, and can't wait to see what the future holds for this device.

Rebuttal:
1- Lack of Flash. You are an early adopter.
2- Apps. You are an early adopter.
3- Charging complaints. Typical of tablets - that's not going to change.
4- Google Docs. Early adopter.
5- Bugs. Early adopter.
6- Lack of DLNA. Early adopter, this could come later (or it might not).
See the pattern? You pre-ordered with assumptions, and those assumptions were wrong. In the case of Flash, it was more of an 11th hour change but it was still before release.
In all honesty, none of the things you've mentioned surprise me in the least. Probably my only real complaint with the device so far is that the microSD isn't working yet - that's something they should have gotten fixed before release since it's a blatant hardware problem.

Thanks for all the feedback. I understand the early adopter pains, and to be fair, Droid X and froyo are pretty mature platforms. When Honeycomb becomes mature I'm sure it will be killer.
While I know Google was trying to steal some thunder from the iPad 2 announcement, I think they would have gotten a lot more mainstream traction if they had addressed some of these issues before release.
Thanks for pointing me to streaming from VLC, I'll take a look at that and post back the results.
Any other ideas on spreadsheets?

Ditto to what everyone else is saying, plus: I think it's clear that they found some issues with Flash and the Tegra 2. I'd much rather they spend a few extra weeks optimizing things than just put out a bug-ridden version (which would have people up in arms about things being buggy).
I mean, really, it's always this way: some people complain if a company delays a product because of bugs, and others complain when they don't. Personally, I'd rather have my Xoom to use now with a few bugs than wait a few weeks for it to be more "perfect." I think offering the device itself with some (I think) minor bugs and without some major bugs is a good compromise.

mitchweight said:
[*]Mobile Google Docs: because Google Docs is such an important tool for my business I NEED full google docs capabilities. The processing power in this device is FAR superior to that of my netbook, why can't they put that to use? Spreadsheets in Google Docs mobile is absolutely useless.[/LIST]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try using "about:debug" in the browser and then going to Settings to change the browser's User Agent String to "Desktop"?
Please try that and let us know if Google Docs works properly after the change.

I usually have major buyer's remorse with everything I buy, but not with the xoom. Nothing you mentioned was unknown. My iSheep friends bithced about the same stuff when the iPad came out. And they are still *****ing about flash .
EDIT: as per jm9843, I can confirm that about:debug does work for change UAString. I'll check if google docs works.
EDIT: Desktop Google Docs warns you that some features may not work, and gives a weird version that looks almost like desktop but is clearly different. I can't say I like it, but it could do in a pinch. It's odd though.

roebeet said:
Rebuttal:
1- Lack of Flash. You are an early adopter.
2- Apps. You are an early adopter.
3- Charging complaints. Typical of tablets - that's not going to change.
4- Google Docs. Early adopter.
5- Bugs. Early adopter.
6- Lack of DLNA. Early adopter, this could come later (or it might not).
See the pattern? You pre-ordered with assumptions, and those assumptions were wrong. In the case of Flash, it was more of an 11th hour change but it was still before release.
In all honesty, none of the things you've mentioned surprise me in the least. Probably my only real complaint with the device so far is that the microSD isn't working yet - that's something they should have gotten fixed before release since it's a blatant hardware problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder why the ipad was able to be released without anyone needing to defend I with the early adopter line?? It released with a thousand apps at launch, no early adopter waiting period. It released without a million bugs throughout the os, no early adxopter waiting period. You people bashing him are hilarious and stupid. Motorola and google completely messed up this release. Regular consumers don't give a **** about your early adopter excuse, they want things working day 1. And why do we care what regular users think??? Because if regular users treat the xoom and honeycomb like the beta software/hardware it is right now, there will be no getting out of your early adopter phase bcause companies won't suport the platform.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

mitchweight said:
Lack of flash support/real browser: I know it's coming "in a few weeks" but in the meanwhile when I want to read news items with flash videos, browse "real" sites or play flash games, I have to actually pull out my phone because the Xoom can't do it! I should be able to pull up my browser, visit any media site and start consuming media. Instead I'm limited to standard browsing. With this much processing power and the huge screen it's absolutely ridiculous that the device doesn't include a full-featured browser!
Apps: The lack of tablet-optimized apps is extremely frustrating. All the apps I need to use work just fine on my Droid X. I was hoping for additional functionality on the Xoom, but it's actually worse because some of my regular-use apps are quite buggy on the Xoom (e.g., spreadsheets in DocumentsToGo simply does not work).
Having to carry both a charging cable AND a USB cable...it's just ridiculous.
Mobile Google Docs: because Google Docs is such an important tool for my business I NEED full google docs capabilities. The processing power in this device is FAR superior to that of my netbook, why can't they put that to use? Spreadsheets in Google Docs mobile is absolutely useless.
Bugs: In the market, clicking on "my apps" always loads the most recently installed app rather than loading the "my apps" list in Market. Additionally, pausing a movie and attempting to browse back to the movie list in Gallery fails, so I have to browse to Home, load Gallery and then browse back to the movie list.
Lack of DLNA. On my Droid X or NexusOne I'm able to access my media, download it, upload it, or stream it from any computer on my home network. With the Xoom I can't. So, if I want to watch a movie while sitting in bed I have to connect the Xoom to my PC, download the movie, disconnect it and then I'm ready to watch. In this case the Xoom is a DISCONNECTED media device...I haven't owned a disconnected media device for 1 1/2 years! Ridiculous! I should be able to jump on the network, browse for media and start streaming, but it's impossible with the Xoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats funny is I've been debating returning mine and none of your reasons made my list. After being a day 1 purchaser of a G1 and a Palm Pre, you get used to those things you listed.
My issues are more related to performance. With a tegra 2 processor, I'm really surprised at how sluggish the system gets sometimes. It's only been 24hrs and I'm already counting the days till the first OTA.
BUT, I gotta say, the potential of this device is amazing and that alone is keeping me from acting on any returns. Plus, depending on where you bought it, you'll have at least 14days to return it. No rash decisions...give it a chance.

Related

Android vs IPad for Corporate use

I know this is an android only forum, but I have a quick question regarding android xoom vs ipad. I have only had android phones up until now, never an iphone. I played on an ipad over the last 2 days and I am wondering which would be better suited for a corporate environment? What I mean by that, is I plan on using whichever tablet I get for taking notes in meetings, adding events to my calendar quickly and other various "utilities" based applications that would come with a daily corporate life. I know the ipad has had a full year of apps being released over the android, but how long do you think the android will take to get an equivalent amount of utility based applications out? As somebody that has never owned an apple product before, should I just go with the android even though the market scene is lacking and not sure when it'll start gearing up, or should I get an ipad for my day to day use?
I am asking this here because I really wanted a xoom until I heard about the lack of applications that I could even use. The ipad was fun and has a ton of applications, but I want more of a PC like feel (which I think the xoom would give off). I have read that lots of you on here already have an ipad, of course I would wait for the ipad 2, what do you think?
schnoz said:
I know this is an android only forum, but I have a quick question regarding android xoom vs ipad. I have only had android phones up until now, never an iphone. I played on an ipad over the last 2 days and I am wondering which would be better suited for a corporate environment? What I mean by that, is I plan on using whichever tablet I get for taking notes in meetings, adding events to my calendar quickly and other various "utilities" based applications that would come with a daily corporate life. I know the ipad has had a full year of apps being released over the android, but how long do you think the android will take to get an equivalent amount of utility based applications out? As somebody that has never owned an apple product before, should I just go with the android even though the market scene is lacking and not sure when it'll start gearing up, or should I get an ipad for my day to day use?
I am asking this here because I really wanted a xoom until I heard about the lack of applications that I could even use. The ipad was fun and has a ton of applications, but I want more of a PC like feel (which I think the xoom would give off). I have read that lots of you on here already have an ipad, of course I would wait for the ipad 2, what do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would wait for what the ipad2 is going to offer and also see if the xoom gets any updates while you waiting for ipad2 launch. I think this will give you a couple months to decide if you have that much time. Are you needing things like coporate sync and exchange too?
Yes. Both. It would be nice to sync up with my Google stuff, but I honestly don't use it that much. I would probably use that stuff more if I had an android tablet. I just really don't like the idea of having everything go through iTunes. But if the IPad would work better for what I need, I guess that is something I would have to overcome.
One thing we are playing with in the office is Citrix receiver for Android. I am using it on my Droid X and in a pinch its great to get me Remote Desktop to my servers and the app from what I have seen is on both platforms so if you have Citrix I would look into that. There are other solutions such as logmein etc. One thing we are patiently waiting to see if it will work is using the HDMI dock connected to a monitor and the BT KB and using it that way. I would love to see some sort of mouse support added similar to what the Atrix is going to offer. I think accessories will be the driving factor in the future of either. Not a real definitive answer but its ideas we are kicking around hope they help.
Citrix admin here... we have been standing up a LOT of senior management on the mobile receiver so it was the first thing I tested on my Xoom. Unfortunately it crashes every time you try to connect I emailed the Citrix receiver product manager already to ask him what's up.
Good luck if your corporate environent uses Proxy and MS Exchange. We've been trying lots of different Android devices (still waiting on the Xoom). The only thing that has worked somewhat consistently is my G-Tablet running a custom rom.
Unless 3.0 has change things, I suspect Android tablets are still not very corporate friendly.
gksmith said:
Good luck if your corporate environent uses Proxy and MS Exchange. We've been trying lots of different Android devices (still waiting on the Xoom). The only thing that has worked somewhat consistently is my G-Tablet running a custom rom.
Unless 3.0 has change things, I suspect Android tablets are still not very corporate friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly have you had trouble with? I've got over a dozen Android devices synced without any issues (other than the initial sync with Droids) in our Exchange environment.
I also synced the Xoom as I walked out of the VZ store without any hiccups whatsoever.

[Q] Debating a Return before Wednesday

First off, let me say that i'm no fan of Apple and I really can't stand Steve Jobs. Yes, i've bought his products, but I hate being told what to do once I give him my money. I like customization. I like options. Hence, I do not like Steve Jobs.
I was very excited about the Xoom. I checked online every day for information about it since it's announcement. I had very high expectations and, even though the price tag was higher than I wanted to pay, I was the first to buy it at my local Best Buy.
Now, with that being said. I'm coming up on my 14 day return policy and am debating if I should keep it. I am new to this forum and have been reading through all the threads and learned a lot. However, in my learnings, I have also found things that concern me.
To start, let me tell you why I bought it. I had an iPad before and I mainly used it for online browsing around the house. For movies when I go on trips. And I wanted to use the Xoom for all of that, but also as my work and personal organizer. For easy access to business plans and work integration.
Here's where I'm having problems. If these are things that I should expect to be fixed with updates over time, then great. If not, then I'll have to find another option.
1) The Tegra Processor. I read on here that the Tegra Processor is what is preventing the Xoom from playing my divx movies. Now, I have gotten them to work on RockPlayer. But it has that watermark in the top left hand corner and my status bar at the bottom of the xoom never fades out. Also, and this is the biggest problem, the quality doesn't look good. It looks like their is a subtle light grid in the background. Almost like the original LCD's you saw in airports back in the day. When I first heard about the Tegra issues, I was just going to return the Xoom and get another Honeycomb tablet, but then I saw that all of the Android Tablets will have one.
2) The Browser. I did the trips where you go into debug mode and tell the Xoom to view all webpages in Desktop mode, but there are still a few sites that will only show me the mobile mode. Also, I like to have my bookmarks sorted by the order in which I visit them, yet the Xoom seems to randomly organize them for me. Kinda annoying.
3) Accessories. The only thing that I loved about my iPad was not the unit, but the Apple portfolio case. The motorola porfotlio case is just bulky, scratches the unit, and the latch is loose at best. I've found some nice leather cases online, but none that fold over and cover the screen. Yes, I have a screen protector. But, even those I can't find a good one with anti-glare.
4) eMail. I use exchange and apparently my work email is one of the ones that won't work on the xoom. I had to get Roadsync, which is okay, but I just prefer to use the default, integrated email/contacts/calendar programs. My EVO is perfect for this.
5) Widgets. Seriously, what's the deal with having cell phone sized widgets on a 10.1" screen. LauncherPro is nice, but still has custom icons like it's a phone, which I find to be in the way.
I know that most of these things seem small. But when you drop $800 on a device because you expect atleast the same functionality as your smaller cell phone, you come to have higher standards. I knew about Flash and the SD card issue going in, but the rest is bothersome. I know i'm an early adapter and with that comes quirks.
In any case, you all are 1000x smarter than me with this thing. I will take whatever advice you have.
1. Touchdown for tablets is great for email.
2. Some sites might not have updated their pages yet.
3. Apple always gets the third party love but more and more products are coming online everyday check Amazon
4. Being this is Google's flagship devise you have to believe this will be supported with updates and the file types should change
OK, first off, I agree with alot of what you have said, your right the software is a bit buggy at this time, again at this time. What you have to consider is that that this is an android device, and by that I mean it does not have all the overage that alot of companies put out on top of the overall software that make it look nice and neat, to include custom apps and infrastructure, but this also means that it is much easier to update. Half the time lost between when an actual Android update comes out and the time it takes for your device to get that update is due to all the crap that the company puts on top of the original Android infrastructure.
Give it a bit of time and I am sure that most of your problems can be worked out to you satisfaction due to them being software and not hardware problems.
Also take into account that since Motorola chose to use this clean interface it makes it much easier to modify by the hacking community , which is definitely something that an iPad cannot due.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
virgil1528 said:
1) The Tegra Processor. I read on here that the Tegra Processor is what is preventing the Xoom from playing my divx movies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any CPU/GPU can play video so long as it supports the right codecs. Have you tried transcoding to a supported codec?
xlGmanlx said:
1. Touchdown for tablets is great for email.
2. Some sites might not have updated their pages yet.
3. Apple always gets the third party love but more and more products are coming online everyday check Amazon
4. Being this is Google's flagship devise you have to believe this will be supported with updates and the file types should change
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said.
+1 for Touchdown. It is fantastic for exchange, I use it on both my Evo and Xoom.
If this wasn't a Google Experience device, I'd say your complaints would carry more weight.
However, Google has always done a good job of keeping their GE devices updated and at the forefront.
This device only just came out, I'm fairly sure they will get things handled fairly quickly.
As far as the apps/widgets go. This is still a new device and platform. All android tablets are going to suffer from the same right now. However...again... this issue is largely due to the limited time the device/platform has been available. Within a few weeks...I'm sure we'll see a lot more apps/widgets (even the ipad had limited selection out right). Just think of what it'll be like in a couple of weeks/months with more custom apps/roms/kernels etc...
I had buyers remorse for the first evening...not for any particular reason...and now I can't put it down. Not to mention my wife (who has an iPad), won't shut-up about when she is getting her Xoom
So I would say hang on to it, but that's just me. Do what makes you happy
I've come to the decision that I'll be taking mine back on the 13th day.
I've tried to really give it love and get use out of it, but tablets just don't really fill any niche except "web browsing on the couch".
I'm a sysadmin by day, and although I've carried the Xoom with me every time I step away from my desk, it just hasn't served a single purpose on the job. I had imagined it would be neat to dial into servers using RDP, but the interface is just horrible. I'm much better off just dialing into the server in question at any desk I'm in front of. I'm never more than 8-12 feet from a desktop machine, so there goes that.
Pulse news reader is basically the killer app, but is hardly worth 1000 (799 + tax + extra charger + 129 protection plan against drops for 1yr + case).
Motorola certainly hasn't won me over on the price especially considering I prepaid for it on the first day I could (at two different best buys just to cover bases), and then people who *DIDN'T* do that had a chance at 200 dollars off that was honored in the end. Ridiculous.
I had intended to pick up android development for tablets eventually, but I can hold off and stick with honing my Python until these come way down in price or offer some more functionality.
That's too bad, this has taken over as my laptop and let's me have a mobile office so to speak
For RDP I use Remote RDP light and it works credibly, but if your looking for true RDP functionality then you have to have a mouse and keyboard, and guess what, you bought a tablet with a touch screen interface, you can buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if you want, but that just means more devices to carry around. A tablet, any tablet, will not be the proper interface for RDP, it can't, it is not a PC with all the perifials. A tablet, as far as RDP is concerned, is a device to do what you have to do when a PC is not around and a cell phone is impractical. As a network administrator I can do some of the emergency things that I need to accomplish while out on the town with my tablet, reading a book, surfing the web, commenting on a blog, watching a movie, all without lugging a laptop.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Yeah, unless you wanted to leave the mouse and just use the tablet as a touch screen with a keyboard your better off with a laptop. But like you said in a pinch its tough too beat
richardjr said:
For RDP I use Remote RDP light and it works credibly, but if your looking for true RDP functionality then you have to have a mouse and keyboard, and guess what, you bought a tablet with a touch screen interface, you can buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if you want, but that just means more devices to carry around. A tablet, any tablet, will not be the proper interface for RDP, it can't, it is not a PC with all the perifials. A tablet, as far as RDP is concerned, is a device to do what you have to do when a PC is not around and a cell phone is impractical. As a network administrator I can do some of the emergency things that I need to accomplish while out on the town with my tablet, reading a book, surfing the web, commenting on a blog, watching a movie, all without lugging a laptop.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Usmc7356 said:
Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't imagine I'll walk away and never look back, but now I know what they're good for (and not good for) and when the price wars drive these down to 400ish I'll scoop one up again. : /
Not all tablets are create equal, and sometimes it takes having one first hand to validate all the information out there and how it applies to your situation
ixobelle said:
I don't imagine I'll walk away and never look back, but now I know what they're good for (and not good for) and when the price wars drive these down to 400ish I'll scoop one up again. : /
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Return your Xoom and buy it in 6 months for cheaper price
Or probably there will be a new kind of better Honeycomb tablet at that time.
Usmc7356 said:
Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
codeman05 said:
Well said.
+1 for Touchdown. It is fantastic for exchange, I use it on both my Evo and Xoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I downloaded the free version of Touchdown this morning after reading this thread. Could you explain to me why it is so great? I haven't had time to use it extensively but maybe you can quickly list some advantages over the stock mail client?
Thanks!
I understand your frustration and you ultimately need to do what makes you feel most comfortable. Most of your issues are software related and you know things can only get better with updates. Google has a lot riding on Honeycomb so I expect updates to come fast and often.
1) The Tegra Processor - Seems like your issue is not with the Tegra but with how the codecs handle Divx. Software update could fix this but also developers can do wonders.
2) The Browser - Software update again. The browser is a great starting point and, with some minor tweaks, will be fantastic.
3) Accessories - As more Xooms sell, more 3rd parties will have a business case to make accessories for it. I'm thinking that when the Xoom wifi and Xoom for Europe are released (indications say that will happen at the same time) then we'll see a flood of new 3rd party goodies.
4) eMail - Software update. ALTHOUGH, I'm not 100% sure this is a priority for Google. People complain that they wish the AOSP phones went a step further with their Exchange implementations. Still, the chances are you'll be ok moving forward.
5) Widgets - This is a microcosm of the entire app market right now for Honeycomb. Devs need to start updating their apps with Tablets in mind. Again, more people owning Honeycomb, more reasons for devs to get on it.
The point I'm trying to make is the only way for the Xoom to go is up. As more people buy, more attention the aftermarket will pay to it. If previous Android versions are any indication (and they are,) this is a snowball effect. It'll just get bigger and bigger.
As to the RDP: I use the XtraLogic Remote Desktop app and it works wonderfully, completed designed around the touch interface.
Between Remote Desktop and ConnectBot, I've found a million uses for this as a sysadmin. I don't know how you haven't found a single use for it.

Help enhance my demo Xoom at [redacted] to increase sales!

I'm an employee at [removed (PM me if curious)] and we are selling WiFi Xooms. We haven't sold ANY yet! I need some help and advice.
First I need to solve a problem. Some SOB uninstalled the Google Books app, and a factory restore not only didn't fix that, but it wiped the bundled in music as well! I figure I can just make a dummy account for the Xoom and reinstall the Google Books app, but I need to add music so that people can try the music app and test the speakers.
How can I put music on the Xoom so that the music app will have nice album art like before?
Second, I need a way of locking certain apps and settings IE, I need a child-proofing app. The Xoom didn't come with any kiosk software so any Apple fanboy can sabotage the tablet! I also could use a way to return the tablet to a default demo setup, just in case something does happen, like Ti Backup. (The boss says I can't root it )
Is there any app that allows me to "Lock" the settings and/or access to certain apps?
And finally, I need suggestions on apps that show off the functionality. Bonus points for things the iPad CAN'T do. I need apps that show off the power and graphics ability of the Xoom. They have to be fairly easy to use as people might open them themselves, but others I can use to quickly demonstrate features.
Also, I need apps that don't use an internet connection, as sometimes the public wi-fi goes down. That way if it does go down, I can still demonstrate the Xoom's abilities.
Help me sell Xooms and show up all those iSnobs that come into my store!
TheGeek007 said:
I'm an employee at [removed (PM me if curious)] and we are selling WiFi Xooms. We haven't sold ANY yet! I need some help and advice.
First I need to solve a problem. Some SOB uninstalled the Google Books app, and a factory restore not only didn't fix that, but it wiped the bundled in music as well! I figure I can just make a dummy account for the Xoom and reinstall the Google Books app, but I need to add music so that people can try the music app and test the speakers.
How can I put music on the Xoom so that the music app will have nice album art like before?
Second, I need a way of locking certain apps and settings IE, I need a child-proofing app. The Xoom didn't come with any kiosk software so any Apple fanboy can sabotage the tablet! I also could use a way to return the tablet to a default demo setup, just in case something does happen, like Ti Backup. (The boss says I can't root it )
Is there any app that allows me to "Lock" the settings and/or access to certain apps?
And finally, I need suggestions on apps that show off the functionality. Bonus points for things the iPad CAN'T do. I need apps that show off the power and graphics ability of the Xoom. They have to be fairly easy to use as people might open them themselves, but others I can use to quickly demonstrate features.
Also, I need apps that don't use an internet connection, as sometimes the public wi-fi goes down. That way if it does go down, I can still demonstrate the Xoom's abilities.
Help me sell Xooms and show up all those iSnobs that come into my store!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
10% of your commission, and you got a deal
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
TheGeek007 said:
I'm an employee at [removed (PM me if curious)] and we are selling WiFi Xooms. We haven't sold ANY yet! I need some help and advice.
First I need to solve a problem. Some SOB uninstalled the Google Books app, and a factory restore not only didn't fix that, but it wiped the bundled in music as well! I figure I can just make a dummy account for the Xoom and reinstall the Google Books app, but I need to add music so that people can try the music app and test the speakers.
How can I put music on the Xoom so that the music app will have nice album art like before?
Second, I need a way of locking certain apps and settings IE, I need a child-proofing app. The Xoom didn't come with any kiosk software so any Apple fanboy can sabotage the tablet! I also could use a way to return the tablet to a default demo setup, just in case something does happen, like Ti Backup. (The boss says I can't root it )
Is there any app that allows me to "Lock" the settings and/or access to certain apps?
And finally, I need suggestions on apps that show off the functionality. Bonus points for things the iPad CAN'T do. I need apps that show off the power and graphics ability of the Xoom. They have to be fairly easy to use as people might open them themselves, but others I can use to quickly demonstrate features.
Also, I need apps that don't use an internet connection, as sometimes the public wi-fi goes down. That way if it does go down, I can still demonstrate the Xoom's abilities.
Help me sell Xooms and show up all those iSnobs that come into my store!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, if the person wiped this and the device will not reset it when it is wiped you need to call Moto and let them know or call your Home Office and let them know. PM me what store you work for and I will try and help as best I can.
Verrrrry interesting original post...
I'm guessing Best Buy. First thing:
Move it out of the stinking netbook aisle at the very back, put it in a more prominent place, where it deserves to be. If you hide stuff like that, people aren't gonna see it, therefore they aren't gonna buy it. This should be basic stuff for a retail chain, but for some reason these types of things slip their mind. When I went to bestbuy to get my xoom, I wouldn't have even known it existed if I hadn't done some research beforehand, and the tablet was waaaaaaaaaaay in the back of the netbook section, and I mean the VERY back...last "stall" there.
As for your boss, I think he can take the hit on ONE xoom to sell many of them. Tell him that the most effective way to "ipad baby-proof" the thing is to root it and install TitaniumBackup. He probably thinks rooting means radically changing things, which currently, it doesn't. You're going to have to explain it to him, probably in baby terms if he's anything like most managers I've had, who didn't know their butt from a hole in the ground. If you put it in terms of profitability, he MAY understand.
As for cool apps, just give the sales force a demo model to play with when they're not doing anything else. Let them get to KNOW the device. When I go to buy something, it's not so important for the sales person to know what they're selling me because I already have done a ton of research, but I am not your typical customer. You're going to get a lot of people in there who aren't really that tech-savvy, so if the sales people on the floor know how to use the device, they can demo some of the cooler features to the people.
For example:
Your grandmother walks into the store, she's looking for something to use to email her grandchildren, perhaps a video chat occasionally and she wants something EASY to use, fairly inexpensive and something she's not going to have to pay the geek squad to set up. Well, right this way ma'am, I have something that would be perfect for you, <insert sales demo here>... unit sold.
Another example:
Younger person comes into the store, looking at iPads. Ask them what they're looking to do with the device. If your sales force KNOWS both the iPad and the Xoom, it's kind of a no-brainer to be able to make the best sale for the customer and isn't that what business is all about?
I rarely go into a superstore like Best Buy and find truly knowledgeable people when it comes to the latest electronics. The BestBuy in South County, Missouri lost a sale not too long ago from me because they told me I couldn't buy the Verizon Xoom off contract, which is nonsense. So I simply went to another store and bought it. Perfect example of a person not knowing what the heck they're talking about.
I realize that there are a LOT of new products out there, but it's the responsibility of the store's employees (and ultimately the store's management) to LEARN about these devices so that when people ask BASIC questions, they can answer them.
It wasn't too long ago that I attended a sales lecture at college. Younger people (age 35 and under) normally knew what they were going after when they went to buy tech, and often preferred to be left alone to fiddle with the product a bit and basically only needed help during the actual sales process (or the retrieval process if the item was locked in a secure case). People 35 and over almost universally wanted help from start to finish because their understanding of the tech wasn't always so great. To sell to that person over 35, which is going to be a sizable portion of your business, your employees need to know that device and demo what it it can do on a moment's notice.
So, to me, you've got the "location, location, location" problem and also the "knowledge, knowledge, knowledge" problem if you haven't sold any of these things yet.
Here's something you can do, which will really appeal to older folks... set up one xoom on one side of the aisle, set up another one in sight of the first, but farther away, perhaps on the other side of the aisle. When someone comes in and asks what the xoom can do, just turn on video conferencing and SHOW them how cool it is. Have your sales people be able to demo the different features.
You can also show them how much FASTER the xoom is rendering web pages than the iPad. Everyone loves to save time, irrespective of age.
Another thing the xoom does EXTREMELY well is reformatting text. It will automatically reformat the text when you zoom in on a website, to make it readable. In fact, it makes the text beautiful.
You can show them how they can have live widgets on their home-screens, and the iPad can't.
Honestly, if people knew what the xoom could do, who in the hell would buy an iPad anyway???
Motorola made a HUGE mistake with their superbowl commercial too, they didn't show what the xoom could do. Nobody is going to buy a device like this because it looks cool. Sure, that's something they think about, but that's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down their list, probably down around "what kind of towel do I need to use to clean the screen" or something. What matters most is functionality and price. If it doesn't do what I need it to do, if it doesn't enrich my life in some way, what good is it??
I guarantee you that if you gave me 10 minutes with 10 people who were going to buy an iPad, and they gave me a fair chance to demo what the xoom could do, at least 7 of those would buy the xoom instead. The number would be even higher if it was just a basic netbook buyer, because a good netbook is even MORE expensive than the xoom.
It baffles me that these things aren't FLYING off the shelves. I think that's mostly due to bad sales tactics and poor marketing. It's unfortunate too because it's such an amazing device.
Oh yeah, FLASH. iPad can't give you the web like a desktop can, but xoom can.
Didn't you say you worked at (Hint - That was easy) - Anyways when I purchased my XOOM from (Staples) it was right in the front near the registers? Had its own display with other accessories, etc. I've been in retail sales before and the only way I would imagine to make more of a push on the product is have both positive and negative reviews about the product compared to other competitors. I believe in 100% honesty and if you are straight forward with a customer and tell them the benefits and disadvantages of the unit compared to what’s on the market currently they will appreciate it. Honesty in my opinion goes a long way then any marketing gimmick a retail chain will try to implement on its staff or customer.
stevenege said:
Honestly, if the person wiped this and the device will not reset it when it is wiped you need to call Moto and let them know or call your Home Office and let them know. PM me what store you work for and I will try and help as best I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh it boots, but its missing the Books app and the music that was preloaded. Hence my problem. I guess doing a factory restore from recovery mode won't get back the music. :/
if you have a Nexus or some other phone that can do mobile hotspot on display or some phone that can do mobile hotspot, that'll be your best chance of getting internet connection. from there you can reinstall anything.
i think most of the displays i've seen failed because of the lack of internet. every ipad i've seen always had internet connection. impressed with some of the free games like Gun bros or dungeon and defenders
vkuber said:
Didn't you say you worked at (Hint - That was easy) - Anyways when I purchased my XOOM from (Staples) it was right in the front near the registers? Had its own display with other accessories, etc. I've been in retail sales before and the only way I would imagine to make more of a push on the product is have both positive and negative reviews about the product compared to other competitors. I believe in 100% honesty and if you are straight forward with a customer and tell them the benefits and disadvantages of the unit compared to what’s on the market currently they will appreciate it. Honesty in my opinion goes a long way then any marketing gimmick a retail chain will try to implement on its staff or customer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Darn! I made it too easy. ^_^
I'm very honest in my sales, I always mention its V1.0 of the software and that the apps aren't there yet. Its very hard to explain its potential without demonstrating it somehow.
And yes we have an endcap right near the registers with lots of accessories. The Xoom deserves a prominent place in our store TBH.
It really irks me, people come in to the store and in that sheepish voice ask "do you have any iPads?". By the time I say "No. But I would love to show you our android ta..." they are halfway out the door.
Still looking for a "kiosk-mode" or "kid-safe" app that locks the device settings in some way. That and apps that really bring out the Xoom's best qualities.
Hey check this out for app locking. http://htcdev.net/topic/1224-kid-mode-for-your-tablet-and-smartphone/
Sent from my HTC Incredible using XDA App
Also, I'm looking for a way to keep the device on and at full brightness 100% of the time (it will be plugged in 24/7). I know under apps/development you can keep it from powering off while charging, but that doesn't keep it bright.
I'll look into zoodle, but perhaps "kid-mode" is too much control. But its a start. Thanks. ^_^
TheGeek007 said:
Also, I'm looking for a way to keep the device on and at full brightness 100% of the time (it will be plugged in 24/7). I know under apps/development you can keep it from powering off while charging, but that doesn't keep it bright.
I'll look into zoodle, but perhaps "kid-mode" is too much control. But its a start. Thanks. ^_^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download Quick Settings (Free) from the market. Once installed, in the menu, choose customize and drag the Screen Timeout to the top area. You can set it to "Never Timeout". This appears to keep the screen from dimming, at least in the 5 minutes I tested it.
Gotta say +1 on the bad placement at best buy. They even had a whole featured section called "tablets" with the streak, galaxy, Ipad, etc. I had to ask someone if they were selling xooms. They were out (this was wifi release day) but they directed me to their demo model all the way on the other side of the store BEHIND all the computers, near the random stereo cables. Went to staples and it was front and center and in stock. Sorry BB, I came to you first and you let me down.
But forget about attracting new people to buy the xoom, put it somewhere that I can find it if I came there SPECIFICALLY for it.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
My suggestion would be putting the wallpaper of android that came preinstalled. Put games like gunbros,dungeon defenders, cordy on the center homescreen. Also gmail widget. And YouTube app is very pretty and lots of people use it and it'll be a very good bet to get people. Also, sideload Amazon appstore as well as the market on there. Picsay also is an awesome little app. Good luck.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Are you allowed to lock apps with a password? If so, there ares dozens of solutions already in the Android market:
https://market.android.com/search?q=app+password&so=1&c=apps
Just apply a password to the apps you want to protect, at least I assume its thats simple... I haven't tried these apps myself, so you'll have to experiment.
TheGeek007 said:
I'm an employee at [removed (PM me if curious)] and we are selling WiFi Xooms. We haven't sold ANY yet! I need some help and advice.
First I need to solve a problem. Some SOB uninstalled the Google Books app, and a factory restore not only didn't fix that, but it wiped the bundled in music as well! I figure I can just make a dummy account for the Xoom and reinstall the Google Books app, but I need to add music so that people can try the music app and test the speakers.
How can I put music on the Xoom so that the music app will have nice album art like before?
Second, I need a way of locking certain apps and settings IE, I need a child-proofing app. The Xoom didn't come with any kiosk software so any Apple fanboy can sabotage the tablet! I also could use a way to return the tablet to a default demo setup, just in case something does happen, like Ti Backup. (The boss says I can't root it )
Is there any app that allows me to "Lock" the settings and/or access to certain apps?
And finally, I need suggestions on apps that show off the functionality. Bonus points for things the iPad CAN'T do. I need apps that show off the power and graphics ability of the Xoom. They have to be fairly easy to use as people might open them themselves, but others I can use to quickly demonstrate features.
Also, I need apps that don't use an internet connection, as sometimes the public wi-fi goes down. That way if it does go down, I can still demonstrate the Xoom's abilities.
Help me sell Xooms and show up all those iSnobs that come into my store!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick list:
Flash (47% of all web sites have flash according to a research firm as of today)
Higher quality cameras (Many times better then the iPad 2)
Excellent battery life
A solid screen. (It might help if you turn the brightness off auto and place it at 100%)
Put it next to the ipad2's, not by netbooks. (some kind of DroidDoes-eque banner would be great, but I can understand that could be hard to get.)
A SD slot (stress that it WILL happen soon. (like may)
4G upgrade (Stress it's FREE, something the iPad 2 will never have, and that it's a hardware upgrade and will only take a matter of days)
I would load up a couple of graphically advanced games on the main home screen. (like maybe GunBros and SpeedX 3D, both of which are fun, free, good looking games)
Stress how open it is to making it individual (ease at which to customize)
If the person looks tech savy, be sure to say the boot loader is unlockable.
Stress the widescreen (16:9) over the "full screen" (4:3) iPad
Use some of the tablet optimized apps to show the multipane options. (show this next to the iPad as an OS designed for a tablet screen, not a handheld screen.)
And lastly for my list, compare the browser to the ipad browser, with tabs and a fuller experience. it earns high marks.
Hope this helped and wasn't too repeative.
(p.s. on the hole lack of books app, just go through and reinstall the apps and register with the same account as the Xoom is on.)
p.s.s. just customize it, make it look like a person uses it, not like it just came from a factory.
Another thing you can show them...
HDMI Out, with HD support. They could even do video chats on their TV (something the ipad can't do w/o an expensive add-on, and even then it doesn't look very good due to it not being HD and being in 4:3).
The ONE area where the ipad beats the xoom is standby battery. But for all that battery, you give up all the cool widgets and what makes android cool. So to me, it was a no-brainer.
If you have the authority, send a demo xoom home with your sales associates, let 'em keep it for a weekend or something so they KNOW what all they can do with it. Encourage them to play with it and do whatever they want. Once a person gets ahold of this device, they'll realize how amazing it truly is and they'll start to spread that enthusiasm to customers. I loved my android phone at first, but after a week of playing with it, I wouldn't trade it for a dozen iphones.
It's all about getting these things in peoples' hands. If they can SEE what it does, they'll want one, it's just that simple. It beats the ipad in virtually every area. When you couple that with the fact that the xoom is incredibly customizable, themeable, unlockable and the browsing experience is so much better, it's a winner of a tablet.
If they want a tablet to play the guitar, drums or some other synthesizer nonsense, then the ipad is for them. If they want to CONNECT to other people and experience the web as it's meant to be, they need the xoom.
Google maps with 3d buildings look great on zoom.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Prepare your Xoom with Moboplayer and load it up with some movies in different formats with all different kind of subtitles (.srt, .ass (this is a subtitle format), and be sure to get some .mkv with built-in subtitles). Then choose the correct subtitle for the correct customer.
>It really irks me, people come in to the store and in that sheepish voice ask "do you have any iPads?". By the time I say "No. But I would love to show you our android ta..." they are halfway out the door.
I don't know what you can do for the Xoom, but it'd help your sales pitch by not starting with a "no."
That said, there isn't much you can do or say, other than to wait for Moto to drop its premium pricing--or until it releases the 16GB SKU at a more competitive price.
http://ubergizmo.com/2011/04/16gb-motorola-xoom-on-its-way
Most people don't want a Xoom and you can't make them.
Sent from my Captivate

Cool Xoom Story at my Dr's Office Today

I went to see my Spine Surgeon today ( I have a really bad back and need a 2nd Spinal Fusion, Facet Joints this time, I take Percocet 10/325 and HydroMorphone 4mg for Pain). Any ways when I was done and leaving I over heard my Dr. talking to another Dr. about the Motorola Xoom and how he would like one to replace his laptop and the the iPad 2 was out of the question (as he has a Droid X and liked Android). As it happened I had my Xoom with me (I take it everywhere with me and showed it to him and he was VERY impressed and said this is what he was/is looking for. He asked about Google Voice (as that's important for him and I said it will be coming). I explained how Honeycomb was a new OS and needed sometime to grow and he understood and said he did not like iOS. I showed him Evernote and used it with my Stylus Pen and he said he would get one later today
If Dr.s start seeing an advantage of the Xoom/Honeycomb over iPad/iOS, Honeycomb will make a big splash. I also showed his nurse Toy Story 3 and Avatar (Blu-Ray) and she was sold as well.
The Dr. he was talking to asked me if I had Rooted yet ( he obviously knows what's going on and I said No as I had not seen any ROM's worth Rooting for yet) and that the only reason for me to root so far is to Overclock to 1.5ghz. I told him that the SDK or AOSP for Honeycomb had not been released yet but when it does I will definitely Root and start Flashing ROM's/Kernel's. I showed them my Rooted HTC EVO and how I was using it as a Wireless Hotspot (in the Hospital) and they were really impressed.
Suffice it to say but if Dr's are starting to hear about the Xoom/Honeycomb it has major potential (especially in that area). I told him about the HTC Flyer and that it may be worth looking at as well as it may be more to his liking. I told him it was only 7" but he liked the 10" form factor and wanted to replace his laptop and use it while talking with patients
if he has the income, he could probably get them all XD
As great as the Xoom is and the I pad, hospitals will take a while to get behind it due to security. Drs can store Protected Health Information on the device and run the risk or a data breech if lost ormaliciuos software allows access.
At my org there has been talk about the Playbook due to it being on a blackberry platform, but the pressure is out there for them to allow droid and apple tablets which they are trying to delay implimenting.
By the way...I carry my Xoom with me at my hospital and get lots of questions from the docs, butuse it primarily for school so its not on our network
A 2nd fusion - wow. That sucks. I hope this one gets you all set.
We need more folks in the professional sphere to start touting the benefits of android. That will come with time though - apple effectively has a head start on the whole tablet thing, just as it did with popularizing the smart phone, but it won't last. I see android tablets taking this market over as well - once two or three iterations of hardware and software occur.
You DID show him Google Body, didn't you??
XOOM'd from the XDA app.
GarnetandBlack said:
A 2nd fusion - wow. That sucks. I hope this one gets you all set.
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Me too bro, me too. Right now I am on Percocet 10/325 and HydroMorphone 4mg (4x a day) and that stuff is VERY, VERY, Strong. The HydroMorphone is 4x more powerful than Morphine. They are going to Fuse my Facet Joints as they have become loose and Arthritic
As a PA for an orthopaedic surgeon I use my xoom a lot. Rdp to our office emr is a snap. The battery life is way better than our office tablet laptops. In fact....just before surgery he asked if I could pull up the office charts on a patient we were getting ready to do surgery on.....I trurned on the EVO hot spot and (I have the wifi only model) I had the chart up in a minute. I don't like ios. He is a Mac guy but I'm slowly winning him over. Its gonna take time but I can tell you after booting the iPhone / ios ill never go back for our needs. I can send scripts to pharmacies, check patient charts ( hospital system and office emr) with the click of three buttons.
Android kills.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Well I am primary in commerical real estate investing but I also own som retail businesses and I have replaced my laptop with my xoom. So far so good. My biggest complaints are that the office programs are not robust enough, especially on the spreadsheet side (I have quickoffice hd and docs to go full). Also, I think google needs a builtin file manager for the tablet os (one more reason not to have one os for all android devices). Google needs to treat the tablet like a netbook and not like a big phone (like apple does with the ipad).
The portablility is awesome and the beats carrying my laptop around or reading docs and spreadsheets on my epic and blackberry. Basically when need I need to create a spreadsheet or scan something I hope on one of the desktops at the office. Otherwise its zoom. Plus with google cloud print I can even print from the xoom!
Overall its getting there. Make the tablet a laptop replacement not some cool extra toy like the ipad and google will completely capture the business market.
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Should have told him you can use Google Voice but you just need to install the apk.
diablonyc2 said:
As great as the Xoom is and the I pad, hospitals will take a while to get behind it due to security. Drs can store Protected Health Information on the device and run the risk or a data breech if lost ormaliciuos software allows access.
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Fortunately Honeycomb supports encrypted the storage drive so that should not be that big of a problem for Android
Cool Story bro!
Now we just need more tablet compatible apps.
If Google wants to sell its OS to doctors, they really need to come out with some special medicine oriented apps/s. I'm not talking about apps from users or small companies, I am talking about official Google apps like Body.
bet he just wants it for Google Body - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.body&feature=search_result
diablonyc2 said:
As great as the Xoom is and the I pad, hospitals will take a while to get behind it due to security. Drs can store Protected Health Information on the device and run the risk or a data breech if lost ormaliciuos software allows access.
At my org there has been talk about the Playbook due to it being on a blackberry platform, but the pressure is out there for them to allow droid and apple tablets which they are trying to delay implimenting.
By the way...I carry my Xoom with me at my hospital and get lots of questions from the docs, butuse it primarily for school so its not on our network
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More than likely, they will be using some manner of client/server situation, where the patient data is centralized, and the client just being a dumb terminal. Only have to worry about access control, since no critical data would be stored locally.
FrayAdjacent said:
More than likely, they will be using some manner of client/server situation, where the patient data is centralized, and the client just being a dumb terminal. Only have to worry about access control, since no critical data would be stored locally.
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my thoughts too
you'd not want any data stored on the device - only apps/whatever to get at the data remotely.
problem is you'd then need wifi to corporate network and that may be a big security no-no in some places, unless a vpn solution is incorporated...
It will be interesting to see "what's next" in this field...as governemnt regulations on protecting data become more and more intesne. Client/Server seems to be the best scenario currently through a secured connection.
If someone could build a better mousetrap the market is wide open! It will be interesting to see how the Playbook fairs....could it revive the brand?
As for the Xoom --- love the size of it...cannot wait until I get a good portfolio for it to make carrying around inconspicious! I plan on phasing this in to take the place of my notepad.

Give me some reasons why I should get a Xoom and trade my iPad 2

I want to hear from Xoom users some advantages on getting the Xoom. I currently have an iPad 2 and it's cool but there is no JB for it yet. I saw some articles on Google IO today and was amazed at the USB host support which would make it awesome for emulators.
What are some advantages you guys think would be? I currently own an Evo so I'm familiar with Android. I'm more interested in knowing the cool things you can do with it. I found someone in CL who is interested in trading his Xoom for my iPad 2. Thanks.
Reason #1, it gets you away from Kool-Aide drinking mac-bots who think everything has to be white.
Anyone else have a constructive response?
gqstatus0685 said:
I want to hear from Xoom users some advantages on getting the Xoom. I currently have an iPad 2 and it's cool but there is no JB for it yet. I saw some articles on Google IO today and was amazed at the USB host support which would make it awesome for emulators.
What are some advantages you guys think would be? I currently own an Evo so I'm familiar with the Evo. I'm more interested in knowing the cool things you can do with it. I found someone in CL who is interested in trading his Xoom for my iPad 2. Thanks.
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Those of us who show our loyalty to google will be rewarded with land and women once the takeover is complete.
Additionally, flash is neat, USB hosting, I'm fairly siked about google music. Greater customization. I'd wait to see how 3.1 runs but it looks very promising in the dev notes.
you are not bound to itunes, you can customize your UI, your notifications wont interrupt you, its positioned to be compatible with a ****load of other devices, hdmi ready, amazon and sony love android
gqstatus0685 said:
Anyone else have a constructive response?
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How is that not contructive? Apple confines you to their standards. Time to open up and do what the user wants to do....Coca-cola taste a ton better than Kool-Aide
Best advice I can give you is just read the reviews and see if you like it. Seriously read up.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Upcoming ice cream sandwich!
Sent from my Evo using XDA Premium App
http://cameradojo.com/2011/04/20/my-take-on-android-tablets-vs-ipad/
dunno why you need convincing ... just check out the features and play with one at a best buy.
Is Google Body available for the Xoom? I'm interested in that. I'll still have my 1st gen iPad so I don't mind trading it in. Are their any cool things you can do with it like connecting bluetooth devices, etc?
One thing I hate about the iPad 2 is the camera. I took a picture of my daughter up close and it was so blurry I thought she was a UFO. I think it's rated at under 1MP.
MitchRapp said:
dunno why you need convincing ... just check out the features and play with one at a best buy.
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I played with one at Best Buy but it was molested beyond recognition. There was so much stuff scattered all over the screen I didn't have the patience to look through it. I wanted input from someone who owns it and has played with it for over a month.
Are the apps catching up? What I mean by this is are there a lot of tablet apps out yet or just phone apps.
gqstatus0685 said:
Is Google Body available for the Xoom? I'm interested in that. I'll still have my 1st gen iPad so I don't mind trading it in. Are their any cool things you can do with it like connecting bluetooth devices, etc?
One thing I hate about the iPad 2 is the camera. I took a picture of my daughter up close and it was so blurry I thought she was a UFO. I think it's rated at under 1MP.
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see, something you could have easily checked online Google Body is one of the "made for Honeycomb" apps. It was released along with the XOOM.
gqstatus0685 said:
I played with one at Best Buy but it was molested beyond recognition. There was so much stuff scattered all over the screen I didn't have the patience to look through it. I wanted input from someone who owns it and has played with it for over a month.
Are the apps catching up? What I mean by this is are there a lot of tablet apps out yet or just phone apps.
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Click to collapse
Plenty of tablet apps and "tegra HD" apps available.
Also, pretty much every app I've tried that didn't specify Honeycomb support worked anyways. the "HD" games are spectacular (youtube "pinball HD honeycomb" ... it's 2.99 USD (2.84 CDN haha) and it rocks.
multitasking, much better webexperience than safari, flash support
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Starting a thread like this is just to fan the flames of fanboyism. Don't come on this forum and try to stoke fires. Go try them out and make your own decisions.
I actually purchased the Ipad 2 and received it about 2 weeks ago. It took me less than a week to call Apple and request and return package. I then went into Best buy and purchased a Xoom.
Here are the reasons why:
- FLASH: I watch videos online all the time, and most of them are sites that use flash
- Being able to just download a mp3, an image, or even videos right from the browser and save it wherever I want to
- Being able to open the downloaded file with the app I want
- Being able to connect my Xoom to my PC at work and transfer whatever file I want
- Being able to customize my homescreen to my liking
- Notifications
- Widgets (I just hated that fact that I always had to go to the settings to activate bluetooth or wi-fi for example
- Now with Honeycomb 3.1 announced, I'm really not regretting buying the Xoom
h_zee13 said:
I actually purchased the Ipad 2 and received it about 2 weeks ago. It took me less than a week to call Apple and request and return package. I then went into Best buy and purchased a Xoom.
Here are the reasons why:
- FLASH: I watch videos online all the time, and most of them are sites that use flash
- Being able to just download a mp3, an image, or even videos right from the browser and save it wherever I want to
- Being able to open the downloaded file with the app I want
- Being able to connect my Xoom to my PC at work and transfer whatever file I want
- Being able to customize my homescreen to my liking
- Notifications
- Widgets (I just hated that fact that I always had to go to the settings to activate bluetooth or wi-fi for example
- Now with Honeycomb 3.1 announced, I'm really not regretting buying the Xoom
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I'm going to pull the trigger and do the trade. I still have an iPad 1st gen so I can fall back on the apps I love like Netflix. Hopefully they hack other OS's on the Xoom like Linux. Thanks for all the positive responses from the few of you who weren't just looking to increase your post count.
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In short, it's not quite a slick as the iPad 2 and there are nowhere near enough tablet specific apps, but imo the browser is better, it's more customizable, google maps is far better as is the multi-tasking. But you should know that HD videos will require re-encoding due to the Tegra2 chip and it's limitations.
I think the biggest reason you have already mentioned in your post.
Jail-break.
iPad2 is a Jail. It needs to be broken.
I used to be an iPhone user (3GS and 4G).
I am sick of being told you should do things this way and if you don't , you are screwed.
Xoom and all other android device brings me "freedom" in what I OWN.
Specifically in terms of functions
0. Flash
1. You get much better camera (5mp back, 2mp front facing)
2. You have the rights to root it, install customized roms/themes
3. You can install third party apps freely.
4. You can flash kernels to overclock your CPU to 1.5Ghz while iPad 2 is stuck at 1G max
5. You have strong Dev community to create stuff. as long as there is a need. Apparently it requires certain level of computer proficiency but from what you mentioned, you definitely have it.
6. You have google rolling out more and more exciting updates and with an open source concept, the market share of Android will bypass iOS by much and developer community will definitely notice this part of the market and create apps (commercial apps) around it.
7. many apps you know what is going on because you can see source code.
8. To someone who may worry that iPad apps are more than Honeycomb apps, I think at the current rate of brining new apps to platform, it wont be a problem a few months later at all.
9. Oh, you can install and dual boot Ubuntu in it.

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