Underwhelmed by the Xoom (a fair assessment imo) - Xoom General

Let me start off by saying that I am no 'company fanboy' of any sorts, but rather a 'gadget fanboy' who tries to assess devices as objectively as possible.
I am current owner of a rooted Droid X (running gingerbread theme, undervolted, overclocked, with sysctl enabled, ~ approx. 2 days batt life on extended)
No, I am not teed about the current lack of flash, sd card support. thats not my gripe.
* My main gripe is a hardware limitation. I just find it heavy to use after prolonged use (after 20 min of continuous usage).
* I find the screen to be subpar compared to its main competitor, the iPad, which uses a IPS display resulting in a higher contrast ratio, deeper blacks, wider viewing angles, and better color reproduction
Xoom, Viewsonic G-tablet, iPad1
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* I find holding the xoom to be an uncomfortable affair compared to the iPad1. Now, I am an iPad1 user as well. I'm starting to realize why iPad has a thicker bezel. It makes it easier on the user to hold and use.
* Native google apps are buggy. I wasn't able to play a lot of YouTube videos, and the Google Maps application with vector support was surprisingly choppy. Everyone zoom into San Francisco until the buildings show. Tilt it so you can see a lot of the buildings. Start scrolling. Its pretty choppy. For some this is barely an issue, to me, it irks me.
To those that are on the fence for a tablet, and are a current Android smartphone user, I would highly recommend the iPad2 as it is lighter, thinner, and cheaper than its main competitor, the Xoom. Not to mention the 100k+ native iPad application support. And whats wrong with diversifying your OS portfolio? If you think about it, who woulda thought that an Apple product would be cheaper than its main competitor?
I don't mean to knock on the Xoom, but its just not ready yet, and I'm extremely worried that tablet developer support on android will not be as successful as the iPad due to android tablet pricing ($800, no wifi confirmation yet, $539 pricing is still a rumor).
Personally, I'm on the fence with this device. All the Xoom needs is time, so that the bugs can be closed and application support increases. Not to mention the root community on the tablet will explode hopefully in the near future. To be honest, I would LOVE to have an undervolted, overclocked android tablet that can give me almost twice the batt life. I'm still deciding whether to return this and get the iPad2.
However, I do find the xoom's 1280 x 800 16:9 form factor to be superior than the iPad when it comes to web browsing. The web browsing experience on the xoom is phenomenal.

Insanely unnecessary thread. Threads like this have saturated this website. extremely redundant. come on

Opinions
Assholes

dudeimgeorge said:
Insanely unnecessary thread. Threads like this have saturated this website. extremely redundant. come on
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Click to collapse
its an opinion. so had i made a thread only praising the xoom would that be unnecessary as well?
you can easily not respond to it. the post was created in order to garner discussion. thats all.

iPad doesn't have 100k+ native apps, it has 65k... I think your preference on the thicker bezel is also just that, preference. I prefer the Xoom's smaller bezel. Viewing angles on the Xoom are an issue for you? I'm looking at might from an off-angle right this moment and can still read the screen fine. Also, what are you using to judge the color representation? Any kind of professional tools, or is this just your eyes, which are far from what I'd call accurate?

aohus said:
its an opinion. so had i made a thread only praising the xoom would that be unnecessary as well?
you can easily not respond to it. the post was created in order to garner discussion. thats all.
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Click to collapse
Yes, it would be unnecessary. People who like the Xoom like it, people who don't, don't. There's plenty of reviews out there on professional sites that people can go to.

I was with you for a minute, until your advertisement for the iPad 2.
The Honeycomb SDK has been out for LITERALLY LESS THAN 2 WEEKS. Developers couldn't really develop until they got their own hardware as the emulator sucks. There is one honeycomb device, do you think there will never be any others? I find the app argument really weak. Give it a couple of months and there will be several Honeycomb devices, probably a 3.0.1 or 3.1 android update.
Maybe you can live with the limitations of iOS, but I cannot. Those poor notifications send me into a rage.

Your assessment is just opinions how you feel about the device. When people are looking for an actual review they are going to read your crap and get a bad impression. The ipad cant really be classified as a tablet since there is no real difference between it and an iphone besides size. The only thing apple has is apps and a tablet should be about more than just apps. Android offers a different experience as a whole. But you just mention basically how much your hand hurts because you lack some muscle strength to hold something that weighs the same amount as the original ipad.

aohus said:
its an opinion. so had i made a thread only praising the xoom would that be unnecessary as well?
you can easily not respond to it. the post was created in order to garner discussion. thats all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dude are you stupid? what you just said is exactly what i claimed as redundant. Had he written this days ago, specifically on the launch date, well this would be a great NEW THREAD. Opinions are great, but having multiple batches of the same crap bloats this forum and is just lazy. go out of your way and look for the countless people who are voicing their beautiful opinions on what they think about this product. all this is garnering is redundancy, and you are no better, hot shot

Elysian893 said:
iPad doesn't have 100k+ native apps, it has 65k... I think your preference on the thicker bezel is also just that, preference. I prefer the Xoom's smaller bezel. Viewing angles on the Xoom are an issue for you? I'm looking at might from an off-angle right this moment and can still read the screen fine. Also, what are you using to judge the color representation? Any kind of professional tools, or is this just your eyes, which are far from what I'd call accurate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
one can easily find the difference in display quality by the naked eye. If that isn't enough, there are multiple reviews stating the iPad's display is better in terms of contrast ratio, black levels, and color depth.
As for the bezel issue, thats a fair statement to make, its a user preference.
The viewing angles on the iPad IPS display is definitely wider than the Xoom's LCD display. But seriously, i wouldn't consider that a 'dealbreaker.'

Bauxite said:
The Honeycomb SDK has been out for LITERALLY LESS THAN 2 WEEKS. Developers couldn't really develop until they got their own hardware as the emulator sucks. There is one honeycomb device, do you think there will never be any others? I find the app argument really weak. Give it a couple of months and there will be several Honeycomb devices, probably a 3.0.1 or 3.1 android update.
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Click to collapse
Right, and this is what i stated in the OP
aohus said:
All the Xoom needs is time, so that the bugs can be closed and application support increases. Not to mention the root community on the tablet will explode hopefully in the near future. To be honest, I would LOVE to have an undervolted, overclocked android tablet that can give me almost twice the batt life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

dudeimgeorge said:
dude are you stupid? what you just said is exactly what i claimed as redundant. Had he written this days ago, specifically on the launch date, well this would be a great NEW THREAD. Opinions are great, but having multiple batches of the same crap bloats this forum and is just lazy. go out of your way and look for the countless people who are voicing their beautiful opinions on what they think about this product. all this is garnering is redundancy, and you are no better, hot shot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lets not engage in personal attacks here.
the vitriol and negative remarks is atrocious. I would have expected this kind of behavior from apple fanboys. seriously. do we have to be so insecure that we can't critically judge our own product? a shame really.
i'm anxiously awaiting LG, Samsung, and HTC to make its honeycomb debut. Already eyeing the 8.9 inch sammy tablet thats supposed to be very thin and light. we shall see

Xoom is way ahead of its time. The software stack it relies on is way to buggy. From various report on this forum, it can barely play any decent HD video clip and Netflix support is non-existent (probably will never arrive). Yes, over the time the software will improve and stablize. But at its current state (buggy software, no Flash and no microSD support), it is not worth the premium price it is asking for, IMO.

I have a Xoom and a SmartQ R10 (same IPS screen as the iPad). I did a comparison on Slatedroid: http://www.slatedroid.com/index.php?/topic/15865-screen-angles/
The IPS screen, imo, is better. I didn't use graphics and guides to figure this out - it was strictly with my naked eye.
As for the iPad(2), my biggest beef remains which is the walled garden approach to doing things that Apple forces on us. I am not a hater - I own MacOS SL and I love that OS - I personally think it's better than Windows 7. But iOS is a different animal, entirely.
I owned an iPad for a few days, so some examples of what I'm talking about:
- You can't even boot into the iPad until it's connected to iTunes. There's just something blatantly wrong with that way of thinking, imo. I need a desktop OS to use my tablet for the first time.... huh??
- Crippled audio and video support. No AVI, no FLAC, no Vorbis, no MKV etc etc. Yes, you can download (paid) apps to fix this, but why should I have to? Even MS started supporting Xvid AVI's in their Zune HD, last year - and this is MS we're talking about, the king of proprietary lock-down.
(Note: Before the reply of "that's because Apple doesn't support piracy", let me explain what I do. My purchased DVD's are ripped to Xvid AVI's as a standard, or MKV's if I need multiple audio tracks or subs. I made a decision years ago on these formats, as it offered the best compatibility at the time. As for music, I backup my CD's to FLAC and made the decision to use Vorbis as my Cowon music player supports it, it's easier to transcode because the codec is free to use, and it offers better quality than MP3's. But Apple thinks I'm a pirate because I don't use their codecs? I prefer freedom and choice).
- File sharing versus drag and drop. Seriously, why does Apple do this? It's my device, can't I just drop files into it? Are you so afraid that I might use it to play pirated videos that you have to lock this down?
- That HDMI dongle. Seriously, that's just pathetic. Why is so hard to just add a micro-HDMI connector to the iPad2?
- No Flash. EVER. Because Stevey-J has a problem with Adobe, his users pay for it. Don't tell me iPad users don't want it, because we all know that they would like support, deep down inside. Given the OPTION (and I stress that word) of having it if you wanted to, most would choose it. If you don't want Flash, then just don't install it. But give us the option of either / or.
- No external storage. Granted, the Xoom is missing this feature right now, but USB Host mode work (I just confirmed it) and the hardware is there. Apple doesn't add a microSD slot for two reasons - one, because they don't want you actually bypassing their draconian lock-down policies. And two, because no external storage = more money for them for their 32GB / 64GB devices.
The Xoom is FAR from perfect, don't get me wrong. But I suppose it all depends on how you plan to use your device. I tried the iPad1, and I hated it. But that's just me.

Dude who wrote this .....I agree with you
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

roebeet said:
As for the iPad(2), my biggest beef remains which is the walled garden approach to doing things that Apple forces on us. I am not a hater - I own MacOS SL and I love that OS - I personally think it's better than Windows 7. But iOS is a different animal, entirely.
I owned an iPad for a few days, so some examples of what I'm talking about:
- You can't even boot into the iPad until it's connected to iTunes. There's just something blatantly wrong with that way of thinking, imo. I need a desktop OS to use my tablet for the first time.... huh??
- Crippled audio and video support. No AVI, no FLAC, no Vorbis, no MKV etc etc. Yes, you can download (paid) apps to fix this, but why should I have to? Even MS started supporting Xvid AVI's in their Zune HD, last year - and this is MS we're talking about, the king of proprietary lock-down.
- File sharing versus drag and drop. Seriously, why does Apple do this? It's my device, can't I just drop files into it? Are you so afraid that I might use it to play pirated videos that you have to lock this down?
- That HDMI dongle. Seriously, that's just pathetic. Why is so hard to just add a micro-HDMI connector to the iPad2?
- No Flash. EVER. Because Stevey-J has a problem with Adobe, his users pay for it. Don't tell me iPad users don't want it, because we all know that they would like support, deep down inside. Given the OPTION (and I stress that word) of having it if you wanted to, most would choose it. If you don't want Flash, then just don't install it. But give us the option of either / or.
- No external storage. Granted, the Xoom is missing this feature right now, but USB Host mode work (I just confirmed it) and the hardware is there. Apple doesn't add a microSD slot for two reasons - one, because they don't want you actually bypassing their draconian lock-down policies. And two, because no external storage = more money for them for their 32GB / 64GB devices.
The Xoom is FAR from perfect, don't get me wrong. But I suppose it all depends on how you plan to use your device. I tried the iPad1, and I hated it. But that's just me.
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You have summarized this very consistently as opposed to the OP. It is getting really bad in this forum that I have to ask whether it is worth to visit.

knut150 said:
You have summarized this very consistently as opposed to the OP. It is getting really bad in this forum that I have to ask whether it is worth to visit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
some of his points are a little off. i agree with many, but as far as codec support goes, the xoom tablet does not have much codec support. you can't play FLAC, Vorbis, MKV's natively on the Xoom, so its the same for both iDevices and the Xoom tablet.
However, that being said, it doesn't mean its the fault of honeycomb, thats motorola's decision to not support various codecs.
i'm just trying to be rational. it really comes to this.
Either Wait, and see how the other honeycomb tablets turn out
OR, if you need to buy a tablet now, you essentially have two choices when it comes to premium tablets, the xoom or the iPad2.
so you have $800 vs $499 at the moment.
a device thats thinner and lighter, cheaper compared to a singular $800 tablet with a better OS (honeycomb).

aohus said:
so you have $800 vs $499 at the moment.
a device thats thinner and lighter, cheaper compared to a singular $800 tablet with a better OS (honeycomb).
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Click to collapse
Wrong. $729 compared to $800. 3G vs 4G upgradable + expandable memory
The wifi Xoom isn't out yet so you can't compare a wifi only iPad 2 to the Xoom just yet.

Any post that starts off with "I am not a fanboy" is a really good warning that you're about to read a post by a fanboy who doesn't want to be thought of as a fanboy.
Heavy? Don't you find a hardback book to also be heavy if you're wasting energy trying to hold it up for 20 minutes? Get the motorola cover which has a built in stand and use it. or put a throw pillow on your lap and rest it there. The iPad 1 weighs 1.5lbs. The Xoom weighs 1.6lbs. You really think that additional ounce and a half makes more than a negligible difference? Any object of more than about 1/4 pound will start to feel heavy after 20 minutes. The product you're complaining about here is not the Xoom. You're complaining about gravity and your arms. There are multiple work-arounds available beyond those I mentioned above.
Judging from the screenshots you're primarily using your Xoom in Portrait mode, most likely because that's what your Portrait-centric iPad taught you to do. Your Xoom and Honeycomb are both Landscape-centric. Try to make the switch. You'll have a better experience.
"I would highly recommend the iPad2"
Why would anyone take advice about a product from someone who has never touched or used that product?
"I don't mean to knock on the Xoom"
Yes you do. That was the whole point of your post.

aohus said:
some of his points are a little off. i agree with many, but as far as codec support goes, the xoom tablet does not have much codec support. you can't play FLAC, Vorbis, MKV's natively on the Xoom, so its the same for both iDevices and the Xoom tablet.
However, that being said, it doesn't mean its the fault of honeycomb, thats motorola's decision to not support various codecs.
i'm just trying to be rational. it really comes to this.
Either Wait, and see how the other honeycomb tablets turn out
OR, if you need to buy a tablet now, you essentially have two choices when it comes to premium tablets, the xoom or the iPad2.
so you have $800 vs $499 at the moment.
a device thats thinner and lighter, cheaper compared to a singular $800 tablet with a better OS (honeycomb).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct - I was mixing my GTAB experience with my Xoom experience. After the fact I realized that the Xoom is actually more crippled codec-wise than my GTAB. That's a surprise.
Vorbis does play OOTB however, I'm a heavy Vorbis user. But the video support is bizarre - MKV works, but only to a point. Depends on the audio / video codec inside. And Xvid AVI's do NOT work, which is worse than my GTAB. FLAC doesn't have OOTB support but apps like Rockbox can fix that.
My bigger point is that the Xoom at least allows you to copy the files and then use an app, if available, to run the content. The iPad doesn't allow that - you have to have the app in advance (usually not free) and then use iTunes file sharing to move the content over. It's much less efficient.
I did do some audio / video testing on an iPad, so I know what was available and the cost for the apps. Vorbis, in particular, really annoyed me because that's my audio codec of choice. The Xoom actually sees Vorbis files, AND reads their tags. That's actually better than my GTAB.
Bad marks on Xvid AVI's, though - I hope that will be fixed. There's no WMA / WMV support either -- that could just be a build.prop change, however.

Related

I like the Playbook more than the Xoom because...

I currently have the 3G Xoom that I bought the first week that it was out.
I also bought the 64 GB Playbook on its release day.
This thread is for people who is thinking of getting a smaller device than the Xoom.
Playbook vs. Xoom:
Advantages of the Playbook:
1. More portable and lighter. I carry it almost everywhere I go because it can fit into my leather jacket pocket. I can hold it up longer than I can do with my Xoom while laying in bed without the fear that it will fall on my face.
2. Better screen. The whites of the playbook is whiter. The picture looks sharper. It seems to have a better viewing angle.
3. It can play high-profile h.264 movies. It cannot play .mkv container movies yet but if you convert the high-profile h.264 movies to .mg4 (using the free program called XenonMKV) then it plays flawlessly with its high-profile h.264 quality unchanged from original....only the 5.1 DTS sound is downsample to stereo AAC.
4. Multitasking is better on the Playbook than the Xoom.
5. The speakers are better on the Playbook because it directs the sound toward you instead of away from you.
------------------------------
Disadvantages of the Playbook:
1. Smaller screen than the Xoom
2. No default email (yet)
3. Cannot play .mkv container file (yet)
4. No micro SD card (but if you buy the 64 GB version then you don't have to worry about lack of space)
5. Not rootable (hope someone at XDA developer or any skilled person can hack it in the future)
6. No cellular feature (for the wi-fi only version)
7. Less apps (will improve in the future)
---------------------
For me, I like the Playbook better despite the negatives. I am trying to sell my 3G Xoom but I am keeping the 64 GB Playbook. I don't even have a blackberry phone and yet I still like the Playbook more.
It comes down to how I use the tablet the most that make me decide which is better. For me, it is portability (will use it more often) and watching high profile hi-def movies.
What does no default email mean? Like I could not use Gmail or Exchange?
Really I appreciate your opinion and if you would like I would take the inferior Xoom off your hands if u are giving it away.
Brenardo said:
Really I appreciate your opinion and if you would like I would take the inferior Xoom off your hands if u are giving it away.
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Click to collapse
I am not giving it away. I am trying to sell it.
Ok, that's nice... thanks.
I don't really care though. If I was in the slightest bit interested in Blackberry, I would have waited around for the Playbook. If I wanted something 7", I would have gotten one of the many 7" Android tablets by now.
okie dokie
4. Multitasking is better on the Playbook than the Xoom.
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Click to collapse
Explain. 10char
Why is this even in a xoom forum...troll elsewhere please.
www.facebook.com/redcardgreencardpage
jondwillis said:
Explain. 10char
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Click to collapse
Mutitaking seems to be better on the Playbook because I can open more windows. I believe that the Xoom can only have the most recent 5 that you can choose to mutitask. The Playbook can have more than 5.
Will the apps come for the playbook? Apps never came for Blackberry phones...
they will have the ability to use Android apps, but its still to be seen how well it will be integrated into the ecosystem.
csseale said:
Why is this even in a xoom forum...troll elsewhere please.
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Click to collapse
Well, because there is no forum that is dedicated to the Playbook here in XDA-developers forum.
Also, I also have the Xoom so I can make a comparison between the two devices.
Earthbrain said:
Mutitaking seems to be better on the Playbook because I can open more windows. I believe that the Xoom can only have the most recent 5 that you can choose to mutitask. The Playbook can have more than 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give you that, the 5 item back history seems arbitrary and limiting. Its not like the apps are killed, you just can't get back to them super quickly.
Earthbrain said:
Mutitaking seems to be better on the Playbook because I can open more windows. I believe that the Xoom can only have the most recent 5 that you can choose to mutitask. The Playbook can have more than 5.
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Click to collapse
Wouldn't base my opinion on that, seeing as how there aren't really any decent apps for the Playbook, according to the Ars review posted today ;-)
Don't get me wrong, I liked the Playbook when I first heard about it. The specs are awesome, but it has two major downsides: lack of good 3rd party apps, and no native email/calendar/contacts sync support. It has to sync via a Blackberry handheld. Frankly, that sucks, and it's a gaping hole in design.
ANY other tablet, even the cheapo Android tabs, can sync your email without requiring any 'bridging' to a mobile phone.
The QNX OS is great, a lot like webOS, very intuitive and flexible. But without even basic messaging available out of the box (unless you already have a blackberry mobile), this is an epic fail in my book, and a major lost opportunity. "I coulda been a contender..."
The Xoom has its issues of course, but it isn't hampered out of the box like the Playbook is. I'm disappointed in RIM.
Earthbrain said:
I currently have the 3G Xoom that I bought the first week that it was out.
I also bought the 64 GB Playbook on its release day.
This thread is for people who is thinking of getting a smaller device than the Xoom.
Playbook vs. Xoom:
Advantages of the Playbook:
1. More portable and lighter. I carry it almost everywhere I go because it can fit into my leather jacket pocket. I can hold it up longer than I can do with my Xoom while laying in bed without the fear that it will fall on my face.
2. Better screen. The whites of the playbook is whiter. The picture looks sharper. It seems to have a better viewing angle.
3. It can play high-profile h.264 movies. It cannot play .mkv container movies yet but if you convert the high-profile h.264 movies to .mg4 (using the free program called XenonMKV) then it plays flawlessly with its high-profile h.264 quality unchanged from original....only the 5.1 DTS sound is downsample to stereo AAC.
4. Multitasking is better on the Playbook than the Xoom.
------------------------------
Disadvantages of the Playbook:
1. Smaller screen than the Xoom
2. No default email (yet)
3. Cannot play .mkv container file (yet)
4. No micro SD card (but if you buy the 64 GB version than you don't have to worry about lack of space)
5. Not rootable (hope someone at XDA developer or any skilled person can hack it in the future)
6. No cellular feature (for the wi-fi only version)
7. Less apps (will improve in the future)
---------------------
For me, I like the Playbook better despite the negatives. I am trying to sell my 3G Xoom but I am keeping the 64 GB Playbook. I don't even have a blackberry phone and yet I still like the Playbook more.
It comes down to how I use the tablet the most that make me decide which is better. For me, it is portability (will use it more often) and watching high profile hi-def movies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thanked your post because as I see you do actually own a Xoom you are giving us a brief rundown of a feature comparison between the two devices.
When I heard about this device on the radio I was interested until I heard all the **** it just can't do.
No email app out of the box? Really? That's hilarious, what a worthless peice of equipment if I can't read e-mail on it. App support? Lol WHAT App support have you seen in overwhelming display from Blackberry? All I know about Blackberry is that my experience in supporting their god awfull devices is just that... god awfull.
The screen is better, thats good.. smaller size is cool but then I agree with another guy... I'd just get a smaller android device.
With all that said, thanks for your write up and I hope that we dont get a huge proliferation of non-Xoom comparisons as a result.
cwizardtx said:
With all that said, thanks for your write up and I hope that we dont get a huge proliferation of non-Xoom comparisons as a result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, I love to read about device comparison. The more, the better. However, I would prefer that the person who writes the comparison actually own the devices and have been using it for at least 1 week.
I actually currently have 4 tablets. They are the jailbroken ipad, T-mobile Samsung Galaxy tab with custom ROM Overcome 1.6.3, Xoom 3G, and the 64 GB Playbook.
Each has its strong and weak points. I use each one according to the situation that I am in. I don't like to bash other devices (or the people who buy them) because of the reason that I just mentioned. I just like to point out the advantages and disadvantages and let people decide for themselves.
You must have really weak arms if the Xoom is a challenge for you to hold up for long periods of time. Try going to the gym?
Also, I can see why the Playbook would be able to play high profile h.264, it's pushing less pixels and has a higher clocked CPU. How does it do playing 720p Youtube videos in browser though? You know how often I've played 720p video files on my Xoom? Once, because I wanted to try it. How often do I Youtube? Just about every day and the new Flash 10.2 makes 720p video playable on the Xoom(granted overclocked to 1.5ghz, the Xoom at stock clock does pretty poorly with 720p video on Youtube still).
Earthbrain said:
For me, I love to read about device comparison. The more, the better. However, I would prefer that the person who writes the comparison actually own the devices and have been using it for at least 1 week.
I actually currently have 4 tablets. They are the jailbroken ipad, T-mobile Samsung Galaxy tab with custom ROM Overcome 1.6.3, Xoom 3G, and the 64 GB Playbook.
Each has its strong and weak points. I use each one according to the situation that I am in. I don't like to bash other devices (or the people who buy them) because of the reason that I just mentioned. I just like to point out the advantages and disadvantages and let people decide for themselves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well there's also the fact that if people in this forum were at all interested in other devices I'd wager that we'd be in other device forums looking for those reviews. Honestly... I want to come to the XOOM Forum to read about the XOOM and not a bunch of other stuff which is why I left my reply off with the comment I did. I gave you thanks for your comparison between two devices but something tells me that a new rash of "im taking my xoom back for XYZ thing" is around the corner and let me tell you those get old and boring fast.
Again... appreciate your write up. From the looks of the features of that tablet... I wouldn't even be able to use it for the most menial of day to day things and thats laughable (to me).
Elysian893 said:
You must have really weak arms if the Xoom is a challenge for you to hold up for long periods of time. Try going to the gym?
Also, I can see why the Playbook would be able to play high profile h.264, it's pushing less pixels and has a higher clocked CPU. How does it do playing 720p Youtube videos in browser though? You know how often I've played 720p video files on my Xoom? Once, because I wanted to try it. How often do I Youtube? Just about every day and the new Flash 10.2 makes 720p video playable on the Xoom(granted overclocked to 1.5ghz, the Xoom at stock clock does pretty poorly with 720p video on Youtube still).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you ask 100 people if they would prefer a lighter tablet or a heavier tablet, I would bet that more than 50% of the people would say that they prefer a lighter tablet. I would even bet that most professional weight lifter would prefer a lighter tablet.
The Playbook is great at playing 720p youtube videos. In fact, flash seems to be better on my Playbook than on my Xoom, even when I just upgrade to the latest Flash version on the Xoom yesterday.
Earthbrain said:
If you ask 100 people if they would prefer a lighter tablet or a heavier tablet, I would bet that more than 50% of the people would say that they prefer a lighter tablet. I would even bet that most professional weight lifter would prefer a lighter tablet.
The Playbook is great at playing 720p youtube videos. In fact, flash seems to be better on my Playbook than on my Xoom, even when I just upgrade to the latest Flash version on the Xoom yesterday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I weight train, I'm not a professional but I do alright, the weight on the Xoom truly doesn't matter. 1.3lbs or whatever it is is next to nothing. Your experience with Flash on the Playbook doesn't seem to match that of anyone reviewing it.
To OP, I think you are compare two devices with different usage.
I’ve a Xoom mainly to use at home, and a Samsung Galaxy tab as media consumption device for daily commute.
I think the playbook cost too much and not offer any advantages over Android and Apple products.
For example, the Playbook doesn’t have enough apps to attract any android and Apple users and it don’t have 3G version.
I’d recommend 7” Android tablet for anyone who wants a mobile device.
I.E. the cheaper Galaxy Tab have all the advantages you listed, plus with Overcome ROM is very fast and lag free. Since its running Androide 2.2, nearly all the apps in market will work on the device. Also it can play mkv files.
P.S. I use MultiTasking Pro as work around for the limited app switching in Xoom, works well and I can also close most of the apps.

[info] So far, not at all impressed

I picked up this tablet mainly to play around with app development, but I must say, I am seriously underwhelmed. No Netflix, no skype video, can't get my DISH sling player to work on it, my digital copy movies won't even load, other movies which I have burned are choppy, seems evey time you jump back to a list (app store, settings uninstall, etc) you get put at the top of the list instead of where you left off, no native network sharing support, the micro sd is not hot swapable, many of the aps in the app store are hlf baked, haven't figured out how to do a mass clear of notifications (and this is a much applauded feature, where is the stinking "clear all"), the browser zoom is kind of quirky, and when I clicked the email link to reset my password for the XDA site here, it went into this wierd hypnotic flickering fit and I had to kill the browser session
...yada, yada, yada
Seriously, I don't know how anyone can even begin to copare this to the ipad (1 or 2), for all of the Apple bashing I have seen, all I have to say is "It just works". If I bought this to actually use in place of what I do with my IPad, and not to learn and try my hand at Android development, it would be on it's way back to the store right now or listed on eBay.
Even though it is only an iPad 1, it is HANDS DOWN WAAAAYYYYY BETTER. Steve can rest assured, even at this point in the game, if this is what the competition hads to offer, the iPad's future is quite secure. I mean, 5 minutes with Garage Band on the iPad and you realize it is like comparing a BMW to a Chevy Comaro. Yes the Camaro may look cool, but it is not nearly the same level of refinement and quality.
As it stands right now, I would classify the transformer as a novelty at best. Great idea having the ability to dock it to a keyboard, but I so wish they had used this concept on the ep121 (which I also own) as originally teased in the press kits as it would have truly provide a best in class device that could cross between a work horse and media/gaming device.
I really wanted to like this too. So sad, as the hardware and form factor are really quite nice.
Perhaps it may yet mature, but I see a lot of iffy post on Tegra 2 supporting DRM or MP4 support which allows me to play any of the movies in my video library.
But hey, it'll play flash content. Whooptedo
Different strokes for different folks. An iPad would serve no purpose for me. iPads have been out for nearly 2 years and I have had no desire to own one. I wanted a Transformer from the day I saw it mentioned on Engadget.
Garage Band is not a big deal. I've had it on my Mac since 2005, so using it on a tablet doesn't thrill me. Not sure what the real point of your post was. Coming on an Eee Pad TF forum and bashing the product you just bought, but everyone who purchased this over the iPad had a reason to do so and an iPad doesn't appeal to most of us or we certainly could have and would have purchased one.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Honeycomb is still early in development...it's only going to get better...
Garage band is just an app. try to compare iOS to honeycomb, most important is what the OS can do
the iPads been out for about one year and honeycomb is still in its infancy and I like my transformer heck I'm typing on it now but I have some light bleed and a dead pixel so I may replac it soon
I would never waste my money on an iPad because I do not want to connect the iPad to a PC to do almost everything. What's the point of owning a tablet if it cannot be used as a standalone device?
But hey, many people like the simplicity of the iPad and like being imprisoned with iTunes.
First of all the SD card is hot swappable.
Second of all, I own an iPad 2 and yes it's more buggy but it's a lot more functional. The iPad is nice and all but iOS is NOT a tablet OS. Honeycomb is. Dvd rips should play fine with moboplayer. HD videos play smooth after encoding with handbrake, keyboard is amazing and I have had no browser trouble.
One thing is for sure I wouldn't suggest the transformer to technologically impaired people ( like yourself), just like I wouldn't recommend any android device for them. If you want simplicity the iPad is nice, it does what you probably want to do smooth and easy. But if I want to type up an email or take notes or do anything related to content creation and not just consumption, I'll pick the transformer any day.
Haters gonna hate.
Garage Band? Seriously? GB's for kids. If I really wanted to make some music, there are better progs out there i'd want to use and I wouldn't be using an ipad.
I think the op was expecting too much. He knew what he was getting into before he got it and if he didn't, then he didn't do his due diligence and research. It looks like it's just not for him.
I on the other hand am quite impressed. Just the concept and form factor are pure win. The fact that future Tf's will be dockable with the dock are sound. The pad meets my needs even though I knew going in that high profile would be a problem, i'm content with it in that I barely use it to watch movies. If I want to watch a flick, it's gonna be on the big screen and I have an Xbox and PS3 to serve my Netflix and Hulu needs.
I knew it wasn't perfect and it's being worked on, but like someone else stated, it's only gonna get better.
1. I also own a ipad, but if I want to add a movie,song or app....Itunes comes to mind..you have to be connected to a seperate device...a stand alone item the ipad is not.
2. You mentioned you where developing for the android system. GOLD MINE...DEVELOP for this new and fledgling market. I repeat....new and fledgling market. I remember the first ipad was 3.11 ios if I am not mistaken. And there was plenty of phone apps for the iphone..then the ipad..does this sound like history repeating it self?
3. You mentioned about movies...i remember for the ipad...there where no movie apps in the begging and had to hit that 2x icon in the screen of a iphone app on the ipad.
4. IMO the screen is better than the ipad...try reading in portrait with a ipad or even landscape. I am refering to the IPS.
5. You mention you where underwhelmed, of course you are...these are the first gen devices..Xoom, tab, iconia and transformer....qnd so on...as a developer you should now the first gen devices usually are not what we want or expect.
6. I can put a movie on my micro sd...or a song...or even a document..give that same sd card to a friend at work and we can share. Try that with a ipad.
7. Hardware is more fluid on the ipad..time will heal that....there are more selection for the android system.gpu wise..intel, nvidia, texas inturments, quallcom....etc
8. Last but not least...flash support...how many businesses use flash?....Alot...not every company can support different types of needed web sites...(flash, silverlight, etc..). I do give kudos to apple for single handly creating the tablet market as we know it..but just like as history again repeats itself...it will be a matter of time before androids will out number apple products. Flash support is huge...i know you don`t believe that...but you are so used to the ipad..you never noticed. Also, one more point but maybe it does not count..not everybody can afford a ipad...
I like the part where he said he hadn't figured out how to clear notifications so rather than look it up, he complained.
I had an iphone and dropped it for android over a year ago with absolutely no regrets. I contemplated ipad, but simulator the iPhone, i wanted a stand alone device and no iTunes. I rooted my phone and then installed a custom rom and downloaded music all while riding the train with no computer. Just did the same for the tablet sitting on my couch.
I think the only way i could show more lovefor android is to get a little green guy tattoo. There'san idea.... (pauses working netflix to hot swap memory card for music and googles tattoo parlor locations).
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
PS- i streamed music and movies over my network first thing out of the box with the preinstalled app.
No love for Apple fan boys who would rather flame than get their facts straight before complaining.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
jgermuga said:
I picked up this tablet mainly to play around with app development, but I must say, I am seriously underwhelmed. No Netflix, no skype video, can't get my DISH sling player to work on it, my digital copy movies won't even load, other movies which I have burned are choppy, seems evey time you jump back to a list (app store, settings uninstall, etc) you get put at the top of the list instead of where you left off, no native network sharing support, the micro sd is not hot swapable, many of the aps in the app store are hlf baked, haven't figured out how to do a mass clear of notifications (and this is a much applauded feature, where is the stinking "clear all"), the browser zoom is kind of quirky, and when I clicked the email link to reset my password for the XDA site here, it went into this wierd hypnotic flickering fit and I had to kill the browser session
...yada, yada, yada
Seriously, I don't know how anyone can even begin to copare this to the ipad (1 or 2), for all of the Apple bashing I have seen, all I have to say is "It just works". If I bought this to actually use in place of what I do with my IPad, and not to learn and try my hand at Android development, it would be on it's way back to the store right now or listed on eBay.
Even though it is only an iPad 1, it is HANDS DOWN WAAAAYYYYY BETTER. Steve can rest assured, even at this point in the game, if this is what the competition hads to offer, the iPad's future is quite secure. I mean, 5 minutes with Garage Band on the iPad and you realize it is like comparing a BMW to a Chevy Comaro. Yes the Camaro may look cool, but it is not nearly the same level of refinement and quality.
As it stands right now, I would classify the transformer as a novelty at best. Great idea having the ability to dock it to a keyboard, but I so wish they had used this concept on the ep121 (which I also own) as originally teased in the press kits as it would have truly provide a best in class device that could cross between a work horse and media/gaming device.
I really wanted to like this too. So sad, as the hardware and form factor are really quite nice.
Perhaps it may yet mature, but I see a lot of iffy post on Tegra 2 supporting DRM or MP4 support which allows me to play any of the movies in my video library.
But hey, it'll play flash content. Whooptedo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Netflix is true, but it's coming. It only works with a several devices (officially) and Netflix is working on adding more devices as I type this.
No Skype video. True. That isn't the tablets fault. Blame Skype.
Not familiar with DISH slingplayer, but to be honest, DISH sucks. HBO Go and Showtime Go work with some cable providers.
Honeycomb can play low profile encoded HD movies. You would know this if you looked into it before buying the tablet.
SD card is hot swappable. Does the iPad even have an SD card slot (without having to pay $30+ for some adapter)?
It's obvious you're sold on the iPad. So why in the hell did you buy an Android tablet? Just to bash it on fan forums?
I have no issues with the useability of my Asus Transformer which will only get better with time. Have fun with your limited and regulated iPad.
Netflix works with a minor tweak and why is no skype a hang up with many other options, like google chat or tango?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
seshmaru said:
First of all the SD card is hot swappable.
Second of all, I own an iPad 2 and yes it's more buggy but it's a lot more functional. The iPad is nice and all but iOS is NOT a tablet OS. Honeycomb is. Dvd rips should play fine with moboplayer. HD videos play smooth after encoding with handbrake, keyboard is amazing and I have had no browser trouble.
One thing is for sure I wouldn't suggest the transformer to technologically impaired people ( like yourself), just like I wouldn't recommend any android device for them. If you want simplicity the iPad is nice, it does what you probably want to do smooth and easy. But if I want to type up an email or take notes or do anything related to content creation and not just consumption, I'll pick the transformer any day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cmon, I have been in the IT field for over 15 years. I am a died in the wool early adopter and was using a smart phones and a tablet PCs long before they were hip and mainstream.
Technically challenged? No, I have a family and I am time challenged and although I enjoy tinkering, sometimes I just want something to work with having to waste a whole of energy on it.
Everybody keeps saying Honeycomb is a REAL OS, so exactly what does that mean to 90% of the users out there? I have owned a tablet computer for over 6 years now (started with the motion computing products) and unless I am taking notes (with a stylis I might add), browsing the internet, reading an ebook or watching a movie I am going to want a keyboard. But along with that keyboard, I want real integration with all of my work stuff. Like for instance, running Eclipse, Toad, .Net, Oracle, SQL Server (etc, etc) or any number of other deveploment tools? Therfore, to me a real OS still means UNIX, OSX or Windows. iOs AND Honeyomb are not.
I am not here just to bash, I am here to offer some levity to others who may read this forum and get the impression the transformer (and I should really be saying Honeycomb and/or the Tegra 2 platform) is omething that it is not. To be fair, it has some pretty serious limitations (as does the iPad) and in my opinion, it has not still yet reached maturity for broad market adoption. Having heard all the buzz about Android and how well it has done in the phone arena, I did truly expect a bit more. And they way the Xoom and Galaxy tabs are being marketed, it seems they are trying to hook the mass market, and I think many people will be disappointed.
Perhaps some people will find a way to get work done with a Honeycomb machine. I still see it as an entertaimnet piece first and foremost, and in that context, the iPad does a better job with less hassle.
Me? I am going to break out my ep121 and wince when I have to go running for the power cord after 3 hours.
Regarding video playback, I have over 100 movies whcih have already been ripped, and while most of them do play, they are choppy. Figuring my hourly consulting rate and what it would take for me to ttranscode all of them, I could buy a couple iPads. It's jsut not worth it.
I guess I am also a bit disappointed that the transformer has so much potential (great display, decent sound in stereo no less, good price, great form factor (albeit with the keyboard dock that is still near impossible to buy), low weight, great battery life, so all in all I'd love to have it be my amainstay machine, but realistically, it's going to sit on the shelf still most of the time as a testing platform while I lug around my ep121.
And to correct something I said earlier, yes I suppose the SD card is hot swapable, but you need to unmount it before removing it from it's slot. I got used to being able to just unplug it as you can with Windows 7.
And please, this is a computer when all is said and done. No need to insinute I am "impaired". Why people get so worked up about what is better then this that or the other thing is as baffling to me as the sports fanatics who get in fist fights when someone badmouths their team. I am offering an opinion for others to consider.
jappetta99 said:
PS- i streamed music and movies over my network first thing out of the box with the preinstalled app.
No love for Apple fan boys who would rather flame than get their facts straight before complaining.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MM, yea. I have hundereds of digicam movies as well as feature flicks. On that preinstalled app, they all get thrown into the same list. Can I search or sort that list, ahh no.
On top of that, all of the feature films are on the same NAS and they don't show up. Why? No clue. Porbably has something to do with the encode settings not being supported. And those that do show give me a "fail to load" when I click on them. Why? Again, no clue.
What was that you said about facts? I am not flaiming, these are facts.
And because I own an Apple product I am a fan boy? Is this a fact? My household is mostly microsoft and it is my preferred OS above both Apple and Android.
jgermuga said:
Cmon, I have been in the IT field for over 15 years. I am a died in the wool early adopter and was using a smart phones and a tablet PCs long before they were hip and mainstream.
Technically challenged? No, I have a family and I am time challenged and although I enjoy tinkering, sometimes I just want something to work with having to waste a whole of energy on it.
Everybody keeps saying Honeycomb is a REAL OS, so exactly what does that mean to 90% of the users out there? I have owned a tablet computer for over 6 years now (started with the motion computing products) and unless I am taking notes (with a stylis I might add), browsing the internet, reading an ebook or watching a movie I am going to want a keyboard. But along with that keyboard, I want real integration with all of my work stuff. Like for instance, running Eclipse, Toad, .Net, Oracle, SQL Server (etc, etc) or any number of other deveploment tools? Therfore, to me a real OS still means UNIX, OSX or Windows. iOs AND Honeyomb are not.
I am not here just to bash, I am here to offer some levity to others who may read this forum and get the impression the transformer (and I should really be saying Honeycomb and/or the Tegra 2 platform) is omething that it is not. To be fair, it has some pretty serious limitations (as does the iPad) and in my opinion, it has not still yet reached maturity for broad market adoption. Having heard all the buzz about Android and how well it has done in the phone arena, I did truly expect a bit more. And they way the Xoom and Galaxy tabs are being marketed, it seems they are trying to hook the mass market, and I think many people will be disappointed.
Perhaps some people will find a way to get work done with a Honeycomb machine. I still see it as an entertaimnet piece first and foremost, and in that context, the iPad does a better job with less hassle.
Me? I am going to break out my ep121 and wince when I have to go running for the power cord after 3 hours.
Regarding video playback, I have over 100 movies whcih have already been ripped, and while most of them do play, they are choppy. Figuring my hourly consulting rate and what it would take for me to ttranscode all of them, I could buy a couple iPads. It's jsut not worth it.
I guess I am also a bit disappointed that the transformer has so much potential (great display, decent sound in stereo no less, good price, great form factor (albeit with the keyboard dock that is still near impossible to buy), low weight, great battery life, so all in all I'd love to have it be my amainstay machine, but realistically, it's going to sit on the shelf still most of the time as a testing platform while I lug around my ep121.
And to correct something I said earlier, yes I suppose the SD card is hot swapable, but you need to unmount it before removing it from it's slot. I got used to being able to just unplug it as you can with Windows 7.
And please, this is a computer when all is said and done. No need to insinute I am "impaired". Why people get so worked up about what is better then this that or the other thing is as baffling to me as the sports fanatics who get in fist fights when someone badmouths their team. I am offering an opinion for others to consider.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You love the iPad. Go return the Asus and enjoy your iPad. Done deal, you eat your burger, I eat my sandwich. No need to convince people in the ANDROID forum to despise an Android device. We know the pros and cons of iOS and Android/iPad and Android devices. Did you expect love coming to XDA and saying the iPad is better? Cmon. People here are users who like the openness of Android and Android devices.
By the way, being in the IT field doesn't mean much.
jgermuga said:
And to correct something I said earlier, yes I suppose the SD card is hot swapable, but you need to unmount it before removing it from it's slot. I got used to being able to just unplug it as you can with Windows 7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to correct your correction, you don't *have* to dismount it to swap it. Since it's FAT32 formatted, you can just pull it out an insert another without issue.
Not bashing your post though - there's nothing wrong with having an opinion. Personally I think the iPad is a fine device, but it is not for me - and I own 3 Macs! It's also fair to say that Honeycomb has all the hallmarks of a beta level product, rather than a finished product. However, it's also fair to say that when the iPad was launched it do so with iOS 3.2, which really wasn't optimized for tablets at all.
Most tablets are generally for content consumption, not content creation - and I include the iPad in that mix. However, the TFs keyboard does lend itself well to content creation though it's fair to say that the apps are not there yet.
One thing it is excellent for is remote server access via VPN and RDP, which is my primary usage outside of content consumption.
It's horse for courses though - in my opinion, the EP121 is a total waste of time as a device as it is just a keyboardless PC rather than a tablet with a poor battery life.
It's bigger and heavier than my Macbook Air with a poor battery life, and I would have absolutely no use for one for those reasons - your mileage clearly varies of course, so if it works for you all well and good!
There's far too much unreasoned iOS bashing on these boards - there are plenty of reasons not to like Apple and its products, but it does produce good quality, strong products, and the iPad/iPhone is no exception to this.
My mum wanted a tablet just this week, and my advice to her was iPad all the way, even though I wouldn't have one myself. My wife wanted a new phone a few weeks ago, and now she has an iPhone 4 which she absolutely adores.
Regards,
Dave
jgermuga said:
Cmon, I have been in the IT field for over 15 years. I am a died in the wool early adopter and was using a smart phones and a tablet PCs long before they were hip and mainstream.
Technically challenged? No, I have a family and I am time challenged and although I enjoy tinkering, sometimes I just want something to work with having to waste a whole of energy on it.
Everybody keeps saying Honeycomb is a REAL OS, so exactly what does that mean to 90% of the users out there? I have owned a tablet computer for over 6 years now (started with the motion computing products) and unless I am taking notes (with a stylis I might add), browsing the internet, reading an ebook or watching a movie I am going to want a keyboard. But along with that keyboard, I want real integration with all of my work stuff. Like for instance, running Eclipse, Toad, .Net, Oracle, SQL Server (etc, etc) or any number of other deveploment tools? Therfore, to me a real OS still means UNIX, OSX or Windows. iOs AND Honeyomb are not.
I am not here just to bash, I am here to offer some levity to others who may read this forum and get the impression the transformer (and I should really be saying Honeycomb and/or the Tegra 2 platform) is omething that it is not. To be fair, it has some pretty serious limitations (as does the iPad) and in my opinion, it has not still yet reached maturity for broad market adoption. Having heard all the buzz about Android and how well it has done in the phone arena, I did truly expect a bit more. And they way the Xoom and Galaxy tabs are being marketed, it seems they are trying to hook the mass market, and I think many people will be disappointed.
Perhaps some people will find a way to get work done with a Honeycomb machine. I still see it as an entertaimnet piece first and foremost, and in that context, the iPad does a better job with less hassle.
Me? I am going to break out my ep121 and wince when I have to go running for the power cord after 3 hours.
Regarding video playback, I have over 100 movies whcih have already been ripped, and while most of them do play, they are choppy. Figuring my hourly consulting rate and what it would take for me to ttranscode all of them, I could buy a couple iPads. It's jsut not worth it.
I guess I am also a bit disappointed that the transformer has so much potential (great display, decent sound in stereo no less, good price, great form factor (albeit with the keyboard dock that is still near impossible to buy), low weight, great battery life, so all in all I'd love to have it be my amainstay machine, but realistically, it's going to sit on the shelf still most of the time as a testing platform while I lug around my ep121.
And to correct something I said earlier, yes I suppose the SD card is hot swapable, but you need to unmount it before removing it from it's slot. I got used to being able to just unplug it as you can with Windows 7.
And please, this is a computer when all is said and done. No need to insinute I am "impaired". Why people get so worked up about what is better then this that or the other thing is as baffling to me as the sports fanatics who get in fist fights when someone badmouths their team. I am offering an opinion for others to consider.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems like you picked the few things that the TF doesn't excel at and singled them out in an attempt to downgrade the device.
The Ipad is not perfect and neither is the TF. Same goes for ios and honeycomb.
Which device is better? Who cares, they're both great and have their pros and cons (which you should of known before hand unless you just shell out money for new devices without doing research) to each his own.
P.S from my experience, a lot of people love the ipad but the majority of people that I know (about 6 or 7 personally) who own both a TF and Ipad 2 prefer the TF over the ipad in most scenarios other than sitting on the toilet and playing plants vs zombies.
Once again, to each his own. People should have enough sense to weigh the pros and cons before purchasing something, let them decide if a device is right for them or not.
jgermuga said:
Seriously, I don't know how anyone can even begin to copare this to the ipad (1 or 2),
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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Do me a favor. Turn on your ipad and without touching a single icon, tell me what information is at your fingertips. The weather? The latest news on the war in iraq? Your stock prices? What your friends are up to? What time your dentist appointment is?
Not going to happen...

10.1 vs Transformer vs Ipad2

After I could compare the Ipad2, 10.1 and Transformer for days now, I decided to go and buy an Ipad2. Yes, I turned my back on Android and here's why:
10.1:
Very nice lookings, high quality and hardware but there is a big problem: the colors. On some pictures the saturation is so high that it kills lots of details every time 2 similar colors are nearby. Here you can see what I mean, check the right circle where orange and red meets - if the orange circle would be more reddish, you could hardly tell there are 2 rings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bkovoLXw4&feature=player_detailpage#t=208s
If you compare it to a perfect calibrated monitor, it looks like crap. Flashy, colorful and nice but details are gone. That's the one and only weaknes from what it offers. It's 16:9 display is a winner when it comes to videos but video playback is poor. Ipad2 is much better, even for flash, later more to come about it.
Another MAJOR problem is Samsung support. Android is a fresh system and needs tons of support. Samsung provides NONE. For EU, they still have no release dates or closer info about their device - just lol. For me, the 10.1 is just a step in the process to upgrade to Tegra3. They built the shell now and can use it for the next device to compete with Apple. Same like they did to the 10.1v - no support, they just forgot about it.
Transformer:
Diplay is pretty good but the build quality is crap. After I saw the Archos tablets with the bronze frame, I knew where Asus bought their stuff. Both have those sharp metal frames which are wrapped around the screen. TF and Archos have gaps between the frame and glas, with some kind of rubber to fill it. Asus tried to even out the sharp edges but you can see how cheap it is. Archos tablets can cut in your finger if you swipe around the edges ! For me: complete garbage quality, should cost 250$ max to satisfy the minimalist who just want's to read or something.
Ipad2:
This device is pretty awesome. First I thought the 4:3 diplay sucks for reading but after I measured books and calculated ratios, they were ALL closer to Ipad2 standards. That menas you will have less wasted space on Ipad. When surfing internet you will learn to love 4:3, everything fits perfectly while you feel how broken sites are on 16:9. The drawback are 16:9 movies without a border and the good about it, you have FULLSCREEN ! in emulators without scaling. There are also a lot of older movies/series with 4:3, which I prefer on travel anyway.
It is fluent everywhere and feels like my Galaxy S after getting the lagfix. Stock 3.1 is bull**** compared to it. The only point where it is superior, are widgets.
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
You can play Flash Videos on Ipad using Iswifter or other apps. Inconvinient sometimes but to my surprise, they are fluent on the Ipad - Androids are sluggish. The Ipad even played a movie fluent with 10 other flash animations around it !
The crappy part about the Ipad is itunes and the structure how app files are arranged. Every app has it's own folder, so if you use FTP or something to transfer via network, you have to put those files IN the app folder, so they can find it. Not a big deal, if the app folder wouln't be named like 429403290239203023948393. Android is way better, copy somewhere on SD and browse it. Sure you can use itunes to put everything together but Itunes won't work with Jailbroken apps from Cydia. This breaks the use of my NAS server at home, leaving me with ****ty USB-to-PC solutions if I want it the easy way. Music and Videos which are supported by NAS can be played over UPNP but I found more nice apps for that on Android as I could on Ipad.
Conclusion:
10.1 is a nice device but it's like to own a ferrari and only have crappy roads to drive on. Android kills the Tab, sadly. It's good for smartphones but not for tabs - it's worse as an alpha build of windows. Every manufactuerer does what he wants, there are no standards. Compatibility between Android versions are a joke - imagine you upgrade from win7 to win8 and everything stops working - arrrrrrrgh.
This may be fixed with 4.0 but it will take another 1-2 years for the software. Until then, there will be Win8, which could break Androids neck (if it's compatible to Win7 programms!). Also I can sell the Ipad2 for 200-300 bucks, even if Ipad3 is released, so screw it, will lose ~150-200€ to it. But it will buy me at least 6 months of fun.
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.
Wow there are so many problems with this post I don't even know where to begin. I think I will just address your last line:
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try telling that to the iPhone 3G users who upgraded to ios4 and had a device that was next to worthless. Apple pushed that update out to ose iPhones knowing it would turn it into a piece of **** 100% of the time.
dcc22 said:
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having met way more people with iPodTouch4/IP4/IPad1&2 that do this than those who DO NOT do this, it makes me wonder if the ideology of app devs to take preference to iOS for financial considerations is not completely flawed.
....what is the point of this post?
your inability to play with android OS and tweak it is not an excuse for you to say that android is flawed..with that said, i agree some stuff need to be fix, but its minor stuff such as typing on the browser...and...well thats it for me.
if you want something that work out of the box, agreed pick ipad 2, but if your geeky or you like linux pick android, more custimization then IOS can ever dream of.
THE firmwares with ripped features for different devices, as they become incompatible with every next release the iphone 3g and now 3gs with ios5. Don't tell me jailbreak is easy, it took the developers 3 months to make a jailbreak for ipad 2 which is still raw with compatibility issues! If buying the idevice is an excuse for free apps...probably games in your case with a new handheld gaming device than off board ye pirate! People jailbreak the device for customisation which is the soul of android os (which is not fresh but time tested and evolving i need not wait a whole year for new features to sprout, mostly inspired and already popular in other os!).
Ever heard of DFU mode, recovery mode? Similar terms and combos are used here! Atleast in android thanks to diversity if one model ain't suitable there is a myriad to choose from! Compare two devices of same platform when making a point.
I agree with G1 and the person above but since you decided to share...let me take a turn.
Why you felt the need to justify your iPad 2 choice in an Android related forum is beyond me.
You either realize or fail to see that Apple purposefully limits their tech. Minimal upgrades between generations. Even the newest iPhone won't support 4G from what I have heard yet they want to use LTE patents against Google?
Your train of thought that the iPad 2 is perfect is already starting to form.
The iPad's dimensions do not in any way make it better for video, reading, and web surfing. I was just having a debate with a friend who started complaining about where the dock port was on my Galaxy Tab 10.1. He was quickly shut up when I pointed out that cell phones have the port at the bottom so our hands can grip the sides. However a tablet is meant to be held in LANDSCAPE...that's why sticking the port in a different place was a smart decision.
Point being...he turned into another person claiming everything is horrible with Android. Guess what? He never owned an Android device. He actually has a Touch Pro 2 right now. IGNORANCE!
Look I've had an iPad. I know that jailbreaking it is POINTLESS. Your battery dies out super fast, the app selection is fairly weak, and all of that jailbreaking does nothing but try to replicate an Android experience. But it fails.
Unlike you, I do care about the future. I don't want to live in a world where everybody has the same glossy tablet with a slippery back so you can drop the darn thing. I don't want to be told what I can and cannot do on my tablet. I do not want to support any company intent on holding back technological progress for the sake of money or who buys patents just to sue other companies out performing them.
You have EVERY right to buy an iPad 2 but just know that your choices and who you choose to support speaks volumes. I have friends just like you. One day they're talking about freedom and openness. The next day they're justifying EVERYTHING Apple does. Cool. As long as I have a choice too.
As for your claims about Windows 8, it only serves to buttress how you allowed us yourself to come to your decision.
"Ignorance is bliss." That should be Apple's new tagline.
I love the OP and how he compares the worst of Android tablets to the best of iPad2 lol
4:3 is perfect for reading books with less wasted screen space. Yay! Now try reading comics and watching WS movies You prefer 4:3 movies? Good for you
Jailbreaking is easy for the iPad2 NOW! But do you know how long it took for the jailbreak to come out? That's right, they've been working on it since the iPad2 was released in March. Four months for a jailbreak to give you the 3rd party features equivalent of... Android. Who knows how long it will be the next time a new iPad/iDevice comes out. Compares that to the usual quick turn-around of rooting an Android device.
I'm happy that you're happy with your iPad 2. It's a nice device. But it sounds like you're just an iOS fan who tried Android and didn't like it.
I'm so glad you guys posted such thorough responses, so now I don't have to. I particularly like the point about why an Apple Fanboy felt the need to post his decision in an Android forum was beyond sensible.
goalweiser said:
I agree with G1 and the person above but since you decided to share...let me take a turn.
Why you felt the need to justify your iPad 2 choice in an Android related forum is beyond me.
You either realize or fail to see that Apple purposefully limits their tech. Minimal upgrades between generations. Even the newest iPhone won't support 4G from what I have heard yet they want to use LTE patents against Google?
Your train of thought that the iPad 2 is perfect is already starting to form.
The iPad's dimensions do not in any way make it better for video, reading, and web surfing. I was just having a debate with a friend who started complaining about where the dock port was on my Galaxy Tab 10.1. He was quickly shut up when I pointed out that cell phones have the port at the bottom so our hands can grip the sides. However a tablet is meant to be held in LANDSCAPE...that's why sticking the port in a different place was a smart decision.
Point being...he turned into another person claiming everything is horrible with Android. Guess what? He never owned an Android device. He actually has a Touch Pro 2 right now. IGNORANCE!
Look I've had an iPad. I know that jailbreaking it is POINTLESS. Your battery dies out super fast, the app selection is fairly weak, and all of that jailbreaking does nothing but try to replicate an Android experience. But it fails.
Unlike you, I do care about the future. I don't want to live in a world where everybody has the same glossy tablet with a slippery back so you can drop the darn thing. I don't want to be told what I can and cannot do on my tablet. I do not want to support any company intent on holding back technological progress for the sake of money or who buys patents just to sue other companies out performing them.
You have EVERY right to buy an iPad 2 but just know that your choices and who you choose to support speaks volumes. I have friends just like you. One day they're talking about freedom and openness. The next day they're justifying EVERYTHING Apple does. Cool. As long as I have a choice too.
As for your claims about Windows 8, it only serves to buttress how you allowed us yourself to come to your decision.
"Ignorance is bliss." That should be Apple's new tagline.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
God, I really like this post. Spoke about everything I wanted to say.
I dont want to be told what I can or cannot do. I want to tweak, optimize and control every setting that I can. There are tons of problems with JB and everyone, even a non-apple user like me, knows it. And without JB youre just living in a matrix that Steve Jobs dictates.
I would really like to hear the OP thoughts on flash. My friend tried to buy something on the web and couldnt use her credit card on the iphone. in the end I bought it for her using-yes my samsung 10.1- and she wrote me a check. And Steve Jobs is saying people dont need/shouldnt use/ cannot use flash on their mobile device.
This kinda makes me think of how I am training my 2 year old son to use the potty.
hmmm
I just recently got a galaxy tab 10.1, after spending the last month using an ipad2, I need both tablets for an app i am building.
And I can tell you this much, anyone that has an iphone will love an ipad2. Anyone that uses an ipad2 will be very very very happy with it.
But trust me, use that device for a month, then switch to honeycomb..... and it will blow you away.
One think I can say about apple is so easy to use, than it becomes boring after a while.thats why I have the samsung galaxy tab.
evolishesh said:
One think I can say about apple is so easy to use, than it becomes boring after a while.thats why I have the samsung galaxy tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple's draw over its competitors has been its simplicity for years - well before Android. Back in the day it was Microsoft. The sad truth is that reduced functionality in a shinier package is what most people want. Thankfully for those of us with a bit more intelligence, we have products like Android to keep us entertained.
SolusCado said:
Apple's draw over its competitors has been its simplicity for years - well before Android. Back in the day it was Microsoft. The sad truth is that reduced functionality in a shinier package is what most people want. Thankfully for those of us with a bit more intelligence, we have products like Android to keep us entertained.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. I love android and its platform
Um, wow. Glad everyone else said already literally everything I could think of responding to the OP with.
And personally, I will never buy a Win8 tablet until I can wipe it and install Android, Ubuntu or MeeGo on it.
Lorddeff07 said:
hmmm
I just recently got a galaxy tab 10.1, after spending the last month using an ipad2, I need both tablets for an app i am building.
And I can tell you this much, anyone that has an iphone will love an ipad2. Anyone that uses an ipad2 will be very very very happy with it.
But trust me, use that device for a month, then switch to honeycomb..... and it will blow you away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the non-ipad users, could you elaborate some points on that? I just want to know some actual comparisons aside from the well advertised facts, ex: flash.
All of these tablets have their quirks and flaws. Mostly with the software. I actually need to return my second 10.1 because it's been randomly turning off like my first. Must be due to heat.
In any case, I will wait for the next batch of tablets instead. Hopefully we start getting some stuff that's really spectacular. Like a processor that can handle the native resolution of HC and has more video codecs.
Colors are pretty drab on ipad and saturated on tab. Both screens need calibration.
Tabs screen is brighter and higher Res. Side by side with same pics regardless of source tab wins everytime. Anyone saying otherwise needs prescription checked.
There's a reason ipadhd is coming. Apple knows full well there display is now second rate.
dcc22 said:
After I could compare the Ipad2, 10.1 and Transformer for days now, I decided to go and buy an Ipad2. Yes, I turned my back on Android and here's why:
10.1:
Very nice lookings, high quality and hardware but there is a big problem: the colors. On some pictures the saturation is so high that it kills lots of details every time 2 similar colors are nearby. Here you can see what I mean, check the right circle where orange and red meets - if the orange circle would be more reddish, you could hardly tell there are 2 rings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bkovoLXw4&feature=player_detailpage#t=208s
If you compare it to a perfect calibrated monitor, it looks like crap. Flashy, colorful and nice but details are gone. That's the one and only weaknes from what it offers. It's 16:9 display is a winner when it comes to videos but video playback is poor. Ipad2 is much better, even for flash, later more to come about it.
Another MAJOR problem is Samsung support. Android is a fresh system and needs tons of support. Samsung provides NONE. For EU, they still have no release dates or closer info about their device - just lol. For me, the 10.1 is just a step in the process to upgrade to Tegra3. They built the shell now and can use it for the next device to compete with Apple. Same like they did to the 10.1v - no support, they just forgot about it.
Transformer:
Diplay is pretty good but the build quality is crap. After I saw the Archos tablets with the bronze frame, I knew where Asus bought their stuff. Both have those sharp metal frames which are wrapped around the screen. TF and Archos have gaps between the frame and glas, with some kind of rubber to fill it. Asus tried to even out the sharp edges but you can see how cheap it is. Archos tablets can cut in your finger if you swipe around the edges ! For me: complete garbage quality, should cost 250$ max to satisfy the minimalist who just want's to read or something.
Ipad2:
This device is pretty awesome. First I thought the 4:3 diplay sucks for reading but after I measured books and calculated ratios, they were ALL closer to Ipad2 standards. That menas you will have less wasted space on Ipad. When surfing internet you will learn to love 4:3, everything fits perfectly while you feel how broken sites are on 16:9. The drawback are 16:9 movies without a border and the good about it, you have FULLSCREEN ! in emulators without scaling. There are also a lot of older movies/series with 4:3, which I prefer on travel anyway.
It is fluent everywhere and feels like my Galaxy S after getting the lagfix. Stock 3.1 is bull**** compared to it. The only point where it is superior, are widgets.
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
You can play Flash Videos on Ipad using Iswifter or other apps. Inconvinient sometimes but to my surprise, they are fluent on the Ipad - Androids are sluggish. The Ipad even played a movie fluent with 10 other flash animations around it !
The crappy part about the Ipad is itunes and the structure how app files are arranged. Every app has it's own folder, so if you use FTP or something to transfer via network, you have to put those files IN the app folder, so they can find it. Not a big deal, if the app folder wouln't be named like 429403290239203023948393. Android is way better, copy somewhere on SD and browse it. Sure you can use itunes to put everything together but Itunes won't work with Jailbroken apps from Cydia. This breaks the use of my NAS server at home, leaving me with ****ty USB-to-PC solutions if I want it the easy way. Music and Videos which are supported by NAS can be played over UPNP but I found more nice apps for that on Android as I could on Ipad.
Conclusion:
10.1 is a nice device but it's like to own a ferrari and only have crappy roads to drive on. Android kills the Tab, sadly. It's good for smartphones but not for tabs - it's worse as an alpha build of windows. Every manufactuerer does what he wants, there are no standards. Compatibility between Android versions are a joke - imagine you upgrade from win7 to win8 and everything stops working - arrrrrrrgh.
This may be fixed with 4.0 but it will take another 1-2 years for the software. Until then, there will be Win8, which could break Androids neck (if it's compatible to Win7 programms!). Also I can sell the Ipad2 for 200-300 bucks, even if Ipad3 is released, so screw it, will lose ~150-200€ to it. But it will buy me at least 6 months of fun.
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same thing,I had the transformer for week return it and waited for the galaxy tab,I love the galaxy tab but too much force closes and app crashing.I exchange tab for ipad2 and jailbreak it.
I am very happy with the ipad,but I miss honeycomb,hope ice-cream sandwich and all manufactures they stop using nvidia Tegra
The hardware is there, and Google is revving up for Ice Cream Sandwich right now, which will hopefully bring some much needed changes to current Android
Tablets.
Sent from my Fascinate with MIUI Gingerbread
The fact that you're here means you don't mind getting your hands dirty.
So you have one simple choice - have your device running as you want it by managing the device yourself, loading ROMs from XDA - or not and wait until Apple decide to fix something.
XDA is fantastic - here there's talented bunch of guys & gals mixing & matching the best features from roms of different vendors into something unique.
There is no comparison between Apple & Android.

Comparing HC devices to the ipad2

Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?
goodintentions said:
Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea what you're talking about, seriously. I had an iPad and now iPad 2 as well as the Iconia and love em both for their separate strengths. We have 3 ipad2's in our house and due to my job, they are stuffed to the gills with all kinds of apps and none have frozen, needed to be restarted or crashed. There have been an occasion app that has refused to load, but nothing like you are gleefully mentioning.
As for your rumor regarding screen issues, I posted something about this earlier today- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1188841 - the iPads have consistently been the screen by which all others are compared and reports of light bleed, from what I've read, have been a rare defect.
I'm also loving my Android devices now that my Infuse is rooted (ROM is next) and my Iconia has HC3.1. There are days when I only use something running iOS for phone calls (my iPhone still has my main number). But Android it still doesn't have the polish iOS does (/ducks to avoid flames and large stones... ) which I blame more on the OEM's than the software. Android, again IMO, also doesn't have as many quality apps- game, productivity, multimedia, graphics, etc. But this is just a matter of time.
Is iOS the "perfect" blend of hardware and software? Maybe not, but IMHO, it's the closest to it for an "out of the box" experience at the moment. I'm sure with enough tweaks, ROMs and hacks, an experienced owner could create a near perfect tablet experience and while the ability to do all that is the beauty of Android, you can't expect your average user to do anything close to that.
So I don't know if your post was a troll shot and I got suckered into replying, but I guess I'm replying as an iPad and Android owner that doesn't feel like I have to boast about one product to denigrate another. Other than stating how a particular OS suits their expectations more than the other, I've never been around any iPad owners chanting about how superior their tab is, that's just ridiculous... of course all the iPad owners I know other than my son are adults...
goodintentions said:
Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think some Apple folks suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect as well as some cognitive dissonance - caused by the ADF (Apple Distortion Field).
Any and all Apple products, therefore - as superior to any competing product. Any and all Apple strategies are superior to any competing brands strategies.
Any and all Apple "stuff" is superior to any competing "stuff".
Once you understand and agree to compromise (shut yo mouth, foo!), you'll get along with them.
Now, these statements are a mixture of jokes and certain feelings I may possibly really believe .
Either way, the truth of the matter is the iPad and iPad 2 are great products. I think they are extremely thoughtfully made for better or for worse. I think they choose processes that make them great looking and 'easy'. I also think they are terrigreedy, holding back tech. and restricting certain features in order to squeeze money from customers. But give any company a chance and they'd do this - don't think it's just Apple. They are simply getting away with it, and that upsets folks.
I haven't seen many products which touch Apple quality in terms of materials they use and such. Apple's been shipping laptops with backlit keyboards for a while, look how long it took PC makers to do the same? (Granted, Apple notebooks are at a more than 70% premium, but still...nice, right?).
The light bleed may be an issue for some but think about it, most Apple users aren't doing anything to accentuate it. We're hard on our stuff! We really are. We penalize our hardware harshly, they don't (for the most part) and those that do are probably not Apple fans.
We turn lights off and make our screens pitch black in order to check for problems we wouldn't notice unless/until we search for them, they don't...they use and enjoy their stuff. While I do not agree that the iPad 2 is a BETTER device than even the A500, I do think it contains some parts that may be considered superior. That doesn't mean the competition (A500, Tab 10.1, TF) doesn't beat the pants off of the iPad 2, they in general do in terms of playing movies, games and such - but it means that a TYPICAL user will probably get 1. less heartache and 2. more enjoyment out of the iPad 2, while there's sort of a small learning curve for Android Tablets.
I hope this makes sense.
I'm a little biased, you can tell...but I'm objective enough to know good technology when I see/use it.
tazm0n said:
So I don't know if your post was a troll shot and I got suckered into replying, but I guess I'm replying as an iPad and Android owner that doesn't feel like I have to boast about one product to denigrate another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, no, it's not a troll shot. I take the train everyday to work, so I encounter quite a few ipad users on a daily basis. Even at work I run into them. There's something about the ipad that makes people want to look down on everyone who uses something else.
Neoprimal said:
I haven't seen many products which touch Apple quality in terms of materials they use and such. Apple's been shipping laptops with backlit keyboards for a while, look how long it took PC makers to do the same? (Granted, Apple notebooks are at a more than 70% premium, but still...nice, right?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean, no, not really. I HAVE a macbook, and don't care about, nor will look for a backlit kb on my next laptop... The mofo has also developed an annoying problem where it seems to see phantom touchpad presses and repositions my cursor at random.
I've the Iconia and the original iPad.
If I didn't have 'weird' requirements from a tablet, which are:
Connect a KB/Mouse for RDP
Use Bittorrent client (for legit purposes of course!!!)
... I would use the ipad every single time.
IMO, it's just a much much much nicer experience to use. Now, don't bother contradicting me on that. It's MY opinion and it's MY experience.
It's just smoother, nicer, better apps and the tablet itself is nicer (esp the iPad 2 which I have access to at work).
I've been thinking recently tho.. what I really want is a 13.3" Windows 8 tablet with Tegra 3, full size USB/HDMI, and something like a retina display and be same weight/thickness as iPad2.
Then I can ditch my laptop which I really only use to play Windows only games.
I also want 13.3" cos 10" is too small to work on all day long and I hate my work desk cluttered by a big fat clunky external screen. Just waiting for those transparent displays like u get in Avatar.
Windows 8 so I can install Diablo 3 on it when it comes out. Or OSX or whatever since I guess D3 will be out on Mac as well.
All I want is one all-encompassing device (and by the time D3 comes out, that shouldn't be too hard....)
MrBoingy said:
... I would use the ipad every single time.
IMO, it's just a much much much nicer experience to use. Now, don't bother contradicting me on that. It's MY opinion and it's MY experience.
It's just smoother, nicer, better apps and the tablet itself is nicer (esp the iPad 2 which I have access to at work).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not trying to argue against you, but thought I'd just offer my personal view on that too, since I have experience on both devices too. I have an Ipad and the Iconia in my home as well, my wife has the iPad2 and I have this tab. Before I got the tab, she used to have the original iPad, and I used it quite a bit...she upgraded to the 2 around the time when I got my toy, after which I've barely touched the iPad2.
Now, I really like the iPad - I really do. When we just had that, I used it all the time (too much according to my wife ). It's snappy, clear to use, simple...nice device, I really like it for very basic stuff.
However, when that was the only tablet thing we had, I had to use my laptop/desktop much more than I do now, I felt like it was "too basic" for my needs. I didn't use to think I go to many flash sites, but I guess I do...there were plenty of things that just didn't work with the Safari, unfortunately. Plus the whole media experience is completely different, with the iPad I never watched anything since I just couldn't...it supported absolutely nothing of my current video collection, nothing works, everything should've been re-encoded and somehow (itunes I guess) brought into the iPad, which I didn't want to bother with - I have my setup and there are plenty of standards to go with how I access my stuff (DLNA, SMB, etc.), I didn't want to bend over backwards to redo everything. And now, with my Iconia, I can stream vidoes of whatever format from my home server, copy files by plugging in the USB or using samba etc. all sorts of options for that. So to me, the Iconia / HC tabs are clearly more useful than the iPad, the Android tablet is more of a computer in that way, it works with my existing network, just plugs into it. So yeah, I prefer it. Greatly. And even physically, I have to say I prefer the Iconia now...the 4:3 aspect ration on the iPad just looks wrong now.
But anyway, not trying to argue, just offering my views on the two devices. Like you, I see good points in both, but I'd say I strongly prefer the Android tablets for the more "computer-like" power they have and the way they interact with the existing setup I have.

Is the XOOM still relevant?

I'm in the market to get a new/first tablet. I've been looking around the web a bit. The new Asus transformer prime is sounding like a beast, but with the keyboard dock it will probably be fairly expensive and I'm not sure I really need that kind of power for my uses. Then I saw the new Xoom2 and I was intrigued but saw a lot of "it's barely an upgrade from the Xoom" kind of posts. After looking at the specs for Xoom and considering the fact that it will probably be significantly cheaper than the new gen of tablets, I'm possibly interested in it. Here's what I want from a tablet:
+Browsing - I want a tablet that is very capable of browsing the internet with ease and fluidity.
+Work/Note-taking/productivity - I want to be able to write articles and write down lecture notes very easily. How good is the typing experience on 10inch tablets with the virtual keyboard? There is always the bluetooth keyboard option I suppose.
+Movies/youtube - I want a tablet that's great for watching videos. How's the display on the Xoom?
+Front-facing camera - I need a tablet capable of doing video chat well. How good is the quality of the front facing camera and video chatting?
+Speed - I don't need a super-powered beast, but I need something that won't struggle on a day-to-day basis and that runs fast. How's the speed and fluidity on this tablet? With the Quad-core transformer prime coming, I want to know how this actually performs.
+Camcorder - In actuality I don't plan on using a tablet for its camera or camcorder, but I would have some use for good video recording on a tablet. Not really a factor in my decision, but how is the video recording quality on this thing?
+Design/styling - I've seen a lot of references to the thickness of the Xoom, but it does't look bad to me in pics/videos. How does this tablet actually look irl to you?
+Future Updates - I understand that this will be getting ICS. Not sure it will continue to get further updates. However, it is my belief that the original Xoom is bound to have probably the largest online community for a tablet for a while. That means that even if this doesn't get future updates, the community here will probably be able to support this tablet for quite a while (like the OG droid). Does that sound right?
+Pricing/availability - How much do new Xoom's tend to cost? Quick ebay search seemed to say around $450+ but that doesn't sound right. I suppose once the Xoom2 is released, motorola will reduce the price on their website.
+Your opinion - What is your overall opinion on the Xoom? Would you still recommend it?
Thanks
the browsing experience in xoom is fantastic
For me, typing is not too bad.. i nvr use a bt keyboard but a tablet stand with typing angle
The display quality of xoom is just normal.. anyway with good video player, the quality is still above average
Video chat works great on skype n gtalk
In stock 3.2, for me, with normal use, the speed is good enough. Anyway if u wan blazing fast u may root n flash custom roms n kernels .. n may overclock it too
Video recording is nice
For me the design is good n solid. Thickness of this device makes my fingers wont feel tired after a long use .. too slim may tired our finger
At this point in time the xoom is outdated. We all knew it would happen, hell every other month something new and shiny comes out.
Wait for the Transformer prime the first tegra 3 (quad core) tab.
tpham08901 said:
At this point in time the xoom is outdated. We all knew it would happen, hell every other month something new and shiny comes out.
Wait for the Transformer prime the first tegra 3 (quad core) tab.
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Click to collapse
I know in comparison to what's coming, the specs of the XOOM seem outdated. However, I believe that the Transformer prime with the keyboard dock will be quite pricey (and who knows when it will get to Canada) whereas the XOOM shouldn't be. I want to know if the XOOM is right for my interests as mentioned in OP.
There is hardly any real difference between any of the "main" tablets out there right now. The hardware is essentially the same, the only real difference is with the types of ports the tablets have (USB, HDMI, microSD, etc). I chose the Xoom after the release of the Tab 10.1 because I hated how Samsung went with their proprietary dock for everything (like Apple does), and also the tab 10.1 feels like it would break easily. Yes, the Xoom is still very relevant, it has the same hardware as all of the other current tablets, has the best build quality, gets OS updates first, and has all of the ports you'll need. The only detractor is the LCD is not as bright as say the Tab 10.1. It's barely any thicker than the other tablets, but it is a bit heavier, mainly due to the fact that it isn't made out of thin plastic.
I too don't like the "plasticky" look and feel of the Galaxy tablets.
I was looking around and it seems that the Xoom has no haptic feedback? I find haptic feedback quite useful for touch typing. Has it been a drawback for your typing experience or does it make no difference?
syrenz said:
I too don't like the "plasticky" look and feel of the Galaxy tablets.
I was looking around and it seems that the Xoom has no haptic feedback? I find haptic feedback quite useful for touch typing. Has it been a drawback for your typing experience or does it make no difference?
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Haptic feedback is nice for devices with garbage touch screens, or when your fingers are ice cold and as dry as burnt toast... But for my uses, it hasn't been missed on my xoom.
Without having a quad core tablet to test and compare to, it is hard to say which will be better for cost vs. benefit. Just like PC's I expect that going from a dual core to a quad core CPU will make almost no difference for most users for the first few months or years- except for those users who know exactly why they want a quad. Just a guess, and a large part of why I bought a xoom a couple weeks ago.
Basically for me: The xoom is the best supported, best built tablet on the market, with specs equivalent to the other new shiny tablets. The screen is perfectly acceptable to me, the battery life is mind-blowing and browsing is far better than I thought possible on an Android device. Just don't expect HD flash content to work well in a browser. The unlockable bootloader was also a major consideration. I don't feel like there is any other tablet that compares currently, and I don't think I'd give up my bootloader for 4 cores... and if that is so important to me, I doubt the quad would be worth the difference in cash for me to be an early adopter. (I like being an early adopter too!)
Anyway, that's my 2¢.
Let's be realistic about what you are going to do with your tablet. Read email, browse the internet, watch some youtube videos, read a book. The Xoom does all of these things exceedingly well. I would even venture to say that it does them all just as good if not better than anything else on the market at the moment.
Being power hungry is awesome, and the newer 67-core processors are sweet but you aren't doing high end graphics or video editing on your tablet...so is it worth the extra money? Right now you can get brand new Xooms for like $350 in some places. I gladly shelled out $600 for mine at the time...so $350 for a new one is a damn good deal.
Also, there is something to be said for the AOSP experience. The Honeycomb featured on the Xoom isn't loaded with a bunch of UI layers to "enhance" the user experience. It's straight Android.
I'd also say it will get ICS before any of the other tablets do.
nooomoto;19106377Right now you can get brand new Xooms for like $350 in some places. [/QUOTE said:
Can you give some examples of where I could get that? Thanks
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syrenz said:
Can you give some examples of where I could get that? Thanks
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1335020
Actually the prime will be 499 and the original TF will stay at 399
I think people pay too much attention to the hardware, when the software matters more, or even most.
Hardware-wise, as someone already said, things are pretty similar. All Teg2 tabs perform the same, and the OMAP4 is roughly equivalent. The one exception is video. OMAP4 is better on HD vids, so get that if watching vids is important to you.
Buyers all want "smoothness." That mostly depends on the OS and apps, and things like the Flash plugin. Honeycomb was kind of a beta in this respect, and hopefully ICS will bring more refinement. This aside, my opinion is that "smoothness" is mostly within the user's control. Watch what apps you run in the background, and don't load up on stuff like live wallpapers, etc.
Software always run at least one cycle behind the hardware. Most Android apps and games I've seen are still geared toward phones, although many will use the higher resolution if available. I've yet to see a game that really tax the Tegra2. The latest AAA shooter, Shadowgun, runs smoothly on a Nook Color, which has only a single-core A8. My takeaway is that current tablets should be fine for all the software for this and next year, at least until the next cycle when Jelly Belly appears.
>Can you give some examples of where I could get that?
WalMart currently sells refurb 32GB Xooms for $350. I'm fairly certain these are clearanced Xooms being rebranded. The only diff is that they may have a shorter warranty. You can find out your warranty period here,
https://motorola-global-portal.cust...i-fi---service:-frequently-asked-questions#w1
These shouldn't be confused with the newer Xoom Family Edition (FE), which is also around $350. I'd suggest against the FE despite its better screen, since it has no community support at the moment, and probably won't. Devs & enthusiasts will either hang onto their current Xoom, or upgrade to a newer tablet.
That said, the new Xoom2's aren't that much more. The 8.2" will be $400, and the 10" will likely be $450. New toys will always get better support--from both the vendor and the new community--than old toys.
e.mote said:
That said, the new Xoom2's aren't that much more. The 8.2" will be $400, and the 10" will likely be $450. New toys will always get better support--from both the vendor and the new community--than old toys.
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They are? That's not bad at all. Thought they were both over $500. Are they going to come to America/Canada though?
syrenz said:
They are? That's not bad at all. Thought they were both over $500. Are they going to come to America/Canada though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The other question is whether the newer tablets (including Xoom two) will have unlockable bootloaders so they can be modded. The Xoom Family Media Edition doesn't, which is why there isn't any development for it.
Okay this is kind of mean to me... http://www.dailysteals.com/
I haven't had enough time to make my decision yet but this site wants to pressure me to get one within 22 hours and save... argh
Browsing - all 10,1" tablets available at REASONABLE price will perform similar
Work/Note-taking/productivity - you will not do that too often, trust me I use BT keyboard for longer cha...err... work, and Hacker's Keyboard (onscreen almost-real QWERTY keyboard) for quick texts.
Movies/youtube - I actualy re-discovered Youtube with my XOOM. You will need to buy Dice Player to enjoy full quality full length movies. XOOM's display is a little pale comparing to my SGS' sAMOLED screen. BUT it does not burn your eyes out.
Speed - like in every other IT field, the more crap you put, the less speed you get. You can always OC your tablet, but... what for?
Design/styling - XOOM looks like a heavy-duty device, while GT10.1 looks like a child's toy. Yes, aesthetics should not be discussed, since its interpretation is a matter of taste.
Future Updates - ICS for sure, who knows about the rest. As long as XDA Community exists, there is hope
Opinion - Well... I paid ~530$ last month for my second-hand XOOM 3G EU (yay, its good that all the people in Poland are sooooo wealthy that it makes no difference for us to pay much more for toys... ). And would pay it again if given another chance Played with Tab 10.1" - thin plastic didn't like that + the price? ~850$, geez... Thought about Transformer. Almost bought it, but with no keyboard dock and no 3G modem. ~530$. Docked and modem-ed? ~850$...
Well, you do not need a 16-core device to enjoy it, especially that there are no apps or games that could utilize all that power. I know, I know, some people buy themselves a Ferrari just to drive it slowly through the country, but... (well that was not a brilliant sentence).
Edited: one more thing - there ALWAYS is an upcoming, better-than-available device. You can wait forever.
Does the Xoom do what it did when it furst came out, yes, in which case to me it is still relivant.
>http://www.dailysteals.com/
They won't run out any time soon. The daily bargain sites rely on the classic buying button: a deal is more appealing when it's time-limited. "Hurry and buy now before it's gone!" Prices for Teg2 tabs will continue to drop. The Xoom will be $300 or less by Black Friday.
>there ALWAYS is an upcoming, better-than-available device. You can wait forever.
Tech toys and their pricing have cycles, and it's always better to buy at the start rather than the end of a cycle. You have more choices, and prices are lower (on the old toys). Moreover, the start of the tech toy cycle is timed to coincide with the holiday shopping season, which is when the best deals are to be had.
IOW, from now until the end of the year (any year) is the best time to buy new toys.
@OP
What's the "best" tab depends mostly on you and how you use one. The Xoom has many good qualities: high build quality, 32GB, good community support, available ports, dual-band wifi, etc. Its one notable drawback is that it's heavy.
Weight is a big deal if you plan to hold a tab unsupported for extended periods. It's not a big deal if you offset the weight with a supporting surface--your lap, a surface, etc. If your envisioned use is mostly while standing, then a lighter (or may be smaller) tablet is better.
More ergonomic stuff: I like the Xoom2's rubberized bezel (as opposed to edge-to-edge glass or plain plastic on most tablets). The more friction the bezel can provide, the lighter the needed handgrip, and the less hand fatigue.
OTOH, I don't pay much attention to the "thin-is-in" trend, although I understand it's necessary for marketing. A thinner tablet can actually be less comfortable to hold, if the edge is thin enough that it cuts into the palm of your holding hand. The tapered edge and smooth metal surfaces of the Asus TF Prime make it look very chic and sleek, but I wouldn't want to hold one for very long.
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syrenz said:
Okay this is kind of mean to me... http://www.dailysteals.com/
I haven't had enough time to make my decision yet but this site wants to pressure me to get one within 22 hours and save... argh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw this link, and instantly pulled out my credit card.
I'm getting a xoom
Im a little late on this debate and the opinions are all completely valid.. I have had a xoom since my joining date of xda, also last week I just purchased another xoom after a very disappointing experience with an acer a500 (that i got to further provide experience in the realm of android); i also found the dev scene in xda on the a500 was rude and not at all friendly; that is a big thing for me I havn't been an a-hole to anyone and help as much as I can, the xoom forums are awesome for that as well
Browsing - browsing has been really good, first off I have to say i was a app junkie and had always used an app for the browser, flash worked well on most of them for me, some sites were poops but hey i also have a laptop lol.. i then rediscovered the xoom stock browser and say I use it almost exclusively and love it
Work/Note-taking/productivity - you can do many things, however my personal opinion is your ability to do these things are limited to exactly what you want to do. there are good-ish apps for work related things with office typed products; however for my university work I have noticed that I cannot do much of the things I want and compatibility issues are still there like good powerpoint manipulation etc, this is not a problem of the xoom this is a problem for the apps so whether you have a new/old whatever tab the experience with this is limited to my previous comments. If you need to type just documents like memos, letters, etc you should be fine with the current state of affairs
Movies/youtube - I havnt actually watched many videos on my xoom, as I dont have any on it at the moment, I will be on holiday soon and will definitely be watching some on the plane and i already have dice player in anticipation, it plays them quite clearly and depending on the video parameters you should be quite happy. I have watched flashed based videos on websites and they play great and keep me entertained
Speed - even with stock rom i had good speed, no lags, no reboots, nothing i was so stoked with my xoom, compared to the a500 where it had lag like all hell and rebooted frequently on stock rom, was poop
Design/styling - the xoom is not a elegant device as many are aware, however, in all honesty the asthetics are frequently covered by things such as a case, screen protector, hands, etc so why do people place so much emphasis on this. I wanted functionality, the xoom was the best for this and I am still smiling at it
Future Updates - ICS will come as soon as source is released, I think this is why the devs here are a tad quiet, they are either working on something now, or waiting until source is released, and then it will explode with a whole new set of roms
Opinion - i love my xoom, sure I am thinking about the transformer prime however, the price may make my stay away mainly because I have a laptop that I payed a small car for in price, I don't need to pay for other crap... i would like the prime maybe down the track when price is lowered or the dev scene is bigger like 'tegra3 dedicated games' or something of the like but I will almost certainly have to get one from overseas, australia is the last place to get electronics and we pay a premium for outdated stuff from our local vendors the screw merchants and they wonder why the aussie people are all buying online... anyway I digress.. I say go to your local walmart (or your stores over there sorry for the generalisation) and ask to have a little play, then you will instantly see what we are all talking about... even jump to the other forums on xda and see how the dev scene is and see how people treat each other, if your gonna buy a device on here im sure your going to be a part of the relevant thread and if you recieve no help or are screwed over you will be annoyed and resent your device
sorry for the long post and I hope i have helped

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