From heaven to Hell in 5 weeks - Xoom General

Two months ago, I was getting ready for my vacation (first one in six years) and a trip to US (Going next week). I spent several days checking forums, sites, magazines, everything that would help me choose the best tablet, and Xoom looked like the best option.
I never liked Apple and Ipad. To 'restricted' I’m my opinion. It's like a fine car that doesn't allow you to change the gear, break, accelerate or even steering. Basically the only think you can do is to insert address in the GPS and horn!
I have a Samsung galaxy S and so fat it’s the best phone I have ever had. I already had HTC, Kaiser, Blackberry, Motorola, LG, Nokia, etc and this is, by far, the best one. At first it was terrible: slow, too may Samsung bloatware, terrible battery live, but after flashing few cooked roms it transformed itself to a new device. It was Clark and now became Superman.
Back to the Tablets, when I was looking for the best tablet for me I checked other tablets as well: Samsung didn't had micro SD slot, no HDMI output and it also had almost the same weight as Xoom. Rim Tablet was too "Blackberry alike", and with an unknown OS. LG didn't have all the option as the Motorola Xoom and Ipad is… Ipad. So Xoom looked like the best option available. I decided to pre-order the Wi-Fi version to be delivered to the hotel address because I was afraid of a possible shortage. I have only one shot and I couldn`t miss it. Also this way I would be able to use it as my main computer during the trip. The Xoom is already waiting me on the hotel front desk…
….But I wish it wasn’t. In few weeks Xoom changed from the best available option to the worst option in the new Android market.
First, Motorola wasn’t able to keep up with other companies. Samsung did a major strategic movement and decided to re-design their table. Samsung created a tablet that weight just like an Ipad, and almost 30% less than the Xoom with almost the same specs as the Xoom. Samsung included a MicroSD slot, a much better screen (Super IPS) and HDMI while keeping same price as an Ipad 2. I can get the 16gb version for 100 less than the Xoom and I will still able to buy three or more 16gb MicroSD. Looking at the Samsung tablet make you feel like Motorola isn’t even trying. Bulkier, heavier an more expensive (ok 32gb is the same price, but they didn’t include a 16gb version which is cheaper if you think that you can get a 16gb MicroSD for 30 now.)
In the meantime Motorola is fighting itself: news that they will drop the production of Xoom, e-mails sent to Xda to remove .dump file, locket bootloader on the atrix and droid phones. It looks like Motorola is attacking the only thing that could save the Xoom: The community that could help support the device by making customs rom and other improvements.
In my opinion, it looks like Motorola is working hard to prevent customs Roms to the Xoom
So I keep asking myself if I should keep the Xoom, and the short answer is: No. I shouldn’t
I will be needing a tablet during my trip and I still haven`t decided if I should keep my Xoom until I can get a Samsung Tab or if I should send it back to Amazon and get a Asus Transformer. I am afraid that keeping the Xoom for too much time I won`t be able sell it in the future. I`m feeling like I am with a time bomb on my lap and if I doesn`t sell it fast enough it will blow.
And I have no doubt that it will be much easier to sell an Asus Transformer or an Acer A 500 than sell the Xoom in the near future. Hey, the transformer have a different strategy (that it can also be used as a netbook) so I may ending keeping it (but I still like Samsung Tab 10.1 best).
For now, Xoom is just better than nothing because there are no other android devices available. From April 24th (Acer A500 launch) it will face the competition of Acer. After that Asus and Samsung. The truth is that I haven`t even open the Xoom box, but I’m already with bitter taste in my mouth.
Some people talk about Xoom having the premium price. You paid more because you wanted to have the first Android device in the market ahead from everyone. OK, but would you pay this “premium price” if you knew that it would only last four weeks? That after 4 weeks you would have 4 new and better options (cheaper ones) available? Also, how much “premium price” you’ll have to pay? You already paying it in dollars, but you already paying it in the fact that the OS have bugs (like Mem space bug), that the SD card doesn’t work, that the screen is worst than every other device. How much you’ll have to pay as premium price?
Now I just need to know how can I return an unopened Xoom to Amazon and have a refund to purchase and Acer or and Asus for 200 bucks less.
It’s sad when you haven’t event received a new gadget but you already have give up on it, but it is worst when you realized that even the manufacture have already give up on the device.

isnt the galaxy tab shipping with FROYO? with Samsung's track record, I doubt it'll get honeycomb in 2011, gingerbread is a more realistic goal, maybe near christmas?
Xoom is a great tablet and I'm sorry that you've decided to return it without even using it.
This same thread has been posted too many times, and needs to be added to a forum FAQ or something. "Should I buy x if y is coming out soon?" turns into "Should I buy y if z is coming out soon?". At some point you just have to make a purchase and accept that no technology is going to be "the best" for very long

Wait, you haven't even opened the box and we get this long rant?
Use the device, let your experience guide your choices. The simple fact is that the Xoom is a powerful and beautiful slate, if you are one of us who love it out of the box.
We have root, we have overclock and regardless of the Xoom platform Honeycomb will have a strong community support even if because it is Android.
I for one am a power user and love my Xoom, it's attractive and does it's job well for my tastes.
Regardless, you need to experience the thing in your environment before you decide it isn't worth your time. Normally the hurdle would be the purchase, but you've already passed that one. Take the time to configure and play, then decide!

Dubar said:
isnt the galaxy tab shipping with FROYO? with Samsung's track record, I doubt it'll get honeycomb in 2011, gingerbread is a more realistic goal, maybe near christmas?
Xoom is a great tablet and I'm sorry that you've decided to return it without even using it.
This same thread has been posted too many times, and needs to be added to a forum FAQ or something. "Should I buy x if y is coming out soon?" turns into "Should I buy y if z is coming out soon?". At some point you just have to make a purchase and accept that no technology is going to be "the best" for very long
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Galaxy Tab 10 is not shipping with 2.2. Launching with 3.0.

LordLugard said:
Galaxy Tab 10 is not shipping with 2.2. Launching with 3.0.
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my bad, must be thinking of the older one; I feel sorry for anyone who bought that oversized phone that doesnt make calls
After using honeycomb, 2.x just doesnt make sense on a tablet
edit: I cant wait for all these new tablets to come out so people can start to differentiate between problems with the xoom and problems with honeycomb.

It's amazing how you've managed to out dumb every single other post in xoom general with this ridiculous pointless rant.
You've not even opened the box and you're complaining about the xoom.
The xoom is the most unlocked device moto has ever produced, it won't ever be locked.
You have nothing to backup your claims at all. There is nothing about the new tablets coming out that will reduce your enjoyment of the xoom. If you keep worrying about the next tablet and then the next tablet you will never have a tablet, and never be happy.
The xoom is a wonderful device with a lot going for it and nothing samsung or acer does will change that for me.
Honestly its your fault for ordering something so far ahead of time, especially a device like this that had almost no chance of selling out.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

I'm sure that the description "From Heaven to Hell" seems a bit dramatic to most readers, but if thats the way you feel, you will probably never be happy with the Xoom even after the upgrades & updates.
The more I read the more I realize the Xoom really is only going to one of the best tablets after it's hacked, overclocked and running a high quality custom ROM. This is the way I always intended to use the Xoom, though I am learning that I really am in the minority of users. Those consumers having no intention of hacking the tablet are likely to be disappointed when comparing it to a more "finished" product.
I add my experience to this post only to help illustrate the importance of considering the intended use of the product by the individual giving his opinion of it. Critics of users who are dissatisfied with the Xoom seem to overlook that relevance and chastise them unjustly. Inevitably, every thread that includes negative opinions of the Xoom turns to **** as a polarized pissing contest ensues.
The ironic good part of this usual course of behavior is that waiting for these updates will give everyone a chance to get this crap out of their system so that by that time we can get busy talking about nothing but development, improvements and ROMs. Won't THAT be great?!

Sorry if you think that what I wrote is 'ridiculous pointless rant', but what a wrote is just what I am feeling so I am probably feeling ridiculous pointless right now.
About pre-ordering, yes it was a bad call. But I was in the US last thanksgiving and I spent two weeks trying to get a Xbox Kinect with no luck. I just didn`t want that to happened again. I also pre order a 3DS in the same way as the Xoom.
I agree that there is nothing from the new tables that would keep me from enjoying the Xoom, but that's not so simple. It's human nature to search for the best, and have the best. So I can say that except for some users that actually try several devices in order to choose the right one, most of the consumers will just choose the ones that looks the best. And between too devices, one 30% lighter and with the same specs, most of the users will go for the lighter even without testing.
I know that I am responsible for what happened but I think that what you should realize is that this will be the most typical scenario for the Xoom in the next weeks. Do you think that most of the consumers will act as XDA user and will do their homework (even then some XDA users will return theirs Xoom) or they will make their decisions like I did, in an impulse purchase?
Just look how many people stood on the line to purchase an Ipad 2 in the first day. None of these people were able to fully try Ipad before buying it. They just went for the one that looked the best.
And so this will probably happens with Android devices too. Most of people will go for the one with better specs or, in a secondary decision path, for the cheaper one. Very few people will go for the `right one for me`.
I just don't think that Motorola will hold on the Xoom if they start getting low sales numbers and high return rates. Motorola hasn't show that it will support Xoom if it fails in sale, and that's, combined to a POSSIBLE decision to prevent custom rooms (like they did in some Droid and Atrix phones) will turn out to be doom fall to Xoom users.

Psychokitty said:
I'm sure that the description "From Heaven to Hell" seems a bit dramatic to most readers, but if thats the way you feel, you will probably never be happy with the Xoom even after the upgrades & updates.
The more I read the more I realize the Xoom really is only going to one of the best tablets after it's hacked, overclocked and running a high quality custom ROM. This is the way I always intended to use the Xoom, though I am learning that I really am in the minority of users. Those consumers having no intention of hacking the tablet are likely to be disappointed when comparing it to a more "finished" product.
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I agree with the fact that Xoom will be a much better device after hacked and with custom Rom. I just don`t know if that will happen. Just look at the Atrix forum and the petition to have an unlocked bootloader. If I`m wrong please let me know but we are not sure, at this time, that there will be custom roms avaiable to the Xoom.

If I may throw my 2 cents into the can...
Yes, it looks like cheaper, and slimmer or lighter tablets are coming around the corner. Acer and Asus have it right in the price. Samsung built a thinner mouse trap, if you will, with redesigning the 8.9 and 10.1 Tabs.
Here's why the Xoom is my pick to date: Stock Android Device. Yes, all these tablets will have Honeycomb, but the OEM's are placing UI's on top. Granted, They don't appear to be too obtrusive to the Honeycomb experience (thank you Samsung for figuring that out) it will still be an issue when updates are released. I learned my lesson on the phone side and bought the Nexus S, and am so, so glad I did. Now, I don't want to get into a discussion of who the updates will be coming from, but it's obvious that a stock operating system will get the updates much, much faster than any devices with custom UI's. Samsung will have one, Asus will have one, hell HTC wants to put frigging Sense on their tablets. Yes people, you HTC tablet owners will get to stare at that stupid clock widget all day long on a bigger screen.
Look, I understand that the Xoom is way too expensive, I look at my Best Buy account and cringe, but I'm glad I pulled the trigger and bout the Xoom. It may not be a "Nexus" device per say, but for the joy of having the "pure Google experience" I'm all about the Xoom.

Dandarebr said:
I agree with the fact that Xoom will be a much better device after hacked and with custom Rom. I just don`t know if that will happen. Just look at the Atrix forum and the petition to have an unlocked bootloader. If I`m wrong please let me know but we are not sure, at this time, that there will be custom roms avaiable to the Xoom.
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the only thing stopping the development of custom roms right now is the lack of HC source code, so if the xoom never gets custom roms then no 3.x device will

chrisharmful said:
If I may throw my 2 cents into the can...
Yes, it looks like cheaper, and slimmer or lighter tablets are coming around the corner. Acer and Asus have it right in the price. Samsung built a thinner mouse trap, if you will, with redesigning the 8.9 and 10.1 Tabs.
Here's why the Xoom is my pick to date: Stock Android Device. Yes, all these tablets will have Honeycomb, but the OEM's are placing UI's on top. Granted, They don't appear to be too obtrusive to the Honeycomb experience (thank you Samsung for figuring that out) it will still be an issue when updates are released. I learned my lesson on the phone side and bought the Nexus S, and am so, so glad I did. Now, I don't want to get into a discussion of who the updates will be coming from, but it's obvious that a stock operating system will get the updates much, much faster than any devices with custom UI's. Samsung will have one, Asus will have one, hell HTC wants to put frigging Sense on their tablets. Yes people, you HTC tablet owners will get to stare at that stupid clock widget all day long on a bigger screen.
Look, I understand that the Xoom is way too expensive, I look at my Best Buy account and cringe, but I'm glad I pulled the trigger and bout the Xoom. It may not be a "Nexus" device per say, but for the joy of having the "pure Google experience" I'm all about the Xoom.
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I agree with most everything you said however, where is the microSD card support on Xoom? These new tablets are releasing with functional slots. For a flagship device for Honeycomb, I am a bit disappointed. I have had my Xoom since day 1 and being as patient as possible with this but seeing other honeycomb tablets release with microSD support is a slap in the face.

dandearebr,
notice this...
regarding development of android device you must have development device, until now the development device supported by google are : G1 (legacy, not supported anymore), Nexus One, Nexus S and Motorola Xoom... the last three have unlock bootoloader officially, not by doing a hack, G1 Dev are coming unlocked from the first day of release (except G1 T Mob)..
so now, are you sure the next coming HC tablets have official unlock bootloader? "fastboot oem unlock"
Droid, Desire, Xperia etc, they are not development device, so is Atrix and others..the only way to put custom android to that product is hacking the bootloader..
Atrix have a good bootloader lock, afaik until now, no one have succes unlock milestone bootloader..so atrix will do the same..
now, one million dollars question for u, are u sure u want to buy next tablet that we dont know about their bootloader? u love custom rom right?

Dear Dandearebr
You will never get "perfect" tablet because there is no definition of such. There are expectations that are constantly changing, also they are very personal and subjective.
Your opinion is based on reviews and vocal complainers baseless in most of cases.
Xoom is very solid tablet capable of replacing of laptop. I am sure that it will get updates and will be useful for a least a year, year and a half. Then it will be a picture frame.
BTW, it has amazingly powerful sound. Listening online radio is very enjoyable.
My opinion is based on experience using Android since 2009, starting with HTC G1, then MyTouch, Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7". Xoom is a different animal because of Honeycomb and it is a big step forward.
Personally I prefer 7" tab with phone capability and pocketable size.

Classic buyer's remorse. We've all been there. My suggestion is to follow through and return it. You will never likely be happy with it, regardless of how well it functions for you.
Happily typing from my unlocked, rooted, overclocked Xoom.

Please return it so that real users don't have to clean up after you and kiss your boo-boos. Sheesh, you don't need a Xoom, you need a mom!
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

So have you actually used the device?

God, return it.
Then when the XYZ tablet you want comes out you will go cry to those forums that ZYS v2.0 tablet is coming out.

I don't get why a lot of you are getting all defensive and starts attacking a fellow member, just because he's having a much better look at the future than us early adopters. I mean, be honest guys! A lot of us here are all wishful thinking about the opposite of what the OP has said! Yeah, we all might be happy for now, as the Motorola Xoom is the only tablet available that's actually competing with iPadLock2. But a few days, weeks from now, with all these tablets coming out and (hopefully not) the chance of Xoom reaching it's end of life/production. Along with threats of locked bootloader and a chance of not getting any update support from Motorola (FACT: XOOM is NOT the developer TAB from Google), we might just end up flooding this forum with threads just like the OP's.. Let's face it, no one knows about Xoom's future.. Heck I don't even know if Jha even knows the Xooms future at this point.. But the fact that Xoom's sale wasn't really that good, due to motorola's marketing strategy and price, with the iPad 2's overwhelming, and the upcoming flooding of Honeycomb tablets with better specs and/or pricing, our Xoom tablet could very well just end up as a very expensive paperweight.. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with my Xoom! It meets my daily needs but the fact that it hasn't yet reached it's full potential due to Honeycomb's infancy, the FC's and limited apps worries me. I mean, we all know how these companies are.. If their product doesn't sell, they stop the production and support/updates. Add to that the threat on the XDA community regarding the Dump files and chances of the Bootloader getting locked, helps me understand the OP's sentiments/rants.. Let's face it, this is not the Developer's TAB like what we all hoped it would be when we bought it. Without the support from Motorola and the XDA community, this product we're defending would actually just end up like what the OP has said on the title of this thread. So let's just get along and stop bashing the OP just because he still has a chance to change his mind. Me, I would advice the OP to just return/sell the Xoom and wait for a few the upcoming tablets before it's too late. Because if he does, he would have a much better look at the future of the Xoom. Who knows, he might even see Motorola getting crazy coming up with a 16GB version, with better pricing and unlocked bootloader! Now that would be a win/win situation for the OP and us early adopters!! My fingers are crossed..........

Perfect! There really is no more to debate on this, and just no reason to bash the OP. Nobody knows anything for sure yet. I'm in it for the long haul, but only because I intend to be an end user of custom ROMs. I WILL be disappointed with how much I spent on the Xoom if that doesn't ever happen.

Related

My Opinion

Seeing where the SGT Dev community is going (nowhere).... I am thinking of selling my 3 week old SGT for cash and saving up for the wifi-Xoom. Anyone in the same boat.... or can rebut my opinion.
I've had the same thought, but since my GF got it for me for X-mas, I'm gonna keep using it, and give it back to her when I can afford a XOOM
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
kenfly said:
Seeing where the SGT Dev community is going (nowhere).... I am thinking of selling my 3 week old SGT for cash and saving up for the wifi-Xoom. Anyone in the same boat.... or can rebut my opinion.
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Click to collapse
I got the tab in January and so far other than gaining root haven’t done anything else with it, the mobility factor is a big plus no question about it, but then I got the xoom on launching day and now I really like them both…so if or when you do it you will appreciate the differences.
I think the Devs have nothing to do with your decision.
I really like the form factor, but performance is an issue with my tab. and with the dev community not really huge, i feel left out of so much with all of these honeycomb tegra2 tablets coming out. I just really feel that Samsung really jumped the gun with the tab. releasing it with no hopes of any real update. Then pretty much rubbing it in our face by releasing 2 more tabs that are far more superior. makes me feel like i made a bad investment by falling for their trickery.
Maybe SGT 8.9 if released with similar specs as of the xoom. and reasonably priced
The tegra processors and Honycomb make our tab look outdated already but IMO the differences are not that big unless one expects too much from a tablet; is not going to replace our laptops yet…as for sami updating my hopes are nonexistent. I was in Germany recently when a saw the tab of a friend of mine, phone working etc I turned green . My biggest beef is with the carriers here in the US that crippled the device.
tegra 2 isnt a device without their own problem
like not able to play 720p mkv movies unless it converted on a specific format
that would be a problem to some people
and is there really a lot of app that dual core ready anyway?
afaik, for normal process, only 1 core would work unless there's a need for the 2nd core?
jumping too soon on honeycomb with limited apps wouldnt make that much of a difference either
and did you say saving up? how long? ^^
if it took months, who knows we already got honeycomb or ice cream on the way on our tab?
honeycomb, i doubt, but the next generation for smartphone definitely gonna be ported to our tab IMO
my main interest in this tab is phone capability, so unless there's another contender out there, i'm still gonna keep this one
kenfly said:
Then pretty much rubbing it in our face by releasing 2 more tabs that are far more superior. makes me feel like i made a bad investment by falling for their trickery.
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I'm trying to see what trickery Samsung have fooled you with here?
The 7" Tab was sold as an Android 2.2 device, with no promise of a Honeycomb update, and that's what they delivered.
We may, or may not get an official upgrade, which may be Honeycomb, or perhaps Gingerbread, but the Tab is still a very capable and useful device as is IMO. I do believe that we will at least get an unofficial Honeycomb ROM once the source code drops.
None of the upcoming tablets can replace my Tab because they are too big for my purposes, though I may end up getting a bigger tablet purely for home use.
Regards,
Dave
For me its all about size, the 10s are just to big to carry around comfortably. Might as well continue to carry my Dell mini9 laptop. I dont require much from my tab maybe thats why Im happy with the 7.
Remember no matter what you buy it has a good 6 months of obsolescence built in
I think most devs wait for the honeycomb source... no one wants a broken sdk port on an expensive device...
As soon as HC hits aosp I'll contribute developing.
And the xoom community won't move very fast with development for the first six months either. And with that price, probably not much development after that.
rangercaptain said:
And the xoom community won't move very fast with development for the first six months either. And with that price, probably not much development after that.
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Agreed. The xoom may be "developer friendly" but it is way too expensive to mess around with.. the galaxy tab gets cheaper and cheaper and will attract more devs too over time.
Why are we comparing the Tab and the Xoom? Two totally different niches. Anyone buying a Tab should know what they are getting, and most that do are getting them for a reason. 7 inches, and a solid product with the full Android Market without having to push it onto the device.
I have three different 7 inch tablets right now (had a 4th, but the Dell Streak 7 is dismal) and the Galaxy Tab is BY FAR the best of the three. The NookColor is fun, and is running dual-boot Honeycomb (port from sdk) and froyo. It's overclocked to 1.1Ghz and is primarily used by my wife as an e-reader (which is what B&N intended), though she likes firing up Angry Birds, etc.
The Archos 70 Internet Tablet is running 2.2.1..and is slim and can handle just about ANY media thrown it's way. Archos is a leader in Media devices, having created the HDD portable Music player before anyone else (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archos)...including Apple. It's hands down the best for watching movies. However it's flimsy and buggy...Archos sucks at support, truly. Plus, there's not much in the way of accessories for it. I had the 10.1 also...but sold it.
My Tab gets the most use...as I swap my phone's sim into it quite frequently. And it handles pretty much everything I want it to do. Out of the 3, theres no comparison as to my satisfaction.
If I wanted another 10" Tablet...and wanted Honeycomb right now, I STILL would not get the Xoom. I can afford it, but that doesn't mean I want to plunk down $800 on something obviously rushed out of production. Too many things wrong with this early adopter device.
Here's to hoping the incoming 8.9' Galaxy Tab has some of the kinks worked out...cuz I'm gonna pounce on it right away. 10.1" prolly not, the form factor just too large for my usage.
Whatever some people get, they will NEVER be satisfied
hehe...truly, and that's why my wife calls me a gadget whore...just have to have em all. Could be worse in her eyes, at least I'm loyal to her
kenfly said:
Seeing where the SGT Dev community is going (nowhere).... I am thinking of selling my 3 week old SGT for cash and saving up for the wifi-Xoom. Anyone in the same boat.... or can rebut my opinion.
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If you bought a tablet based on the dev community then you were wrong to do that in the first place. You buy something for what it is, not what it may be based on some random people messing around with roms.
I can't see how a 10" Xoom could possibly be a replacement for the 7" SGT. One you can carry around with you, use in your car, act as a backup phone, and the other is mostly a stay at home couch device. Personally I think the Xoom is a bit of a let down on things it should be better at - like playing high bitrate movies. SGT blows it away on that score. The SGT build and screen is also very high quality. As good as my iPad 1 (which I've not really touched since the SGT came along. Never mind how I've come to despise the Apple lock-in methodology...).
Honeycomb looks like it will be a great update when the bugs are ironed out, but Froyo (maybe Gingerbread soon) on the SGT currently makes more sense as the device really is closer to a phone than a tablet (and I'm personally happy that it is). Ice Cream Sandwich looks like it will be the natural OS upgrade for this device, as it will combine Honeycomb UI changes with smartphone functionality. Whether Samsung will release it for the SGT in the coming months is anyone's guess, but for now I'm rocking the Tab. For a couch device I'll see what the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is like (hopefully they'll find a fix for the video snafu), but none of the Tegra 2 SoC based tablets are wowing me at the moment.
Bandage said:
hehe...truly, and that's why my wife calls me a gadget whore...just have to have em all. Could be worse in her eyes, at least I'm loyal to her
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I'm one too. I hide some from my wife too, so that makes me some kind of addict! But she uses the RAZR we got many years ago.
rangercaptain said:
I'm one too. I hide some from my wife too, so that makes me some kind of addict! But she uses the RAZR we got many years ago.
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Lol...not mine, she's become a gadget snob. Though she won't admit it, she's glad to be cutting edge. I see it when her girlfriends drool over the cool gadgets she totes around, lmao. We'll go get coffee, and she will look to see who noticed her pretty NookColor while she's reading and surfing the internets.
So you're selling a device because people aren't modding it? IMHO that's a ridiculous reason to sell this amazing piece of tech.
And im guessing one main reason is Honeycomb because, lets face it, its what everyone wants in a tablet. Then why not buy a Nook? You complain lack of development, the Nook Honeycomb port is better than anything they'll ever do with the Xoom.
Still, just my opinion. I'm keeping my Tab until it dies, then ill get another one.
Sent from my GT-P1000
+1
and..truly one of these days someone WILL put out an Android device that doesn't need modding! Might be 3 years from now...with 8 core cpu & AirWave connectivity (5+TB wireless connection passed through our existing electrical cables that are strung on the poles...or passed through now vacated VHF / UHF signals...yeah, I can dream BIG!)
But you will only be able to get 3g data or 2g+ voice.

Xoom any good?

Thinking of getting the xoom over the samsung tab 10.1 are people happy with the xoom?
Sent from my GT-I9000
If you want a supported device get a xoom. I think the new gtab will launch with 2.1 and get 3.0 in about 8-12 months. (JK, but seriously Samsung has a proven track record of ZERO support for their devices)
iammodo said:
Thinking of getting the xoom over the samsung tab 10.1 are people happy with the xoom?
Sent from my GT-I9000
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You're probably going to get a bunch of people yelling at you for asking a question that has been asked many times over.
I'll answer though.
In short, yes it's good. It's excellent in my opinion.
Currently all Tablets running Honeycomb are going to suffer from having relatively few apps. This was the case when the first iPad was released. Luckily there are plenty of developers out there dedicated to creating quality applications for Honeycomb. Within a month or two, there will be an influx of applications and people will wish they had purchased the Xoom when they had the chance. With production numbers dropping there is no telling what Motorola's next design might be. It could be a locked down version like the Atrix phone kind of similar to what happened with the original Droid that was running vanilla Android. The Droid 2 had Motoblur and a locked bootloader; currently, owners of the original Droid are enjoying Gingerbread by Peter Alfonso.
Here are some current complaints:
1) No SD card support yet
2) LTE Upgrade will take 6 days
3) Application selection is limited
4) Performance seems low for a dual core product
My response:
1) It is coming and currently the unit has 32 GB of internal storage, are you running out already? If so, sit tight and you will be able to expand it to 64GB really cheaply.
2) Better than waiting 3 months on the release of the Xoom altogether, and if you are using it Wifi only like I am tethering it to my Epic 4G, LTE is irrelevant.
3) This will change with time, early adopters syndrome
4) As Google releases new versions of Honeycomb this will be addressed. Additionally there are already kernels bumping the speed from 1Ghz to 1.5Ghz creating a 50% performance increase out of the gates.
Anyway, it's all preference. I love Motorola's products so I got the Xoom.
This is like walking into an Apple store and asking if Macs are any good. What are you expecting?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Having never owned a tab before, the xoom is my first experience and I think it's awosme.
Matter of fact i loved the xoom so much i dumped my iphone 4 and got an HTC inspire for my everyday phone.
I personally have only one complaint and that is it's very susceptable to glare.
kjdocs said:
Having never owned a tab before, the xoom is my first experience and I think it's awosme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you're not alone, no one here has probably used the Tab 10.1 before because it isn't out yet! lol.
But seriously OP, coming to a Xoom forum asking a question that's been asked in detail a million times already is ridiculous. You're gonna get pretty polarized answers... Every other post in this forum is about how good/bad the Xoom is, just read.
anywho, back to the OP's question,
i'd wait it out and get that samsung. its thinner, lighter, cheaper, and has a better display than the xoom. but lets not get ahead here, those samsung tablets at CTIA were mockups.
as for updates, do not worry about that, as updates will be coming since the new gtab's will be a near google experience device. CNET has reported that the TouchWiz updates could possibly be an optional update. And tbh, i kinda like the new touchwiz UI.
personally, i'd wait.
aohus said:
anywho, back to the OP's question,
personally, i'd wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung is evil incarnate, having just come from a Samsung Fascinate, I can tell you touchwiz is the most godawful piece of software you could ever have on your device. Not becuase it isnt good, touchwiz isnt all that bad, but, and this is a BIG bit, YOU WILL NEVER GET UPDATES. EVER. PERIOD. THANKS FOR PLAYING BUY OUR NEXT PRODUCT TO GET A SOFTWARE UPGRADE! No thank you. Not playing that game again. Not now. Not ever!
I can't wait to see if the GTabs will get updated. That is one of the main reasons people seem to be using to prevent others from liking them. Luckily the general population could care less about going from Android 2.2, to 2.3, and for those who can't wait... rooting is the alternative. Or buying another device.
Thanks to everyone that posted USEFUL comments.
I was at work and posted from my phone, so didn't want to risk reading 100's of threads.
This would be my first tablet so dont want spend £500+ and get a laggy device.
I have clicked "thanks" for everyone who left a useful comment.
It does not really matter if it's close to stock. Example the g2.
If you're one of those folks that always want the updates first you basically need a Google experience device.
Sammy seems to be the worst out of all the oems though.
Also look at the vodafone nexus one as far as updates that are tied to carrier goes.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Motorola has already said that the report on cutting back on manufacturing xooms is 100% BS
I'm also considering buying a Xoom... I was going to buy the Galaxy tab 10.1, but yesterdays announcement kind of changed that, i don't want to wait until June.
So i have two options now, buy a Xoom or the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 (now renamed to 10.1v in EU).
About Xoom, i like the idea of clean Android, updates, USB and microSD slot. I have a feeling that Xoom will get more support in XDA forums also.
I'm not sure i like the extra 131g.
About Galaxy Tab 10.1v, i actually like the original design more, i don't care that it's 2mm thicker then the new one.
But I'm sure I don't like the idea of not getting any updates or getting a update with that TouchWiz UX.
Considering all this and that you have actually hold the 730g Xoom in your hand, which would you buy?
The Touchwiz UI they put on the tab isnt the same as one on the phones. But still, even that has to be revamped when new version of android comes out. Samsung is the worst when talking about updates. I liked the design of the original GTab 10.1 too, but thinking of updates, I went ahead and got the xoom. Samsung just needs to stop putting **** on awesome device like that and make the damn thing go into shame.

How is the Motorola Xoom? The best, or not?

I had a chance to play with a Xoom briefly at a local Best Buy and was pleasantly surprised how well I liked it. It felt solid and significant and looked very nice. Honeycomb was...well...pure honey. It left me with the distinct desire to own one. Though recent test have the iPad2 blowing it away, the iPad2 doesn't have the higher res display of the Xoom. I would much rather watch the Xoom display than the iPad2.
But I need people;s experiences with the Xoom since it is a significant investment for me. I would buy the full-priced WiFi-only version, that's why it would be such a significant investment...no subsidized pricing. However, knowing what I know of Motorola's support tactics, we all really should be boycotting them rather than considering buying anything from them. They never update any non-subsidized products. If you own a Moto device from a carrier, you wil eventually get updates and bug fixes. But it you buy one outright, you are abandon as soon as they have your money.
I paid a 1000$ for mine and I am very happy.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Based on what I read in another thread about some bugs in HC, I've decided to either wait for a Google produced tablet with HC or stick with Apple and wait for an iPad with a higher res display. I know Google and Apple take good care of their customers with updates, support and bug fixes so it won't be a worry to me. The carriers and other manufacturers tend to be greedy and slight their customers. I won't take a chance on them.
MartyLK said:
Based on what I read in another thread about some bugs in HC, I've decided to either wait for a Google produced tablet with HC or stick with Apple and wait for an iPad with a higher res display. I know Google and Apple take good care of their customers with updates, support and bug fixes so it won't be a worry to me. The carriers and other manufacturers tend to be greedy and slight their customers. I won't take a chance on them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The xoom is a google experience device. Its like the droid of tablets.
Sent from my Motorola Olympus
MartyLK said:
I had a chance to play with a Xoom briefly at a local Best Buy and was pleasantly surprised how well I liked it. It felt solid and significant and looked very nice. Honeycomb was...well...pure honey. It left me with the distinct desire to own one. Though recent test have the iPad2 blowing it away, the iPad2 doesn't have the higher res display of the Xoom. I would much rather watch the Xoom display than the iPad2.
But I need people;s experiences with the Xoom since it is a significant investment for me. I would buy the full-priced WiFi-only version, that's why it would be such a significant investment...no subsidized pricing. However, knowing what I know of Motorola's support tactics, we all really should be boycotting them rather than considering buying anything from them. They never update any non-subsidized products. If you own a Moto device from a carrier, you wil eventually get updates and bug fixes. But it you buy one outright, you are abandon as soon as they have your money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What test blew the Xoom away?
MartyLK said:
I had a chance to play with a Xoom briefly at a local Best Buy and was pleasantly surprised how well I liked it. It felt solid and significant and looked very nice. Honeycomb was...well...pure honey. It left me with the distinct desire to own one. Though recent test have the iPad2 blowing it away, the iPad2 doesn't have the higher res display of the Xoom. I would much rather watch the Xoom display than the iPad2.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+ The Android OS is more friendly for everyday use. I owned a iPad, loved it, but when I got the Xoom, I realized that a tablet could be way better To say it simply, with honeycomb you have everything at hand with a simple touch, while on the iPad you have to browse through many screens to get things done. Huge difference if you want to use a tablet more productively and not for incidentally browsing, reading etc.
For example:
Picture this, I have four very active email accounts. I have a widget for each of them on my desktop. When I want to check my mail I just press home and I directly see the the new messages in each mailbox. On the iPad I first had to open the mail app and then I had to click on each of the different mailboxes to see the new messages. What a usability difference....
And this is just one example. I think Android tablets will definitely be a tough competition for the iPad. Didn't expect that till I did the switch myself. Lot of potential.
Sistum Id said:
What test blew the Xoom away?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
The only comparison tests i've seen the xoom won! Unless of course you mean the hype/BS test on the iforum site.
Sistum Id said:
What test blew the Xoom away?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The synthetic benchmarks that anandtech ran that every Steve worshipper in the land uses as ipad 2 purchase validation.
It showed the tegra as sort of lacking in the graphics department. Personally, I didn't buy a xoom to play games, I have a PC and PS3 for that.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
MartyLK said:
But I need people;s experiences with the Xoom since it is a significant investment for me. I would buy the full-priced WiFi-only version, that's why it would be such a significant investment...no subsidized pricing. However, knowing what I know of Motorola's support tactics, we all really should be boycotting them rather than considering buying anything from them. They never update any non-subsidized products. If you own a Moto device from a carrier, you wil eventually get updates and bug fixes. But it you buy one outright, you are abandon as soon as they have your money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My 2 cents for you, I looked at the Xoom simply as something to use while 'someone' is on my laptop for hours at a time. My nice new Dell Win7 laptop cost a little more than a Xoom, and it does so much more, so I personally don't look at the Xoom as a "PC replacement". It's something I plan to use at home mostly. I bought the WiFi only one because I didn't want to be tied to Verizon for 2 years, because we really don't know how long Moto is going to put the effort into the Xoom. I don't want to potentially be paying Verizon a monthly fee for a lightly/none supported product in months 12-24 down the road.
The clamor about "Xoom has no apps" is total BS. Having 10,000 apps that make fart noises isn't something to tout. Not everything is perfect, but I'm the type that wants to personalize my device. I think Ipad has it's place as does the Xoom. People that bash either just have incomplete lives with nothing better to do. In my opinion, Ipad is more mainstream, it's what the 'unwashed masses' will flock to, because it has a consistent and simple interface, stability and requires the person to be less involved with 'setting things up'.
I'm not a 'media intensive' person...I could give 2 ****s how Youtube works on the Xoom. I have not tried the HDMI output yet, but in using 'TV' apps I'm happy that I have the option, if I take a trip where I have WiFi that I can stream music/video (I don't care that it's not in 1080p, I can live without it on even a 6 hour trip). I'm intelligent enough to read the postings here, to find apps that let me stream Dexter Season 5, which is NOT out on Netflix yet, so THAT was cool to me. I did try the NHL.com Gamecenter streaming of live games and it worked pretty good.
Also, I have an EVO through Sprint, so for $30 a month I can activate it's HotSpot feature and get unlimited data. So in my mind, if I really want to use it 'away from home' for whatever reason someone has I can also turn on/off the Hotspot feature whenever and they prorate the $30/mo to the day. So if I turn the feature on/off for 5 days in the month, it costs me $5 for that month. I could decide to be lazy too, and just leave it enabled all month, and I think that's a better deal than a 2 year contract w/ Verizon with a monthly data cap. Of course what I am doing requires 'effort' that so many people just don't want to put into things.
To me, I guess having the 3/4G options would be nice at times, but really, where outside of Home does a person really need to whip out their tablet? You going to take it to a movie or dinner, or to the ballgame? If so, why did you pay to attend something and then stick your face in your tablet? Or if you are on a bus/train, why don't you just stick a big "please rob me" sign on your back? If you are using it for 'work' chances are that you need to use it for more than a few minutes and likely for data intensive things, so your likely only going to be 'working' someplace with WiFi....if your company doesn't have WiFi (like mine) that's probably a sign that you employer doesn't want your WiFi device at work
@ austonja, well stated, now this was one of the best replies I have read in a while.
Sistum Id said:
What test blew the Xoom away?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3d tests. but apple is vying for top mobile gaming platform so you can see why.
I think you are asking the wrong question. Of course the Xoom is not the BEST...but then NO product fulfills that criteria for me. The Xoom is excellent. I enjoy it greatly, and there are reasons I picked it over the other options which are still valid. I am satisfied with my choice, but it was a choice, and given slightly different thinking, I am sure I would have been happy with the iPad 2 or the other new Honeycomb tablets when they arrive. I personally think you would not regret a Xoom purchase...but that is just my opinion.
Xoom is decent, but its just the hardware. Before the end of the year I'm sure we will be seeing some great devices that will trump the xoom. Also 2012 I'm sure will be a very exciting year for tablets. Very excited to see what will happen
If now talking about Honeycomb, I believe from what I see is so far the best. Once it get its kinks worked out and we go through a few updates Honeycomb will be the best OS out there for tablets. Honeycomb>IOS>Palm(HP)>blackberry qnx
Sistum Id said:
What test blew the Xoom away?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4216/...rmance-explored-powervr-sgx543mp2-benchmarked
http://blog.laptopmag.com/ipad-2-graphics-performance-blows-away-motorola-xoom-original-ipad
http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/982268-ipad-2-gpu-blows-away-other-tablet-gpus-including-the-xoom/
http://www.getlaptopreview.com/lapt...e-blows-away-motorola-xoom-original-ipad.html
http://www.tablets.com/uncategorized/the-ipad-2s-powervr-gpu-blows-away-competition/
http://techscrunch.com/tablets/ipad...hz-dual-core-cortex-a9-and-powervr-sgx543mp2/
http://phonegear.eu/ipad-2-graphics...way-ipad-1-and-tegra-2-powered-motorola-xoom/
http://appmasters.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/ipad-2-graphics-blow-away-all-other-tablets/
http://androidforums.com/general-ta...-2-these-14-example-have-changed-my-mind.html
http://www.toteo.com/tech-gadgets/2012-ipad-2-graphics-much-faster-than-ipad-1-motorola-xoom.html
http://osxdaily.com/2011/03/25/ipad-vs-ipad-2-graphics-performance/
http://felixonline.co.uk/preview/tech/1100/ipad-2-blows-away-rivals/
http://www.digitalninjastl.com/blog...d-2’s-graphics-the-infinity-blade-test-shows/
There are many more that came up in Google search but I got tired of listing them all.
Eclair~ said:
None of those sites you listed performed the test again and some of them were simply just forums discussing the information Anandtech presented to us. They only posted Anandtech's graphs and reported the information back again. Therefore it was still "one review" and the fanboys can still say "Just one review!". I'm not trying to be negative, I get your point and what you were trying to prove. The iPad 2 is more powerful than the Xoom and anyone who claims otherwise is... in denial, or a fanboy.
You sound kinda hostile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about sounding hostile. It isn't meant. I have had a bad day already. Having been infracted for responding to hateful people and those very same people have not been infracted. When you are an innocent person who wants nothing more than to express views and allow others to express their views and you get accosted for it, it leaves you with a seriously jaded view of life and humanity. It makes a person hope there truly is something to the 2012 myth because I've had my fill of the hatred people love to spew.
As far as the iPad2 goes, I wouldn't buy one of those either. I don't like looking at highly visible pixels on a screen. The iPad2's 1024x768 res is just way too low for this day and time. I did love the display of the Xoom and was yearning for a Xoom...until I was reminded it would be supported by Motorola. But I did read a post that said Google would be updating the Xoom. If this is true...and I'm trying to get confirmation of this in another thread...I may yet acquire a Xoom. As I said, though, I won't get one through or locked to carriers. It would be the full-priced one with WiFi only.
Eclair~ said:
I do hope that when a Honeycomb tablet beats these benchmarks that it receives just as much press.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when that happens i hope there are some games that make having that horsepower useful. as of right now i don't think there are any games on the android platform that would benefit. that would be as crappy as paying for 2 cpu cores but having apps only utilize one...
The iPad is a finished product. It's a good one, too. (My wife has the iPad 1.)
The Xoom is not finished, and it approaches the new iPad already.
The iPad is never gonna suck, but it's pretty obvious the Xoom has the potential to kick it's ass. However, I have very little faith that Google, Motorola or Verizon will bring it to that point. We'll need to rely on the Android development community for that.
In my opinion, the only time a Xoom will ever be really great is when it's rooted and has a custom ROM installed.
MartyLK said:
The sad part is, I predicted someone would waste their time to say that. It seems people would rather post negative light about others than useful information.
The *reason* why I posted all of those was because the fanboys would come back and say, "Aha! Just one review! That doesn't mean anything!"
However, knowing that someone would complain that all of those links weren't needed, I chose that direction rather than allowing the fanboy/girls a voice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you for real? Go back and read all of your posts in this thread.
You posted that many links to show how people reported on the ONE benchmark? What does that have to do with anything? Not one of those sites re-ran or even confirmed the benchmark themselves, so it is relavent to point out that you could have and should have posted only one link.
You're trying to find fault for some reason in a product you don't own and then post it on the forum. You have to see why this might make me thing you're trolling for no reason.
If you don't like Motorola based on one forum post, that's fine. If you don't like the Xoom based on one test, that's fine. If you don't like it because you actually tried it and tested it for a long time, that's another story. Posting links we have all seen (weeks ago), doesn't help anyone on this forum or help anyone decide to/not to buy something that you don't even own.
Just how I feel about this whole thread.
Psychokitty said:
The iPad is a finished product. It's a good one, too. (My wife has the iPad 1.)
The Xoom is not finished, and it approaches the new iPad already.
The iPad is never gonna suck, but it's pretty obvious the Xoom has the potential to kick it's ass. However, I have very little faith that Google, Motorola or Verizon will bring it to that point. We'll need to rely on the Android development community for that.
In my opinion, the only time a Xoom will ever be really great is when it's rooted and has a custom ROM installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the problem with Motorola products, the BIOS and bootloader are locked. The only time a custom ROM can be flashed is if it's based on an official Motorola ROM. That's one of my biggest concerns about Motorola. They hinder the XDA community from doing their magic on Motorola devices. If Google releases an updated Honeycomb ROM that deals with bugs and provides performance enhancement, the XDA community can't use it on Motorola devices until Motorola makes an official ROM out of it.
MartyLK said:
That's the problem with Motorola products, the BIOS and bootloader are locked. The only time a custom ROM can be flashed is if it's based on an official Motorola ROM. That's one of my biggest concerns about Motorola. They hinder the XDA community from doing their magic on Motorola devices. If Google releases an updated Honeycomb ROM that deals with bugs and provides performance enhancement, the XDA community can't use it on Motorola devices until Motorola makes an official ROM out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xoom is completely unlocked. Unlocked bootloader (with standard sdk tools you can unlock it), and there are no signature checks, at all. We can modify the xoom software however we want.
Learn your facts before you post.

Xoom Gets a Bad Rap?

I've had multiple tabs; Viewsonic, Asus, Acer and now the Xoom. While I'm not rich I can have almost any tab I want and of all the ones I've owned I greatly prefer my wifi Xoom. The screen isn't as good as the Asus but the build quality is excellent and the updates have been great being an Android experience tablet. I knew about the sd card going in but knew it could be fxed with rooting and figured an official update would eventually come. I actually thought the 599 price I paid for it was fair considering the price of other 32gb tabs. While the Asus has the dock, the Xoom has a ton of accessories and frankly I dont need another notebook, in fact that's what I was trying to get away from. So why all the hate for the Xoom? Is it mainly geared toward the 3g version and lack of 4g yet? Is Verizon partly to blame? I just don't see why there's so much disdain for this tablet. Not looking for flamers just point of views.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I have to say, I'm in the same boat as you...... I just can't understand why some people have such a hate on for this device. I've owned every tab but the 10.1 and I have to say I think the zoom is best all around. It got ports, accessories, and fantastic build quality..... great device here's hoping it gets a little more love in the future
Glad I'm not alone. If I had to buy a tablet over, it would still be this one.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I agree, I mean, it's not to thin to the point where you think your gonna break it, and it doesn't feel so cheap that it is just gonna fall appart, and it is 100% Android with no extra whatnot.
The one thing that beats out other tablets is that we are basically spoon fed from google. I dont trust ASUS/ACER/Samsung to update their tablets after newer models come out a year later compared to google. Samsung only updates their galaxy S line of phones in a timely matter while my low end intercept is still on 2.2. I'm sure samsung will probably slowdown with updates once the newer models come out. I was considering waiting for the 10.1 but NO I wanted a google experience device.
I Also Had Them All...
and the build quality of the Xoom is far superior to Acer, Asus and even the Samsung. Then too, even though some are ranting about Motorola, my personal experience with Acer and Asus tech service (totally clueless) makes me like the Xoom all the more - hell, Acer can't even get an update out and the build quality of the Asus tab is pathetic.
Kippui said:
The one thing that beats out other tablets is that we are basically spoon fed from google. I dont trust ASUS/ACER/Samsung to update their tablets after newer models come out a year later compared to google. Samsung only updates their galaxy S line of phones in a timely matter while my low end intercept is still on 2.2. I'm sure samsung will probably slowdown with updates once the newer models come out. I was considering waiting for the 10.1 but NO I wanted a google experience device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a biggie for me, I don't have to be rooted to get the latest and greatest.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I'm with all of you...I love my Xoom!
The Xoom was released too early, hell, Android 3.0 was released too early.
I did my share of working-around, and bug reporting.
Nonetheless, I love this thing. I really do.
Every update makes it better, too.
It's solid as a brick, has kickass battery life, really good audio output.
(I use it as a Google Music player sometimes)
The Xoom let me detach my media consumption/remote work from my phone: was able to ditch the Droid 2 and get a Nexus S 4g, which is a sexy beast itself.
I use my Xoom way more than my cr-48 netbook (even though it's faster to type on) because the Xoom is actually more responsive and adept at multimedia and work. (That being said the cr48 is better as a browser. Closer to desktop. But flash is better on the Xoom)
I read on the Xoom, watch movies, youtube, play games, connectbot, google docs, set up torrents to download TV shows at home. I absolutely love reading comics on it. (Have over 8GB of comics alone)
It's my go-to Honeycomb development test device. The emulator is too slow to be useful, so my Xoom sits on my desktop in debug mode a lot.
It's so integral to my day that giving it up for Moto to do the LTE upgrade is going to be like giving up a limb.
okantomi said:
I'm with all of you...I love my Xoom!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here.
+1
I own the VS GTab, Asus TF and now the Xoom. I agree with earlier posts about the Asus, a true POS. I am on my second one now and it is no better than the first one, maybe worse. My first TF was a B5 build and the B6 build changed the screen color/temperature so the screen isn't as sharp as the B5. That being said, I don't think the screen is any better on the TF now. With all the screen light leaks around the edges, the battery draining on the dock and the poor video playback on Flash 10.3 (6 frames/second) at 720P, the Xoom is definately a better product. The build quality is far superior to the Asus. I think the build quality on my Viewsonic GTab is better than the Asus... I am all about the Xoom now, we'll see what comes out in the future...
I will always love my Xoom, only android Motorola thing i own and i enjoy it. Its just that people that enjoy the Xoom don't come and say how much they love it as appose to the people that find every little problems to whine.
i love my xoom too. but It wans't always that way. I had to void the warentee by flashing a US ROM. problem is motorola customer support outside US is dreadfull. Pity really cos i always wanted a device to rival ipad internationally. this only seems to be the case within the US.
I love my Xoom too. Still waiting on the 3.2 update, but I'm pretty happy with 3.1.
Build quality of Xoom seems good to me, although, I have not used any other tablet. Screen is just fine. Works great as an ebook. And 3G is plenty fast so I'm in no hurry for the LTE upgrade. But I do understand those who are angry about it since it was one of the features that was prominently advertised when it first came out in February.
Agreed my xoom is awesome...I do everything on it...a lot of people never owned or touched one but seem to have a lot of negativity to say about it....I don't think you can judge it unless you used it for a solid month
bronxknight28 said:
...people that enjoy the Xoom don't come and say how much they love it as appose to the people that find every little problems to whine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True indeed!
binglut9 said:
Agreed my xoom is awesome...I do everything on it...a lot of people never owned or touched one but seem to have a lot of negativity to say about it....I don't think you can judge it unless you used it for a solid month
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, most posts on these forums are about speculation about stuff.
We have nothing hardware/battery life/build quality wise to complain about except maybe the screen.
Mine took effort to make it right (US ROM on UK model), but there is a way to go just yet. Especially the tablet apps section on the market, which seems rather odd to leave out. However, it was money well spent.
I love my Xoom and Honeycomb. I even sleep with it.
I am a little disappointing with Moto's/Google's communication skills.
Love, love, love, my Xoom.
I own the Xoom and yes I do love it as well, (yes it sleeps beside me as well) Hardware wise for me its second to none very well built system, as for updates In the USA you have little to complain as Google is the one that releases the updates, but outside the US its Motorola who releases the updates and they have really made a mess of the communication with updates and so forth, they only released in China and Japan, Australia been pulled due to numerous issues with it, then Google releases 3.2 and most people don’t even have 3.1 yet. Al Motorola has to do is come out say something ,anything, they come out once in Canada and say the release update will be “soon” that was over two months ago, how soon is soon ? To me it sure is allot less than two months, I am sure some people will have issues with the Xoom and that is the nature of business not everything is perfect, but for the most part most complaints are against Motorola and their lack of communication and updates, to me it looks like their house is a mess they don’t know what they are doing , and have ignored their customer base outside of the USA if Samsung, Asus, Acer etc. can release 3.1 why not Motorola, why are they being so quiet what’s going on ? I paid good money for this device, I was told an update will be coming soon, I would like some answers.

Is $300 to $350 worth it for a 32gig xoom with new tablets coming.

I'm looking for a tablet and I see three xooms near me. One of them for $400 new, another $350 used and one for $300 used. Need advice.
DevilStrider said:
I'm looking for a tablet and I see three xooms near me. One of them for $400 new, another $350 used and one for $300 used. Need advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe if you prvide your location you will get better help? There was a special in Sydney yesterday for brand new Xoom for 298 AUD. If you are happy to wait I am sure by January next year all the tablets will come down in price.
K.
I was looking at the prime but i really don't want to spend $500. But I want ICS and there is no sure fire proof it will officially come to the xoom.
DevilStrider said:
I was looking at the prime but i really don't want to spend $500. But I want ICS and there is no sure fire proof it will officially come to the xoom.
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Click to collapse
JBQ stated that it is coming to the Xoom soon. Motorola stated that it's coming to the Xoom, but no time frame given.
It's coming; we just don't know when. I estimate Late Jan - Mid February.
The latest AOSP release included files for the Xoom, just give it a week and it will be in here...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
I got dude that wanted $400 to drop it to $350 but I would rather pay $300 tops.
Keep an Eye on Woot. I picked up 2 wifi only's for $320 a pop in november.
Yeah they trying to get $400 when it's $369 on newegg
Get a Quad Core Transformer instead (I am not Hating, I have a 32GB WiFi Xoom), but GED has held this device back. Still can't Write or Delete the SD Card without a PC, while other Android Tablets have been doing this since the day they came out. Google is Super Slow in allowing us GED Xoom owners Full SD Card Access.
ghodzilla5150 said:
Get a Quad Core Transformer instead (I am not Hating, I have a 32GB WiFi Xoom), but GED has held this device back. Still can't Write or Delete the SD Card without a PC, while other Android Tablets have been doing this since the day they came out. Google is Super Slow in allowing us GED Xoom owners Full SD Card Access.
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Click to collapse
*sighs* You can write to your SD card if you were willing to root. I personally bought my Xoom over a transformer, or galaxy tab or what have you because its a GED device. You know why? because I do not want bloat. I dont want touchwiz, I dont want sense, I dont want motoblur or any other modified interface. I wanted pure undiluted android with the lovely added bonus of being virtually unbrickable all while being unlocked.
I did not buy a xoom to remain at stock, I bought it to overclock it, to tweak it, To make the device MY device. As im sure a lot of other xoom owners did. This will probably sound harsh but it's not my intention; If you wanted to remain at stock, which seems obvious from your previous posts in another thread complaining about the very same issue your complaining about here, Then maybe you should have done your research and checked out competing tablets before making your purchase. I find i'm pretty happy with all my purchases because I do huge amounts of research to find the product that is right for me.
The xoom is an amazing device, We have a pretty amazing community here that will help you if need be, Thou I find most everything answered already. The developers we have are great. Team Tiamat for example make a flawless rom/kernel from my experience, limited as it may be. Its still great. I currently have mine with the moray 2.2.2 rom and odachi OC kernel and its extremely smooth, wonderful batterylife.. And relatively amazing. Being a GED device means its basically a developing template. You bought a GED device, because its a GED device and you're not taking advantage of the fact its a GED device. It takes longer to read the instructions on how to root then it does to actually do it. You will be MUCH happier with your purchase if you take advantage of what its capable of. Root it, rom it, kernel it. Do your research before trying, But if you do You will have a more plesant experience. You will be much more happier with your device. I personally used this thread and I can vouch for its accuracy http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1249798 if you don't like it. Then simply return it to stock and you're done. There are more benefits to rooting a device Then their are downsides from what I've read.
In response to OP's question. I paid the current price on newegg (370$) and even at that price I am very happy with my purchase. If I could find one for 300-350$ I would buy it in a heartbeat for my parents. Now keep in mind the 370$ price tag is for a RE CERTIFIED xoom, Mine came with stock everything in the box. No problems what so ever. Soo if you were going to pay 350 for a used one, Splurge for the extra 20 to get a re certified product. Its very much worth that price in my honest opinion.
You see, I bought the WiFi Xoom the day it came out because of PROMISES & HYPE. You are partially right. I should have waited for the Transformer (at least I would have a working SD Card Write/Delete from within). I just feel I SHOULD NOT have to go thru the Trouble of Rooting to get what the device should do out of the BOX. That's why GED "WAS" supposed to be so special. To me it isn't.
I feel we were duped and I personally will NEVER get another GED device EVER again. Actually GED is holding back the US Xoom's. A very talented Dev has said as much. If you have ever been on the Moto Community Forums, Gmanapps (who created SDCARDXD) has said as much, and he is VERY Talented and Smart (not to say you are not, I just respect what he has to say on the issue at hand). To me these EXPENSIVE Devices should work out-of-the-box as my Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 does. I got tired of keeping up with Myn's Rom then Synergy. I jut want it to work Stock. There is NOTHING wrong with that, especially after the money we 1st Day Adopters paid for it.
Just my 2 Cents from a VERY Frustrated Consumer. When you Root, things go wrong and something ALWAYS gets FUBAR'd (like No 4G or Camera Not Working). No Thanks.
Ohhh, I can understand why you're so frustrated now. I learnt to always take promises and hypes with a grain of salt. Just because people will say whatever it takes to sale their product. I just about always wait until something has all its bugs and stuff worked out before buying it. So I can very much understand your point now.
I personally will buy a GED device again, but my reasoning is because its unlocked. I very much enjoy hacking things to do more then they should, It extends the life of a product for me. Means I have to replace it less often. Which is a huge plus for me because I can be kinda cheap haha. I originally started my "mobile" carrier, so to speak, with iOS, its the openness of android that attracted me so much. I hate not having control of my devices. So rooting for me, was part of the appeal. No disrespect taken Because I can understand your frustration. The devs on here know alot more then i do haha. Maybe it has held it back, But at the same time in my eyes it's helped because of it being unlocked, it allows for an easier time developing.
Things should work out of the box I will agree with that, they really should. People shouldn't have to create apps to allow a feature thats available on just about anything that includes an SD card. Sometimes things don't thou, and I guess it would be googles fault for it not doing so since updates do come through them. I guess its because the tablet is kinda like the nexus program, Devices with the pure unfiltered android experience. I guess even the flaws of that "unfiltered" experience come through as well. Personally though, I would much rather adapt and find a solution then be unhappy.
If you ever do decide to give rooting/roming (is that what you call it?) a go. Def use the guide i linked earlier for as long as its still valid. The only thing that would suck is backing up your data before the wipe that happens when you unlock.
ghodzilla5150 said:
Just my 2 Cents from a VERY Frustrated Consumer. When you Root, things go wrong and something ALWAYS gets FUBAR'd (like No 4G or Camera Not Working). No Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you follow directions properly, most issues are avoided. And afaik, issues like no 4g or broken camera occur when you apply an unstable rom. Rooting simply gives you full control, that's all.
Vengfulr3ap3r said:
Ohhh, I can understand why you're so frustrated now. I learnt to always take promises and hypes with a grain of salt. Just because people will say whatever it takes to sale their product. I just about always wait until something has all its bugs and stuff worked out before buying it. So I can very much understand your point now.
I personally will buy a GED device again, but my reasoning is because its unlocked. I very much enjoy hacking things to do more then they should, It extends the life of a product for me. Means I have to replace it less often. Which is a huge plus for me because I can be kinda cheap haha. I originally started my "mobile" carrier, so to speak, with iOS, its the openness of android that attracted me so much. I hate not having control of my devices. So rooting for me, was part of the appeal. No disrespect taken Because I can understand your frustration. The devs on here know alot more then i do haha. Maybe it has held it back, But at the same time in my eyes it's helped because of it being unlocked, it allows for an easier time developing.
Things should work out of the box I will agree with that, they really should. People shouldn't have to create apps to allow a feature thats available on just about anything that includes an SD card. Sometimes things don't thou, and I guess it would be googles fault for it not doing so since updates do come through them. I guess its because the tablet is kinda like the nexus program, Devices with the pure unfiltered android experience. I guess even the flaws of that "unfiltered" experience come through as well. Personally though, I would much rather adapt and find a solution then be unhappy.
If you ever do decide to give rooting/roming (is that what you call it?) a go. Def use the guide i linked earlier for as long as its still valid. The only thing that would suck is backing up your data before the wipe that happens when you unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are a cool dude, Thanks for the help. I have Rooted before. My OG EVO had Myn's Warm 2.2 , then Synergy. So I am NOT a Noob to Rooting. I just don't feel like following the ROM to Death like before. It gets old. I guess I will just have to wait until Google gets off it's LAZY ASS and gives us ICS. HC works fine and as for me, the Playbook and Galaxy Player are all I need for now. I have no more need for tablets and what I have will suffice for a long time.
I personally thing if u find a xoom has better spec. then another 10' tablet. it has 4g, duel core, and used ranged from 300 dollar. Samsung makes good tablet but right now still not really match xoom in price range. Samung tablet plus price is like more then xoom. xoom is close or less then this tablet. Only think i would consider is the old samsung tab 7 inch. becasue:
Samsung tab 7" ( old )
1 core, 2gb + sd slot. 3g around 200-250 ( i got one on ebay 198)
Xoom
2 core 32 GB +sd slot 4G around 300-340 ( i got one on ebay. 310)
for 50-60 dollars more u get 4g and bigger screen and 1 core. Hope you understand.
its got the longest battery life among current tablets and its the only one that does dualband. I have no interest in buying a non GED device. I want to decide on my overlay and I want the first updates. Google's updates are far more featurefilled than anything Asus will offer you in their overlay, so picking a non GED product makes no sense for me. Ill get a new one either after nvidias next Gen processor comes out in a year or if Samsung makes something with that awesome flexible display concept design they made (YouTube the commercial, coolest thing I've ever seen). The tegra 2 is not yet outdated. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, though
i paid 240 for my xoom :]
got it used on craigslist
Just picked one up as well. 32gig Wifi for $300. Buyer also included dock and case. Cant complain about that. Now.. on to root
I wouldnt personally buy a xoom when the transformer prime is around the corner...
Kippui said:
I wouldnt personally buy a xoom when the transformer prime is around the corner...
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Click to collapse
I bought a 4G LTE XOOM, knowing the Prime was around the corner... Mostly because I needed a tablet with its own dedicated data connection... Verizon has the best network and didn't want the Galaxy Tab or Xyboard. TP isn't coming out with mobile radios, so had to rule it out.

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