Database Users

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.
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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)
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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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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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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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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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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.

Does the GalTab 10.1 (retail) support MKV videos?

HC 3.x only supports MP4 natively. Given Samsung's strong multimedia support for its GalTab7 and GalPlayer, I'm curious if it has also added enhanced multimedia support (specifically MKV support) to the 10.1. How about AC3/DTS? Can any owner give an answer? TIA.

nope. had to install moboplayer. even then, 720p still kinda chugged. I can't find an app that has hardware accelerated playback.

solidunit said:
nope. had to install moboplayer. even then, 720p still kinda chugged. I can't find an app that has hardware accelerated playback.
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that's probably because one doesn't exist

I do not own any Android device... (so no access to those apps) but maybe it would be possible for you guys to actually write to people/companies behind all those players and ask them - what is the situation with this thing. Mkv/ High Profile Videos/ Tegra 2/ Honeycomb and hardware acceleration...
Do they work on it?
If not - why?
Can it be done?
And so on...
Maybe they (developers of this software) would be able to clarify situation with video playback and what can we expect in coming weeks/months.

galtom said:
Mkv/ High Profile Videos/ Tegra 2/ Honeycomb and hardware acceleration...
Do they work on it?
If not - why?
Can it be done?
And so on...
Maybe they (developers of this software) would be able to clarify situation with video playback and what can we expect in coming weeks/months.
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Click to collapse
It's a known fact that base Android does not support MKV (video players on the market address this fine for the most part, like Moboplayer) and Tegra 2 cannot hardware accelerate any high profile encoded h264 videos (either in the mp4 or mkv container) - unfortunately there is no way around that as it is a hardware limitation - stupid Nvidia.
Sucks that Samsung joined the Tegra 2 bandwagon for the Gtab 10.1. The original Gtab has better multimedia capabilities than the thanks to the Hummingbird SoC.

t3ch7 said:
Sucks that Samsung joined the Tegra 2 bandwagon for the Gtab 10.1. The original Gtab has better multimedia capabilities than the thanks to the Hummingbird SoC.
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100% true if it only would be 10" not 7" I'd buy it today.

galtom said:
100% true if it only would be 10" not 7" I'd buy it today.
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Problem with the Galaxy Tab 7 is that, even though it can play 720p MKV's perfectly, its only useful for TV shows. The 4GB file limit applies, and most full length movies will run 5 to 6 GB. I got around this by splitting the files but that's a pain for most people.
The XOOM doesn't have a 4GB limit on its internal storage, but I hear people claiming that the Galaxy tab 10.1 does have a 4GB limit (I kind of doubt this).
But if that were true, then even if the Galaxy tab 10.1 could play everything, a 4GB limit would prevent you from watching many downloaded full length movies. For that matter, if a 4GB file size limit is present, then even transcoded movies could be a problem - would force you to limit quality, bit rate etc.

Digital Man said:
Problem with the Galaxy Tab 7 is that, even though it can play 720p MKV's perfectly, its only useful for TV shows. The 4GB file limit applies, and most full length movies will run 5 to 6 GB. I got around this by splitting the files but that's a pain for most people.
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Perhaps - dont know anything about it as with 7" screen it is to small (and uninteresting) for me.
Nevertheless I would expect it's younger brother to take all good stuff out of it and more goodies, etc..
For new 10.1 to be worse in stuff like than original GT is not even funny.

galtom said:
Perhaps - dont know anything about it as with 7" screen it is to small (and uninteresting) for me.
Nevertheless I would expect it's younger brother to take all good stuff out of it and more goodies, etc..
For new 10.1 to be worse in stuff like than original GT is not even funny.
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Was looking forward to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for a long time. Was 100% certain it was my next tablet. Was the primary reason I held off so long on buying a XOOM. Only reason I bought the XOOM was because it was taking Samsung so long to get the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to market.
Figured I would finally have a tablet that would play videos AND do everthing else. I really liked the Tab 7 and thought the 10.1 would be a big improvement. Was rumored to have Exynos and would play everything. But when I heard it had a Tegra 2, I was really disappointed. I already have a XOOM, and see little point in buying another Tegra 2 device. They are all just basically clones of each other - same basic capabilities, with small differences here and there.
However, if I did not have another Tegra 2 based device, then the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is probably the best you can get at this time (small form factor and good screen) and would buy it without hesitation. Only other option is to wait for Kal El - Tegra 3, and hope NVIDIA doesn't screw that up as well.
Think how insanely funny that would be - a quad core powered tablet that can't play videos!

Digital Man said:
Think how insanely funny that would be - a quad core powered tablet that can't play videos!
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True indeed.
But what is very surprising for me is that all those big and small websites do keep very quiet about this issue. 99% of people I talk to are looking at me as a crazy person - how come??? It says in the ads it plays 1080p.! You must be wrong, etc.
I do think that ads are a bit false and that issue is BIG considering that cheaper tablets of previous generation had none of this problems for half of the price.

galtom said:
True indeed.
But what is very surprising for me is that all those big and small websites do keep very quiet about this issue. 99% of people I talk to are looking at me as a crazy person - how come??? It says in the ads it plays 1080p.! You must be wrong, etc.
I do think that ads are a bit false and that issue is BIG considering that cheaper tablets of previous generation had none of this problems for half of the price.
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You can refer those people to these articles:
3 Surprising things About Video on Android Tablets
http://niallohiggins.com/2011/03/07/3-surprising-things-about-video-on-android-tablets/
Boxee Box ditches NVIDIA's Tegra 2
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/boxee-box-ditches-nvidias-tegra-2-for-intel-ce4100-pre-orders/

1080p can ba many things
Short movie? Long movie? Mini clips?
Video codec? Audio?
....
galtom said:
True indeed.
But what is very surprising for me is that all those big and small websites do keep very quiet about this issue. 99% of people I talk to are looking at me as a crazy person - how come??? It says in the ads it plays 1080p.! You must be wrong, etc.
I do think that ads are a bit false and that issue is BIG considering that cheaper tablets of previous generation had none of this problems for half of the price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Than fair thin to do would be to put a "*" there and mention conditions.
You know what I am talking about.
iPad and Apple does not advertise stuff they do not do at home - and average Joe is happy.
Now, Mr Joe goes to the shop (he saw all those ads) he buys Xoom or any other Android tablet. Gets home and what? He says never again - they promised and not delivered, Android and (insert manufacturer name here) are sh..t.
I talk about ppl. who do not read to much, do not visit XDA... Apple-like users who android tablets manufacturers want to steal from apple.

Apple is even worse, they advertise "HD movie"
http://www.apple.com/ipad/built-in-apps/videos.html
And the screen is not even 720p !
Oh and there is that iTunes which safeguards that Mr. Joe. He will say "My iPad can play all kind of video files, it's magical ..."
So, I believe, Android might not be for Mr. Joe ... That Mr. Joe
Because That Mr. Joe won't download movies via torrents or P2P, he will buy from iTunes hehehe ...
galtom said:
Than fair thin to do would be to put a "*" there and mention conditions.
You know what I am talking about.
iPad and Apple does not advertise stuff they do not do at home - and average Joe is happy.
Now, Mr Joe goes to the shop (he saw all those ads) he buys Xoom or any other Android tablet. Gets home and what? He says never again - they promised and not delivered, Android and (insert manufacturer name here) are sh..t.
I talk about ppl. who do not read to much, do not visit XDA... Apple-like users who android tablets manufacturers want to steal from apple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

gogol said:
Apple is even worse, they advertise "HD movie"
http://www.apple.com/ipad/built-in-apps/videos.html
And the screen is not even 720p !
Oh and there is that iTunes which safeguards that Mr. Joe. He will say "My iPad can play all kind of video files, it's magical ..."
So, I believe, Android might not be for Mr. Joe ... That Mr. Joe
Because That Mr. Joe won't download movies via torrents or P2P, he will buy from iTunes hehehe ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We've gone over this before. iPad2 can play HD movies downloaded from torrenting, in high profile 720p and MKV containter, with app store players like AVPlayerHD that doesn't need iTunes to transfer files. It's just that the screen isn't 1280x720, but it can indeed play the content and much better than any Tegra 2 tablet. I'm not a fanboy. I'm just pointing out facts when I had the Transformer and iPad 2.

gogol said:
So, I believe, Android might not be for Mr. Joe ... That Mr. Joe
Because That Mr. Joe won't download movies via torrents or P2P, he will buy from iTunes hehehe ...
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You are wrong here. Many ppl. who do not know much about computers do not like apple.
Android tablets are cheaper and advertised.
All of my friends in UK who were unable to install Windows by themselves had no problems with downloads from the likes of rapidhshare...
And now most of the stuff published and downloaded are BR rips - 720p High Profile.
I could understand why Sony would be more than happy if their tablet would not support videos of that kind but Samsung...?

Yes, thats true. My point was exactly like that. IPad screen is not for HD, its a waste. And who knows, probably blitzing bitmap into that smaller resolution helps the performance.
Also Android still does not have decent MKV player. I am betting on CoreCodec t release their CorePlayer. That certainly will help MKV scene on Android.
songmeesay said:
We've gone over this before. iPad2 can play HD movies downloaded from torrenting, in high profile 720p and MKV containter, with app store players like AVPlayerHD that doesn't need iTunes to transfer files. It's just that the screen isn't 1280x720, but it can indeed play the content and much better than any Tegra 2 tablet. I'm not a fanboy. I'm just pointing out facts when I had the Transformer and iPad 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You get what you paid for cheap Android tablets. It is not even widely advertised. When I was in Germany last week, i saw only iPad ads, no Android. No wonder here. Things like those cheapy Android tablets, let alone Xoom or Transformer. Ipad ads were everywhere.
You might have those savvy Joe friends, but there are a lot more other non savvy Joes out there. Who buy stuffs from itunes and use ipad for facebook alike
Who dont know how to unrar files from torrents, nor join split files from rapidshare.
Who dont know why the movie cannot be played because has ogg vorbis in it.
See? Those people are a lot more compare to your kind of Joe. Otherwise we will be very happy with our sociaty, because we have more savvy people around us!
Go around and ask people passing by, "do you know what MKV is?". then count who know from 100 samples.
Just to proove your point, for fun.
galtom said:
You are wrong here. Many ppl. who do not know much about computers do not like apple.
Android tablets are cheaper and advertised.
All of my friends in UK who were unable to install Windows by themselves had no problems with downloads from the likes of rapidhshare...
And now most of the stuff published and downloaded are BR rips - 720p High Profile.
I could understand why Sony would be more than happy if their tablet would not support videos of that kind but Samsung...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Yeah I look forward to CorePlayer as well. I'm just having mixed feelings how Samsung has provided info on this whole launch with all these conflicting specs. Heck even on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 microsite under the faq's it tells you to download Android File Transfer for Mac users and AFT doesn't even work with the 10.1 yet. One thing I really don't like is that one member here has reported that his Xvid avi file would not play with the stock player while it lists on the official samsung specs that Xvid and avi are supported natively. It could've been the audio was AC3 but usually the stock player will still play video, just with no sound, but his video wasn't even played at all I believe.
Either way, I'm not going to worry too much on MKV with tegra 2 tablets. I don't mind re-encoding for the next 6 or so months until Kal-el tabs start coming around... hopefully.

Gogol, you are right, nut remember that those ppl. are target. They make a volume sales, they got cash for devices and all other extra bits.
They are the ones who bought over 15 million devices last year and they are the ones android manufacturers want.
I am sorry but we here ale not that important.
And those ppl. above will get home and first time they will try to watch something they will say - android - never again.
BUT!: how would you understand this:
http://www.samsung.de/de/Privatkund...T-P7500UWDDBT/detail.aspx?atab=specifications
DivX support Yes (This feature is available in Q3 with a software update.)

Asus TF worth buying if sticking to stock FW?

Ok,
I am in the market for a tablet, and hate apple with a pashion. That being said, it leaves me with the options of many good android alternatives.
I am torn between this and the Motorola XOOM tablet. IMO the Acer has a piss poor build quality (though I know alot like it...).
Which is best straight out of the box? I can flash custom roms ofc, but would prefer to stick to stock software for the first 6 months anyway.
I am also considering getting it without the dock as I dont think it would be something I would use much....mabye I am wrong...lol.
Anyhow, whats the TF like running stock software?
Thanks,
Danny

Sorry, should have said, I want a tablet to showcase my amature photography, watch movies and to surf the web
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Asus appears to be better than Moto at tying software to hardware. Their support for software has also stomps all over Moto.

The stock firmware on the TF is perfect for every day usage. Paired with the keyboard dock, I have no problems using it like a regular laptop. It's a powerful piece of hardware that plays nicely with all of my existing storage devices, and even a few of my game controllers. I did end up rooting it anyway, though, just so that I could block ads and disable tap to click on the touchpad.
Photo viewing works flawlessly, provided you can store your photos on a SD card or external hard drive, which you would then plug into the TF. At this point the support for plugging in an actual camera is a bit spotty, no telling whether or not it will work until you try it. Movie support is sort of a mixed bag, as it all depends on which video playing app you use. Personally I like to rip all of my Blu ray movies so that I can watch them from my hard drive, so I use Handbrake to re-encode them all so they can be played natively in the stock Google video player. If instead you have a lot of videos in unrecognized formats like xvid, you'll need to test them with a third party video player.

earlyberd said:
The stock firmware on the TF is perfect for every day usage. Paired with the keyboard dock, I have no problems using it like a regular laptop. It's a powerful piece of hardware that plays nicely with all of my existing storage devices, and even a few of my game controllers. I did end up rooting it anyway, though, just so that I could block ads and disable tap to click on the touchpad.
Photo viewing works flawlessly, provided you can store your photos on a SD card or external hard drive, which you would then plug into the TF. At this point the support for plugging in an actual camera is a bit spotty, no telling whether or not it will work until you try it. Movie support is sort of a mixed bag, as it all depends on which video playing app you use. Personally I like to rip all of my Blu ray movies so that I can watch them from my hard drive, so I use Handbrake to re-encode them all so they can be played natively in the stock Google video player. If instead you have a lot of videos in unrecognized formats like xvid, you'll need to test them with a third party video player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all my xvid and divx flawlessly in rockplayer and even stream from a NAS using upnplayer

what will you use app wise to show of your amateur photography? The stock gallery? Are there better apps out there?

wilbur-force said:
all my xvid and divx flawlessly in rockplayer and even stream from a NAS using upnplayer
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MKVs doesnt play audio, decodes video though.

I bought a Xoom first, then an Ipad 2 and have now settled with the Transformer. In my opinion (discounting the Ipad 2 as it's far too limited so I passed that onto the wife ) the Xoom and TF'er are pretty much the same......
the differences which set them apart as the spec are virtually identical are:
- thickness of the tablet
The TF obviously wins this and whilst it may not be the worlds biggest issue, you can definitely 'feel' the difference when you are holding it in your hands and the additional weight of the Xoom can make your arms ache after a while...basically, it's not the most comfortable tablet to hold.
- SD card support
The 3.1 update for the Xoom didn't include the SD card fix so as long as the tablet is stock it is still unsupported (Google still working on the update as far as I'm aware). I know there are fixes and work arounds available but this would depend on what your intentions are regarding modding/rooting etc. The TF'er has it working out of the box so you could drop up to a 32Gb Micro SD card in on day 1. Definitely a bonus and as the OP mentioned a vanilla tablet for the first 6 months in their current state this could be a big issue for the Xoom especially for a photographer who needs storage space.
- Price
Definitely the biggest thing for me...not because I'm on a shoe-string but because of the fact that the tablets have the same O/S, the same spec, the same features and the same software......why would anyone take the Xoom over a TF?, especially with a considerable hike in price and the TF has a much nicer screen which is a major feature of the tablet in itself.
Basically you can't go far wrong with either, but if you're gonna drop £380 or $399 on a tablet then get the one which is $100 cheaper than the current competition.
......and that leads me on to arguably the biggest feature of the TF. The dock. Whilst it may not be a requirement to a lot of people, or something that adds a lot of interest....the flexibility is there to have the TF'er as a notebook replacement - and it also means additional storage space is available via the SD card slot, USB ports which in my opinion will also offer future flexibility as device/accessories/peripherals can be added in the near future with the relevant support.
All in all, a 16GB TF at £380/$399 can have a 32Gb micro SD, and 64GB SD (or another 32GB Micro SD with adaptor) and offers twice the flexibility of the Xoom whilst offering a virtually identical base-feature set. After owning them all, it would be a no-brainer for me. I've not become a fanboy or anything daft like that and wouldn't 'slag' the Xoom off but in a direct comparison with the TF it's virtually identical, so I'd go with 'bang for buck' and flexibility. The TF gets both points by quite a large margin.

What did you find limiting about the iPad 2? Genuine question. I have a tf and ipad2 and I feel they both have limitations.

h00ligan said:
What did you find limiting about the iPad 2? Genuine question. I have a tf and ipad2 and I feel they both have limitations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In comparison to the TF (or large majority of Android devices)
Connectivity - no USB/storage devices meaning there is no option but to get apps/data/movies transferred to the tablet etc via a wireless connection or 3rd party application.
Requirement of additional peripherals for HDMI/cameras etc whereas the TF can take a direct connection or plug in the micro sd card directly for transfer.
The dependency on iTunes for some functionality. ie I'd be reluctant to take my Ipad2 anywhere for an extended period of time without a laptop for backup and updates etc. Another example that infringes on this is if you want to copy friends data/music then it's much more difficult to do this with an Apple IOS than it is with Android due to the bluetooth and connectivity issue.
Customisation - speaks for itself.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that every device has its limitations including the TF'er. The Ipad is a lovely bit of hardware, definitely has the better app store, more polished apps and better UI overall but the issues I listed above are restrictive to me personally and if I had to make a choice (which I don't) and could only take one of them, I'd select the TF in a heartbeat because of these points.

ASUS is hands down better than the xoom under every circumstance.
HOWEVER, if you're not interested in the dock (and the functionality it offers) for the TF or having a micro-sd card on the tablet itself, then you should probably go for the galaxy tab 10.1.
It's a $100 more than the TF but it supposedly has a better screen, is lighter and some people are saying that it has better build quality than the TF also.
Just don't get any android tablet other than the TF or Galaxy tab 10.1, especially if you're trying to show off your photography.

starplaya93 said:
ASUS is hands down better than the xoom under every circumstance.
HOWEVER, if you're not interested in the dock (and the functionality it offers) for the TF or having a micro-sd card on the tablet itself, then you should probably go for the galaxy tab 10.1.
It's a $100 more than the TF but it supposedly has a better screen, is lighter and some people are saying that it has better build quality than the TF also.
Just don't get any android tablet other than the TF or Galaxy tab 10.1, especially if you're trying to show off your photography.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, the TF has a much better screen. Look at any video reviews. I remember in a comparison I saw, both the TF and Xoom had the same wallpaper. The TF showed every color, while the Xoom washed out and showed a blend of white...
Since you're going to use it to show off photography, the SD reader in the keyboard dock would come in handy. I found my TF to be very snappy and responsive. I cannot stream pictures and movies correctly, but that's because I don't know how

SwiftLegend said:
Actually, the TF has a much better screen. Look at any video reviews. I remember in a comparison I saw, both the TF and Xoom had the same wallpaper. The TF showed every color, while the Xoom washed out and showed a blend of white...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But he didn't even mention the Xoom... he did however compare the TF with the Samsung Galaxy tab 10"
And here i offer a little insight: seems that Samsung loves to have over saturated screens. That could actually be an issue, if the tab has to be used to show photographs... I know that if I set brightness at maximum on my 7" galaxy tab, skintones ends up in the douchebag tan kind of orange. On the other hand, low brightness makes for nice and vivid colours.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk

I'd say the TF is the all-round winner for your photography needs:
- It has a much better screen than the Xoom, so that's out.
- It's cheaper than the Samsung
- It has a working AND existent microSD card on it (should be invaluable for transferring pics if your camera also uses microSD. Also if you DID want to to root and flash a new ROM, the Samsung's out again (is this their "No Root" ploy?)
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

Thanks paradaz

AlexTheStampede said:
But he didn't even mention the Xoom... he did however compare the TF with the Samsung Galaxy tab 10"
And here i offer a little insight: seems that Samsung loves to have over saturated screens. That could actually be an issue, if the tab has to be used to show photographs... I know that if I set brightness at maximum on my 7" galaxy tab, skintones ends up in the douchebag tan kind of orange. On the other hand, low brightness makes for nice and vivid colours.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This over saturated screen on the 10.1 will drive me nuts not only viewing photographs but also watching movies. Its sound like that vivid mode u see on lcd. Some people prefer that look on their tv maybe that why led lcd sell so great. I prefer that natural look you see on plasma tv.

Wow, thanks for the replies guys!
The Galaxy tab was never going to be an option for me with the lack of being able to use removable storage.
Looks like the transformer will be my weapon of choice! Although you are now making me reconsider getting the dock as well....
My reasons for not getting the dock where;
1. It would be another item to cart around. I will be generally only using the tablet so will probably get a leather cover for it. If I where going away I would need to also bring the keyboard as well, perhaps in a separate case?
2. Low stock in the UK at present...i can drive 2 miles and pick up the tablet only package.
Although I didn't know it had an SD card reader! That coupled with the additional battery capacity is rather appealing!
To answer an earlier question, I have no specific app in mind to show off my photos... Can anyone else advise if there is better options than the stock gallery? I use lightroom on my PC, but would imagine nothing similar is available on android.
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

djglenn1337 said:
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mkv is only the container so many third players like moboplayer are able to open mkv files..
what's really matters is the codec used inside the container, as of now, the TF on 3.1 is able to hard-decode H264 720p High profile and 1080p base profile..
you can use handbreak to encode media files if necessary:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1060825

djglenn1337 said:
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do know some people seems to be experiencing problems with mkv's. Unsure what codecs (video/audio) their mkv's might have, because I played about 30 different mkv's made by different people with and without soft-subs and I've not experienced any hitches or glitches to either sound or video.
All I use is moboplayer and start them - plays flawlessly.

Galaxy tab 10.1

Hi, just bought the above but already disappointed with the price / performance ratio and think of returning it for a xoom as I can get double the disk space for £80 less money + I get a HDMI port.
I am finding it cannot proccess 1080p video on youtube which it is supposed to be able to do, it can do 720p but suprisingly using DICE it can do 720p high profile movies files (mkv) pretty well to, overlcocked to 1.6 (not getting hot) it can almost do 1080p high profile too.
I know the limitaions with Terga regards to video but I thought it was supposed to be able to 1080p youtube as this is main or base profile.
Any other advantages / disadvantages?
Are there any fully working 3.2 wfi UK ROMS?
Cheers.

what is the point to watch 1080 on 10.1 inches screen? I just don't understand. btw, xoom can't play 1080 YouTube videos either.

da.trute said:
Hi, just bought the above but already disappointed with the price / performance ratio and think of returning it for a xoom as I can get double the disk space for £80 less money + I get a HDMI port.
I am finding it cannot proccess 1080p video on youtube which it is supposed to be able to do, it can do 720p but suprisingly using DICE it can do 720p high profile movies files (mkv) pretty well to, overlcocked to 1.6 (not getting hot) it can almost do 1080p high profile too.
I know the limitaions with Terga regards to video but I thought it was supposed to be able to 1080p youtube as this is main or base profile.
Any other advantages / disadvantages?
Are there any fully working 3.2 wfi UK ROMS?
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read this thread for info on watching 1080P on Xoom:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=17470643#post17470643

tritran18518 said:
what is the point to watch 1080 on 10.1 inches screen? I just don't understand. btw, xoom can't play 1080 YouTube videos either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are two reasons I can think of from the top of my head.
1. No need to convert 1080p videos if that is what someone already has.
2. Someone may want to use Xoom to playback a video to a 1080p TV.

Techno79 said:
2. Someone may want to use Xoom to playback a video to a 1080p TV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HDMI port hast only 720p output, so this makes no sense.
btw i am not able to play 1080p main profile without lags

Iceananas said:
The HDMI port hast only 720p output, so this makes no sense.
btw i am not able to play 1080p main profile without lags
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok, I didn't realise this aspect. I would want my tablet to be able to output 1080p via it's video out connectivity.
The other point still stands, some people have 1080p videos as part of their video collection. As there's many other devices that can support full 1080p video. It would be really annoying for those people to have to convert these videos and store two copies (one at 720p and another at the 1080p). It's far easier if their tablet could play 1080p so you can throw anything at it and it'll just play it.

This thread is interesting.. I was about to get the Galaxy Tab 10.1 because of the much better screen and lighter body weight..
Should I keep the Xoom instead??

For 1080p don't buy anything now, wait for kal-el.

Managed to brick my Xoom last night whilst installing an boot image (dont ask for details I may cry) so I am taking it back for a refund today as PCworld have kindly agreed to do so. ( I may have ommitted a few details of the fault with the device).
One definite advantage to the samsung is odin, no silly bollocks with adb and 20 step rooting and unlocking, piece of piss on the tab, although have you seen the root on the eepad transformer?, yeah you only need to do it once but what a faff.
I have decided my only problem with the Gtab is (I can live without the HDMI onboard and even USB) is space, with a couple of movies, two audio books and only 4 games I was already running out of space with no means to upgrade, this is a apple-esque fail and I have to say they deserve all the **** they are getting in the courts for apple copying, it just is an ipad 2 running android.

da.trute said:
Managed to brick my Xoom last night whilst installing an boot image (dont ask for details I may cry)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you share details
BTW:I Have flashed 9 times factory image.
If you do rihtly rooting or installing custom recovery or even going back to stock is just 5 minute process.(Touch wood)

rohit3192 said:
Can you share details
BTW:I Have flashed 9 times factory image.
If you do rihtly rooting or installing custom recovery or even going back to stock is just 5 minute process.(Touch wood)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are going to have to trust me its deader than a Diana.

da.trute said:
One definite advantage to the samsung is odin, no silly bollocks with adb and 20 step rooting and unlocking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, "adb" (and "fastboot") is what Google (and everyone else) uses and works perfectly. Odin is some Windows-only hack, not sure how that's an "advantage" at all?

originally I was waiting for the Galaxy tab but the more I read on it, and seeing the price, I decided to go with the xoom for the following reasons in no particular order.
1. Xoom is pure android, I suppose this doesn't matter for all you flashers but it does to me.
2. Ports, and internal sd card slot, usb, hdmi. all of these are extra peripherals on the tab and I don't want to go searching for them when i need them, again might not be a problem for some but it is for me.
3 Price. for the same price as a 16gb tab you can get a 32 that includes all of the ports so more bang for my buck imo.
Advantages of the tab over the xoom..
1 weight, the tab weighs nothing the xoom can break your wrists off depending how you hold it. I've gotten used to manipulating my xoom now so it's no longer an issue but still an advantage the samsung has over xoom
2 screen res. samsung make beautiful screens, much more beautiful than the xoom. Not that the xoom is aweful it just looks like crap next to a galaxy, but then so does everything.
my opinion make of it what you will

Samsung screen is color rich but I think Motorola screen has natural colors.
Sometimes colors on Samsung feel artificial.

Captain Geezer said:
originally I was waiting for the Galaxy tab but the more I read on it, and seeing the price, I decided to go with the xoom for the following reasons in no particular order.
1. Xoom is pure android, I suppose this doesn't matter for all you flashers but it does to me.
2. Ports, and internal sd card slot, usb, hdmi. all of these are extra peripherals on the tab and I don't want to go searching for them when i need them, again might not be a problem for some but it is for me.
3 Price. for the same price as a 16gb tab you can get a 32 that includes all of the ports so more bang for my buck imo.
Advantages of the tab over the xoom..
1 weight, the tab weighs nothing the xoom can break your wrists off depending how you hold it. I've gotten used to manipulating my xoom now so it's no longer an issue but still an advantage the samsung has over xoom
2 screen res. samsung make beautiful screens, much more beautiful than the xoom. Not that the xoom is aweful it just looks like crap next to a galaxy, but then so does everything.
my opinion make of it what you will
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers for the feedback. The 2 issues I have with the Xoom are weight and screen.
I think waiting for Kal-el is probably the best thing for me to do, although I am interested to see what the Gtab7.7 looks + speed wise when its released.
My Xoom isnt really that bad IMO, I've got the internal 32Gb + SD 32Gb storage, which certainly beats out the Gtab10.1 for sure.

[Q] coming from a prime, have a question on an acer.

I currently have the Asus prime and love the tablet, but it doesn't work for my needs as a multimedia device on the go. With the blue tooth and streaming video/audio issue, my main purpose of it is no longer functional. I could careless about the gps.
I was looking at the Acer 500 tablet. I know it would be a tegra2 compared to the tegera3 and there is the 510 model just released. After the mess that is happening with the prime I'm hesitant to try another brand spanking new model right out of the gates. I don't mind yesterdays technology if it's proven to work and tweaked already. Plus it should be a bit cheaper.
So my question is, how do you owners of the Acer brand of tablets like your devices? Particularly the media abilities of it. I use youtube, stream tv shows, stream cartoons, and internet radio. Being able to use my blue tooth headset is my sore spot and is what I'm looking to rectify with a different tablet.
I do some gaming but not much on the android platform has really taken me yet. If these Acer models play Order and Chaos then it would be a boon.
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

THere are video limitations with 1080p . mosy 720 will play fine. Streaming for me works well,of course some of the roms are better then others.I will not make comments on any of them. I would say read the forums of those roms.Order and Chaos does actually run very well on my A500. as with most other android games. I can also say my Bluetooth motorola hd 9 headset works flawless.
Good Luck .

Its OK
I have an a500, video and audio streamig works fine, same goes for bluetooth, I hate how the browser auto closes when it runs out of memory specially when watching heavy loaded web sites (I mean heavy Flash content).
I am on stock 3.2.1 rom, no root.
I love the big usb port as I can connect almost anything, I have a USB hub and can connect 4 things at the same time (memory, keyboard, mouse and gamepad).
Sound is good, not top best but is ok.
No good 1080p playback as Erica already said.
No GPS issues unless you go for custom roms.
Planned to update to ICS by the end of the month.

I like my A500 but I would never go from a Prime to an A500.
I don't have any issues with my device per say. I run netflix, crunchyroll, etc. on there and I use plex as well as tversity so 1080p videos and anything out of the scope of compatibility for my tablet from my library aren't an issue for me. Like you, I use it for multimedia purposes and I am satisfied.
My unwanted 2c is you just wait for a patch that makes you LOVE your Prime. It took several software revisions before Acer got it right with Honeycomb on the A500 and Tegra3 as well as ICS is brand spanking new so I'd give it a bit more time. I stuck with the A500 because I liked it and I found the USB port useful but as I said, I would not go from a Prime to an A500 for the mere fact that the Prime is technically speaking, a newer device with better/faster hardware and a better screen....even if you THINK you don't care about Tegra3 vs. Tegra2, once Asus gets the software refined, overall it will be better than the A500. If it's a case where you have some disposable dollars and are thinking of getting the A500 in the interim, go ahead; but if you're going to swap/exchange the Prime and then buy an A500 I would heartily advise against it.
Good Luck to you, whatever you decide.

As for me, here is what I can say about the A500 :
- for the videos, I'm used to ripping my DVDs and blu-rays so I can read them on the tablet. My favorite format is MP4. Nothing special to say about DVDs, but as for the Blu-rays 720p main profile works fine (high profile does not), just as 1080p low profile (both main and high profile won't be readable with a comforable frame rate). It's also a matter of bit rate : for 720p main profile, 3500 Kbps is almost perfect, 4000 Kbps is fine 90% of the time but it can get really laggy for some minutes at times. For 1080p low profile, 5500 Kbps was fine, haven't tested anything else yet because anyway good 1080p compressed movies weighs like 8GB and with FAT32 you're supposed to be limited to 4GB. No noticeable quality differences with the tablet screen anyway, and very little on a large TV screen given the compression, so to me 720p main profile remains the best choice.
- Sound is surprisingly good but mic really (and I mean really) sucks. Barely usable.
- Screen isn't as accurate as on other tablets. It makes no differences at all for a normal use but if you intend to handwrite it is still possible but not perfect.
- Battery life is fine for me, but it lasts less than others. Like 6 to 8 hours in video, the same for a standard use (internet, reading,...).
- The screen is good, but again not as good as the Asus's screens or iPads and Galaxy tabs ones.
- The USB port is a huge feature for me, it works just fine with my NTFS external hard disk, with all my USB keys, with all my USB PC controllers (that are already set the right way !), with my keyboard, my mouse, and my USB hub so I can use my keyboard and mouse at the same time on the tablet !
- With Honeycomb, internet browsing is a little bit too slow and lacks smoothness for me with the default browser (I'm used to great smoothness and speed with my SGS 2), so I chose to use Dolphin Mini, which is fine. Hope the ICS update will fix that though.
In conclusion it's a good device but for 2011, you're likely to be disappointed coming from a Transformer Prime. Better wait for the A510 or the A700 to my mind.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to hold on to the prime for another 2 weeks or so and see how the 510 is holding up. It's always the customers that find the little quirks which are not noticed by the manufactures in their testing phases.
Thanks again!

sureeee
fsured said:
I currently have the Asus prime and love the tablet, but it doesn't work for my needs as a multimedia device on the go. With the blue tooth and streaming video/audio issue, my main purpose of it is no longer functional. I could careless about the gps.
I was looking at the Acer 500 tablet. I know it would be a tegra2 compared to the tegera3 and there is the 510 model just released. After the mess that is happening with the prime I'm hesitant to try another brand spanking new model right out of the gates. I don't mind yesterdays technology if it's proven to work and tweaked already. Plus it should be a bit cheaper.
So my question is, how do you owners of the Acer brand of tablets like your devices? Particularly the media abilities of it. I use youtube, stream tv shows, stream cartoons, and internet radio. Being able to use my blue tooth headset is my sore spot and is what I'm looking to rectify with a different tablet.
I do some gaming but not much on the android platform has really taken me yet. If these Acer models play Order and Chaos then it would be a boon.
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i really love my tab
it supports all my needs
but on a500 you have to use external 3g modem (i dont use 3g on my tab)
if 3g is important i would rather a501
but the other things about it is really good
i use it for media too. i even dont use my pc since ive got it
and about the 1080p video playback
hardware codecs are kinda laggy but i use software decoders and its ok