Related
I used to be with a lot of critics largely on why Moto has to rush such a potentially great product to the market just almost for the sake of being the "first honeycomb tablet", even with "Honeycomb" is not at that time a well tested or used OS.
And now I think I got it. Despite of all these good/bad issues around Xoom, I think this move from Moto is pretty good move.
The advantage of being in the market available earlier than the rest of the pack did make a difference. Just judging from
1. the Dev's attention (Kernels coming and 44 threads in xda dev section even before Honeycomb source code is published). Look, the Dev community are group of Tech enthusiasts who are mostly early adopters. This product carried the new OS to the market, this fact alone will draw strong attention and millions apps developer, who sees Android as future OS of the tablet market , want to get it as soon as possible so that their apps will come out much earlier to the market.
2. Peripheral accessories' manufacturers' attention: If you search in Amazon or online, many case / screen protector / charger/ dock / speaker manufacturer already use Xoom to represent almost entire 10.1 inch tablet market. They did not include "Transformer" in their product name (no offense, but really to my best knowledge, nor A500)
3. Average consumers they can't remember and tell the differences of all those specs, but they only know one name: Xoom. Anecdotally, my manager, who spends life in Finance industry and has not much idea of what is different between Ram and Harddisk etc, asked my the VERY CORRECT question" Is that a Xoom?" God bless him he did not ask "is that an iPad". ^^
This is not statistical proof but rather anecdotal ones, my friends around now all know that Xoom is a contender to iPad and LOOKS COOL &FEELS SOLID.
I guess if a Tablet is drawn in the waves of tablets launching events, the tablet can't really be remembered then. Evidence being almost bestbuy staff can't tell Acer or ASUS (by the way, this two pronounce too similar to each other)
So much for my saturday night chitchat.
Xoom is a solid piece of product with both Moto's hardware and Dev's contribution =)
It was worth it to rush to be the first Honeycomb Tablet, I think.
+1
Sent from my Xoom the way it should be, rooted and with SD card.
+1 more
I was pretty skeptical about this purchase but this little thing is growing on me the more I use it
I was torn between this and an actual computer but Im realizing how VERY much I use my phone.. this tab does everything my evo does and does almost all of it better. Much better.
edit- some have criticized the power button placement, I really like it. It is unique and convenient.
And the wave is starting to grow and gain momentum quietly reaching #1 bestseller and #2 Top rated tablet on Amazon - http://www.topcomputertablets.com/m...nd-2-top-rated-tablet-ranks-on-amazon/224151/
+1 more<br />
<br />
I was pretty skeptical about this purchase but this little thing is growing on me the more I use it <br />
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto, I almost sent mine back. God knows why but it seems to have a 'breaking in period', it was uber slow and crappy, FCs here there and eveywhere when first got it. But now it's settled down, albeit still stock, for now, I absolutely love it. :-D
Sent from my XOOM using XDA Premium App
I was also skeptical after the first week but I'm loving my Xoom. It sits well between my notebooks and my EVO, but I find it displaces my EVO usage more than my notebook. Just like when I picked up the HTC Hero when it launched, there are issues but nothing breaking.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I believe the Xoom will have the same impact as the original Droid. People swear by the OD and my son uses mine to this day. I asked him if he wanted a new Droid X he said he wanted something sexy looking like the OD. Go figure!
Yeah I was skeptical too, my friend said I would regret it. I haven't, I know I can trust in Google at least to make the software stable. As for some of the hardware issues or problems ( HDMI, bluetooth, etc.) I don't mind it too much, I am getting a micro HDMI cable and I would probably never use it too much, I don't use a keyboard or a mouse ( that would ruin the point of this being touch screen). Still being one of the few with a Honeycomb tablet is exciting, you get to start the future of Honeycomb. I gave some advice and some feedback for the Droid Reader Tablet Edition, and when I see the update show up on the market, I downloaded it and saw that some of the advice that I have given to the dev was implemented, which is pretty cool, considering one day thousands of millions of people will be downloading it and running it, and I will know that I have helped them in a way. Sounds stupid I guess, but still just very excited to help out with software and stuff.
Sent from my Xoom
i have to say that the zoom is simply awesome. I played around with all the available tablets on the market for about a month and easily settled on the zoom. I love honeycomb, even though it has a few shortcomings at the moment which should get fixed up. Once Google fixes some bugs and adds some much needed features. I've been using my laptop much less now, as well as my phone (hotspot aside). I'm not going to complain much about the limitations and bugs since I know they'll get worked out, but my one big worry is if Google decides to launch its own nexus tablet this summer as well as the speed in which mobile hardware is evolving right now. Anyhow, just my 2cents
I don't think I can take another “is that the new ipad? ” comment at work...
The Xoom IMHO is worth every penny. When you tie in the amazing hardware with Honeycomb and then the amazing features provided by XDA devs, it is beyond any doubt worth it.
I use my Xoom everyday, and for the most part I have absolutely no regrets.
I might add, just consider the screw job Samsung did with the Galaxy Tab by not providing a Honeycomb update on a device that was barely 4 months old at the time in which Xoom RTM.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
well...
In the last few days I've gone from "looks promising, glad I have two weeks to decide" to "pry this thing from my hands, I dare you.."
Still completely stock and I am blown away
Between Google Body, YouTube and some network maintenance I did today I couldn't help thinking "this is some star-trek-shiz, man"
I was thinking of buying the iPad 2 here in Oz (I do have an iPad), then decided that I had enough of the no flash support, and to be honest, got bored playing games on it.
I bought my Xoom from the US through Amazon, when I received it, I was like a little kid in a candy store! After a few days, I got bored of it. No SDcard support, no flash, no ad-hoc wifi.....then I cam across these forums....well...let's just say, I sleep with my Xoom under my pillow now. Kidding.
I'm only a newby when it comes to Android, and you can tell, it has so much potential.
For a long time I didn't see a reason for me to purchase a tablet. The only use I can think of right now is for me to have more access to my files on a bigger screen via dropbox.
That said, I still reaaaaally want a Xoom, but it's not a good enough reason for me to drop $800+ (Xoom+accessories) since my phone can do the same thing, except on a smaller screen.
Yes, there is the multimedia portion; videos and whatnot but again, what else are tablets used for? I'm not an artist either so the drawing/sketching capabilities do not apply to me.
So hence my question, what do you guys use your tablets for?
Also, do phone applications work on tablets or do tablets have their own set of applications? How is the resolution of the apps if tablets can use the same apps that phones use?
Cheers!
I like this thing, but it's definitely a toy. If I hadn't gotten a great deal on it, I would have been disappointed. Functionality is not what I'd hoped, and browsing the internet is painful at best. I wouldn't dream of using it for serious work. In a few years these will be "useful," but for now it's still just a toy.
It seems like you have your mind made up. I use mines for:
Browsing
YouTube
Gaming
Emulators
Remote Desktop
Texting
Video Editing
Reference
School
Emailing
And a whole bunch of other things. I traded my iPad 2 for it and don't regret it one bit. More appps are coming to Android and are tablet friendly. You can run phone apps also. I haven't even rooted mines yet and if I did the list would be even bigger.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
slack04 said:
I like this thing, but it's definitely a toy. If I hadn't gotten a great deal on it, I would have been disappointed. Functionality is not what I'd hoped, and browsing the internet is painful at best. I wouldn't dream of using it for serious work. In a few years these will be "useful," but for now it's still just a toy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will admit that text input is hella laggy when typing on forums. I don't know why.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I use mine for several things, but the major thing for which my phone would be completely inadequate is that I teach Bible class on Sunday mornings from my tablet. My tablet is wifi only so I cannot speak for those who can haul theirs with them all the time and get 3g on it.
Generally speaking, Android phone apps will work on an Android tablet. Some apps need to be updated for newer versions of Android, especially Honeycomb, and will force close. Some phone apps will not expand to fill the screen but will only take up a small portion of it. Some apps will fill the screen automatically and the resolution looks fine. Some apps will fill the screen but they look odd. It is a trial and error "test it and see" matter. There are also apps that have be designed or redesigned just for tablets. Most tablet apps will say "for Honeycomb" or "HD" (High Definition) or "for tablets" in their names, but this is not always the case. The Market does have a special section of featured tablet apps and you can find many more by searching on "Honeycomb" or "Tablet."
If you don't want to pay for a Xoom, look into the Iconia A500 like I did. It's very similar, but only costs $450
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
I actually think browsing the net is the best thing it does. Quick controls and thumb keyboard make it very fast. Use something like pulse and it's a media consumers dream.
I got my 3G Verizon Xoom on eBay for $490 shipped... I wouldn't pay regular price either.
At the end of the day... it IS just a toy, but it is definitely closer to a laptop than the iPad 2 is, I goto the iPad 2 for my wife & she loves it.
Xoom is much more versatile than the iPad 2.
At the end of the day it still seems like it's just an expensive toy as of now...
But I may pick one up tomorrow just to play with it to see if I like it just because I'm kind of a gadget whore. Hahaha
Question, does LauncherPro(Plus) work on tablets or no? Or is there a tablet version of it? I saw some "hands-on" videos on youtube and there seems to be a bit of lag when transitioning between homescreens. Hmmm!
Well I have a post about this. It is not exhaustive but it covers a lot with photos and elaborations.
I am not a random id that do some own ads here but if xda allows html, I will post my original write-up here without hestitation. =)
Here it is
What do you do with your 10.1 tablet toy??
There is no reason for a tablet. Just buy a laptop. Its half the price and its a better value. I would never drop 800 on a tablet.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
PureH2O said:
There is no reason for a tablet. Just buy a laptop. Its half the price and its a better value. I would never drop 800 on a tablet.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you just went beyond what I said when I called it a "toy." Its silly to make statements like this when 1) laptops are not "half the price"; 2) nobody cares how much YOU want to spend on your electronics; and 3) not everyone makes the same uses of their stuff as you do. If you like laptops, that's great. I do too. Tablets are a different form factor and thus have different uses.
Anyways, make your own decisions about what you want to spend your money on, just don't expect it to be anything more than it is.
slack04 said:
Well, you just went beyond what I said when I called it a "toy." Its silly to make statements like this when 1) laptops are not "half the price"; 2) nobody cares how much YOU want to spend on your electronics; and 3) not everyone makes the same uses of their stuff as you do. If you like laptops, that's great. I do too. Tablets are a different form factor and thus have different uses.
Anyways, make your own decisions about what you want to spend your money on, just don't expect it to be anything more than it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, my laptop costed me 3 grand, so I disagree with the comment above yours.
Point of this post was to see if there's any other usages for the tablets that I had not known about. Which does not seem to be the case. I was hoping to have more reasons to justify my purchase (to make myself feel less guilty y'know? )
That said, I may buy it and play around with it to see if I like it and/or will be needing it.
Anyone know if its possible to haggle the price at BestBuy or FutureShop in Canada ?
PureH2O said:
There is no reason for a tablet. Just buy a laptop. Its half the price and its a better value. I would never drop 800 on a tablet.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I admit there really is no reason for a tablet. I've wanted a Xoom since release but wasn't comfortable with paying $800 or signing a contract, so the wifi version came out and I jumped on it.
Now that I have the Xoom, I still don't really know what to do with it. I'm reading books on it, thats cool...it's cool for browsing and what not. I can't justify it's reason for existence other than it's cool.
To summarize;
Paid $600 for Xoom Wifi
Can't figure out what I needed it for
Happy as I hell that I have it
It's gadget porn, thats all.
Nighte said:
Agreed, my laptop costed me 3 grand, so I disagree with the comment above yours.
Point of this post was to see if there's any other usages for the tablets that I had not known about. Which does not seem to be the case. I was hoping to have more reasons to justify my purchase (to make myself feel less guilty y'know? )
That said, I may buy it and play around with it to see if I like it and/or will be needing it.
Anyone know if its possible to haggle the price at BestBuy or FutureShop in Canada ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha! Haggling a price at a big-box store? Are you from Europe!
Just kidding, but the answer is a flat "no chance." Nobody at those stores have the authority to change pricing.
A word of advice to you: I'd wait for the second generation devices. The Xoom is a solid early-adopter device, but now that you've managed to avoid it for this long I'd put it off for a few more months while the second-gen devices come out. Cheaper, lighter, and (hopefully) will be supported for longer by google/manufacturer. Then again, if you spent $3k on a laptop (I hope it has a money printer and a grappling hook for that price!) then I'm guessing that you're not too worried about the few hundred dollars it would cost to trade up when you want to.
nooomoto said:
I admit there really is no reason for a tablet. I've wanted a Xoom since release but wasn't comfortable with paying $800 or signing a contract, so the wifi version came out and I jumped on it.
Now that I have the Xoom, I still don't really know what to do with it. I'm reading books on it, thats cool...it's cool for browsing and what not. I can't justify it's reason for existence other than it's cool.
To summarize;
Paid $600 for Xoom Wifi
Can't figure out what I needed it for
Happy as I hell that I have it
It's gadget porn, thats all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Yeah lots of new ones are coming out soon I believe. Guess I can wait.. it is afterall, just a toy
PureH2O said:
There is no reason for a tablet. Just buy a laptop. Its half the price and its a better value. I would never drop 800 on a tablet.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tablets are a lot easier to carry around. It's easier to hold while standing up, laying in bed, and kicking back on a couch/recliner/lawn chair. I'm tired of being hunched over a keyboard and mouse. I can rest my head and browse. If I need to do something that my Xoom can't. I can RDP into my PC, or walk to my PC and do what I need to do. Also battery life on my Xoom is just awesome.
I feel tablets are like the consoles vs PC war. Sure PC is superior to consoles in many ways, but in my opinion, it can't beat picking up the controller and relaxing on the recliner playing a game. Same sense, I can just pick my tablet up and browse.
I have no laptop nor netbook. So I bought the Xoom.
Yes it is a toy, but using it while lazing on the bed/couch is so comfortable.
Web browsing comes first to mind. Though it won't be as full featured as using the desktop but normal web surfing works very well and using your fingers instead of a mouse to navigate websites makes so much sense.
Next would be ebook reading. Seriously, if you read your books and you have no ebook reader then using your tablet as a book is a must. It has pretty much replaced my normal paperback reading. And best thing is it's pretty easy to just sideload tons of free ebooks into the Xoom for your viewing pleasure anytime.
And finally gaming. Just to pass the time. I pretty much stopped gaming on my nexus one because well, playing games on a 10.1" screen is just so much better.
Just buy the xoom at a Costco/sams club for you can return it after two months.
I plan on doing that so if new generation devices come out then I will just swap it out.
Right now i dont see the need for a tablet, although im envious of the people that do have them. But i just dont see the need for it at the moment, i just recently got a brand spankin new huge 25" all-in-one pc for less then that of the Xoom. As of now the Xoom isn't for me but i have my sights set on the Galaxy 10.1
Do you still love your thrive ? I still really like my tablet . Enjoying skype on it . I haven't had any issues with it so far . Waiting for the roocase slim black due to be realed the 17th . 6.6Grams weight . Figured id post this question for those who want to share some thoughts about your new toshiba thrive . I kinda wish woulda got the 8gb ultrahigh the 16gb will be better for resale .
Sent from my AT100 using XDA Premium App
I like mine even more now that it is rooted and all that bloatware has been frozen by titanium backup, all I can see is great things happening for this tablet now that root has been done!!!
how hard is it to root, what are the advantages/disadvantages?
Just got mine in the mail yesterday, reformatted my 500gb portable drive threw a few hundred ripped movies on and fell in love with the full usb. Unfortunately the screen has frozen on me in excess of 30 times since I got it and I'm ready to destroy this pos. I installed the sod fix, but this is a seperate issue I believe. I hate this thing
I just got my Thrive, had it for a few days now, and I LOVE it!!! My friend and I just took some video at Disney and I edited it on the way home. I love the full size ports and support for up to 128GB SDXC.
sspaladin28 said:
Just got mine in the mail yesterday, reformatted my 500gb portable drive threw a few hundred ripped movies on and fell in love with the full usb. Unfortunately the screen has frozen on me in excess of 30 times since I got it and I'm ready to destroy this pos. I installed the sod fix, but this is a seperate issue I believe. I hate this thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that happened to me. Just send it back. My second Thrive has been nothing but bliss especially since the sleep wake problem has been resolved.
I really wanted it at the start, but frankly, its slower than my phone. My Atrix runs Aliens WAY faster, and the ergonomics are terrible for the thrive. I love Android phones, but the app store on the Thrive isn't anywhere close to that on the phones. This tab was a big disappointment. Thank God I saved my receipt. We need Ice Cream Sandwich already.
Considering buying a Thrive.
Wow, lots of good info here.
I'm torn between this and The Acer Iconia.
I think I need to wait and do more research.
Root is always nice to have and SD is cheaper than micro sd.
If they say the sleep lock is fixed then that another thing going for it.
I do have Toshiba Regza HDTV and the build quality and picture is excellent.
Its been out a month and i see no Custom Roms, that makes me a sad Panda, but i guess maybe you won't need a custom rom, more like need a custom kernal to overclock and undervolt.
I'm so in love with my evo, and spoiled by their development and updates and roms and kernals and kinda jealous of my in laws, stupid 1st genration Ipad, thing doesnt even have a camera, y'know. My kids light up though when they play angry birds on it though.
Does anybody miss having a flash for the camera ?
Has anybody taken pictures indoor in low light situations? Was it grainy, unusable?
I feel I am missing other important questions but will edit as necessary.
dinoman22 said:
Wow, lots of good info here.
I'm torn between this and The Acer Iconia.
I think I need to wait and do more research.
Root is always nice to have and SD is cheaper than micro sd.
If they say the sleep lock is fixed then that another thing going for it.
I do have Toshiba Regza HDTV and the build quality and picture is excellent.
Its been out a month and i see no Custom Roms, that makes me a sad Panda, but i guess maybe you won't need a custom rom, more like need a custom kernal to overclock and undervolt.
I'm so in love with my evo, and spoiled by their development and updates and roms and kernals and kinda jealous of my in laws, stupid 1st genration Ipad, thing doesnt even have a camera, y'know. My kids light up though when they play angry birds on it though.
Does anybody miss having a flash for the camera ?
Has anybody taken pictures indoor in low light situations? Was it grainy, unusable?
I feel I am missing other important questions but will edit as necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have owned the Acer Iconia and the Toshiba Thrive. I liked the Iconia, but returned it because of the GPS not working correctly. No Iconias were available, but the Thrive was, so off I went with the new toy. You would not go wrong with the Thrive. For all the reasons you said. Toshiba is working the sleep issue and if you look, other manufacturers have also had this issue since thier 3.1 update. As for the camera, I personnaly do not miss the flash, but that is also because I do not use the camera very often. I have a camera for pictures and it is much easier to use than any tablet. In low light, it has problems, but mostly due to the auto focus. If you set the focus to infinity, it does OK. There is one debloated ROM out for the Thrive. We do have it rooted and working quite well.
Going to love boxing it back up for a return here shortly and looking at another manufacturer instead. The volume issues suck and it's not native to just this tablet. Poking around it seems Toshiba has similar issues on their Satellite laptops as well.
Good riddance to this thing and anything else from the company in the future.
Had the A500 and did not like the weak wifi and the device kept waking up when should be in sleep mode. Also the slick surface reminded me of the slippery iPad 1.
Thrive has much better wifi, display, surface grip and works great with 64gb and 128gb sdxc cards. A500 does not have a full sd slot so can not support sdxc.
A500 is a good tablet none the less, but the Thrive IMO is a much better device. It also had a sleep issue that was fixed with the newest update.
I've had my thrive for about 6 weeks and use it heavily. I love it! I got it as a laptop replacement and it's worked out perfectly. Yes, there are some additional things on my wish list, like NTFS support, and a simple VPN solution, but it does more than I had originally hoped for...and it's given me no problems.
philipereed said:
I've had my thrive for about 6 weeks and use it heavily. I love it! I got it as a laptop replacement and it's worked out perfectly. Yes, there are some additional things on my wish list, like NTFS support, and a simple VPN solution, but it does more than I had originally hoped for...and it's given me no problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word Brotha!
I am an IT Professional, or atleast thats what I call myself normally... Truth is I am a 23 year old techie who has a knack for tech and really just does enough work to get by!
I bought this Thrive about 2 weeks ago with every intention of hating it... I also had buyers remorse after reading some negative review. Thinking to myself "why did I buy this piece of ****".
After receiving it in the mail I could not put the damn thing down, when it's not at my side I feel like a wolf who lost his wolf pack. Seriously this thing can do way more than I expected. I constantly travel for my job and HATE lugging around my laptop this thing has replaced it entirely. Not only have I wowed people with presentations (thanks to the full HDMI) but its just plain cool. I was out to lunch with a client 2 days ago (mmm Pho) and showing them the progress I made on the project I am doing for them and the mofo wanted to check his yahoo answers on there. He also kept calling it an iPad but that's because he is pretty stupid when it comes to tech.
Not to mention I do a lot of riding on trains so I can always catch up on my TV shows, I just need a Netflix app that works! Mine isn't root it as I don't see a point other than Netflix it already does more than what I need it to do.
blorenzo said:
Word Brotha!
I am an IT Professional, or atleast thats what I call myself normally... Truth is I am a 23 year old techie who has a knack for tech and really just does enough work to get by!
I bought this Thrive about 2 weeks ago with every intention of hating it... I also had buyers remorse after reading some negative review. Thinking to myself "why did I buy this piece of ****".
After receiving it in the mail I could not put the damn thing down, when it's not at my side I feel like a wolf who lost his wolf pack. Seriously this thing can do way more than I expected. I constantly travel for my job and HATE lugging around my laptop this thing has replaced it entirely. Not only have I wowed people with presentations (thanks to the full HDMI) but its just plain cool. I was out to lunch with a client 2 days ago (mmm Pho) and showing them the progress I made on the project I am doing for them and the mofo wanted to check his yahoo answers on there. He also kept calling it an iPad but that's because he is pretty stupid when it comes to tech.
Not to mention I do a lot of riding on trains so I can always catch up on my TV shows, I just need a Netflix app that works! Mine isn't root it as I don't see a point other than Netflix it already does more than what I need it to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can't see the point in rooting it then you are not that much of a "techie" as you think...
RO3 said:
If you can't see the point in rooting it then you are not that much of a "techie" as you think...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe your right.
But is rooting it going to make it easier to code HTML, PHP, Ajax or Javascript? Most likely no and its prolly never something I'll do on a tablet... What are the benefits of rooting or hacking? Generally to gain access to content or software not originally offered by the manufacturer. (Or pirated software)
Which is why it was worth hacking my PSP back in the day as that little guy became so much more awesome. I guess my point is that the Thrive already takes care of me as is and from my research I haven't seen any super amazing benefits from rooting my Thrive. (Unlike rooting the Nook Color or G-Tablet both of which have exponential advantages) The only reason I would consider rooting is perhaps in an attempt to gain early access to Icecream sandwich or to gain the ability to recognize and connect to Ad-Hoc networks. Like the one my TP2 transmits so I can piggyback on my data plan whenever I want.
In short the Thrive is already more than capable without rooting it, now when Toshiba drops support to the unit that's when its time to root.
I just ditched my Acer Iconia A500 for the Thrive, and I love it. Seems so much more durable better wifi and GPS and the full size HDMI is a plus, although there does seem to be a bad lag between typing and the words actually appearing on the screen.
I just rooted my Thrive. I did it to get 3.2 early and to remove the bloatware that came preinstalled.
Sent from my THRiVE using xda premium
blorenzo said:
Maybe your right.
But is rooting it going to make it easier to code HTML, PHP, Ajax or Javascript? Most likely no and its prolly never something I'll do on a tablet... What are the benefits of rooting or hacking? Generally to gain access to content or software not originally offered by the manufacturer. (Or pirated software)
Which is why it was worth hacking my PSP back in the day as that little guy became so much more awesome. I guess my point is that the Thrive already takes care of me as is and from my research I haven't seen any super amazing benefits from rooting my Thrive. (Unlike rooting the Nook Color or G-Tablet both of which have exponential advantages) The only reason I would consider rooting is perhaps in an attempt to gain early access to Icecream sandwich or to gain the ability to recognize and connect to Ad-Hoc networks. Like the one my TP2 transmits so I can piggyback on my data plan whenever I want.
In short the Thrive is already more than capable without rooting it, now when Toshiba drops support to the unit that's when its time to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is absolutely NOT why you want to root your device. We don't root to steal software, we root to freeze all the extra crap that comes on it that we don't want, to edit the system files and streamline our experience. We root to give us access to everything on our tablet. It IS ours afterall. -- I have 20 years experience in IT as an actual PROFESSIONAL.
You can just tether your tablet to your phone using your phone's software usually.
blorenzo said:
Word Brotha!
I am an IT Professional, or atleast thats what I call myself normally... Truth is I am a 23 year old techie who has a knack for tech and really just does enough work to get by!
I bought this Thrive about 2 weeks ago with every intention of hating it... I also had buyers remorse after reading some negative review. Thinking to myself "why did I buy this piece of ****".
After receiving it in the mail I could not put the damn thing down, when it's not at my side I feel like a wolf who lost his wolf pack. Seriously this thing can do way more than I expected. I constantly travel for my job and HATE lugging around my laptop this thing has replaced it entirely. Not only have I wowed people with presentations (thanks to the full HDMI) but its just plain cool. I was out to lunch with a client 2 days ago (mmm Pho) and showing them the progress I made on the project I am doing for them and the mofo wanted to check his yahoo answers on there. He also kept calling it an iPad but that's because he is pretty stupid when it comes to tech.
Not to mention I do a lot of riding on trains so I can always catch up on my TV shows, I just need a Netflix app that works! Mine isn't root it as I don't see a point other than Netflix it already does more than what I need it to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Netflix pushed a BIG update about 3 weeks ago I think... did this add support to the Toshiba Thrive? I would like to know... if not, I still have a couple "altered" versions I used on my HTC Inspire before it was supported... maybe I can give those a go...
...and oh, I just ordered my Thrive online, in case anyone cares (I know I do)
I love my thrive. I started with an iPad then a galaxy tab. This is a sturdy piece of hardware. The USB port has been a huge plus for me. Its definitely more reliable. After updating and tweaking there has been no issues.
I think if you have any amount of tech or geek blood in your body rooting the device is the second thing you do after first taking it out of the box
**sent from my Thrive using Tapatalk**
Ive had my Fire a few days now and have done a lot of modding. Ive rooted it, installed TWRP, then CM7. Then gapps, market, etc. Then I decided I wanted to go back to rooted stock so I installed the prerooted 6.2.1 along with go launcher ex to have both the Amazon launcher and a more standard android interface, and be able to switch between the two. And no matter what way I set it up there was always something that just didnt work the way I wanted.
The main issue I had was that almost all video had out of sync audio. Internet videos, netflix. And I tried several different wi-fi connections. One of which is a very solid 20 mb/s connection to my laptop. I took my mother in laws samsung galaxy 7.0, set up the exact same video using the same wi-fi just to see if it might be the connection, and the galaxy was perfect, and the Fire just enough out of sync to be irritating.
So I set up a return with Amazon, got it back to full stock, and boxed it up. But now Im having second thoughts. I know how popular it is, and it seems like it has a lot of great developers working hard on roms. So Im wondering if I should just keep it, and hope that someone makes a fully functioning ICS port that fixes all the issues that are keeping this from being my ideal android tablet. Or should I go ahead and return it and cough up another $200 and get the Samsung galaxy plus.
Anyway I figured you guys would be the best ones to ask for advice regarding this. Thanks in advance for your feedback.
If it doesnt work for you, well, it doesnt! Thats that... Get an iPad 2 (seriously). The Android tabs despite their hardware specs arent that great currently.
/not trying to start a flame war here, i own several tablets and for me the iPad works best... YMMV
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I personally hate apple, plus I want a smaller tablet. I figure if im going to get a tablet that big I might as well just carry my laptop around.
Gam3r 4 Life said:
...I figure if im going to get a tablet that big I might as well just carry my laptop around.
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I have to agree, and the 4:3 aspect ratio of the iPad is annoying.
I'm confident ICS is coming to the Fire, but if you have the money to upgrade to the Galaxy, I would probably do that. Can't really complain for $200 on the Kindle, though. Plus Samsung had played games with customers before with promising updates and not delivering. So maybe I wouldn't go with it. Moto's new 8" tablet is appealing except for the fact that its tied to Verizon.
Sent from my rough sketch of a Vibrant on a brick.
Well if your having second thoughts, take it back. With a somewhat big purchase like that, you'd want to be 100% sure you like it. If you really want a small tablet get a cheap Asus tablet, or a small laptop that has a touch screen.
u have issues.
get what works for u, don't convince yourself to keep something u don't want. I sold my tf101 transformer too big for my taste, I don't watch videos on a 7" tab. the fire is awesome for me
Sent from my HTC Glacier using xda premium
Well its gone. Boxed up and at the ups store.
Gam3r 4 Life I think I am right behind you.
I have used mine since Christmas day and although its a neat gadget its really neither a good reader nor a good tablet. It kinda lacks an identity. I emailed Amazon about their lack of TTS on the reader for this unit and their reply was pretty much "sorry.. you have 30 days to return it".
I guess for $200 I will just wait and see what comes down the road, and continue using my Samsnung Infuse for this kind of stuff. It has a 4" touch screen and I dont watch alot of videos anyway so it works ok for now.
Nice try Amazon, but I think you forced this thing to market without thinking it all the wary through. Maybe the next gen will be better. Well anyway I have another couple weeks to see if I can learn to like it. But at this point, I am thinking no.
I think the expectations might be too high. You're looking for the best of both worlds, and if you want media that you don't have to rip yourself, you're not going to get it on a rooted tablet, that's been made apparent by the MPAA. Netflix only runs on Silverlight or on platforms on which you don't have full access do the device where the studio's have guaranteed control of their media.
And given the limited RAM available on the Fire, it's not surprising that running a full sized ROM like CM7 could cause video issues when streaming. Probably not enough remaining RAM to buffer the video with CM7 running, that's my guess.
*IF* you want to get CM7 and then some other method of video streaming outside of Amazon, you'll need a more capable tablet like the Galaxy 7, Galaxy Plus, or the Flyer, and you'll need to pay a lot more for it up front to get the flexibility you want.
the 4:3 aspect ratio is the best feature of the ipad...
I hate how everything is 16:9 nowadays. it's terribly inefficient.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I've always been curious about this.
My pro-Apple friends have argued the same thing, saying Apple has done tons of research and 4:3 is best for a tablet.
But 4:3 is one of the main reasons why I'd never buy an iPad. If entertainment media is one of the prime features of a tablet, why would I want a screen that has black bars on the top and bottom (effectively shrinking the screen size) whenever I'm watching hi-def widescreen video?
In general, android tablets compete on price. They are the Yugos of the tablet world compared to the Benz that Apple offers (at a Benz price, I might add)...and the fire does a heck of a job at $199. If it works for you at that price point, great...if not, well get an iPad.
I wouldn't recommend looking to replace the fire with another android tablet, however, because once rooted and sorted it really competes with the best of them.
Amacx86 said:
In general, android tablets compete on price. They are the Yugos of the tablet world compared to the Benz that Apple offers (at a Benz price, I might add)...and the fire does a heck of a job at $199. If it works for you at that price point, great...if not, well get an iPad.
I wouldn't recommend looking to replace the fire with another android tablet, however, because once rooted and sorted it really competes with the best of them.
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LOL, I had a Yugo!!! I bought it from a guy that needed to pay his rent for under $500. If I remember right his name was Billy Bob, or something like that (and the name fit). The only thing he requested to keep from the car was a shifter knob that looked exactly like a bathtub water knob. My mother and I drove it til the engine gave out at about 30,000 miles. Not bad for under $500.
Funny story, that thing was such a piece if junk that the shifter knob and handle use to pop off and you could see through to the ground through the floor. So my mother would call me and say it happened again. I would have to go rig it back on just so she could drive it again. My mom was such a good sport and never got mad about it, and laughed about it with me. (RIP).
You know the saying that your first idea/answer about something is usually the right one. Well that applies here. When I first decided to get a tablet I wanted the HTC EVO View. But I didnt want to have to add a data plan to my bill so I ended up with the Nook tablet. Then the nook color, then the vizio vtab, then the Coby kyros, then the Kindle fire. Well after all that Im back to the evo view and found it on amazon for under $300. And this is a wi-fi/ 4g version, but doesn't require a data plan. So on payday thats what Im going to get. I originally had the evo 4g as my cell, and now have the evo 3d and love it. So the Evo view is basically a larger version of my phone which is exactly what I want from a tablet.
chaose said:
the 4:3 aspect ratio is the best feature of the ipad...
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
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Agreed, that's why I haven't wasted my money on one.
Damn you Swype!
I've got my KFire rooted running CM7 and haven't noticed any sync problems at all with netflix or youtube. I'm completely happy with it and all these devs are busting their butts to get some pretty sweet ROM's running on here. Hopefully MIUI will be one of them. ICS will work for now once they get the audio/video issues worked out.
So I have been an xda member since long before the android craze took root, or even before the icrap products were aired, back in the days when the good old winmo or symbian was the only platform of choice for enthusiasts and geeks like us. Those days are sadly the past now, and most of the good folks who were driving the growth of the winmo platforms have now migrated to android, or even ios.
I'm finally taking the jump too and have decided to tinker around with android, thus my dusting off of this account and bringing it back to life from lurker status. I've already purchased a xoom and an iconia a500 recently and am now looking to purchase a third tablet. I know, that sounds a little crazy, buying three tablets on the trot, but they're all going to go around among either family or family after I'm done playing with them. Since I've run my cash well dry by now, as you might as well have guessed, this is going to be my last tech purchase for a while, and probably might also be the tablet that gets left over to me in the end after the others are set up and sent to their new homes as presents as this will be the cheapest yet.
There, I've laid out the whole story. Now for the nagging question, is the nook color still worth the money? I had set my mind on the purchase and was getting down to the exploring options part when I noticed craigslist showing kindle fires going consistently for as much or as the nook colors or even less than that. And that has got me torn. I really badly wanted to buy another nook device, this will be me second after the nook simple touch, which I have yet to receive. However, I am also a performance and a bang for buck junkie, and I am also likely to end up staying with for the long haul. So I want something robust enough ot last me a couple of years from now atleast. Now with the fire sometimes going even cheaper than the nook, is the color still a good buy, and should I take the plunge on this, or that?
I really havent found a recent comparison between the two, especially if they're competing for my dollars at the same price point, to help me decide which one ot go with. The lack of a micro sd is the real killer in fire, the lack of dual core and a modern, higher performing soc in the nook color. I'll be buying either as a potential primary device and will be tinkering with both, meaning rooting, and installing custom roms, so I couldnt care less for what amazon tries forcing down my throat. And I will definitely be buying second hand, probably off craigslist, to save what little I can of my last bits of remaining money and hopefully buy a radeon 7850.
So there, thats my dillema, all put out in fornt of you folks. The question has been bothering me for days, and no amount of searching has managed to help me, and thus I have ended up here, resorting to the good old xda and its pool of immense resources.
Also, should I post this same question on the kindle fire threads too, to get the other side of the picture? Any help would be appreciated.
--Werentuckl
Nook Color is definitely still worth it* You can get them used or refurb and the prices come down to around $100.
*It really depends on what you want it for though. It would be more appropriate to compare a Nook Tablet to a Kindle Fire. But the Color is really the ultimate tinker's device. Great developer community and practically unbrickable. With CM7 and CM9 you get great performance numbers for the hardware and tons of bang for the buck.
Nook Tablet is also a good device but it is going to cost more which brings other possible tablets into consideration. Even though B&N wasn't as nice making the NT as open as the NC it is still a great device and the developer support is growing. It is nearly as good for tinkering as the NC at this point.
If you want a device for email, light gaming, web surfing, videos and tinkering as well as a great reading device the Nook Color is about the best bang for the buck you can get.
JP
I agree. Still a lot of bang for the buck, especially in the $100 range. My coworker always brings me ads from here and there advertising Android 2.0 tablets for $88, this one beats them every time for just a few dollars more.
I used to run Android 1.5 off the SD card using haret on Windows 6.0 (HTC Touch). I miss those days.
After Modding 6 or 7 Nook Colors for family, friends, and coworkers today I decided to pick one up from Cowboom for $100. My daughter has a HTC Flyer and Wife has an iPad 1. I really have no use for one, but I like to tinker from an alpha/beta tester standpoint, and I figure I could at least get my money back when I get bored with it.
All good points actually, and the reminder about android on winmo reminds me of my cousin, he still runs gingerbread of his hd 2. Good stuff.
However, what actually has me torn is seeing both the fire and the nook color going for the same prices. They're both hitting close to hundred on pre-owned units off craigslist. So I can't really decide which would be the better choice for the same price.
And the nook color was my first choice, the merits of rootability and the vibrant community had me won over. And then I saw the fire going for the same price for twice the processor, and now I don't know which way to lean.
The Fire doesn't have an SD card slot. Total deal breaker.
my nook essentially hard bricked without warning, just out of warranty. beyond that it was just too slow IMO for me - laggy video was my main issue. my RAZR is so nice for playing video i no longer can stand slow processor Android devices. my next tablet is probably the Samsung galaxy tab 2 for $250, dual core, GPS, camera, compass, microphone... all the stuff that is missing in the NC. i think you should save your money and put it towards something less limited
The reply above is right on. Personally, I would not buy another Nook in todays market. I have a Nook Tablet too (both were gifts). The Nook was great when I was learning to flash roms, etc because it is literally unbrickable.
What I really HATE is B&N and TI putting all the effort to lock the OS down. If it were not for the great devs here the Nook sales would have stalled long ago.
I for one will never buy another product which has such an anally locked boot loader and OS. The Nexus Tablet is right around the corner.
You should have asked here about the issue you were having with laggy video. I watch .avi's every day at lunch, Grimm, Walking Dead, etc., keep Hitchhikers Guide on it as a matter of principal and keep a few Pinky and the Brain's as baby sitting tools. I use MoBo player and software decode everything. Smooth as glass. The "Server Room Drive-In" is famous.
Ok, here's my 2 cents. As I only own NC, I'll comment only on it.
The nook color is a good device- for old technology. Ok, so the DEV team for NC is fantastic, porting ICS over, which has completely revamped how I see/use the NC now. It's awesome, plays videos, works smoothly. Everything is running clean from Eyeball's nightly.
However, as from your situation, you're looking to keep this device for a while. While the software side (able to crack BN, root, and run android) is fun to tinker with and has good support, the hardware is just not going to be good enough for these days' technology. There are a lot of apps that just needs more power than what the NC has.
So, if you're just buying to tinker and browse the internet on the go, NC is fine. But if u wanna do anything heavy, wait a few more months until some of the newer gen android tablets are priced lower in the market.
Btw, the fire without SD? deal breaker.
Okay, so I've been following this thread, and frankly, it hasnt made my choice any easier. I've gotten two posts against the nc, every post against the fire thanks to its lack of an sd slot, and plenty of others cautioning me against the nc because its dated. :'(
Now what do I do? And guys, even though I will be keeping this device for good, lets not forget that I'm under money constraints, I go any higher and I wont be able to buy my gpu. Plus, waiting is also not an option, I have until the end of this month to complete all my purchases, since I'm getting all this through a family member coming back from the states.
--Werentuckl
Wait for google's nexus tablet,
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
Werentuckl said:
... Now what do I do? ...
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I fail to see a problem. You say you are a tinkerer. The unbrickable nature of the NC, (yes someone said they bricked it a while back but they also said they couldn't play videos either, do the math), makes it a no-brainer. Couple that with the fact that you can get them for between $100 and $150 all day long and you are golden.
I am actually satisfied with my nook color use it more than my ipad 2, feel that the ipad is big for all day use
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App
Given the lack of information on the Google tablet, I would go with either the Nook Color or Nook Tablet. Given limited cash, obviously the nook color. I have a nook color and nook Simple Touch. I love the nook color, sure it doesn't have everything I want, but nothing does. If you are worried about it being dated, you will never buy anything. Everything is dated by the time it gets to market. The biggest problem I have is everything seems to be designed for something else. All the roms seem to be made more for phones than tablets, even my windows 7 notebook came from HP with ta
blet services installed and running on a notebook that doesn't have the hardware to use the services. I am more
worried about the Microsoft/BN deal. Perhaps it will mean more support for windows products in Android, more likely like the Kindle Fire, the next nook will not have a SD slot and will be designed to push people to Microsoft's online services. Perhaps even a nook running windows...
Microsoft always has found creative ways to kill great products... But from what I see, the Nook is by far the best for the money.
I'd agree with Floyd, the google tablet wont be launching until after I am unable to purchase anymore.
So, I'm leaning just a little more towards the nook now than I was before, and I have found a couple of other options to throw in the mix for considering as well. I just found the iconia a100 going for 190, a little under 200 after taxes, at the acer ebay store. And though the fact that the thing has little to no dev support or any roms for that matter, and has abysmal battery life, the thing is still very feature rich. Should I be even be looking towards it or not? Sans custom rom loading goodness and crap battery, its very good bang for buck, no?
Damn, this is so frustrating! This is why spending the last bits of your money is always so difficult. I had no such problems buying either of the last two tablets or the wacoms. :'(
And MisRy, everything is more expensive in ny, thats where the problem initialyl started from, the nc and the fire playing in the same price brackets. Though, any ideas about any decent deals or devices solidly under 200, new, or refurbed, or even craigslisted for nyc, would be welcome.
--Werentuckl
Werentuckl said:
...
And MisRy, everything is more expensive in ny, thats where the problem initialyl started from, the nc and the fire playing in the same price brackets. Though, any ideas about any decent deals or devices solidly under 200, new, or refurbed, or even craigslisted for nyc, would be welcome. ...
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Click to collapse
Nook Color refurbished, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/cert-pre-owned-nook-color-barnes-noble/1100666155 $135 shipped. My boss got his wife's in 4 business days via UPS.
Brand new from Sears with in store pickup for $150, http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_05725930000P?aff=Y&cj=true&sid=I0084400010000100600
Sent from the Center of My Mind
I would say yes, depending on the price. Got mine in Feb '11 and I've worked the crap out of it. I still don't see any other 7 inch tablet in the sub $200 range as flexable as the nook. The color with CM7 RC2 hits the sweet spot for me. Of course: YMMV.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk 2
Kind of in this dilemma as well. Has anyone had trouble running programs from the play market(3d games, comic apps, drawing apps)? I picked up a NC for 125 a week ago and triple booted without a hitch. It just seemed kind of slow to me, but then again I didn't do too much tweaking. I already returned it but might get it again. Awaiting the Nexus tablet, but would like something to hold me over til then. Any recommendations?
I wouldn't pay 150 for NC, maybe 100 nowaday since the nook tablet is going for 200.
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