Sigh. Just had some disturbing problems with polaris office and I think this may be the straw that causes me to return the note before my date comes up on it. I just post this here in case other people are thinking about purchasing one or want to know its limitations.
I would preface this by saying I absolutely love this note, it works amazing, is fast, light, amazing build and am continually impressed by it. All the shortcomings are more of the android ecosystems issue.
So the issue, Ive been editing documents in Polaris office during meetings, and finally have noticed that polaris has been quietly corrupting my documents. Sure they look good, even edited. But when I open them in Word there are small but aggravating issues. The biggest is it breaks paragraphs, and I have no idea how to fix them in Word.
For example paragraphs st
art looking like this with th
e wording and word spacin
g all disjoined. And Micro
soft says if this happens yo
ur Document is corrupt.
I have found other people online and even on XDA complaining about this issue over a year ago, don't know if there is a solution but it doesnt seem like. I also wonder how I would get updates to Polaris (why isnt it in google play?).
Other problems include SNote not quite being up to par, and not being able to find a suitable replacement, although lecturenotes tries hard and may get there. Not being able to find a lot of high quality apps in other categories (e.g. childrens books/learning games). And it not playing nice enough with my groupwise/exchange appointments.
Darn I like this thing. But I keep thinking on the 26th Ill get an amazing SNote replacement (one note) with complete office integration, pluse my email will work fine. Oh and Ill be able to get unlimited learning games on an x86 tablet. Only downside the thing would probably only last 7-10 hours in battery life instead of the 2 days my notes been going. Hmmmmm
Anyone else notice this problem in Polaris? Solution?
Get a different app and keep your Note. Samsung doesn't make Polaris.
hanexs said:
Sigh. Just had some disturbing problems with polaris office and I think this may be the straw that causes me to return the note before my date comes up on it. I just post this here in case other people are thinking about purchasing one or want to know its limitations.
I would preface this by saying I absolutely love this note, it works amazing, is fast, light, amazing build and am continually impressed by it. All the shortcomings are more of the android ecosystems issue.
So the issue, Ive been editing documents in Polaris office during meetings, and finally have noticed that polaris has been quietly corrupting my documents. Sure they look good, even edited. But when I open them in Word there are small but aggravating issues. The biggest is it breaks paragraphs, and I have no idea how to fix them in Word.
For example paragraphs st
art looking like this with th
e wording and word spacin
g all disjoined. And Micro
soft says if this happens yo
ur Document is corrupt.
I have found other people online and even on XDA complaining about this issue over a year ago, don't know if there is a solution but it doesnt seem like. I also wonder how I would get updates to Polaris (why isnt it in google play?).
Other problems include SNote not quite being up to par, and not being able to find a suitable replacement, although lecturenotes tries hard and may get there. Not being able to find a lot of high quality apps in other categories (e.g. childrens books/learning games). And it not playing nice enough with my groupwise/exchange appointments.
Darn I like this thing. But I keep thinking on the 26th Ill get an amazing SNote replacement (one note) with complete office integration, pluse my email will work fine. Oh and Ill be able to get unlimited learning games on an x86 tablet. Only downside the thing would probably only last 7-10 hours in battery life instead of the 2 days my notes been going. Hmmmmm
Anyone else notice this problem in Polaris? Solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the faux-Office products are great; on the Note or any other Android device. I do OK editing existing documents but the more complex ones (outlines, tables, charts, graphs) can be challenging. I pretty much don't use formatting when I'm creating a documents from scratch and import it in to Word as text and finish it off there. You sound like an excellent candidate for a W8 tablet. Speaking of which, MS has said (via Europe) Office for Android is due late this year via TechNet and early next year generally.
Before you send it back, try this app as it is supposed to resemble MS Word really well, there is a free trial if you give them your email and register your interest:
http://www.softmaker.com/english/ofa_en.htm
hanexs said:
Sigh. Just had some disturbing problems with polaris office and I think this may be the straw that causes me to return the note before my date comes up on it. I just post this here in case other people are thinking about purchasing one or want to know its limitations.
I would preface this by saying I absolutely love this note, it works amazing, is fast, light, amazing build and am continually impressed by it. All the shortcomings are more of the android ecosystems issue.
So the issue, Ive been editing documents in Polaris office during meetings, and finally have noticed that polaris has been quietly corrupting my documents. Sure they look good, even edited. But when I open them in Word there are small but aggravating issues. The biggest is it breaks paragraphs, and I have no idea how to fix them in Word.
For example paragraphs st
art looking like this with th
e wording and word spacin
g all disjoined. And Micro
soft says if this happens yo
ur Document is corrupt.
I have found other people online and even on XDA complaining about this issue over a year ago, don't know if there is a solution but it doesnt seem like. I also wonder how I would get updates to Polaris (why isnt it in google play?).
Other problems include SNote not quite being up to par, and not being able to find a suitable replacement, although lecturenotes tries hard and may get there. Not being able to find a lot of high quality apps in other categories (e.g. childrens books/learning games). And it not playing nice enough with my groupwise/exchange appointments.
Darn I like this thing. But I keep thinking on the 26th Ill get an amazing SNote replacement (one note) with complete office integration, pluse my email will work fine. Oh and Ill be able to get unlimited learning games on an x86 tablet. Only downside the thing would probably only last 7-10 hours in battery life instead of the 2 days my notes been going. Hmmmmm
Anyone else notice this problem in Polaris? Solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Return your Note 10.1, and wait for the Surface.
Another great app worth looking at is OfficeSuite Pro and remember that sNote should receive a very nice update with the JB release that I am hoping/expecting before month's end.
Wait for the 4.1 update and maybe it'll be resolved
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
Livebyte said:
Return your Note 10.1, and wait for the Surface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to wait on W8 that's all good but bring money. Getting the same level of performance as the SGN10.1 with pen input will cost you many hundreds more.
Don't get the Surface - it's junk with that silly soft keyboard. How the heck do you even use it on your lap? I guess it's called "Surface" because you have to have a flat surface to use it.
Returning a device you love because an app that's available for it sucks? That's ... an interesting decision. You know Samsung's decision to bundle Polaris Office doesn't mean you have to use it, do you?
Softmaker Office is a very popular alternative among XDA members. Last time I looked, they only had the word processor available on the Play store, not spreadsheets, presentations etc. You can probably get them from the developer's website.
There are also plenty of other alternatives. Kingsoft Office gets VERY good reviews on the play store - I'm tempted to try it just from the reviews. OfficeSuite Pro is also apparently good on a tablet.
BarryH_GEG said:
None of the faux-Office products are great; on the Note or any other Android device. I do OK editing existing documents but the more complex ones (outlines, tables, charts, graphs) can be challenging. I pretty much don't use formatting when I'm creating a documents from scratch and import it in to Word as text and finish it off there. You sound like an excellent candidate for a W8 tablet. Speaking of which, MS has said (via Europe) Office for Android is due late this year via TechNet and early next year generally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And there are reports (take with grain of salt) that MS will be offering a version of Office Mobile for android.
I just did a round of budgeting at work on my Note 10.1 using OfficeSuite Pro and had no issues. Primarily Excel. No problems with formulas at all.
HasC said:
Before you send it back, try this app as it is supposed to resemble MS Word really well, there is a free trial if you give them your email and register your interest:
http://www.softmaker.com/english/ofa_en.htm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the tip. I just got this from the play store and it seems really good so far
Thanks for all the tip. Installed OfficeSuit Pro, and Softmaker and QuickOffice pro. Softmaker worked the best, but none of them had the ability to input with the stylus (e.g. freehand draw) like polaris does. Polaris really sold me on this tablet, I mean sure, it doesnt have onenote, but who needs onenote when i can instantly open the doc from my dropbox, make the notes I need, and finalize when I get back to the office. But it doesnt really look like thats possible yet with polaris corrupting so many files. And if Im going to type out my nights, I have an amazing Lenovo Thinkpad X100e that blows any tablet out of the water for keyboard entry. I was really hoping for stylus support, but the apps just arent here yet, Ill look again on Jelly Bean update, seems like this stylus computer dream has been in waiting for sooo long.
Incidentally my 2 year old daughter really loves the tablet. shes been the one reason I've been wanting to keep it, all the touch games, shes been doing puzzles and books and learning her letters with it, quite amazing. Now I just have to decide what to get her, Nexus is pretty cheap, or there might be some used ipads kicking around with better app support (might as well get a toy to be used as a toy after all).
Samsung made an awesome piece of hardware here, all the talk about it feeling cheap is wrong, its slick, fast, small, light and just awesome to hold. Just wish it had some better app support. Soon hopefully.
Get 7Notes with mazec. It's an HWR keyboard you Can use almost everywhere.
Here's the thing MS has for years worked real hard to keep their office suite and word processing software proprietary and have been quite sucsessful at this. So any time you try to use a system that is not controled by MS with MS software you will find this problem to some extent. Whether it is a tablet, laptop or desktop. This is one of the reasons I refuse to use MS products, but that is me. What all this means to you is until you find a MS compatible tablet running MS software that MS has said is compatible with their office suite you will have these problems. On top of that there is (as yet) no evidence that a Windows tablet will be 100% compatible with all Windows software. In fact there are reports that there will be programs that would run on Win 7 that are not expected to run on Win 8.
My question to you is do you want the features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.0 or do you want to give up those features and hope a MS Windows machine will fulfill your needs without compromises? I personally have never seen an OS or a computing device that did not have compromises.
Think I read last night Microsoft are releasing office for android soon.
*DELETED*
*DELETED*
Sparksltd said:
Think I read last night Microsoft are releasing office for android soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... and today they denied the statement.
smrsxn said:
... and today they denied the statement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's coming...just like a lot of their Xbox live features made their way to the iOS ecosystem. Of course they denied their slip, it is just a few weeks until their new tablets become available. I am sure a big selling point of Surface and other Win 8 tabs will be the availability of MS Office products, if they did not deny the rumors; those who were going to switch from iOS and Android because of Office would have just stayed with their current devices instead of dropping $$$ on MS's new Hardware. MS is smart, they know they can penetrate other ecosystems with their products. They will just wait until the hype surrounding Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT dies down so that they can capitalize on hardware sales out of the gate.
Having said that, I dropped my PC and have moved on to just using the GN10.1. I am a freelance journalist, and I do all of my writing on the tablet. Polaris is good, but Office Suite Pro 6 is excellent. I have zero problems creating and editing pieces in .doc format. It just works.
Its back and I already miss it! lol
The microsoft atoms should be able to fill what I need, but I suspect they'll have their own problems. Still, samsungs making one with a keyboard dock and s-pen. Might be enticing.
The other office programs worked better, but they didnt have the ability to free draw on top of the document like polaris has. I want a tablet because in my many meetings, when someone is commenting or we are discussing a plan, I want to quickly mark it up. I can go back to my top to do the real work, but the thoughts I'd like to write, directly on the document in question. I can't do that in snote because my pc cant modify snote. And if I have to type it I'll just bring my netbook. Has anyone found an office program that works well with an ability to free draw? I bought a few last night but couldnt find one.
I may get a note 10.1 again in a couple months, who knows the app I need might be in development
Related
My office was closed part of last week thru yesterday. Today is the first day back to work since receiving my Dell Streak. For over a year my Shift went everywhere with me. I never had a 3G connection [should I have?] but it didn't matter. I rarely used it for voice, but have on occassions .. In fact, I see I can install bluetooth in snapvue if I can do without it in win7. BUT ...
I am getting ready for work today. Changing purses etc and I start to pack my shift and then think "why?" I have the Streak now. It can do everything my Shift can do.. the screen size is between my iphone and shift .. my iphone is semi-retired right now .. It just feels very strange not packing the shift. Maybe I should continue taking it to work for a while at least just to see if there is anything the Shift can do that the Dell can't ..
Can you thinking of anything ??
How about:
BBC iplayer (or other TV streaming)
Play Halo
Visit Tetris Friends
Emulate Amiga with WINAUE (Stunt Car Racer)
Program with Cygwin
Internet banking
Dropbox synchronisation
Office 2007 or 2010
I'm sorely tempted by the Streak but it can't replace my Shift and TP2 combo because I need to:
1. edit, not just view MS documents (word, excel, powerpoint). I know you can pay for Android office suites to edit not just view the documents but the reviews aren't great so far! I need to produce documents that can be sent to clients
2. have software that Android just doesn't have and I don't see having anytime soon. My company uses some software that needs a 'proper' operating system to run. I would be crippled if I couldn't take this software with me
3. 5" is nice for a phone screen but I find even the 7" of the Shift is a pain for some websites (most notably our work webmail!) and
4. have a physical keyboard! Well, I don't NEED it, but I really like it as you don't lose any of the screen for something that you can't touchtype on
Having said all that, I am seriously considering a Streak to replace my TP2 (yes and it's physical keyboard) just because WinMo is severely slow compared to Android, it needs rebooting at least once a day and that 5" screen on the Streak just looks fantastic! I have a month to decide when my phone contract is up for renewal
I'll be keeping the Shift though - if nothing else, the resale value isn't worth the hassle of selling it!
Has anyone ever used one of those keyboards that reflect on your desktop? I don't know if 'reflect' is the correct word, but maybe someone can put words in my mouth .. Meanwhile, I am late for work ....AGAIN ...
I can feel the flames coming
OK I am definitely not disappointed with the Hardware itself. Great form factor and I converted a few of the office Apple fanatics to it... Some guys in my office actually bought the tab after seeing mine
It's my first Android device and... I am disappointed by Android (Flames coming closer) or more precisely by the lack of refinement of the "productivity" apps.
Let me be more precise: I come from the WM 6.5.5 world (boooh). Android OS is definitely more stable (No memory leaks, etc...) more finger friendly, etc... BUT also
* It has way less options, at least in its stock version vs my custom made WM ROM (Sure my Grandma could use it (This is iOSesque type of OS), but that's not exactly what I am expecting for myself)
* The email app, so much praised in many reviews is still way behind outlook for WM. I miss the little arrow sign indicating me whether the email was forwarded, replied, etc... Not even talking about all the options available in pOutlook that definitely simplify the everyday life. A lot of very simple things are just not there. If you have multiple attachments, you need to download them one by one (Have to wait for the first one to be downloaded to have the option to download the second one). Unbeded links and pictures are displayed immediately when in Outlook they are blocked first to protect you in case it's a fishing email. Etc, etc...
* You don't have a single box (Or let's say single app) for SMS, MMS, eMails
* Implementation of Activesync is not good, neither full. SMS are not synced, and there seems to be bugs and quirks here and there (Why the hell is my Sent box often TWO DAYS late on sync ?? Just havent found a way to fix this. It just refreshes... sometimes, when it feels like it)
* Copy and paste is not present everywhere, I cant seem to be able to copy from any text I see on the screen (In WM just long press and then you get the copy and paste menu and the ability to select some text). It's possible in some places that have been thought for, but not from anywhere
Etc, etc... I definitely appreciate the slickness of the OS, the smoothness overall (That said I believe my TP2 would also be super smooth with a Hummingbird processor on board...). The fact that it's a growing platform allows to have access to the latest apps while there was barely anything new for my TP2 these days. But yeah, honestly... a lot of the applications need more refinement. I guess this will grow with age (hopefully) but it's definitely not there yet at least out of the box
I am not saying this for the sole purpose of criticizing. I will keep my Tab and I do like it. But I thought the jump would be without regret and it's not the case for the moment. I feel more like I did a compromise and a move taht had to be (No interest in a closed platform like WP7 and can't stay on a dieing one). And hopefully some of you while reading me will point me to some solutions they found for themselves, some suggestions of third party applications. meanwhile I still go back and forth between my tab and my TP2 and I find it easier to email with the TP2 (OK the physical keyboard helps too) while also cant take my eyes off HTC Sense (This I know it's just up to me to make some effort and install the right stuff to have great home screens)
You have some valid points (copy & paste, sms+emails in one place) but the other features are so obvious.
You can't compare the native apps on Win (Outlook, Active Sync) that suppose to work well on Android. I wouldn't think this is a surprise.
Android definitely has a little bit of a learning curve. My EVO was my first android OS device and after learning the little quirks I am a borderline fanboy.
I am not sure I agree with the comparison to iOS. I think Apple does a lot more "dumbing down" where Android gives you more freedom but you have to learn how to use it. Apparently it's working well for Apple. Can't fault their success.
Are you missing copy/paste in a certain app? I used it just last night (just got my tab yesterday) copying my Launcher Pro plus key from an email to LP. Menu>More>Select Text>Copy, I think. Long press where you would like to paste.
Anyway, give it time. I think it'll grow on ya.
Yes you're right I was a bit unfair to compare with iOS
And yes it's true it's evolving the right way
Copy and paste: simple example. How do I copy amd pate text from a webpage?
I believe you have to press the menu button, go to 'more' and then hit 'select text'. After that gliding your finger over text will select it. Its still not refined because it doesnt add the two 'pins' to move your selection area...that is in Gingerbread I think.
More gives me only print, share page and page info...
Unfortunately...
Founds new bugs that are very unprofessional: some sms going to the wrong inbox
And some emails answers sent... Without the text I typed (empty)
And of course since I dont have the aent emails for the past 2 days I juat cant event check this
I understand it's normal to expect Microsoft technology to be better implemented by Microsoft. However if Google wants to be serious with Android in the enterprise world they need to work on their exchange implementation
honeatly this email problem is just incredible...
Forgot to add that even though there are lots of free apps, some of the very useful ones are not included by default. If you wnat a good RDP client --> $20 for instance (Free with WM) All adding up it makes Android a "luxuary" OS in some cases...
That said not to be unfair the market of free apps is quite impressive (compared with WM)
I think Android is great. The new Android 3D maps are amazing both on my Nexus One and Galaxy Tab.
That said, my single complaint so far is the lag in the native browser and with Dolphin HD. I can't say I blame this on Android OS because my N1 does not have this problem. I'm a noob so I blame this on Samsung.
Alcibiade said:
Founds new bugs that are very unprofessional: some sms going to the wrong inbox
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got that 3 days ago, an incoming sms displaying the wrong contact!... So I found that after answering to that same wrong contact, who warned me I probably have mistaken. I wonder how this can be possible... Samsung app?
Alcibiade said:
Forgot to add that even though there are lots of free apps, some of the very useful ones are not included by default. If you wnat a good RDP client --> $20 for instance (Free with WM) All adding up it makes Android a "luxuary" OS in some cases...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except that unlike Android, WM is not free in and of itself anyway, so the comparison is slightly flawed - only slightly though because as an end user you do not pay directly for WM, the OEM does!
Personally, I've found Wyse PocketCloud to be excellent, even in its free incarnation - it was so good, I bought the Pro version!
Of course, no OS is perfect - despite WM6s age, it still has some strengths. In many ways, it's a shame that MS threw the baby out with the bathwater with WP7!
Regards,
Dave
Alcibiade said:
More gives me only print, share page and page info...
Unfortunately...
Founds new bugs that are very unprofessional: some sms going to the wrong inbox
And some emails answers sent... Without the text I typed (empty)
And of course since I dont have the aent emails for the past 2 days I juat cant event check this
I understand it's normal to expect Microsoft technology to be better implemented by Microsoft. However if Google wants to be serious with Android in the enterprise world they need to work on their exchange implementation
honeatly this email problem is just incredible...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android gets a lot of blame for things that have been modified by the vendor. I've been on Android since the launch of the G1. One thing I can tell you is every device is different. HTC has their own Exchange client, same with Samsung. Many times I see their proprietary apps cause these problems. It's the price we pay for open.
The Galaxy Tab's ROM is pretty flawed. Typical for a first gen device. I'm counting the days till an update is released.
My suggestion is go with an Exchange client from the market. Touchdown (no longer called that) was generally considered the best or just hang on till the next update. For SMS I use Handcent which I love.
Alcibiade said:
Forgot to add that even though there are lots of free apps, some of the very useful ones are not included by default. If you wnat a good RDP client --> $20 for instance (Free with WM) All adding up it makes Android a "luxuary" OS in some cases...
That said not to be unfair the market of free apps is quite impressive (compared with WM)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All enterprise apps demand big bucks. In Wimo's case that's a MS app hence free. But all the other enterprise stuff is $$$ for any platform. I agree with the other poster, PocketCloud is very good. I also have an Ipad and can tell you their apps are totally "luxuary" priced.
Give the platform more time. You're new and things are different so you're just going to see the negatives. Over time I would be shocked if you could even look at a wimo device...much less use it on a daily basis.
orenxda said:
Got that 3 days ago, an incoming sms displaying the wrong contact!... So I found that after answering to that same wrong contact, who warned me I probably have mistaken. I wonder how this can be possible... Samsung app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait what ? That happened to me couple of days ago.
orenxda said:
Got that 3 days ago, an incoming sms displaying the wrong contact!... So I found that after answering to that same wrong contact, who warned me I probably have mistaken. I wonder how this can be possible... Samsung app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I think we can blame Samsung about this. It's a real shamr cause I answered in a similar fashion to the wrong girl... Got in little trouble... But in the end kind of funny
Anyway shame on Sammy on this one. Very unprofessional...
Been reading the previous posts. My point was not to be critical of the OS itself. I do believe it's a much better OS than WM. It was much more about the applications that are still rough on the edges and not as mature as for other platforms
another example: in the samsung messaging application you cannot click on an HTML link to go straight to the webpage. Which year are we? 2005?
I too am very happy with my TP2, but I want a 7" phone. Although the Tab is the most close, it is still not there: many web contents are still available to WM and iPad only, the CDMA versions cannot make calls and are too pricey for the sluggish built-in browser.
Fixup said:
I too am very happy with my TP2, but I want a 7" phone. Although the Tab is the most close, it is still not there: many web contents are still available to WM and iPad only, the CDMA versions cannot make calls and are too pricey for the sluggish built-in browser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both now
Just need to find a good way to sync SMS between both...
Sad point is in the US you cannot have 2 SIMs with the same number. Otherwise would be living ina perfect world
Just found out it may not be possible to change my outlook calendar entries inthe Samsung calendar
i can delete but not move it to another dats
Maybe I am not doing it right... But we are getting close to a deal breaker
Honestly Android is a cool toy but feels so far from a professional well rounded product and only comparing with WM 6.5...
more and more diaappointed day by day..
This is why android is so great though...you said you had no complaints about the hardware being used, and I hear that a lot.
There are so many developers working on android devices including the tab trying to improve the UI and enable hardware acceleration etc.
I think that within a few months the tab will have roms that will fix or work around the various issues that are present in the current tab software.
Agreed android has a great future ahead
but there is quote some work to do. We are not there yet!!
Alcibiade said:
Agreed android has a great future ahead
but there is quote some work to do. We are not there yet!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the point is that Android scores lots of points where WinMo scores none, and vice versa!
My business uses Google Apps for Domains, so Android is a massive win for me. If your an MS shop, WinMo stills holds a great hand though 3rd party apps on Android can fill many of the gaps.
Over time we will see an awful lot of convergence - WP7 will get better and so will Android.
To be honest, for the most part, thus far Google have pitched Android as a consumer rather than business OS, and have relied on 3rd parties to provide full business integration. I expect 2011 will bring more to the biz table.
Regards,
Dave
First off, let me say that i'm no fan of Apple and I really can't stand Steve Jobs. Yes, i've bought his products, but I hate being told what to do once I give him my money. I like customization. I like options. Hence, I do not like Steve Jobs.
I was very excited about the Xoom. I checked online every day for information about it since it's announcement. I had very high expectations and, even though the price tag was higher than I wanted to pay, I was the first to buy it at my local Best Buy.
Now, with that being said. I'm coming up on my 14 day return policy and am debating if I should keep it. I am new to this forum and have been reading through all the threads and learned a lot. However, in my learnings, I have also found things that concern me.
To start, let me tell you why I bought it. I had an iPad before and I mainly used it for online browsing around the house. For movies when I go on trips. And I wanted to use the Xoom for all of that, but also as my work and personal organizer. For easy access to business plans and work integration.
Here's where I'm having problems. If these are things that I should expect to be fixed with updates over time, then great. If not, then I'll have to find another option.
1) The Tegra Processor. I read on here that the Tegra Processor is what is preventing the Xoom from playing my divx movies. Now, I have gotten them to work on RockPlayer. But it has that watermark in the top left hand corner and my status bar at the bottom of the xoom never fades out. Also, and this is the biggest problem, the quality doesn't look good. It looks like their is a subtle light grid in the background. Almost like the original LCD's you saw in airports back in the day. When I first heard about the Tegra issues, I was just going to return the Xoom and get another Honeycomb tablet, but then I saw that all of the Android Tablets will have one.
2) The Browser. I did the trips where you go into debug mode and tell the Xoom to view all webpages in Desktop mode, but there are still a few sites that will only show me the mobile mode. Also, I like to have my bookmarks sorted by the order in which I visit them, yet the Xoom seems to randomly organize them for me. Kinda annoying.
3) Accessories. The only thing that I loved about my iPad was not the unit, but the Apple portfolio case. The motorola porfotlio case is just bulky, scratches the unit, and the latch is loose at best. I've found some nice leather cases online, but none that fold over and cover the screen. Yes, I have a screen protector. But, even those I can't find a good one with anti-glare.
4) eMail. I use exchange and apparently my work email is one of the ones that won't work on the xoom. I had to get Roadsync, which is okay, but I just prefer to use the default, integrated email/contacts/calendar programs. My EVO is perfect for this.
5) Widgets. Seriously, what's the deal with having cell phone sized widgets on a 10.1" screen. LauncherPro is nice, but still has custom icons like it's a phone, which I find to be in the way.
I know that most of these things seem small. But when you drop $800 on a device because you expect atleast the same functionality as your smaller cell phone, you come to have higher standards. I knew about Flash and the SD card issue going in, but the rest is bothersome. I know i'm an early adapter and with that comes quirks.
In any case, you all are 1000x smarter than me with this thing. I will take whatever advice you have.
1. Touchdown for tablets is great for email.
2. Some sites might not have updated their pages yet.
3. Apple always gets the third party love but more and more products are coming online everyday check Amazon
4. Being this is Google's flagship devise you have to believe this will be supported with updates and the file types should change
OK, first off, I agree with alot of what you have said, your right the software is a bit buggy at this time, again at this time. What you have to consider is that that this is an android device, and by that I mean it does not have all the overage that alot of companies put out on top of the overall software that make it look nice and neat, to include custom apps and infrastructure, but this also means that it is much easier to update. Half the time lost between when an actual Android update comes out and the time it takes for your device to get that update is due to all the crap that the company puts on top of the original Android infrastructure.
Give it a bit of time and I am sure that most of your problems can be worked out to you satisfaction due to them being software and not hardware problems.
Also take into account that since Motorola chose to use this clean interface it makes it much easier to modify by the hacking community , which is definitely something that an iPad cannot due.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
virgil1528 said:
1) The Tegra Processor. I read on here that the Tegra Processor is what is preventing the Xoom from playing my divx movies.
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Any CPU/GPU can play video so long as it supports the right codecs. Have you tried transcoding to a supported codec?
xlGmanlx said:
1. Touchdown for tablets is great for email.
2. Some sites might not have updated their pages yet.
3. Apple always gets the third party love but more and more products are coming online everyday check Amazon
4. Being this is Google's flagship devise you have to believe this will be supported with updates and the file types should change
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Well said.
+1 for Touchdown. It is fantastic for exchange, I use it on both my Evo and Xoom.
If this wasn't a Google Experience device, I'd say your complaints would carry more weight.
However, Google has always done a good job of keeping their GE devices updated and at the forefront.
This device only just came out, I'm fairly sure they will get things handled fairly quickly.
As far as the apps/widgets go. This is still a new device and platform. All android tablets are going to suffer from the same right now. However...again... this issue is largely due to the limited time the device/platform has been available. Within a few weeks...I'm sure we'll see a lot more apps/widgets (even the ipad had limited selection out right). Just think of what it'll be like in a couple of weeks/months with more custom apps/roms/kernels etc...
I had buyers remorse for the first evening...not for any particular reason...and now I can't put it down. Not to mention my wife (who has an iPad), won't shut-up about when she is getting her Xoom
So I would say hang on to it, but that's just me. Do what makes you happy
I've come to the decision that I'll be taking mine back on the 13th day.
I've tried to really give it love and get use out of it, but tablets just don't really fill any niche except "web browsing on the couch".
I'm a sysadmin by day, and although I've carried the Xoom with me every time I step away from my desk, it just hasn't served a single purpose on the job. I had imagined it would be neat to dial into servers using RDP, but the interface is just horrible. I'm much better off just dialing into the server in question at any desk I'm in front of. I'm never more than 8-12 feet from a desktop machine, so there goes that.
Pulse news reader is basically the killer app, but is hardly worth 1000 (799 + tax + extra charger + 129 protection plan against drops for 1yr + case).
Motorola certainly hasn't won me over on the price especially considering I prepaid for it on the first day I could (at two different best buys just to cover bases), and then people who *DIDN'T* do that had a chance at 200 dollars off that was honored in the end. Ridiculous.
I had intended to pick up android development for tablets eventually, but I can hold off and stick with honing my Python until these come way down in price or offer some more functionality.
That's too bad, this has taken over as my laptop and let's me have a mobile office so to speak
For RDP I use Remote RDP light and it works credibly, but if your looking for true RDP functionality then you have to have a mouse and keyboard, and guess what, you bought a tablet with a touch screen interface, you can buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if you want, but that just means more devices to carry around. A tablet, any tablet, will not be the proper interface for RDP, it can't, it is not a PC with all the perifials. A tablet, as far as RDP is concerned, is a device to do what you have to do when a PC is not around and a cell phone is impractical. As a network administrator I can do some of the emergency things that I need to accomplish while out on the town with my tablet, reading a book, surfing the web, commenting on a blog, watching a movie, all without lugging a laptop.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Yeah, unless you wanted to leave the mouse and just use the tablet as a touch screen with a keyboard your better off with a laptop. But like you said in a pinch its tough too beat
richardjr said:
For RDP I use Remote RDP light and it works credibly, but if your looking for true RDP functionality then you have to have a mouse and keyboard, and guess what, you bought a tablet with a touch screen interface, you can buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if you want, but that just means more devices to carry around. A tablet, any tablet, will not be the proper interface for RDP, it can't, it is not a PC with all the perifials. A tablet, as far as RDP is concerned, is a device to do what you have to do when a PC is not around and a cell phone is impractical. As a network administrator I can do some of the emergency things that I need to accomplish while out on the town with my tablet, reading a book, surfing the web, commenting on a blog, watching a movie, all without lugging a laptop.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
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Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
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Usmc7356 said:
Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
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I don't imagine I'll walk away and never look back, but now I know what they're good for (and not good for) and when the price wars drive these down to 400ish I'll scoop one up again. : /
Not all tablets are create equal, and sometimes it takes having one first hand to validate all the information out there and how it applies to your situation
ixobelle said:
I don't imagine I'll walk away and never look back, but now I know what they're good for (and not good for) and when the price wars drive these down to 400ish I'll scoop one up again. : /
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Return your Xoom and buy it in 6 months for cheaper price
Or probably there will be a new kind of better Honeycomb tablet at that time.
Usmc7356 said:
Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
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codeman05 said:
Well said.
+1 for Touchdown. It is fantastic for exchange, I use it on both my Evo and Xoom.
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I downloaded the free version of Touchdown this morning after reading this thread. Could you explain to me why it is so great? I haven't had time to use it extensively but maybe you can quickly list some advantages over the stock mail client?
Thanks!
I understand your frustration and you ultimately need to do what makes you feel most comfortable. Most of your issues are software related and you know things can only get better with updates. Google has a lot riding on Honeycomb so I expect updates to come fast and often.
1) The Tegra Processor - Seems like your issue is not with the Tegra but with how the codecs handle Divx. Software update could fix this but also developers can do wonders.
2) The Browser - Software update again. The browser is a great starting point and, with some minor tweaks, will be fantastic.
3) Accessories - As more Xooms sell, more 3rd parties will have a business case to make accessories for it. I'm thinking that when the Xoom wifi and Xoom for Europe are released (indications say that will happen at the same time) then we'll see a flood of new 3rd party goodies.
4) eMail - Software update. ALTHOUGH, I'm not 100% sure this is a priority for Google. People complain that they wish the AOSP phones went a step further with their Exchange implementations. Still, the chances are you'll be ok moving forward.
5) Widgets - This is a microcosm of the entire app market right now for Honeycomb. Devs need to start updating their apps with Tablets in mind. Again, more people owning Honeycomb, more reasons for devs to get on it.
The point I'm trying to make is the only way for the Xoom to go is up. As more people buy, more attention the aftermarket will pay to it. If previous Android versions are any indication (and they are,) this is a snowball effect. It'll just get bigger and bigger.
As to the RDP: I use the XtraLogic Remote Desktop app and it works wonderfully, completed designed around the touch interface.
Between Remote Desktop and ConnectBot, I've found a million uses for this as a sysadmin. I don't know how you haven't found a single use for it.
I'm looking to buy a Xoom when they're released in the UK, primarily as a netbook replacement for when I'm travelling overseas with work. Having never had an android phone I'm unsure of the options available for reading/writing Microsoft Office files such as Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Does anyone use their Xoom for editing these types of files? I could probably get away with some basic editing capability.
Thanks.
I use OfficeSuite Pro on my Desire HD and it works well with Office 2010 docs and previous. Don't know how it works on the Xoom yet as, like you, I'm awaiting the UK launch.
Thank you, I'll look into that then and in the meantime will appreciate comments on experiences so far from users with Xoom in hand.
Office use was one of my primary objectives too but so far I have been let down I bought Documents to Go since it has Word/Excel/PowerPoint capabilities but they are mediocre at best. PPT in fact is crap. But I will give the developers some time to realize that the Android tablet market is indeed worth developing for; after all, no company will invest time and money into a product that is brand-spanking new and still half-baked. Soon they should realize that the Honeycomb OS has a big follower crowd and then they'll port the mobile phone apps to a tablet (HD) version. Just hang in there but don't expect changes within a few weeks, i.e. don't trash your netbook quite yet!
From memory there's QuickOffice, Docs to Go, Office Suite, and another that I can't remember the name of that all (i think) claim to be able to edit and create office docs...
Haven't got my xoom yet so I haven't tried any with the xoom I'm afraid.
I think some sort of Lite version of QuickOffice comes pre-installed. Not sure it allows for editing though. The PPT application beats the paid Doc2Go though.
Thanks all for your responses.
Slightly worrying but not a deal killer, who wants something that works out of the box! I'm sure it will be sorted out soon, the way Xoom is touted as the grown up business users choice.
for me. I use the paid version of Docs to go. It's ok, like funnycreature said. Not perfect and PPTs definitely need work. there is a quickoffice application installed which will only open when you're opening a office document (via email, dropbox, etc). There's no way to start a new document. I believe there was an apk circulating though at one point.
Long story short, it's good enough for some very basic editing. I RDP'd once to do some real editing in powerpoint.
I went to see my Spine Surgeon today ( I have a really bad back and need a 2nd Spinal Fusion, Facet Joints this time, I take Percocet 10/325 and HydroMorphone 4mg for Pain). Any ways when I was done and leaving I over heard my Dr. talking to another Dr. about the Motorola Xoom and how he would like one to replace his laptop and the the iPad 2 was out of the question (as he has a Droid X and liked Android). As it happened I had my Xoom with me (I take it everywhere with me and showed it to him and he was VERY impressed and said this is what he was/is looking for. He asked about Google Voice (as that's important for him and I said it will be coming). I explained how Honeycomb was a new OS and needed sometime to grow and he understood and said he did not like iOS. I showed him Evernote and used it with my Stylus Pen and he said he would get one later today
If Dr.s start seeing an advantage of the Xoom/Honeycomb over iPad/iOS, Honeycomb will make a big splash. I also showed his nurse Toy Story 3 and Avatar (Blu-Ray) and she was sold as well.
The Dr. he was talking to asked me if I had Rooted yet ( he obviously knows what's going on and I said No as I had not seen any ROM's worth Rooting for yet) and that the only reason for me to root so far is to Overclock to 1.5ghz. I told him that the SDK or AOSP for Honeycomb had not been released yet but when it does I will definitely Root and start Flashing ROM's/Kernel's. I showed them my Rooted HTC EVO and how I was using it as a Wireless Hotspot (in the Hospital) and they were really impressed.
Suffice it to say but if Dr's are starting to hear about the Xoom/Honeycomb it has major potential (especially in that area). I told him about the HTC Flyer and that it may be worth looking at as well as it may be more to his liking. I told him it was only 7" but he liked the 10" form factor and wanted to replace his laptop and use it while talking with patients
if he has the income, he could probably get them all XD
As great as the Xoom is and the I pad, hospitals will take a while to get behind it due to security. Drs can store Protected Health Information on the device and run the risk or a data breech if lost ormaliciuos software allows access.
At my org there has been talk about the Playbook due to it being on a blackberry platform, but the pressure is out there for them to allow droid and apple tablets which they are trying to delay implimenting.
By the way...I carry my Xoom with me at my hospital and get lots of questions from the docs, butuse it primarily for school so its not on our network
A 2nd fusion - wow. That sucks. I hope this one gets you all set.
We need more folks in the professional sphere to start touting the benefits of android. That will come with time though - apple effectively has a head start on the whole tablet thing, just as it did with popularizing the smart phone, but it won't last. I see android tablets taking this market over as well - once two or three iterations of hardware and software occur.
You DID show him Google Body, didn't you??
XOOM'd from the XDA app.
GarnetandBlack said:
A 2nd fusion - wow. That sucks. I hope this one gets you all set.
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Me too bro, me too. Right now I am on Percocet 10/325 and HydroMorphone 4mg (4x a day) and that stuff is VERY, VERY, Strong. The HydroMorphone is 4x more powerful than Morphine. They are going to Fuse my Facet Joints as they have become loose and Arthritic
As a PA for an orthopaedic surgeon I use my xoom a lot. Rdp to our office emr is a snap. The battery life is way better than our office tablet laptops. In fact....just before surgery he asked if I could pull up the office charts on a patient we were getting ready to do surgery on.....I trurned on the EVO hot spot and (I have the wifi only model) I had the chart up in a minute. I don't like ios. He is a Mac guy but I'm slowly winning him over. Its gonna take time but I can tell you after booting the iPhone / ios ill never go back for our needs. I can send scripts to pharmacies, check patient charts ( hospital system and office emr) with the click of three buttons.
Android kills.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Well I am primary in commerical real estate investing but I also own som retail businesses and I have replaced my laptop with my xoom. So far so good. My biggest complaints are that the office programs are not robust enough, especially on the spreadsheet side (I have quickoffice hd and docs to go full). Also, I think google needs a builtin file manager for the tablet os (one more reason not to have one os for all android devices). Google needs to treat the tablet like a netbook and not like a big phone (like apple does with the ipad).
The portablility is awesome and the beats carrying my laptop around or reading docs and spreadsheets on my epic and blackberry. Basically when need I need to create a spreadsheet or scan something I hope on one of the desktops at the office. Otherwise its zoom. Plus with google cloud print I can even print from the xoom!
Overall its getting there. Make the tablet a laptop replacement not some cool extra toy like the ipad and google will completely capture the business market.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Should have told him you can use Google Voice but you just need to install the apk.
diablonyc2 said:
As great as the Xoom is and the I pad, hospitals will take a while to get behind it due to security. Drs can store Protected Health Information on the device and run the risk or a data breech if lost ormaliciuos software allows access.
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Fortunately Honeycomb supports encrypted the storage drive so that should not be that big of a problem for Android
Cool Story bro!
Now we just need more tablet compatible apps.
If Google wants to sell its OS to doctors, they really need to come out with some special medicine oriented apps/s. I'm not talking about apps from users or small companies, I am talking about official Google apps like Body.
bet he just wants it for Google Body - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.body&feature=search_result
diablonyc2 said:
As great as the Xoom is and the I pad, hospitals will take a while to get behind it due to security. Drs can store Protected Health Information on the device and run the risk or a data breech if lost ormaliciuos software allows access.
At my org there has been talk about the Playbook due to it being on a blackberry platform, but the pressure is out there for them to allow droid and apple tablets which they are trying to delay implimenting.
By the way...I carry my Xoom with me at my hospital and get lots of questions from the docs, butuse it primarily for school so its not on our network
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More than likely, they will be using some manner of client/server situation, where the patient data is centralized, and the client just being a dumb terminal. Only have to worry about access control, since no critical data would be stored locally.
FrayAdjacent said:
More than likely, they will be using some manner of client/server situation, where the patient data is centralized, and the client just being a dumb terminal. Only have to worry about access control, since no critical data would be stored locally.
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my thoughts too
you'd not want any data stored on the device - only apps/whatever to get at the data remotely.
problem is you'd then need wifi to corporate network and that may be a big security no-no in some places, unless a vpn solution is incorporated...
It will be interesting to see "what's next" in this field...as governemnt regulations on protecting data become more and more intesne. Client/Server seems to be the best scenario currently through a secured connection.
If someone could build a better mousetrap the market is wide open! It will be interesting to see how the Playbook fairs....could it revive the brand?
As for the Xoom --- love the size of it...cannot wait until I get a good portfolio for it to make carrying around inconspicious! I plan on phasing this in to take the place of my notepad.