Considering a Xoom

[KentState]

I'm wanting to a tablet of some type. This is 100% a toy IMO and will not replace my laptop, but will come in handy when just wanting to surf, check email, watch movies, read books, etc. I like the Android platform and would love to have it on a larger device. The Xoom seems to have plenty of processing power, LTE upgradeable, nice size screen, front/rear cameras, and a memory slot if necessary. I'm not opposed to the iPad2, but is there anything that it will offer over the Xoom that is major? Not really wanting to get into a debate of iOS vs Andriod.

 

[sciwizam]

Wait till the end of March to see what Samsung an others unveil at CTIA?

 

[dguy6789]

iPad 2 vs Xoom will inevitably come down to the tired iOS vs Android argument: Ease of use vs functionality

 

[amdhunter]

I played with one at a local Best Buy and was totally unimpressed. From all the reviews, I expected something smooth like my iPad, but it isn't nearly as smooth by a long shot.

Moving between screens feels like it's underwater, and the browser, while VERY fast to render, scrolls too choppily for me. Games did look nice on it, but not really so much faster than my iPad for the price premium.

For me, Android tablets are becoming the "slow and expensive" alternative to the iPad, and it's kind of irking me because the iPad plain sucks.

I've also been around a rooted nook color running Honeycomb and, even though it is much slower, I think I am bored of Honeycomb already. That doesn't help.

I am looking forward to the Blackberry Playbook, but I am really concerned about longetivity & app support.

 

[dguy6789]

Smooth /= fast. Android lacks the transition effects of iOS in most things. Real world loading of things has been faster on high end Android devices than on high end iOS devices since January of last year and hasn't changed since.

 

[KentState]

I'm not concerned about smoothness as long as it's not showing horrible lag. My Moto Droid is laggy, but by comparison I have a i7 Quad core laptop so something in between woudl be acceptable. In everything I read, the hardware between the iPad2 and Xoom is comparable so it comes down to OS. Does Verizon offer the 15 or 30 day return like on phones?

 

[amdhunter]

Smooth /= fast. Android lacks the transition effects of iOS in most things. Real world loading of things has been faster on high end Android devices than on high end iOS devices since January of last year and hasn't changed since.

Yeah, but after using an iPad and iPhone 4 and Epic 4G for so long, I can't go back to a choppy GUI. It's just annoying and affects the overall experience.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I'm not opposed to the iPad2, but is there anything that it will offer over the Xoom that is major? Not really wanting to get into a debate of iOS vs Andriod.

Well, I will try to avoid direct comparison to iPad 2 altogether and will just echo what I've read from reviews, and what I've found from playing with the XOOM:

- The web browser still sucks. It still doesn't render some websites right. Which means certain websites will scroll like Windows 7 running on a Pentium 3. Actually, much worse than that. You can even see it render the page visibly. Took a photo of this for evidence: http://img855.imageshack.us/i/xoomhandson.jpg/

- Apps crash faster than you can finish tasks with them. The OS is extremely unstable. Force close is almost inevitable.

- There is no Flash in the web browser so you can say goodbye to the majority of websites where you need to view videos.

- The aspect ratio is extremely weird in portrait mode.

- The power button is in a weird place, so you have to reach behind the tablet and push near the camera.

- The camera quality is really bad. I mean... really, really bad.

- It's quite hefty, so holding it in one hand to read is out of the question.

Well, now that that is all over with, I'll just end iPad 2 description in one sentence: it's lighter, thinner, and faster. (than the iPad 1)

 

[zerocool84]

I'm not concerned about smoothness as long as it's not showing horrible lag. My Moto Droid is laggy, but by comparison I have a i7 Quad core laptop so something in between woudl be acceptable. In everything I read, the hardware between the iPad2 and Xoom is comparable so it comes down to OS. Does Verizon offer the 15 or 30 day return like on phones?

Well almost all reviews say the software is buggy and crashes a lot so it's more than just lag.

 

[tdawg]

Well, I will try to avoid direct comparison to iPad 2 altogether and will just echo what I've read from reviews, and what I've found from playing with the XOOM:

- The web browser still sucks. It still doesn't render some websites right. Which means certain websites will scroll like Windows 7 running on a Pentium 3. Actually, much worse than that. You can even see it render the page visibly. Took a photo of this for evidence: http://img855.imageshack.us/i/xoomhandson.jpg/

- Apps crash faster than you can finish tasks with them. The OS is extremely unstable. Force close is almost inevitable.

- There is no Flash in the web browser so you can say goodbye to the majority of websites where you need to view videos.

- The aspect ratio is extremely weird in portrait mode.

- The power button is in a weird place, so you have to reach behind the tablet and push near the camera.

- The camera quality is really bad. I mean... really, really bad.

- It's quite hefty, so holding it in one hand to read is out of the question.

Well, now that that is all over with, I'll just end iPad 2 description in one sentence: it's lighter, thinner, and faster. (than the iPad 1)

Reading Anand's review of the Xoom showed none of these "issues" other than the placement of the power button. The video and camera quality he shows in his reviews is not "...really bad. I mean... really, really bad". Apps crash, but not every two seconds like you're portraying.

And as an apple zealot, what do you care about flash? That shouldn't be a detriment in your opinion, it shoudl be a world-saving feature.

OP, if you're comfortable spending $800, then possibly go for it; if you don't need the LTE connectivity, consider waiting for the Wifi only version. As google updates Honeycomb, it will get even better. To me, it comes down to UI and that's where the ipad loses my interest. If you like endless grids, go for the ipad/ipad2; if you like custom homescreens with readily-available information, look elsewhere.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Reading Anand's review of the Xoom showed none of these "issues" other than the placement of the power button. The video and camera quality he shows in his reviews is not "...really bad. I mean... really, really bad". Apps crash, but not every two seconds like you're portraying.

I took a picture in case somebody doubted that the browser issue was there. Which website was that? XDA-Developers Forums. Here's the address:

http://forum.xda-developers.com

It's infamous as being among the laggiest websites on any Android device even as Flash isn't being rendered in the background. So far, I have seen no stock browser on any Android device that can navigate that website smoothly, and the XOOM took the flag as being the worst because it literally froze the browser until the page was re-rendered. Which it did tile-by-tile visibly as the photo I took implies.

Camera quality is much worse than the phone I used to take that picture, which is a Samsung Captivate.

And as an apple zealot, what do you care about flash? That shouldn't be a detriment in your opinion, it shoudl be a world-saving feature.

I care about Flash because it's missing on the XOOM and I can't view a lot of videos I would like to view. Notably on Engadget and on New York Times websites. That's a major step backwards from my phone.

And I'm an Android user, not an Apple user. It will change when the iPad 2 comes this Friday, but until then, my phone is an Android phone, and I know more Android than I do Apple. Not everyone who dishes the XOOM is an Apple zealot.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I'd probably go nook color if it's just a toy. Much cheaper.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I would give the Xoom 6 months before I bought one...

 

[speg]

It comes down to this, if you want a polished, simple and easy to use, (that doesn't mean underpowered) system to read, surf, and do the odds and ends: You can't go wrong with the iPad 2.

If you want to have more control and tinker and customize, look into the XOOM or another HC device.

Also, you might want to wait and see what happens with the Playbook.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Another option is to pick up an original iPad from someone trading up for an iPad 2. They're around $300-$350.

 

[KentState]

One thing that I want to have is a device that can access a shared drive on my home network and play videos and music. I can do this with my Droid, but how is the iPad and Xoom in that respect? I assume that the remote desktop application for the iPad is very capable. Can anyone speak to that?

 

[MagickMan]

I'd probably go nook color if it's just a toy. Much cheaper.

Yes.

 

[Ns1]

One thing that I want to have is a device that can access a shared drive on my home network and play videos and music. I can do this with my Droid, but how is the iPad and Xoom in that respect? I assume that the remote desktop application for the iPad is very capable. Can anyone speak to that?

"iTunes Home Sharing, a surprise iOS 4.3 addition that Steve Jobs announced at Apple's iPad 2 event last week, allows iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users to stream any of their iTunes media from a Mac or PC on the same Wi-Fi network. It's not an over-the-air media sync solution, however, like the Home Sharing feature Apple added to iTunes 9 to make it easier to keep iTunes libraries on multiple computers in sync. If your iOS 4.3 device leaves your home Wi-Fi network, you won't be able to stream iTunes media from your Mac or PC."

 

[KentState]

Just read the Anandtech review again and it sounds like it's a good device overall except for Honeycomb being buggy right now. However, Google has been good with updates. Already had 3 or 4 over the last year for my Droid. The only other downside according to the article is that the display panel is mid-pack in terms of quality. He also stated that it's the best browser which seems to be in conflict with other posters. Wish this was a little more cut and dry.

 

[JD50]

Another vote for the Nook Color with an overclocked kernel. You just can't beat it right now for the price. The XOOM is overpriced IMO.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Just read the Anandtech review again and it sounds like it's a good device overall except for Honeycomb being buggy right now. However, Google has been good with updates. Already had 3 or 4 over the last year for my Droid. The only other downside according to the article is that the display panel is mid-pack in terms of quality. He also stated that it's the best browser which seems to be in conflict with other posters. Wish this was a little more cut and dry.

Well, I think it's an easy decision: wait until next week and see what tech sites have to say about the iPad 2, or see if there will be an update to the XOOM by then. Inevitably, some reviews will mention iPad 2 vs XOOM, and I would bet Anand will do so given that he ended his XOOM review with this:

This conclusion is obviously unfair to Apple given the rumored impending release of the iPad 2, but if I had to buy a tablet today it’d probably be the Xoom.

If I wasn’t insane however, I’d wait to see what was being announced on March 2nd first.

So you will have more to base your decision on. What's another couple days to make a sound decision, right? And honestly, I'm not one to nitpick on how much to spend on tech, but $800 on a toy seems like something you wouldn't want to waste, especially in the wake of new technology coming out really soon.

 

[Anneka]

About that "Honeycomb being buggy" expression I agree. But i also agree with the fact that things will change very fast and i think Android is evolving at a much higher rate than iOS. So go with Zoom

 

[KentState]

From the early reviews it seems that the iPad2 is an evolution of the original as expected. The cameras are said to be pretty bad and battery life isn't much different than the Xoom. This is pretty much coming down to which OS I prefer having and at this point Android wins. Plus the only way I can get fast wireless internet is with the LTE upgrade when that becomes available on the Xoom.

 

[alent1234]

as an iOS and android user, the killer combo is android phone and iOS tablet

android is buggy as hell and i have to reboot my Inspire daily. but android phones are cheap.

iOS is a bit too simple but very stable and much more polished and the iPad is cheaper than a Xoom

 

[dguy6789]

Android reboots are almost exclusively caused by user error. It is the user's responsibility to pay attention to what kind of junk they install on the phone. Not much unlike how a user should watch what they install on a Windows machine.

*installs crapware* *pc crashes a lot* "Man windows sucks" This applies to almost every problem anyone ever has on Windows and Android excluding actual defective hardware which isn't very common.

I leave my Droid X on the same boot for months at a time.