Xoom $799?

[zerocool84]

Their review really makes me feel like honeycomb isn't quite ready yet. The fact that there's really no apps in the market is a huge downside for me. I'll wait and see what happens once these get into actual user's hands and developers get some apps out there.

Well it was the same thing with the iPad, it'll take time for apps to come for the tablet.

 

[zerocool84]

This is what Anand said in his review of the Xoom:

Am I more likely to use the Xoom than the iPad? Yes. The hardware is faster but more importantly, the software is better suited for multitasking. I’m a bigger fan of Honeycomb’s multitasking UI & notification system compared to the double-tap-home and passive notifications you get with the iPad and iOS. I can be more productive with the Xoom than I can be with the iPad as a result. I don’t believe Honeycomb’s UI is perfect by any means, it’s just more multitasking oriented than iOS is at this point.

There’s definitely room for improvement. The fact that there are still choppy animations within the OS is perplexing, I've asked Google for an explanation but I've yet to get an answer on that one.

I’d like to see the ability to scroll to reveal more apps in the task list for starters. I almost feel like we’re headed for an OS X dock-like setup where you have a permanent row of your active apps across a portion of the screen and you just tap to switch between them. This whole tapping twice to select a new app thing has to be short lived, it’s not an efficient use of fingers.

Elements of Honeycomb do feel rushed however. The stability of the OS/apps, the missing SD card support and random OS quirks come to mind. As a result I'd recommend waiting for at least the first Honeycomb update before pulling the trigger on one of these tablets.

As far as the Xoom itself is concerned, I like the hardware. It feels good, I’m less worried about it slipping out of my hands and onto concrete and it’s full featured. Battery life is clearly competitive with the iPad as well, which is impressive given how much faster the thing is by comparison.

The screen isn’t terrible but it’s not the most impressive thing around, which is about the only complaint I have regarding the hardware. Had this been a $499 tablet I wouldn’t be too concerned but we’re talking about $800 here - I’d expect a better quality display at this price point, especially considering the price premium is really for 32GB of cheap NAND and smartphone hardware. I appreciate that we have a higher-than-iPad resolution, but I also want a higher-than-iPad contrast ratio.

Overall I am very excited to see Honeycomb tablets hit the market. Last year was mostly a waste when it came to non-iPad tablets, but this year looks to be quite the opposite.

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.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4191/motorola-xoom-review-first-honeycomb-tablet-arrives/1

The general consensus from all the reviews I've read is that the software is buggy.

I'm definitely going to wait until the end of the year for iPad 2 to get released and other Android tablets to come out to wait until I buy something.

 

[MrX8503]

Looks like the browser is a mobile version too, which sucks. People need to realize that a tablet isn't a phone. Ah well, I'm glad I'm not in the market for a tablet. Current tablets cost too much and do too little.

 

[zerocool84]

Looks like the browser is a mobile version too, which sucks. People need to realize that a tablet isn't a phone. Ah well, I'm glad I'm not in the market for a tablet. Current tablets cost too much and do too little.

No it's not a mobile version, sites read it as a mobile version but it's basically a desktop chrome browser.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Ouch, the reviews aren't good.

Hardware is fair, buttons are odd and a PITA, software is typical 1st gen Google beta quality, frequent slowdowns, occasional crashes, not many tablet specific apps.

It is being reported that Verizon has dropped the mandatory 1 month of data and activation fee, but that's still a wad of cash, I'd rather get a laptop for the $.

Apple is selling refurb MBA 11"'s for $849...

The HP dm1z looks damn good for <$500 too, do a fresh install of W7, and it's supposed to be pretty sweet (or strip out the bloatware...)

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

No it's not a mobile version, sites read it as a mobile version but it's basically a desktop chrome browser.

How is it a mobile version?

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Ouch, the reviews aren't good.

I take it you missed the fact that Anand said that if he was buying a tablet today it would be the Xoom, not the iPad, and that he would be more likely to use the Xoom than the iPad.

Sounds like a decent review to me.

 

[MagickMan]

I take it you missed the fact that Anand said that if he was buying a tablet today it would be the Xoom, not the iPad, and that he would be more likely to use the Xoom than the iPad.

Sounds like a decent review to me.

Anand seems to be a person that is more forgiving of buggy software and issues with preproduction hardware, most consumers aren't. If they go with a better quality LCD, fix the issues with Honeycomb, and lower the price on the Wifi-only model to $500, I'll consider buying one.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I take it you missed the fact that Anand said that if he was buying a tablet today it would be the Xoom, not the iPad, and that he would be more likely to use the Xoom than the iPad.

Sounds like a decent review to me.

All right. When you consider the iPad was released a year ago, I would hope he comes to that conclusion.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I take it you missed the fact that Anand said that if he was buying a tablet today it would be the Xoom, not the iPad, and that he would be more likely to use the Xoom than the iPad.

Sounds like a decent review to me.

I take it you didn't read the line he wrote after that?

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

A.k.a. he would buy the Xoom now, but then he would consider himself insane since there is an announcement within 7 days.

His tone is a little biased towards beating the first iPad down a couple of notches, which he mentioned as being "unfair" to Apple. But that was expected given that the next iPad is within days of being announced. Also the positive tone to Xoom and the obvious comparisons to the iPad is a hint to Apple, if they even bother to read these reviews, to consider what they will introduce next week.

In the end, I read his conclusion as: "I think the Xoom has a lot of features that I like over the original iPad, and I hope Apple will introduce something similar or better in the upcoming announcement, or my next purchase will be a Xoom as soon as Google addresses the issues I highlighted."

 

[SAWYER]

Like I have said, Fail City, population Android tablets. No matter how awesome they are, they are toast if they can't match or boast that 499 entry set by Apple, doesn't matter what kind of whiz bang specs they are packing

 

[cheezy321]

Sounds like it might be an actual solid competitor to the iPad. I look forward to seeing more tablets hit the market.

I am truly interested in hacking a nook color. That looks pretty damn cool.

 

[Wag]

I fooled around with one today at Best Buy and thought it was pretty good, responsive, screen looked decent. I am going to wait for the Asus Transformer though which has an IPS panel (and just wi-fi) and should come in <$600.

 

[zerocool84]

How is it a mobile version?

The built in browser identifies an Android phone so for some sites it loaded up the mobile site instead of the full site but it is basically desktop Chrome with tabs and the like.

 

[finbarqs]

mobile browser being that it still isn't full featured. Flash is still flash lite (no hulu/netflix here without dedicated app). Touchpad and the Playbook supposedly support full browser experience.

playbook hulu verified! Touchpad is yet to be seen

 

[pm]

I went to Best Buy to look at one, I couldn't find a Xoom or even any mention of the Xoom, I wandered around and the guys in the store basically ignored me for about 10 minutes and so I left. If there was a Xoom in the store, it wasn't with the other tablets (Dell Streak, Samsung Tab, etc) and they weren't making a big deal about it.

 

[Destiny]

Hi Everyone,
Found this on SLickDeals
I posted a hot deal I found for the Motorola XOOM for $599 after promo code OCNNSB25 applied at checkout at the Motorola Store.
http://www.store.motorola.com/dp/B004N8J86M?pubid=987654

If the code doesn't work register here for a new one:
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/ci/documents/detail/2/2011-OCNN-Registration

Here is the hot deal posted on the AnAndTech Forum Hot Deals Thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2145773

Motorola XOOM with no Contract is $799 and after 25% off it is $599

Update the Code No Longer works - and now it only applies to accessories... It was working when I tried it 40 minutes ago contemptlating if I should get it...

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

The built in browser identifies an Android phone so for some sites it loaded up the mobile site instead of the full site but it is basically desktop Chrome with tabs and the like.

That's just aesthetics. You can make a mobile browser look like a desktop browser, but that doesn't mean it's a desktop browser. Is the code base the same?

 

[zerocool84]

That's just aesthetics. You can make a mobile browser look like a desktop browser, but that doesn't mean it's a desktop browser. Is the code base the same?

Of course they didn't just copy and past Chrome exactly as it's optimized for it but it's as close as anyone's gotten according to reviews. You should read some of them.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Of course they didn't just copy and past Chrome exactly as it's optimized for it but it's as close as anyone's gotten according to reviews. You should read some of them.

I have. It crashes a lot apparently. I would chalk it up to the fragmentation issue again.

 

[zerocool84]

I have. It crashes a lot apparently. I would chalk it up to the fragmentation issue again.

What does it crashing have to do with fragmentation? I'm sure it crashed cus all the bugs aren't worked out. Fragmentation is different.

 

[Bateluer]

Guys, the Xoom looks like a great tablet . . .but waaay overpriced. I hope to see some price cuts on it once more Android tablets start appearing. Hopefully, we won't see any custom skins forced on them by manufacturers either.

After the Xoom gets into the hands of a few good devs, we'll see what this beast can really do.

 

[Monster_Munch]

I think the price is ok. The nearest 3g ipad is $729 vs $799 for the xoom which has better specs.

The xoom OS even looks nicer than the ipad OS too, but the app quality and quantity is far behind, and probably will be for a while.

 

[Qbah]

Guys, the Xoom looks like a great tablet . . .but waaay overpriced. I hope to see some price cuts on it once more Android tablets start appearing. Hopefully, we won't see any custom skins forced on them by manufacturers either.

After the Xoom gets into the hands of a few good devs, we'll see what this beast can really do.

I saw there was a promo code which shaved off $200 from the normal price (-25&#37. It was disabled fast though

I wonder how much Xoom will cost in EU.

EDIT: Promo mentioned a few posts above. I'm blind...

 

[Wag]

I saw there was a promo code which shaved off $200 from the normal price (-25%). It was disabled fast though

I wonder how much Xoom will cost in EU.

EDIT: Promo mentioned a few posts above. I'm blind...

I probably would have picked up the 3G version for $600 but by the time I saw that post the deal was gone. As I previously stated, I'm expecting the Asus Transformer to be equivalent or superior to the Xoom, except we have no idea if/when it's coming out.