Xoom > Ipad

[runawayprisoner]

What Apple does is not multi tasking. Sorry

If it's not multitasking then you don't truly understand what multitasking means.

 

[ctark]

If it's not multitasking then you don't truly understand what multitasking means.

Have you even tried the xoom? If not, then why are you here?

You are obviously here to just argue for the sake of arguing. I'm guessing you love your apples with all your heart and soul, and don't want to see anybody constructively criticize them and make other people aware there is another option out there.

Go get one of your $200 dollar laptops and stay out of the Apple forums.

 

[Kaido]

I played with the Xoom yesterday at a Verizon store. The interface was slow and not easy to understand. The screen wasn't all that great either. The iPad 1 next to it had a simple, fast menu and a nice, bright screen. I had a 2 hour wait at the store and watched customer after customer play with the iPad, then play with the Xoom and the Galaxy Tab, then go back and play with the iPad again. I don't think most consumers focus on specs, I think they mostly just care about the end-user interface - how easy it is, what fun apps are available for it, etc.

I think Android has a lot of potential, but the lack of a clear, no-training-required GUI, the fragmentation, the lack of a coherent ecosystem (where do you rent movies at? purchase music?), the lack of apps, the lack of Flash on nearly all Android devices (despite the advertising), the lack of application uniformity of design so you could figure out one app to another easily...it all just spells bad results for the end user. Google is trying really hard to be open, and I commend them for that, but look at Linux - not really for the average user, despite all the free software, the lack of OS crashing, etc. Lots of features but no consumer-driven focus.

I'm not saying the iPad is for everyone, but it's a very consumer-oriented device, whereas you have to be a bit of a geek to use an Android device. And after having played with a variety of tablets, I don't think any tablet can really, truly replace a laptop. Mainly because text input is way too slow without a physical, tactile keyboard readily available, which isn't really something you want to carry around with a tablet.

But, to each his own. The Xoom is a really neat device and Android has some really cool stuff going for it. No doubt that if Apple weren't around, Android would be the best thing since sliced bread, but iOS really lets the user transcend the hardware and focus on the apps. And I don't know if tablets are really meant to be laptop replacements - I use my iPad 1 as a tool in a lot of situations (like to read my electronic textbooks in class, or as a script reader for my film projects), but I don't really know what kind of real "work" you can do on a tablet - it's more of a tool device than a workstation device, I think.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Have you even tried the xoom?

Yes, sir. Need pictures?

If not, then why are you here?

I am here looking for intelligent responses. I love a good argument because I can understand more about a platform in an argument than I can reading Google search results. So far, Google search results are doing far better than this thread.

Go get one of your $200 dollar laptops and stay out of the Apple forums.

You are not suggesting I have to get out so you can keep spouting your non-sense?

And no $200 laptop. Thank you. I have my trusted MacBook Pro 2010, which I am using to browse these forums and many other websites.

 

[speg]

What about honeycombs general performance? Most reviews point out it is kinda beta and missing polish. I don't really see anything to entice me away from iOS.

 

[Emulex]

xoom doesn't have a stable safe app market. oops.

will xoom apps run on 3 year old devices too?

90% of the app market for IOS will run on iphone 3G in one year. that phone is from 2008.

so will all xoom apps run on all the android phones?

Think of the logistics of fragmenting the app store from a sellers point of view

 

[Monster_Munch]

Get back to us when it:

Scales Android Apps so they work.

What do you mean? They should already work.

 

[Paperlantern]

Man, i'm out of popcorn...

*grabs milk duds*

no no, please continue...

 

[Kaido]

What about honeycombs general performance? Most reviews point out it is kinda beta and missing polish. I don't really see anything to entice me away from iOS.

It was sluggish. Although, my biggest complaint is about the lack of uniformity between apps. You have to learn how each individual app works since the programmers are free to do whatever they want. It's not like iOS where you can generally figure stuff out based on a more or less standard interface system. While it lets you do cool interface stuff, I think that it's somewhat confusing for the end user. As a geek, I like to play with things like that, but I wouldn't give a Xoom to say, my mom.

 

[Ns1]

Xoom is getting ripped to shreds on G,G,&P. Also Motorola already offering $100 off w/coupon LOL


all I know is I'm selling my Mac Mini to get an ipad v2

 

[ctark]

I played with the Xoom yesterday at a Verizon store. The interface was slow and not easy to understand. The screen wasn't all that great either. The iPad 1 next to it had a simple, fast menu and a nice, bright screen. I had a 2 hour wait at the store and watched customer after customer play with the iPad, then play with the Xoom and the Galaxy Tab, then go back and play with the iPad again. I don't think most consumers focus on specs, I think they mostly just care about the end-user interface - how easy it is, what fun apps are available for it, etc.

I think Android has a lot of potential, but the lack of a clear, no-training-required GUI, the fragmentation, the lack of a coherent ecosystem (where do you rent movies at? purchase music?), the lack of apps, the lack of Flash on nearly all Android devices (despite the advertising), the lack of application uniformity of design so you could figure out one app to another easily...it all just spells bad results for the end user. Google is trying really hard to be open, and I commend them for that, but look at Linux - not really for the average user, despite all the free software, the lack of OS crashing, etc. Lots of features but no consumer-driven focus.

I'm not saying the iPad is for everyone, but it's a very consumer-oriented device, whereas you have to be a bit of a geek to use an Android device. And after having played with a variety of tablets, I don't think any tablet can really, truly replace a laptop. Mainly because text input is way too slow without a physical, tactile keyboard readily available, which isn't really something you want to carry around with a tablet.

But, to each his own. The Xoom is a really neat device and Android has some really cool stuff going for it. No doubt that if Apple weren't around, Android would be the best thing since sliced bread, but iOS really lets the user transcend the hardware and focus on the apps. And I don't know if tablets are really meant to be laptop replacements - I use my iPad 1 as a tool in a lot of situations (like to read my electronic textbooks in class, or as a script reader for my film projects), but I don't really know what kind of real "work" you can do on a tablet - it's more of a tool device than a workstation device, I think.

This is a good post. I agree that the Ipad is more for everyone. I said in one of my earlier post you have to figure some things out on the Xoom. I guess I'm not seeing the slow interface that everybody else is complaining about, although mine is overclocked to 1.5ghz. I really like the way it surfs the web, especially after you make some changes in the options to allow a tap on the edge show a menu that allows you go forward, back, refresh, and choose a bookmark, that makes it real quick when surfing the web.

I think the AndroidOS is pretty awesome, but yes it does need some work to make things a little smoother and easier for the folks who have trouble using such devices. Like I said earlier I dont think we'll be seeing many changes to the Android tablet OS for the next few years. They will just keep tweaking it like they do iOS and hopefully in a generation or two it will be a huge threat to Apple. The consumers win from competition.

Still planning on getting the iPad 2. I'm one of the lucky people who still have unlimited 3g data, with no soft cap.

 

[James Bond]

The problem with Xoom for me is definitely the app store. Yes, someday down the road there will be a lot of apps. But right now there is basically nothing.

You could say the same thing about the iPad when it first came out. But now it's been a year, and there are tons of apps for the iPad.

I want something that works now. Not in a year.

 

[Kaido]

This is a good post. I agree that the Ipad is more for everyone. I said in one of my earlier post you have to figure some things out on the Xoom. I guess I'm not seeing the slow interface that everybody else is complaining about, although mine is overclocked to 1.5ghz. I really like the way it surfs the web, especially after you make some changes in the options to allow a tap on the edge show a menu that allows you go forward, back, refresh, and choose a bookmark, that makes it real quick when surfing the web.

I think the AndroidOS is pretty awesome, but yes it does need some work to make things a little smoother and easier for the folks who have trouble using such devices. Like I said earlier I dont think we'll be seeing many changes to the Android tablet OS for the next few years. They will just keep tweaking it like they do iOS and hopefully in a generation or two it will be a huge threat to Apple. The consumers win from competition.

Still planning on getting the iPad 2. I'm one of the lucky people who still have unlimited 3g data, with no soft cap.

lol overclocking a tablet, that's awesome Does it get hot or shorten the battery life considerably?

I think Android is pretty cool, and I think it really would have taken off if not for iOS. But then again, I don't think the average consumer knows the difference between Android and iOS to begin with, so the point is kind of moot :biggrin:

 

[runawayprisoner]

What do you mean? They should already work.

Only a handful of them work right. A lot of them refuse to scale to the arbitrary screen resolution and/or aspect ratio.

And why are we having a XOOM and Android discussion inside "All things Apple"?

"All things Apple"...?

 

[KeithP]

Ars takes a look at the Xoon http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/reviews/2011/03/ars-reviews-the-motorola-xoom.ars

Some highlights...

Although the Xoom performs well, its reliability leaves a lot to be desired. During a week of very heavy use, I had between 5 and 8 incidents of applications force-closing every day. The issue wasn't isolated to third-party applications—Google's own software crashed pretty regularly.

The Xoom's assortment of absent features will likely all be available this Summer, but the launch configuration feels like a beta release. Consumers who buy it today will have to send it back in for a week at some point before they can get the complete product. I think bringing it to market in this condition was a pretty dubious move.

As a reviewer, I'm finding it particularly hard to evaluate the Xoom. When I test beta hardware or software, I tend to give the manufacturer or developer the benefit of the doubt and focus on the product's potential. I'm tempted to approach the Xoom from that perspective, but I just can't rationalize that kind of leniency for a product that has been officially released and is selling for $800.

If you compare the Xoom against the iPad 2 today, there isn't much of a case to be made in favor of the Xoom. If you make the same comparison four or five months from now when the Xoom has all of its features intact, the story is going to look rather different. LTE and Flash are both desirable features that would make the Xoom look really appealing to a decent-sized mainstream audience.

It seems clear the Xoon, as it currently stands, is an inferior product. However, if it gets all its problems worked out, it may turn out to be the better choice. However, as the article points out, by the time it works out all its problems, there will be other tablets to choose from so it would seem silly to buy the Xoon now. Wait until it is actually a fully working product then judge it against the iPad and the other Honeycomb tablet competitors.

-KeithP

 

[Ns1]

Ars takes a look at the Xoon http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/reviews/2011/03/ars-reviews-the-motorola-xoom.ars

Some highlights...

If you are looking for the best tablet available today, then look no further than Cupertino. If you are an Android enthusiast and you want a good tablet that runs the same software as your phone, you should wait a few months for everything to solidify before you decide which Android tablet you want. Don't jump for the Xoom just because it's the first—they rushed it out prematurely hoping to capitalize on exactly that.

The main legitimate audience for the Xoom today is third-party application developers. If you are a third-party application developer and you need to get your hands on real-world Honeycomb hardware in order to start working on your commercial Android software projects, then the Xoom is really not that bad a value.

Although this review has largely been negative, I want to make it clear that I'm not completely dismissing Android as a tablet platform. The basic elements we are seeing in Honeycomb are compelling, and there is a lot of potential under the hood. Android has a long way to go before it's competitive with iOS on tablets, but it could have a lot to offer when it finally catches up.
The Good:

* Built-in software is more tablet-friendly than pre-Honeycomb Android tablets
* It will eventually support desirable features like LTE and Flash
* Plenty of RAM for multitasking and intensive Web browsing
* Dual-core processor and NVIDIA GPU offer great performance for gaming
* Good integration with Google's Web services

The Bad:

* The software is not particularly stable or robust
* Requires a proprietary power adapter and can't charge through microUSB
* Users have to rely on the MTP protocol to manage media on the device
* The built-in e-mail client has extremely poor protocol support
* There are very few third-party Android applications designed for the form factor
* The Google Books e-book application doesn't support side-loading content
* Very few websites handle the Honeycomb browser's User-Agent string correctly
* The browser's support for advanced CSS3 features lags behind Safari's

The Ugly:

* The Xoom has to be shipped back to Motorola for the LTE upgrade
* Key features like Flash and the microSD slot don't work at launch

lulz

 

[speg]

Damn you guys!! I was going to the Ars article that last night before bed but I didn't get around to it.

But yeah, all reviews had been not so hot and Ars has pretty much put the nail in that coffin.

 

[Bryf50]

lol overclocking a tablet, that's awesome Does it get hot or shorten the battery life considerably?

No not really. The processors used in tablets and phones take very little power compared to the screen and radios. I'm sure it would have some effect but it is fairly negligible.

the lack of apps

The ps3 has no games!!!!!

the lack of Flash on nearly all Android devices (despite the advertising)

All Android phones with 2.2 or greater have or have the ability to use flash.

 

[Kaido]

All Android phones with 2.2 or greater have or have the ability to use flash.

http://www.androidtips.net/android-survey-verizon-htc-dish-out-the-most-froyo.html

Android survey: Verizon, HTC dish out the most Froyo

on 08. FEB, 2011

Waiting for new firmware updates is a sore subject for many an Android user, and a just-released survey of which carriers and manufacturers are most diligent — and most lax — about issuing Android updates will surely fuel their fire.

Computerworld’s JR Raphael crunched the numbers to find out the percentage of U.S. wireless carriers and phone makers had upgraded their 2009 and 2010 Android handsets to version 2.2, aka “Froyo” — which, now that the Android 2.3 “Gingerbread”-powered Nexus S is on the way, isn’t even the freshest version of Android.

The results? Top honors went to HTC, maker of the HTC Evo 4G on Sprint and the upcoming, 4G-ready Thunderbolt for Verizon. the handset manufacturer has managed to update at least half of its Android smartphones since 2009 to version 2.2.

Up next: Droid X manufacturer Motorola, which only managed to update 15.4 percent of its handsets (including the X) to 2.2 Froyo, according to the survey. But its average upgrade time — 54.4 days, compared with 56 days for HTC — was the shortest wait among manufacturers with Android phones on U.S. carriers.

Samsung finished in third place, according to Computerworld. only one of its nine U.S. handsets tracked in the survey — the Samsung Intercept — upgraded to Android 2.2, and only after a 159-day wait. (The ranking, by the way, was announced as the phone maker came under fire for allegedly holding back a Froyo update for the Samsung Vibrant so as not to upstage the upcoming Vibrant 4G. Samsung denies the charges.)

In the doghouse with no 2.2 updates for its existing 2009-2010 Android phones: Dell, LG and Sony.

OK, but how did the carriers fare? Kudos to Verizon, which managed to update a third of its Android handsets to version 2.2. Sprint — which, as Computerworld notes, was the first to issue a Froyo update, for the HTC Evo 4G — came in a close second at 28.6 percent.

In third place comes T-Mobile, which has two of the hottest Android 2.2 handsets on the market — the G2 and the MyTouch 4G — but has let nearly all of its other Android phones since 2009 languish with Android version 2.1 or earlier, according to Computerworld. (The T-Mobile G1, the original Android phone from 2008, fell outside the scope of the survey, by the way.)

Dead last: AT&T, with no Android 2.2 updates.

So your point:

All Android phones with 2.2 or greater have or have the ability to use flash.

With my original comment:

the lack of Flash on nearly all Android devices (despite the advertising)

And the statistics as of last month for the existing millions of 2009-2010 Android phones:

Verizon: 33% out of 100% of Android phones on v2.2
Sprint: 28.6% out of 100% of Android phones on v2.2
AT&T: 0% out of 100% of Android phones on v2.2

So "nearly all" isn't quite correct, but it looks like millions of Android phones are currently not supporting Flash. Plus no Flash support for the Xoom until Spring 2011:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/02/2...otorola-xoom-flash-support-until-spring-2011/

Statistically, the majority of Android phones on the market do not support Flash at the present time. Flash is a major feature being pushed by Android, but even Verizon - the largest of the Android v2.2 promoters - only have 33% of their phones updated.

Of course, that's probably better than 100% of all iOS devices not having Flash :awe:

 

[runawayprisoner]

Having Flash on Android isn't better all the time. If you'd heard the horror stories, just imagine that it's sometimes worse.

The Motorola Atrix is the only phone that I've touched so far that doesn't feel too much worse than a netbook with Flash on, compared to other phones. Some (if not most) Flash-only websites are so slow that you can boot up your netbook, visit that website thoroughly, write an in-depth review for it, and shut down the netbook before the site even shows up. That is if the phone is even that responsive for you to start navigating around.

 

[TuxDave]

Having Flash on Android isn't better all the time. If you'd heard the horror stories, just imagine that it's sometimes worse.

The Motorola Atrix is the only phone that I've touched so far that doesn't feel too much worse than a netbook with Flash on, compared to other phones.

I had a friend with a Samsung Galaxy S showing me some embedded flash video on a website. It was running at a terrible 2-3fps. Good enough to get the point of the video but it was hardly a good experience.

 

[runawayprisoner]

It shouldn't be that bad once you root the phone and start doing tweaks, plus overclocks.

But that is about right. Some Flash videos are just dog slow (those from Facebook are prime examples), and the fact that the next version of Flash would likely require at least Android 2.3 doesn't help at all. That means, once again, a whole bunch of devices would be left in the dark.

 

[Kaido]

It shouldn't be that bad once you root the phone and start doing tweaks, plus overclocks.

That doesn't sound like a very out-of-the-box experience for your typical consumer

 

[runawayprisoner]

That doesn't sound like a very out-of-the-box experience for your typical consumer

I'm not sure a number of typical Android consumers are that ignorant of the possibilities.

The ones that aren't are those who couldn't afford more, or they simply like something about the form factor.

 

[Zaap]

Statistically, the majority of Android phones on the market do not support Flash at the present time. Flash is a major feature being pushed by Android, but even Verizon - the largest of the Android v2.2 promoters - only have 33% of their phones updated.

Of course, that's probably better than 100% of all iOS devices not having Flash :awe:

Yes, but people don't buy phones 'statistically'- if they're tech saavy enough to care about details like Flash support, they buy the model they like with the features they want.

For example, it'd be like counting the lack of 'retina display' on 90% of iOS devices sold as a negative against the iPhone 4. If people want that feature, they get an iPhone 4 and couldn't care less if every other iOS device doesn't have it. Likewise, my DroidX has 2.2 and Flash works great on it- it's not a negative that other makes/models of Android phones don't, or by what percentage.

I just point this out because every time I see these iOS vs. Android arguments, Apple iOS devices get the benefit of scrutiny on a per-model basis (as they should) but suddenly Android negatives are tallied from the whole much wider range of devices, rather than the best models vs. (in Apple's case) the ONLY models.


As for the Xoom- my impressions are mixed.

It's the first Android tablet I've seen that feels really sturdy in my hands. (All others I've seen felt cheap and crappy). It's very well made.

As for speed- Android does suffer from a 'bog down' effect, with multiple apps running and the device left on for days on end. Sluggishness and excessive FC's and crashes is to me a sign the device desperately needs to be rebooted. I reboot my Droid X once a day and have no problems, but go a couple days with no reboot, it definitely slows.

So looking at the Xoom from a freshly booted state- it was quite snappy for me, just shy of the iPad. (iOS doesn't suffer the same bog-down effect from my experience.)

I'm already used to Android, so I found Gingerbread no problem to navigate, and I like what I see that's different from Froyo. But it's hard to tell what's natively Gingerbread, and what is just a custom UI of the Xoom itself.

It's exactly that issue that makes me see how Android canbe confusing for newcomers- it's not a consistant interface, and at 4 different levels. First, each OEM has their own custom Home screen interfaces, secondly the user can customize the look/feel of the interface way beyond that, third different models have a mish-mash of all of these, and finally each developer is free to create their own app looks that can also add additions to to the interface.

On the plus side: My Droid X looks and feels exactly the way I want it to. But when I hand it to someone who's used to their own Android interface, they have to 'figure out' what's different with mine. For those of us who like to tweak things to be uniquely ours, this customization is awesome. But for others who prefer uniform and consistant, it's not so great. It comes down to being almost another OSX vs. Windows type thing- people will tend to prefer one or the other for all sorts of reasons, and the tech savy will find use for both.

The Xoom's screen- nothing special, not great, not bad.

The app store argument is a non-starter for me. So long as I can use 'App Brain' and 'App2SD' it's a yawner to have the exact polish of the iOS app store on Android. Yes, Apple has more apps, and many better apps that have no Android equivalent, and the polish of the app store is top notch. But I find it's the old 'Mac vs. PC' apps debate all over again- but in reverse! PC users used to bash the Mac for not having "enough apps"- but the reality was, there was just about everything that most people needed, so the argument was weak. Same thing today with Android. Most times, I simply don't need 22 iFarted apps vs. 4.


Now the bad side of the Xoom- the PRICE! Insane.
And no, just whining "You can't afford it" isn't a good excuse. It's overpriced by any standard.

I have a netbook, and it's great for what it is. But it's $250 worth of great, not $450 or more worth of great. It would be insane for it to cost as much or more than a comparatively spec'd full-fledged micro notebook. Likewise... the Xoom priced higher than the iPad1 is a rip off, and priced higher than the iPad2 is absolutely its death knell. $800? Seriously? No. It's cool, but it IS NO $800 worth of cool.

And I wish they'd knock off the exclusive partnering of wireless companies with tablet devices. What bunch of dumbasses keep insisting that's the only way to sell tablets? Let me tether the device, or subscribe to a wireless service if I WANT to, but to let Verizon et al dick up the math until the cost spirals up to $800 and beyond is just brain-damaged.

I predict EVERY Android tablet will fail until the wireless companies are kicked to the curb and OEMs start making devices with the most obvious selling points vs. the iPad: more features people want (like card slots, USB ports, etc.) for hundreds less. Xoom fails on both- so ultimately I can't see it doing much else but flopping.

I'd be happy to be wrong about that- competition is good, and thus far, Apple has none in the tablet arena.