Database Users

Moto Atrix as early evolution of the phone

The Atrix to me is one of the first steps of a mobile computing topic my buddies and I have been debating for about 3 years now. That the phone will become the center of basic personal computing and, if so, how. The laptop and desktop "docks" for the Atrix are early steps in the direction of those arguing the phone will become the central device with simple docks.
This wouldn't replace a hard core gamer's monster system or a CAD workstation. However most people I know use their computer for just 5 things:
1) Internet (browsing and email).
2) Documents (word processing, spreadsheet, and simple photo editing).
3) Multi-media (listening to music and watching videos).
4) Hard copy (print and scan).
5) Simple games (solitaire, sudoku, etc).​Really, that is it!
I lean toward the dock being more powerful and providing the extra horsepower needed for what we know think of as "desktop level performance and graphics" when docked. But really for the 5 tasks listed above I think Atrix class hardware might be able to run those applications already (giving points to those who side with the simple dock solution, sigh).
What do you think?

I agree I long dreamed of such a situation. small dock with extra storage and processing power. mobile phone as a sort of key. pop it in, full desktop OS. take it out. full mobile phone.
kinda exactly like the atrix. but more refined.

vzontini said:
The laptop and desktop "docks" for the Atrix are early steps in the direction of those arguing the phone will become the central device with simple docks.
What do you think?
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I'd have to agree. Even if I don't get the Atrix I am so happy that Motorola came out with the webtop application for the docks. This will push the smartphone industry upward and other manufacturers will have to follow suit with the smartphone becoming the central and only communication device for almost everything.
The laptop dock looks sexy as hell. I loved the macbook air's design but couldn't get myself to buy an overpriced mac with an extra "apple tax" attached to it. The Atrix laptop dock is even thinner and so beautiful its crazy. I'm really hoping that it's priced low ($150 - 200) in order to get people to want to buy the Atrix.
The only thing that I'm not sure of yet is the HDMI mirroring. I know they have a regular dock for the TV but I'm not sure if the phone has actual mirroring. If its not then the emulator gaming gets screwed up and I'll have to pass on this phone
Either way I can't wait to have a phone as my only device for everything. Pure heaven is coming

The Atrix looks cool, dual processor, etc.. But "docks" are a thing of the past, in my opinion. I just want the phone to seamlessly integrate with the cloud. As a matter of fact, I'd just assume when you bought a phone, the only cable you got was an AC adapter, no USB, nothing.
Motorolla locked bootloader coupled with AT&T bloat just makes this phone more of the same.
I've been very disappointed with recent cell phone offerings and that the unlocked/unsubsidized super phone isn't really taking off, and partly thats because we are still supporting the Atrix/G2/etc of the world that are locked down. Again, all nice hardware but "fastboot oem unlock" and unsubsidized is the way to go. Thats why I'm hoping a AT&T Nexus S is released even though I don't care for Samsung and the phone isnt much of an upgrade, I plan on voting with my dollars and not buying something a carrier has mangled..

Yes.
The question is will it be smartphones or tablets?
Many will still opt for the power and versatility of a full option desktop. Simply too far ahead in the power curve and it takes too many gens to shrink that power for portable use. (For now anyways)
Eventually BT/Dlna or perhaps a new wireless method will be available that simply placing your device on a *home* base will initiate the usage as opposed to physical wires. But again we're not just there yet.
Atrix is a huge step towards this and agree with the OP.
Main issue of course will be OS compatibility getting a TV / input methods / monitor /mass storage/ and ideally home controls to communicate seamlessly is proving impossible as every hardware maker wants to use proprietary methods.
Android maintaining momentum is key as Apples approach will always be restricting and MS will never get there heads out of there butts long enough to make something significant happen.
I seriously hope Atrix doesn't price users out of its features. I likely wont get one but I truly want to see it succeed just for this purpose.

I mentioned this in the EVO forum but this is something that excites me. The Atrix is a first step but its still too rough for me to enjoy. What I really want is a integrated experience. I.e. plug in to a TV and Google TV kicks in, plug it into a monitor and a Chrome-esque OS or Android like desktop experience kicks in, or if you plug it into a touch screen the tablet version of Android kicks in. Right now you'll get a probably horrible/crude Linux build to start up. Maybe some enterprising devs will get a better more satisfying distro on the Atrix but I'd still want that integrated experience over that.
This might stir up some folks here but I'd bet good money that Apple (iOS/Apple TV/the iOS-fication of OSX), Microsoft (WP7/Media Center/ARM based Windows 8), or even HP/Palm will do it first. Personally I'd probably opt for a Windows or Apple solution just because of the better professional apps (Adobe CS, etc.) that'll probably be available early on.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

I'm pretty excited about the Atrix personally, but there's one thing that keeps spinning around in my head. I love the little laptop dock, extremely cool. And it uses the phone for everything and it's connection obviously. Then I got to thinking, will AT&T consider this tethering? Quite obviously to us, this isn't tethering at all. BUT!!! I wouldn't put it past AT&T at all to pull this kind of stunt. That would be the one buzzkill for me for this phone. Leave it to them to change the language and say that when you dock, it will consume more bandwidth and therefor be tethering.

AbsoluteDesignz said:
I agree I long dreamed of such a situation. small dock with extra storage and processing power. mobile phone as a sort of key. pop it in, full desktop OS. take it out. full mobile phone.
kinda exactly like the atrix. but more refined.
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I had a dream and vision once; around 10yrs ago; moto atrix is the closest so far... waiting for the release and first person experience...
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk

crachel said:
I've been very disappointed with recent cell phone offerings and that the unlocked/unsubsidized super phone isn't really taking off, and partly thats because we are still supporting the Atrix/G2/etc of the world that are locked down. Again, all nice hardware but "fastboot oem unlock" and unsubsidized is the way to go.
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Agree 100% with that. Now what if the next Nexus phone is an Atrix type device from Motorola? Now *that* would be a worthy replacement for my N1.

Someone has to take the first steps and with my limited knowledge of the mobile market this appears to be the first step. I agree it lacks refinement but that what technology comes out of the shoot already polished. It takes multiple iterations of real world testing to work out the kinks. People end up doing things the original designers never dreamed of.
I also hope that the Atrix is just the beginning and the concept catches on. My hacker side doesn't want a locked down device. Again my thought is this is just the first step in an evolution of the phone. I think it will be the phone versus the tablet because so many people want something pocketable. IMO the tablet won't be the center because it is just too big.
Only time will tell. Anyway it is pretty exciting.

Actually now that I think about I think I would much rather have a bigger 4.3' screen android phone that I could pair with my foldable bluetooth keyboard as well as HDMI mirroring capabilities to play emulators with a bluetooth wiimote.
Not that the laptop dock isn't sexy as hell, but I'd rather just be able to pair an HID bluetooth keyboard with my bigger screen phone to use as my all in one device...
Now if the Atrix can pair with a HID bluetooth keyboard, has wiimote support, and HDMI mirroring then sweet! but if it's missing any of these 3 things then perhaps the Droid Bionic or LG Optimus 2x???

Is it bad that this phone sexually arouses me? I just hope that this is functional on rogers frequencies because I know other bell phones have before... I don't even expect rogers supposed lte network to work with it as long as the 3g works I'm gravy...
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

crachel said:
... "docks" are a thing of the past, in my opinion. I just want the phone to seamlessly integrate with the cloud. As a matter of fact, I'd just assume when you bought a phone, the only cable you got was an AC adapter, no USB, nothing.
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I couldn't disagree more! "Integrated with the cloud" is a nice-to-have, but what I'd really want is for my phone to integrate with my own way of working. If that means having access to gobs of local storage in addition to (or even instead of) Google's online services, that should be my choice. An optional dock is a perfect companion for me, especially if I would be given a choice of operating system the phone would run when connected to one. Imagine if the next generation super phone ran a flavor of Linux when connected to a dock. We can already run Ubuntu on our Nexus Ones, so this isn't much of a stretch at all. The next wave of dual-core phones should have no trouble at all running a full desktop OS, with all bells and whistles.
crachel said:
Motorolla locked bootloader coupled with AT&T bloat just makes this phone more of the same.
I've been very disappointed with recent cell phone offerings and that the unlocked/unsubsidized super phone isn't really taking off, and partly thats because we are still supporting the Atrix/G2/etc of the world that are locked down. Again, all nice hardware but "fastboot oem unlock" and unsubsidized is the way to go. Thats why I'm hoping a AT&T Nexus S is released even though I don't care for Samsung and the phone isnt much of an upgrade, I plan on voting with my dollars and not buying something a carrier has mangled..
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This I can totally agree with. I paid full price for both my HTC Dream and Nexus One (unlocked and off-contract) and don't regret it for a second. If Nexus S wasn't so "last year" in terms of specs, I'd be all over it. I am currently waiting for a true "next gen" phone like Moto's Atrix to be released as a reference developer phone before I give up my N1.
vzontini said:
This wouldn't replace a hard core gamer's monster system or a CAD workstation.
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Give it a few more quarters and Moore's Law will take care of that. Already Tegra 2 equipped phones can run better games than my 2-year-old desktop machine that was considered top of the line when I put it together.

My provider is using the AWS band. As soon as one of these is available in this band, I'll probably get one.
This is the exact thing I need: 1 device does (nearly) all!

Summarization of complaints regarding the XOOM.

Why are people complaining that their Motorola Xoom isn't a phone? I get a real laugh out of the "I'm so pissed because I can't call someone from this device" threads. Texting is another laughable point? Really you aren't carrying a phone around with you at the same time as your Xoom that you can't pull it out for 3 seconds and fire off that txt? One guy wants to know why he can't use his Xoom as a GPS while he's FLYING.
Here is a short list of features that I *love* about the Xoom so far:
- Holy **** the screen is sexy. Playing around with some of these apps on a 10" widescreen is awesome.
- Battery Life - I am charing the thing overnight, picking it up in the morning at 100% and then typically ending the day at 70+% remaining. This is fantastic to me.
- Portability and ease of access - Using my acer netbook was a pain in the ass because I had to wait for windows to load, the desktop to show up... the workspace to be ready. This is instant on and ready.
- RDP works well - I can get into my books from anywhere, generate invoices and e-mail them to a customer right there on the spot. It's impressive and when you're a technology company it just looks good.
- Email support - The exchange support is awesome. The stock mail client could be a little stronger but I am very happy that it supports HTML as the android 2.2 / 2.3 mail client on my Nexus One does not/did not.
- Available storage space - Not having the SD slot isn't bothering me one bit. I would go as far as saying I may not ever even need it. Shipping the product with 32GB of internal storage was the way to go.
- App support - Out of the box, like 90% of my apps worked fine (granted I only use heavily maybe 5 out of the 40 that i have installed). The one or two apps that were missing at launch I've already gotten word from the developers that tablet ready versions or updates are on the way.
- Connectivity - Being a first time Verizon subscriber I am very impressed with the radio and/or 3G network behind it. When my AT&T phone has a **** signal or no signal at all, this Xoom tablet still picks up signal. That's cool to me and is a point that I would like to make separately about the need for the 3G version. Sure, I can tether through my AT&T phone but then I've got two points of failure to worry about.
My thoughts and comments regarding media consumption on this device:
- Music - I haven't had any issues at all. I use Windows Media Player 12 as a part of Windows 7 to manage my music library and it works wonderfully with the Xoom. I sync music to it just like any other generic MP3/music player. I susbcribe to the Zune Pass so actually obtaining music for me is a function I do on my PC, and then just transfer the music as I want or need it. To say that I must be able to download or purchase XYZ song on the road isn't necessary... isn't that what Pandora is for? Use Pandora to listen to what you want until you are in a position to purchase music, then do that. That's how I approach it.
- Videos/Movies - I'm not really a big "watch videos/movies on your portable" guy to begin with. That said, I do like to use youtube to show off certain things like video game trailers or movie trailers or something... but you tube isn't the issue on the Xoom and I don't think ever has been or ever will be. Some people have complained that the Xoom doesn't play the same H.264 videos that they can play on their Droid. To them I say that I'm sorry but your droid isn't running a Tegra 2 chipset. I do agree that the Tegra 2 should be able to handle a lot but I didn't design it.. shrug, what do I know. Seemingly however... the thing plays H.264 just fine if its encoded properly and it looks damn good. I ripped Kill Bill Volume 1 to H.264 with a 2k bitrate and it looked fantastic on the Xoom screen. I will admit that I'm not the best guy to take advice from in this area.
My thoughts / comments on whiners:
- Flash / SD Card Support - I really don't have anything to say about this. Flash 10.2 will be out soon enough and as far as the SD card is concerned I don't even need it. I only have a 4GB Class 6 micro SD card what's that going to do for me? It's laughable in size compared to whats in the unit.. I would only want to put a matching 32GB sd card in and that's gonna be another $100 minimum. Now your $799 device is an $899 device... where's the complaint for that?
- Can't make phone calls / TXT - Jesus christ, go buy a phone.

Nice review, particularly liked, "- Can't make phone calls / TXT - Jesus christ, go buy a phone."
Couldn't agree more!

Just ordered myself a Xoom and you've made me feel even better about my purchase. I'm a little worried about the video codecs thing but I'm sure Rockplayer or some such will sort that out. Thanks for a great review.

Thanks for the comments. If anyone has particular questions about the device or advice on how to best use the device for their situation fire away.

agreed up to one point
i agree man, def however
google voice must be used on this. not because of texting as a cellphone but because it does much more and can be so amazingly baked with all other google products.
that my friend, is inarguable.
please help that at least here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=978779

You'll have to expand on your thought process for me. What do you want to use google voice for? Will it help you avoid scratching your Xoom up so you don't have to return a second one?

cwizardtx said:
You'll have to expand on your thought process for me. What do you want to use google voice for? Will it help you avoid scratching your Xoom up so you don't have to return a second one?
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Click to collapse
Google Voice gives you a platform independent texting and voicemail interface. It does help to have it handy.

Why shouldn't your android tablet and phone be linked in some way so that you could receive notifications on either device and respond to them exactly like how webos works? Who could act like this is a ridiculous request??
Also, don't get your hopes up with regards to media playback. Tegra 2 is awful in that regard and has been proven on here in a different thread to be incapable of 720p high profile, which all galaxy s phones can do flawlessly.
Also, asking got certain features or if something is possible is not complaining.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

my second one is much more protected now thanks for the sad comment.
anyways, i am baffled at how one wouldnt want this, clearly people havent FOUND the use of it, to which i understand.
the customizations on notifications; be it text or voicemail is amazing and so useful, having this on your tablet WILL be a big plus trust me.
controlling voice mail set ups for particular people, having transcribed vm being able to foward that/ download that, controll recorded phone conversations, archiving, starring emails/texts

cwizardtx said:
- Can't make phone calls / TXT - Jesus christ, go buy a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldnt you use an app to hand those stuff over your 3g/4g services?

I don't necessarily expect the tablet to act as an independent texting device, but I would prefer to not have to pull my phone out of my pocket while I've got my Xoom in my hands already. I know I'll almost 99% of the time have my phone and tablet on me at the same time, but its more of a convenience thing.
The way that WebOS pulls your notifications to your tablet via bluetooth from your phone is perfect. I'm already tethering my Xoom for internet off my phone, why not just have text messages pop over too?

martonikaj said:
I don't necessarily expect the tablet to act as an independent texting device, but I would prefer to not have to pull my phone out of my pocket while I've got my Xoom in my hands already. I know I'll almost 99% of the time have my phone and tablet on me at the same time, but its more of a convenience thing.
The way that WebOS pulls your notifications to your tablet via bluetooth from your phone is perfect. I'm already tethering my Xoom for internet off my phone, why not just have text messages pop over too?
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Click to collapse
The way Palm... or well, HP, made the WebOS phones and WebOS tablets work together is very impressive. Implementing that text idea would be perfect.

Eclair~ said:
The way Palm... or well, HP, made the WebOS phones and WebOS tablets work together is very impressive. Implementing that text idea would be perfect.
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Click to collapse
I agree. And its something that iOS and Android aren't even close to implementing. I see no reason why Google couldn't figure this out. I'm assuming that it will come later, probably with 2.4 for phones which will apparently implement what Google learned about 3.0 back into phones.

Automatically archiving your incoming text messages to an email address linked to your Xoom would at least be a step in the right direction. Granted it's only 50% of the issue, but it's better than nothing. At least you know whether or not to check your phone with a glance at your inbox notification.

theahlenius said:
Automatically archiving your incoming text messages to an email address linked to your Xoom would at least be a step in the right direction. Granted it's only 50% of the issue, but it's better than nothing. At least you know whether or not to check your phone with a glance at your inbox notification.
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Click to collapse
I use SMS Backup for this very reason and just put gmail label shortcuts on my tablet. If my phone is upstairs or in my bag, I can just check the email to see if I got any texts.
But it would be cool if I could automatically notify on my tablet.
Sent from my SPH-P100 using XDA Premium App

cwizardtx said:
Why are people complaining that their Motorola Xoom isn't a phone? I get a real laugh out of the "I'm so pissed because I can't call someone from this device" threads. Texting is another laughable point? Really you aren't carrying a phone around with you at the same time as your Xoom that you can't pull it out for 3 seconds and fire off that txt? One guy wants to know why he can't use his Xoom as a GPS while he's FLYING.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am so sick and tired of this pompous ass attitude. Maybe I keep my Xoom with me everywhere, maybe I use a bluetooth and never "pull out" my phone... MAYBE I dont want to pay to keep several devices active that do the exact same ****. What myself and many others have been after does not degrade the tablet devices that are out one bit, and in fact has been simply DISABLED on some devices.
Long story short, I do not appreciate you calling my desires for this device laughable, especially considering there are quite a few people with the same wants/needs.
/rant off

Morkai Almandragon said:
I am so sick and tired of this pompous ass attitude. Maybe I keep my Xoom with me everywhere, maybe I use a bluetooth and never "pull out" my phone... MAYBE I dont want to pay to keep several devices active that do the exact same ****. What myself and many others have been after does not degrade the tablet devices that are out one bit, and in fact has been simply DISABLED on some devices.
Long story short, I do not appreciate you calling my desires for this device laughable, especially considering there are quite a few people with the same wants/needs.
/rant off
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Click to collapse
I agree. People that make an argument like this are no better than apple in telling them what limits their device has.
And the guy wasn't complaining about airplane GPS, he was just wondering about it. There's a lot of people that do recreational flying and only do daylight clear weather trips. A GPS is great to tell you where you are, its not like they'd be using it to get from point A to point B or landing on a runway in fog or flying a commercial airliner.
Just because someone wants something better (for them) doesn't mean its a complaint, its merely a wish. Ideas and hopes make these devices better and inspire devs to create things we all love.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

[Q] Wireless Auditing with XOOM

Hi, I am looking at the XOOM for doing some wireless Auditing around work. I was hoping that you would be able to provide some insight on its feasibility...
things on my wish list to find & map are: infrastructure mode AP's, Ad Hoc & polling/active clients.
I have some experience using Kismet on a laptop and it is the kind of functionality i would like.. just would like a more portable form factor for this, it will involve driving around a large campus style location and walking through buildings..
My Questions:
from what i have read, the Broadcom chipset used in these devices do not have a "Monitor" or "RFMON" Mode that would allow it to see all the packets flying by.. I have read a bit in some other forums about some work being done on this, but no recent activity... does anyone know of any current efforts on this?
I have read in previous discussions that the Xoom has problems connecting to a Ad-Hoc mode devices, does it still detect it?
I havent played with the Android war-driving apps too much, are they listening for packets or is it a probe and respond due to the lack of RFMON?
For those with experience, which war-driving apps would you recommend with the pros & cons?
Thanks in advance!

I can't answer most of your questions but I can say that my Xoom does not see my Samsung Epic when I set up wireless tether in Adhoc mode, only when I set it up in Infrastructure mode. It doesn't even see the SSID, but my netbook sees it fine.

I'm a diehard Android fan to say the least I'm an anti-apple but I do keep my options open. I own a few Touch, iPad, SGS Fascinate and Samsung Galaxy tab 2.2 and the Xoom is/was on my list. Last night I spend sometimes with the iPad that I own or should I say my kids owns it, I got IOS 4.3 GM on it to see the improvements. All I can say it's the same, no big changes except for better Apple TV support and browser speed. It's been months since I looked what was available on iTunes for it and to tell you the truth on what I saw was impressive. This has not changed my mind on getting the Xoom or did it? Now on Xoom, I've been reading almost every reviews on the net about it, spend a few hours with it at the local store "BB Bj's etc" and after reading the Ars review, I feel a little bit more hesitant about getting now than 2 days ago! I intend to get the Xoom Wifi only ver but no one knows when it will arrive, and what’s up with Europe getting it first? I have the deepest feeling that in six to ten months Honeycomb support will explode for it but that's in the future. With the release of the iPad 2, anyone getting it will look away from Android tablet for at least a year even if the Android tablet support quadruples. Starting March 11, the road is going to get very bumpy for Android and companies releasing Tablet for it. Just like harsaphes said, I too is on the fence for the Xoom…
Let me know what do you think about the Xoom no fanboys argument…Thanks guys

mjbeam said:
I can't answer most of your questions but I can say that my Xoom does not see my Samsung Epic when I set up wireless tether in Adhoc mode, only when I set it up in Infrastructure mode. It doesn't even see the SSID, but my netbook sees it fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried with a wardriving app?

Blaisun said:
Have you tried with a wardriving app?
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Click to collapse
No. I was just in the settings looking for the Epic wireless tether SSID.

[Q] Debating a Return before Wednesday

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

Usmc7356 said:
Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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. : /
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

codeman05 said:
Well said.
+1 for Touchdown. It is fantastic for exchange, I use it on both my Evo and Xoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

KINm - revival or double flop?

It seems to me that the KINm phones (or atleast the TWOm) are the only product in a specific niche of the cell phone / smartphone market, namely they offer WiFi browsing w/o an expensive data plan.
I would suspect that there is a pretty big group of users who would want exactly that. But, they probably don't know the option exists, especially if Verizon doesn't really advertise this phone. (They don't even have it in Verizon stores that I have been to, only online, listed under feature phones). Of course, it's not really in Verizon's best interest to promote this, considering they _want_ you to pay for a data plan.
So, this leaves me feeling very uncertain whether this "relaunch" of the KIN phones will ever catch on?
Also, is anyone else on the board interested in this phone still? I thought Kin threads were fairly active, but maybe it's just me?
Jon

jon2012 said:
It seems to me that the KINm phones (or atleast the TWOm) are the only product in a specific niche of the cell phone / smartphone market, namely they offer WiFi browsing w/o an expensive data plan.
I would suspect that there is a pretty big group of users who would want exactly that. But, they probably don't know the option exists, especially if Verizon doesn't really advertise this phone. (They don't even have it in Verizon stores that I have been to, only online, listed under feature phones). Of course, it's not really in Verizon's best interest to promote this, considering they _want_ you to pay for a data plan.
So, this leaves me feeling very uncertain whether this "relaunch" of the KIN phones will ever catch on?
Also, is anyone else on the board interested in this phone still? I thought Kin threads were fairly active, but maybe it's just me?
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that if Verizon would advertise this phone it would possibly catch on. As for the Kin in Verizon stores, that's actually where I got mine and I've seen Verizon's reps trying to persuade people into getting the phone.

The phone seems to be getting pretty good reviews and response from buyers, but like you said Verizon is doing a poor job of promoting it.
And there are a handful of us both here and on Microsoft's forum site that have been trying many different approaches, but unforturnately none of us are experts in routing phones. A few us have bricked phones now, and we still haven't made to much progress, but still hoping someone can make progress.
This link rates the twom as the best messaging phone.

Kin TwoM= Win!
I am switching to the kin twom from a HTC Thunderbolt. I have a xoom as well, so I really don't need to keep paying for data on my handset. I have had several android phones, and for that matter several winmo phones in the past. I am excited about this because this really is a great phone for a "feature phone". No data, but having wifi is really sweet. I want to hack it and port android to it, which may not be possible, but either way, I think this really is a win, especially if you have a tablet.

Spectredroid said:
I am excited about this because this really is a great phone for a "feature phone". No data, but having wifi is really sweet. I want to hack it and port android to it, which may not be possible, but either way, I think this really is a win, especially if you have a tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that depends on the point of view. For me, even if i'm pretty naughty with it, it isn't a great phone, caused in most part by the software..
- Software lags a lot (should not for the "few" resources that we use).
More if you take in account that we are using a tegra device with a 0'6Ghz CPU. My crappy PDA with 203mhz can play Age of empires mobile without lagging, and this phone can't just run the menu smoothly (sometimes). I smell bad optimization...
- The browser support for rtsp is kinda lame (no flash support and just redirection to mobile sites to a streaming protocol). Browser in general is pure **add your favourite badword here**.
- The wifi detection is barely ok, but several times it can't find the ESSID even if it's near it (@ my home wifi router) and you have to turn on, turn off the wifi till it awakes.
- Suffers from random reboots (if some software freezes). Happens to me sometimes, even with the phone playing the "i'm like a brick" game alone over my desk.
- It's battery is fastly drained by the OS, cause you cant close apps, and they are surely running in the background, like other windows ce OS's. If you open your browser after rebooting, it's there forever. If i could add only 1 app to a kin in the wooorld, i would add a battery/app ultraconfigurator to reduce so.
- Sometimes it can't even load some apps and shows a "loading..." window till it's... well loaded.
.....
On the other hand, the screen is pretty well done, imo. It detected my touchs almost perfect, whenever i tried.
At least, they solved the old bug that the original kin two had, where you set a wifi and can't reenter wifi settings cause the os hanged doing so (one or several reboots needed).
It would be so cool if it was sold unlocked & without contract for 100$. Then use dataplan with the company you want, and with installable apps.