Related
Just as the title says. If you have been using the IPad for awhile now, is this a huge step forward or do you wish you would have waited for the IPad 2 (if it is comparable hardware-wise).
I like the Xoom better, mostly because I love the Android OS and despire iOS.
One of the biggest selling points for me is the unified file system... iOS required me to upload two copies of files, one to each application if I wanted to share it between two. That tied with using iTunes to copy anything to it drove me nuts.
I did own an iPad though because I needed an ebook reader that could handle large PDFs with ease and no decent Android tablet existed (Win7 tablets had no decent slate ones, my laptop is a convertible tablet). I sold that last week, for the same amount I paid for it actually, in order to buy my Xoom today.
not a fair fight
I don't know that you can compare the 2 fairly. The xoom does everything the I pad does and more(other than the iPod stuff) that being said, I like the xoom better. I think ios, while innovative, is now outdated and I hope apple comes correct with an ios update on the I pad 2. For me the diffference is the desktop widgets vs icons, there is no comparison. It'll be better to compare this vs the ipad2 next week.
bogatyr said:
I like the Xoom better, mostly because I love the Android OS and despre iOS.
One of the biggest selling points for me is the unified file system... iOS required me to upload two copies of files, one to each application if I wanted to share it between two. That tied with using iTunes to copy anything to it drove me nuts.
I did own an iPad though because I needed an ebook reader that could handle large PDFs with ease and no decent Android tablet existed (Win7 tablets had no decent slate ones, my laptop is a convertible tablet). I sold that last week, for the same amount I paid for it actually, in order to buy my Xoom today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the xoom better. Now besides the obvious hardware advantages I take that into account.. But a XOOM (Honeyvcomb) just fits me better. I don't think you can go wrong with either tablet, but pick the one that suits your needs and you will be happy.
The iPad was a great toy, but having used this Xoom for only a few hours, I have to say that I can actually see myself being productive on it. Just with gmail, talk and the browser it is already exponentially more useful than my iPad ever was.
KwestJones said:
I don't know that you can compare the 2 fairly. The xoom does everything the I pad does and more(other than the iPod stuff) that being said, I like the xoom better. I think ios, while innovative, is now outdated and I hope apple comes correct with an ios update on the I pad 2. For me the diffference is the desktop widgets vs icons, there is no comparison. It'll be better to compare this vs the ipad2 next week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except my major complaint about the file system is something Apple intentionally put into their mobile OS. I doubt that will change in the iPad two. It isn't like they weren't aware that applications might want to access the same files.
The widget thing though... that I would expect in the next release of the iPad.
I like the xoom better......
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
I honestly can't wait to see the next iPad, I really wanna see what Apple does to impress. They usually impress well, and this time should be no different. Honestly this will be very interesting. I want to see what will make the iPad 2 so much better than other Android tablets coming out this year. I try to stray away from all this "fanboy" stuff and think based off of the information given to me.
Judging from current leaks (not a good way to judge, I know) the iPad 2 hardware wise isn't blowing anything out of the water. iOS, while beautiful, is limited in terms of customization unless you jailbreak... and if widgets from past Android versions work on the Xoom, I don't know.. I've gotten used to them. They offer delightful way to customize.
This may just be a choice of personal preference, especially if you want apps.
As a "pick up and go" device.. I think the iPad1 is still stronger than the Xoom at this point in time... I'm seeing major battery drain on my Xoom doing light tasks like Google Talk and Browsing.. And browsing on the iPad is still a much smoother experience.. scrolling in the Xoom browser is craptastic as it has been on all Android devices i've used.
But if you were to ask me to compare Xoom to other Android tablets/phones.. it's definately WAY better than those.. I think the iPad has just as much use and most apps are running way better on my iPad than the Xoom.
Of course, we have to play the waiting game and hope devs code properly for Honeycomb and we should see more polished, faster apps.
But so far, i'm not seeing any outstanding differences between the Xoom and iPad.. and the iPad is doing it better given it's got a lot more time under it's belt.
I wanted the Xoom/Honeycomb to wow me more.. I wanted to be saying "iPad what?" but I can't... yet..
And now iPad2 will be announced next Wednesday and probably stretching it's legs out even further over Honeycomb.. sigh.
schnoz said:
Just as the title says. If you have been using the IPad for awhile now, is this a huge step forward or do you wish you would have waited for the IPad 2 (if it is comparable hardware-wise).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my review below
I have had an iPad since july of last year, sold it yesterday in prepartion for the Xoom purchase today. Walked into Verizon purchased the Xoom and walked right out no hassle, no activation required. Here my Mini Review so far, with some comparisons to my previous 32gb ipad.
Hardware:
Nice heft, feels really solid and has that industrial feel. I do not feel I am going to drop it because it slips out of my hand... i always felt that way when holding an ipad.
its a 16:10 screen so it is wider than it is long. Should be perfect for movies.
Screen is a finger print magnet like ipad.
Software:
Gmail- is incredible on this thing. Drag and drop, color labels, etc. the workflow with gmail is priceless and so fluid. I cannot speak of the general "email" app because i only use gmail.
youtube- way way faster loading videos on this than it was on the ipad. it has some eye candy, which is always nice.. esp for android.
browser- Browser is great! and it loads pages faster than my ipad did. also it has tabs and THEY DO NOT RELOAD ON SWITCHING!! I had 8 tabs open... flipping through them flawlessly! As always using google account you can sync bookmarks and such between desktop and xoom.
Havent tried the music app yet
The gallery is like your standard vanilla android gallery.. loaded all my picasa pics from the cloud.
Other apps- there are very few "tablet apps" in the market. The 2 I did DL was pulse and accuweather. Pulse was pretty basic but did take advantage of the fragments. Accuweather is slick... but they need to polish up some pixelation i saw tapping the background "live" water.
Apps like facebook and kindle scale up nicely. While some apps dont like the speedtest app.
Speaking of speed test, i did a load on my wifi connection at 15mbps down and 3 up and i pull 14mbps down and 2 up. My ipad could never pull above 10mbps. I also noticed my signal holding strong than it did on my ipad.
Workflow is great!! This is what i have been missing on ipad... background task, unintrustive notifications.
Thats all I have right now... so far I am liking the decision i made. But i know i will be missing my apps the ipad had!!! Android cant match it yet... it will take some time.
It really is like comparing apples to oranges.
I look at the ipad as purely an "app launcher". The OS itself has zero functionality. But the app quality is great and it's runs very smoothly. Then again Apple did have their own OS to work off of when the created iOS so it's not like starting something from scratch as with Android.
The Xoom (and Android in general) is more a fully featured OS that has functionality aside form launching apps. However this is also the downside, there is a lot more that can go wrong (example - the multitasking can bog the OS down). I think eventually Android will be as smooth as iOS, but right now it's not. But if you want a full featured, incredibly functional device, the Xoom trumps the iPad.
Basically if you just want to launch apps the iPad is great. If you want anything else out of the tablet, you have to go with Xoom.
For me, the Xoom beats my iPad. This is my first Android device period, and I have used iOS strictly since waiting in line for the first iPhone.
I gave my iPad to my wife to use for things around the house - airplay to the stereo, recipes in the kitchen, quick additions to the grocery list...
It is excellent at what it does - appealing to the broadest base of users possible. But I could not truly be productive on it. I want to IM, email, read RSS, edit docs, and keep track of a multitude of other things at the same time - and even with the multitasking bar at the bottom, it feels like a single-task device.
Here are specific things it did that made it feel like a single-tasker:
- With many things running, exiting and entering the browser effectively had to reload every tab because it couldn't keep it all in memory.
- Alerts were cumbersome, interrupting and not persistent.
- Many productivity apps would lose state when they were put in the background (suspend).
- There were many good replacement browsers for Safari - but you could never bind any of them to open links by default. So you always felt like a second class citizen using them.
- Many large productivity apps show their loading screen again to get back in when you quickly switch out and back again. I feel the lack of RAM consistently.
I enabled developer mode in OS 4.3 on the iPad so I could use swipe gestures to move between apps and get back to the homescreen without using the button. But it made all of these flaws stand out even more. Even if they upped the RAM, these gesture controls don't hold a candle to the Honeycomb task switcher or WebOS' card view. Apple's paradigm breaks down in that use case and they need a real overhaul.
For me, iOS is still the most bulletpoof, whille still super-functional OS - and I want to rely on for my smartphone. I don't need to achieve these levels of productivity in that use case. But for a tablet OS, Honeycomb wins, and the Xoom makes an excellent showcase for it.
Oh, and a bonus for me - I have gigs and gigs of photos that I just happen to use Picasa to manage. Never used the web albums though. I always used the iPad to show photos by syncing what I could - but I rarely plug it into my computer so it was always out of date. But with the Xoom, all I have to do is tell Picasa to sync what I want with web albums and they show up on the Xoom - without using up storage! Genius.
Can't wait to see this excellent tablet and tablet OS evolve.
is scrolling and pinch to zoom smooth?
scores87 said:
is scrolling and pinch to zoom smooth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCilGpUvXuE&t=2m01s
+1 Xoom
The iPad pales in comparison and only can aspire to one day be recycled into a Xoom
I like the Xoom better because of Android, but I am also getting an iPad 2. I have too many apps and Android has a while to catch up in that regard. But I'm keeping my Xoom.
I have both the iPad and the Xoom... I havent touched the iPad since I got the Xoom. I just love Honeycomb over the iOS. That being said, I won't get rid of the iPad until Google releases a movie store so that I can rent movies while I travel.
Why not have both!!?
I know I've been called a "technology whore" before so what the hell... I was thinking about buying my wife an iPad2 for her birthday; in part so I don't have to feel too bad about having spent $571.09 (price on bill) on the Xoom. So I could enjoy the best of both worlds.
I had an iPad, ended up getting it for a steal and just to tie me over until the android tablets started rolling out.
Since I picked up the Xoom, I haven't touched the iPad since. I gave it to my wife...and now she wants a Xoom too lol...so it will likely be on eBay soon.
Even without Flash/4G, I've enjoyed every bit of it. Once we get those 2 things, a few custom roms etc, I'll be in heaven.
Used handbrake to shrink some of my bluray collection for a trip next week...looks/runs fantastic.
My $0.02
I haven't touched my iPad since the night of the 24th. I loved it when I got it and I used it every single day. It is extremely useful and handy to have.
The Xoom has done everything I was doing on the iPad with the exception of Netflix which I do miss and hope to have return some day one can believe Nvidia's press release. Other than that I want more apps and I want them faster than it is possible for developers to get them ready but I am happy with my choice. I love the cameras, I love the ability to have widgets and more control over the device. I am looking forward to LTE and Flash being on the device and eventually the SD card being unlocked. I don't miss my iPad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujRcBmZSVWw&feature=related
Title says it all.
Transformer looks quite good in this comparison. I believe the scrolling speed in browser is better on Transformer (looks too fast on iPad2).
It wasn't a very fair comparison to pitch Flash on the Transformer against a dedicated iPad/iPhone video feed in my opinion simply because iOS doesn't support Flash. Also, if you want to go full screen, just double tab rather than try to hunt out the icon!
I know it was supposed to be a quick comparison, but it just seemed to focus on the speed of the transitions, rather than what you can actually do.
Regards,
Dave
The ipad and android devices are like chalk and cheese. How people can compare the 2 I dont know. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. So all it should come down to at the end of the day is how happy you are with what you bought. If you find yourself regretting the choice, return it for the other one. Simple.
Amen to that. Tired of these comparisons, nothing comes close to Android feature wise.
Sent from my Atrix
And, I really don't know many people who sit down with two tablets and work on both at the same time. These sorts of differences (some of which are intentional, such as the pauses before gestures register, switching orientation, etc., and I tend not to prefer Apple's frantic settings) are only obvious when you have the two next to each other.
That's not to say that Apple hasn't optimized the hell out of iOS on the iPad 2 to make sure everything's smooth--that's their shtick. Keep it simple and smooth (their very own KISS principle). But, by itself, I've found Honeycomb (on the Xoom) to be plenty fast and smooth for actual, live, everyday use. Sure, I could sit there and nitpick about a tiny bit of lagging every now and then, but it doesn't actually get in the way of getting things done.
It'll all be good over time. We're in that initial place that Android was on phones, and I think we all know how that's turned out so far.
wynand32 said:
Sure, I could sit there and nitpick about a tiny bit of lagging every now and then, but it doesn't actually get in the way of getting things done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing I would say on this point is that we seem to be very demanding on mobile devices when it comes to lag, yet this lag can often be seen on far more powerful desktops.
If I got to sites like engadget, or ESPN, my desktop browser (Chrome) lags a little - not a great deal, but you couldn't say it was silky smooth - much the same as my Transformer in fact.
Regards,
Dave
in a nutshell everything he doesn't like or not as slick on the epad is a problem,yet everything the the ipad doesn't do like flash or full 16.9 is not an issue
that was one of the most worthless reviews/comparisons I've ever seen
It is not worthless. You can actually see that transformer display quality is similar to that on the ipad.
Enviado desde mi Nexus S usando Tapatalk
only issue that was of concern to me would be the responsiveness in the browser. That being said i have the same issues in the stock browser on my Evo but after switching to pretty much any other browser that isn't stock the problem went away.
I zoned out after he compared the size and the displays, of course the software for the ipad is going offer a better experience to the masses, thats what it was designed for and it works in that one device environment. We android people are of course going to say it doesn't matter blah blah blah they can't be compared but the fact is that people that have zero bias looking for a tablet will compare them.
I'm going to be bored of my ipad2 soon since they can't even get it jailbroken on the new firmware, time to have some android tablet fun.
The Transformer is one of the first wifi only honeycomb tablets. I received mine on Friday and here are my thoughts, coming from the ipad and ipad 2.
The build quality is terrific. The textured back is convenient for gripping the tablet. The bezel is thing and not too wide, meaning its perfect for holding the edges while watchng a movie or browsing the net. The Transformer isnt as thin or light as the ipad 2 but its about the same as the original ipad, which was just thin and light enough. Lets just say the weight and thickness is definitely not an issue, and i was more impressed than i thought it would be.
The screen quality is very good. It is bright enough and high res enough as well. Its pretty great. The Transformer uses the same IPS technology as the ipad, and I cant tell a difference.
This is my first experience with Honeycomb as well. No major complaints. It takes a little getting used to, but thats because its not exactly the same as android on the phone, like the ipad is exactly the same as the iphone. Not saying its good or bad, just different. The notifications system is excellent. Its nice that when i get a Words With Friends notification, that it doesnt interrupt everything Im doing and force me to click out to resume. Just a pop up in the bottom right. Love it. Overall i like honeycomb very much. It could use an update or two to improve the speed marketplace layout, and maybe small bugs here and there.
Its nice to have the option of using flash. You can run it on demand so the flash content doesnt load unless you want it too. This means you get all the speed of html5 like the ipad, and you get the versatility of flash when needed. Its nice to have options. Speaking of flash, the browsing experience is top notch. I love the tabbed browsing, it makes browsing so quick. I also like the Chrome sync, which syncs my bookmarks over the air.
Multitasking on the Transformer is very fluid. Once I got used to the multitasking button, i couldnt go back to the ipad way. When you press the multitasking button, you get a thumb view of your most recent apps, instead of just an app icon. The only thing i wish you could do would be to scroll down to see more than five recent apps.
The live widgets on honeycomb are really cool. I especially like the gmail, calendar and bookmarks widgets, where you can scroll through the content without even opening an app. Its a much easier way of getting information than actually opening the app.
The built-in apps like gmail, maps, and gallery are excellent. I instantly found myself actually using gmail like i do on the desktop, instead of having to manage on the ipads email app. You can do all the things you can do on regular gmail, like star, labels and more. Gallery syncs with picasa automatically, so i dont have to put any photos on the internal storage.
Polaris Office apps that come with the Transformer are surprisingly good. I wrote this whole review in the document editor. The MyNet app is a dlna client. I streamed my video from my mac to the Transformer without a problem.
There arent too many honeycomb apps available but more come everyday. The app that are optimized for honeycomb are mostly terrific and i have no doubt that more will come and they will be good as well. Even the non-optimized apps run decent. Its not like the ipad 2x mode at all. You cant even tell that some apps arent optimized in some instances on honeycomb.
I really like the Transformer. The 16gb version is only $399, and its not cheap on build quality. The reason I ditched my ipad 2 for the Transformer was mainly price, but I came away very impressed. Battery life is not an is not an issue. Been using the tablet for a good 5 hours and watched parts of a movie, browsing the web, and stand at 64%.. While the ipad still holds a slight edge for the average consumer, it is no longer a clear cut choice. If you want a cheaper tablet, yet one that doesnt disappoint, the Transformer is the one. Its good enough and there is so much potential in honeycomb, that i am excited to be a part of android on tablets, and this Asus is a winner.
Video to come.
Thanks for the in-depth review it is really going to help me with my decision and now I'm amped to get one
I'm been using android for about a year (first phone was myTouch 3G) and I have been impressed with the openness of it, you can customize so much which fits me perfectly (when I was younger I took things apart just to see how they worked). That's why I'm going to school to become an engineer.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
Ok guys, here it is. My first-impressions with the 32GB Asus Transformer after about 24 hours of use. I would like to mention that the opinions below are formulated by someone who owns and uses the first generation iPad (I hate most things Apple) since it was released as well as a Nook Color for about two months.
PROS:
1. Browser (especially bookmark sync with Chrome): After using this for about 5 minutes I knew I was never going to be able to do without this feature. As someone who has their bookmarks extremely well organized in folders and such, syncing is a must. I didn't even bother migrating my bookmarks to my iPad as I knew it would take days to do, so I just learned to do without. However, this feature alone, makes this tablet more like a laptop/desktop replacement than the iPad could ever be. The speed is also very nice. However, I must say that the scrolling and pinching doesn't compare to that of the iPad.
2. Ability to change keyboard (SwiftKey): I must say that the Asus keyboard is pretty horrible. I don't know if it's the slight delay depending on the software that's running, the spacing, aesthetics of the keys, or simply the fact that you have to go to a submenu to access keys such as the "?" or "!" (c'mon, those are pretty commonly used keys). But after using SwiftKey BETA, I must say that the difference has been night and day. I hate having to rest these tablets somewhere or rely on using one hand to access all the keys when in horizontal mode. Fortunately, with SwiftKey, I don't have to worry about that and can keep my hands where they should be, on the bezel. Now if only the TF could automatically change keyboards when docked. SwiftKey can get kind of annoying when using the keyboard to type with its corrections. I think Tasker can handle this though, I'll let you know.
3. Dock: Wow! I was really skeptical as to how practical and efficient the dock would be. To my surprise, I was really impressed with how much it makes the Tranformer feel like a netbook (albeit a bit heavier than most netbooks). Not just a netbook, but an Apple netbook at that. I'm an avid Microsoft/Google fan, but one really must recognize and admire how fluid navigating on an Apple laptop is. The swiping of the finger on the trackpad to scroll up/down, left/right, makes it feel really Apple-esque. Props to Asus! By the way, haven't had any disconnecting dock issues so far. Keeping my fingers crossed!
4. Screen resolution: This thing sure is crisp. Aside from the negative issues I have with the screen (light bleeds; see below), I must admit that in the color/sharpness department, this thing is as crisp as my iPad and Nook Color are. I still would probably give the edge to the Nook Color, but I think it's a small screen/pixel density situation then.
CONS:
QUALITY CONTROL ISSUES:
1. Light Bleed: I posted my issues with it here. As I mentioned on that thread, it isn't too noticeable (only on full brightness or in a really dark setting). But the fact of the matter is that the screen is what you're staring at 100% of the time with such a device; and just knowing that you do have light bleeds keeps you subconsciously hunting for them. Really is a shame that this is an issue. I'm leaning towards getting it exchanged as soon as I feel that newer ones have these issues addressed (not holding my breath). Until then, I guess I'll have to get used to it. The question is, will I?
2. Very small creakiness on left/right edges (pushing inwards): Not much of a problem, but it is worth mentioning. Not that it is very noticeable; it's just that such creaking makes the overall quality and feel of the product seem a bit on the cheap side. I guess I was spoiled by my iPad, but I really don't worry about that thing falling down. This thing seems a bit more sensitive for me. Perhaps I'll get used to it with time?!
OTHER HARDWARE ISSUES:
1. Weight: I don't know of it's just my mind playing tricks on me or what, but the TF seems much heavier than my iPad (first gen). Perhaps it is the difference in dimensions which might require some time getting used to. I don't know what it is, but I definetely can't hold this thing comfortably nearly as long as I can the iPad.
2. Video Playback (including HQ YouTube): People are claiming that this is a limitation of the Tegra 2 processor. If that's the case, than why in the hell would they even bother with it? I mean, I don't expect this thing to run and yield the same quality that my 42" Panasonic VIERA plasma TV does, but this is a tablet. At least 1/3 of everything people do with tablet is watch movies. Especially YouTube movies. This thing should handle it as fine as the first generation iPad does (you know, the one that came out over a year ago). C'mon now! Anyways, my HQ YouTube videos sporadically jerks around and HD videos, well, you've probably seen tons of complaints about it. Tsk, tsk!
3. Smoothness/Speed: I must say that I was somewhat let down with the performance right out-of-the-box. Once again, it must be spoiled by the iPad here. I just feel that either Honeycomb is trying to pack too many animations, graphics, etc. or the processor is just lacking. Whatever the case, I am hoping that someone roots this thing fast and removes some of the resource hogs out of here (apparently there are a lot of unnecessary programs running on the background). Don't get me wrong, this thing isn't dragging ass or anything. It just isn't as speedy as I expected it to be out-of-the-box. I guess I'm more concerned about when I have my 100+ apps installed on this thing. If it's like this now, how will it be then? My EVO 4G seems a lot more fluid when navigating than this thing does, especially when it has a fresh install on it.
4. Smudgeness: I've seen some people complain about this here and there but I thought they just weren't used to using anything touchscreen and were probably exagerating. I was wrong. This thing really does attract a lot more smudging than the iPad, Nook Color, or my Evo. Not that big a deal, but a minor nuissance indeed.
SOFTWARE ISSUES:
1. App Availability/Reliability: So far I haven't come across many apps that don't work well with Honeycomb, but the ones that I do have issues with really bother me. Words with Friends need to step their game up and fix some of the performance and density issues the game is plagued with. Also, out of the apps that are available for Honeycomb and the iPad, the iPad version not only runs so much smoother, but usually contain a lot more features as well. Take Taptu for example. It looks and feels completely different and a lot more robust on the iPad. What a shame! (BTW, I know this is not a TF issue, but a HC issue. Relax!)
2. Auto-brightness: I mentioned this before in this thread. It really does seem that the auto-brightness is a bit too dim. Maybe it is just a dimmer screen than the iPad or Nook Color. But even still, it could use auto-brightness to compensate for that when not in max-brightness mode. Right?
3. Camera: I wasn't expecting wonders from the camera, but I was expecting a lot better movement experience when video recording. I hope that this is something that can be addressed with a software update (maybe tweaking the processing of the captured image/video). On a good note, the front-facing camera worked pretty decently.
I understand that getting a "perfect" device is, in most cases, unrealistic. But, as much as I despise almost everything Apple, I haven't had any cosmetic issues with any of the iPads/iPods I've owned or used. So I know it is possible to be a lot better.
I know, well, hope, that the future is much brighter for the Transformer. Asus seem to be very involved in improving our experience, which is a good sign. Let's just hope they can tackle the camera and video performance as soon as possible.
I know it seems that I have a lot more complaints than praises here. Don't get me wrong, there are issues. But the positive far outweighs them. At least enough for me to keep it. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a tablet that will encompass a bit more than just surfing the net and watching YouTube videos. This thing really can replace your netbook.
SCORE: 7/10 (9/10 if they fix the software issues)
Reserved for updates, answers to questions, etc.
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Take the time to tweak your device with everything available on these forums, it becomes an entirely different device.
Sent from my Samsung Fascinate
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you are trolling here, but eh, I'm bored so I'll bite.
Those of us who find the Tab to be a pleasant experience must be in denial huh? Don't you think that's a pretty presumptuous and arrogant statement? How do you know what my experience with it has been? Or anyone else's for that matter?
I would usually sit here and try to help you solve your lagginess issue, maybe seeing if you have some sort of rouge process going on or if you are even on the latest firmware. Maybe point you to some of the great custom ROMs the developers here have given us. But, nope. You speak for everyone and everyone must be having the same ****ty experience as you, and if we say we don't we must be lying.
I will tell you though that my experience has been fantastic. The only time I get lag on the homescreen is when I have a live wallpaper up. I've never had any browser lag or lag anywhere else. I have a ton of widgets on my screens too. No lag. Of course though I'm totally lying, but you knew that already right?
I'm finished being sarcastic. Honestly if you aren't happy with the device, go sell it and get an Ipad again. Nobody is stopping you. The Tab is a fantastic product and I would go so far as to say it is the best tablet on the market as of this very moment. But it is not for everybody, especially for people who have no idea what they are doing.
Posting threads like this serves no purpose other than being a troll and drawing the ire of members like myself.
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine a couple weeks back too, and my experiences are similar to yours. I still can't understand how a dual core device can be this laggy! I'm hoping its all due to the Samsung bloatware, so I'm going to load up a custom ROM over the weekend and see how that goes... you should try it too
I really like the additional screen space coming from a 4.2" Xperia Arc, and Honeycomb is a lot zippier now than it was back in April when I had the Xoom for a couple of weeks. I still believe its a better tablet than the iPad2 though. That thing seems so zippy because all it is is a magnified iPhone. There's almost nothing running in the background which gives it the appearance of being a lot quicker and better battery life. Load it up with widgets and lets compare them then.
My biggest problem though, is the lack of a good pdf app. I've tried tons of them and they are all really slow to load, very jerky pinch to zoom, and slow scrolling. Hope this improves with ICS
And to the poster above this, I don't get why you even bothered posting if you're going to be so incredibly unhelpful
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks... I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience...
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lance,
I have watched my brother in law's ipad closely, and you are right. It is faster and more responsive (once tweaked) than my SGT was out of the box. However, the others are right too.
I have rooted and tweaked my SGT and it now makes my ios friends raise their eyebrows. You happily partied all over your ipad, making many changes suggested on user sites like this one. Now you need to do the same with your SGT. If you are unable or unwilling to do that, you are not an idiot or a molester of small animals, you are just one of those people that the ipad was designed for. So get another one, and enjoy it.
I prefer my Android gadgets, because they are more flexible. I am not locked into iTunes, and I have access to my 650GB music library that is not as compressed as AAC. I have a FREE SDK that works rather well, when i want to write my own apps. There are a few paid apps that I depend upon for day to day stuff, just like I would for iOs devices. For me, and many of the others in this form, that is what they want.
Sent from a distant planet with the aid of my towel.
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand how you feel, and I felt the same way when I first handled the SGT 8.9 the UI lag was horrendous .. I felt the product manager of the device should be sacked (or worse done to him) for ever allowing such a device out the door in such state. To make matters worse for me, there was an ipad close by and the UI flow was like watching man utd beat arsenal 8-2 .. I promptly returned the device.
However my opinion has since change since coming here lots of people have filled me in with some tweaks and work around which resolves most of the laggy issue. (You can check out the SGT 8.9 Q & A section its a sticky under this section for people experience with the device)
First of if you can't be bothered to root your device, try the ADW launcher ex, everyone who tried that said its greatly improves the performance and eliminates the lag issue.
You can also if you are feeling adventurous root the device. And install some of the numerous roms around.
just try and take advantage of the open nature and make it yours. Soon ipad owners would be looking at your tab and feeling the envy.
Just my 2 cents
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Please go get your ipad back dude. I have none of the issues you speak of. This thread is a total waste. I don't even believe you own a tab.
By saying "you like Android phones" I'm assuming you mean in comparison to the iPhone. Most of the same issues you’re experiencing in an Android vs. iPad tablet comparison apply to a phone comparison also so your statement's kind of confusing.
iOS is so "buttery smooth" because it's locked down like a prison with Apple exerting Orwellian control over the entire eco-system. I bought my G-Tab and paid more than an equivalent iPad because, for what I do, the collection of individual apps works better than the homogenous equivalents on the iPad. And I did that knowing the iPad had a better display and that the UI and navigation were smoother and more mature.
This forum is fascinating because of the disparity in experiences everyone has. I've had two G-Tab's (Wi-Fi and 3G) and never had a force close on either and I have over 50 apps installed. There's occasional stutter and lagginess but I'd say it appears (for me) less than 5% of the time. One huge difference between iOS and Android is that Android, with its limitless ability to be tweaked, can get hosed by people using badly written apps and the use of memory managers, task killers, battery monitors and the like. Every XDA forum I participate in has people *****ing about some function being hosed and then go on to elaborate about all the crap they've done to their device and ****ty low-rent apps they're using. And they don’t understand why their phone’s getting crappy battery life and has tons of issues no one else seems to be experiencing. I guess freedom comes at a price and it can be abused.
I've had a G-Tab in one form or another since August and have been really satisfied with it. I took my new 3G version on a trip over the weekend and it performed flawlessly and got fantastic battery life with 3G active continuously and download speeds of 8MB in TX (vs. less than 1MB for an iPad). I sat across from someone using an iPad on the flight home last night. The local video he was playing was gorgeous. Compared to mine, his WSJ app looked like crap as did Solitaire and a bunch of other stuff I saw him use. Meanwhile, I was streaming Hulu, HBOGO, and TV shows from my home server using the planes Wi-Fi. I can also play music I have stored on my home server, the Amazon cloud, or from the 2K songs I store locally using my $9.99 Rhapsody monthly subscription. All while reading magazines and newspapers using Next Issue and Press Reader. I’d gladly trade options and versatility for “buttery smooth” any day. iOS is great for a subset of device owners because of its constraints and consistency. But those restrictions are why I chose Android. Android can become smoother through s/w and h/w evolution but iOS will never become more open. Hopefully OP bought his G-Tab somewhere with a liberal return policy so he can return it.
BarryH_GEG said:
By saying "you like Android phones" I'm assuming you mean in comparison to the iPhone. Most of the same issues you’re experiencing in an Android vs. iPad tablet comparison apply to a phone comparison also so your statement's kind of confusing.
iOS is so "buttery smooth" because it's locked down like a prison with Apple exerting Orwellian control over the entire eco-system. I bought my G-Tab and paid more than an equivalent iPad because, for what I do, the collection of individual apps works better than the homogenous equivalents on the iPad. And I did that knowing the iPad had a better display and that the UI and navigation were smoother and more mature.
This forum is fascinating because of the disparity in experiences everyone has. I've had two G-Tab's (Wi-Fi and 3G) and never had a force close on either and I have over 50 apps installed. There's occasional stutter and lagginess but I'd say it appears (for me) less than 5% of the time. One huge difference between iOS and Android is that Android, with its limitless ability to be tweaked, can get hosed by people using badly written apps and the use of memory managers, task killers, battery monitors and the like. Every XDA forum I participate in has people *****ing about some function being hosed and then go on to elaborate about all the crap they've done to their device and ****ty low-rent apps they're using. And they don’t understand why their phone’s getting crappy battery life and has tons of issues no one else seems to be experiencing. I guess freedom comes at a price and it can be abused.
I've had a G-Tab in one form or another since August and have been really satisfied with it. I took my new 3G version on a trip over the weekend and it performed flawlessly and got fantastic battery life with 3G active continuously and download speeds of 8MB in TX (vs. less than 1MB for an iPad). I sat across from someone using an iPad on the flight home last night. The local video he was playing was gorgeous. Compared to mine, his WSJ app looked like crap as did Solitaire and a bunch of other stuff I saw him use. Meanwhile, I was streaming Hulu, HBOGO, and TV shows from my home server using the planes Wi-Fi. I can also play music I have stored on my home server, the Amazon cloud, or from the 2K songs I store locally using my $9.99 Rhapsody monthly subscription. All while reading magazines and newspapers using Next Issue and Press Reader. I’d gladly trade options and versatility for “buttery smooth” any day. iOS is great for a subset of device owners because of its constraints and consistency. But those restrictions are why I chose Android. Android can become smoother through s/w and h/w evolution but iOS will never become more open. Hopefully OP bought his G-Tab somewhere with a liberal return policy so he can return it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stuff you speak of is why I have ran Linux exclusively on my PC for close to 5 years now. Yet I think the OP has a point and was just letting out steam. I too was extremely disappointed when I handled the galaxy tab (in my case it was the 8.9) right from boot the experience was horrendous and the UI lagged SOO much it was embarrassing. This first impression was a real turn off for me and I can understand the feeling of someone who gets a device with such awesome hardware only be bugged down with software. Sure you can always improve with tweaks and mods but if android is ever gonna replicate its success on mobile on tablets. Then the out of the box experience most be killer. Having and awesome out of the box experience and ability to further tweak should not be mutually exclusive. The experience I got on my galaxy s2 even with default rom was exquisite. Just breath taking. Even without Modding or installing a custom rom. That's what I expected from honeycomb. Hopefully most of this out of the box issues would be fixed with honeycomb 3.2 and ICS.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
I must agree with OP. Its a f****g ambaresment how a product can be released in the state it was when it was in the box. Now after tweaking and rooting and flashing and using it for a couple of months its useable. But it still lags, not all the time , but try installing something form market and then go to homescreen, right then its laggy as hell.
But we all know this by now, so i agree with the rest of you that we have no need for this thread. And if OP just read a little before buying he would have found this info about the tab. Anyways welcome hope you get your tab sorted.
nickwarn said:
I must agree with OP. Its a f****g ambaresment how a product can be released in the state it was when it was in the box. Now after tweaking and rooting and flashing and using it for a couple of months its useable. But it still lags, not all the time , but try installing something form market and then go to homescreen, right then its laggy as hell.
But we all know this by now, so i agree with the rest of you that we have no need for this thread. And if OP just read a little before buying he would have found this info about the tab. Anyways welcome hope you get your tab sorted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same experience here.... I've even rooted my tab and it did improve but not as much as I would of liked, this was a month ago though, so i don't know if anything better has comed out. I've thought about getting an iPad but..... I just can't if it can't play flash.... How the hell could you own a tablet and not watch a simple flash video. So if anyone can give me advice on how to make my 10.1 as smooth as some of you have said, then please do tell me how. I love my Gtab but the lag does really bother me enough to have had to remove all my widgets....
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
shoo troll.
Klk450 said:
Same experience here.... I've even rooted my tab and it did improve but not as much as I would of liked, this was a month ago though, so i don't know if anything better has comed out. I've thought about getting an iPad but..... I just can't if it can't play flash.... How the hell could you own a tablet and not watch a simple flash video. So if anyone can give me advice on how to make my 10.1 as smooth as some of you have said, then please do tell me how. I love my Gtab but the lag does really bother me enough to have had to remove all my widgets....
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root your tab is only the first step. You need to flash custom rom after you root your tab, then only you can feel the difference.
I just got my tab last week, wifi only version. I can say I'm really satisfied with the performance and I love my tab. The basic steps are:
1. root your tab
2. flash custom rom
That's all you need to do to feel the difference. You can ignore some of the gimmicks, for instance supercharger, overclock kernel and etc that have been mentioned if you have no freaking idea what they are about at the moment. You will pick them up along the way just like I did.
The one tip that everyone here would tell you - READ THE FORUM!
For instance, the first sticky post in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android Development is a good read and good resource to get you started. Here's the link if you have no idea where it is (Seriously?): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1171089
lancer123 said:
I have owned the samsung galaxy 10.1 for approx 2 weeks. I sold my IPAD 2 to purchase as I have always been a fan of android phones. So far, I find the galaxy to be very unpolished. For example, the screens lag when navigating and apps force close to much. When I scroll up and down on the UI, its not smooth as butter like the IPAD. When I change the screen orientation, its very choppy. The IPAD runs circles around this device. I wish it wasnt the case as I wanted to like it. Even the on screen keyboard is hard to type on. Try copying and pasting a sentence. The arrows you use to drag across the words never line up with what is being clicked. I am not sure how anybody finds this device to be a pleasant experience unless you are in denial and I am not talking about the river. Maybe Ice Cream will fix some of the issues. For now, the tablet serves as a perfect example of what happens when technology is rushed to the market without consideration of quality.
I feel better now.
Lance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you on most counts, except that I don't have any issues with the onscreen keyboard and don't get force closes. There are some things you can do to improve the user experience (alternate launchers, overclocking etc), however it still won't feel like the iPad.
That being said, there are things you can do with the tablet out of the box which you can't do with an iPad:
- Adobe Flash support
- Emulation apps availability (SNES, DOS, Scumm)
- File / Directory browsing
- UI customization
- Non-market / store applications installation
While I would love the overall UI performance to be on par with the iPad, given a choice between the two I would rather have the above functionality instead. There is also the possibility of Android's UI performance improving in the future with all this functionality retained. In case of Apple, apart from limited UI customization perhaps, the other stuff is just not going to be available ever.
PS: And all that's just out of the box, if you root your device there's some far more interesting stuff you can do with the tablet!
---------- Post added at 01:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:57 PM ----------
pngface said:
My biggest problem though, is the lack of a good pdf app. I've tried tons of them and they are all really slow to load, very jerky pinch to zoom, and slow scrolling. Hope this improves with ICS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have probably tried it already, but EZ PDF is pretty good. I am comparing it to GoodReader on the iPad and I don't have any issues with loading / scrolling / flipping / resizing.
Of course, this maybe dependent on the size and content of the PDFs you are using, so YMMV -- I mostly read book-sized documents, mostly text, and it works fine for me.
I recently bought a GalaxyTab and I have to confirm, it is quite laggy - In comparison to an iPad.
There are several things which can drastically improve the situation:
Use ADW Launcher EX
Custom ROM, Like Task650/Phantom Extreme Stock
Overclock (although, this didn't change a lot)
I found that the first two points are the most important. ADW Launcher makes the whole Homescreen and Applauncher absolutely smooth, just like on an iPad. And no, the stock launcher isn't.
It's great how many possibilites we have with Android, but be honest - I'd rather have ICS without any new features, but just great performance increases. Thats why I switched to Windows Phone in the first place - I don't want apple, but I want smooth scrolling, smooth transitions. And now, just because Android has much more possibilites doesn't mean it has the right to be slow and choppy. Take a look at the Windows 8 Developer Preview. My god, this isn't even an ALPHA and boy it's SO SMOOTH, I cried almost when I saw that.
The only reason I bought my Galaxy Tab is, that Microsoft still needs about a year until their first tablets are out - And I hate waiting
So please Google, get your Team together and tell them to START OPTIMIZING.
PS:
ezPDF is quite good - But the UI is horrible, and I miss the feature to insert Pages into a PDF. Mandano seems a lot more polished and faster, but misses a lot of annotation features.
I agree with the original poster. My tab is rooted, custom rom, adw, etc. My wife's ipad is a far smoother experience than this tablet. Would I switch back to the ipad prison? Not in a million years. My tablet does so much more than the ipad. If an example is needed, how about my choice of swype or thumb keyboard.
root your tab and wait for an ICS port... ICS is said to have hardware acceleration. That is the only thing Honeycomb lacks and that is why its not as smooth as the iPad...
OR
Flash a custom ROM such as Overcome 1.2.1 (didnt like 1.2.2 or 1.2.3) or w/e other one suits you and then come back edit the OP with the overall news... don't judge this book by its cover and remember its NOT iOS
A newbie when rooting is involved but i was wondering if you could give me an idea of what tweaks you have made? i'm considering rooting my device but unsure of what i could do to make it better.
Cpt Streamline said:
A newbie when rooting is involved but i was wondering if you could give me an idea of what tweaks you have made? i'm considering rooting my device but unsure of what i could do to make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a custom ROM is the big one, will make a huge difference. I am using Task650 & Phantom's "In Paris V4". I also installed pershoot's kernel and overclocked.
The experience
I love my Galaxy Tab in comparison to my previously owned iPad but the reason is simply because I like playing with roms and hacking to get the most of my device. On my iPad, I felt too restricted and forced to use software I didn't like. Yes, some of the apps are better on the iPad and yes, the interface is a bit smoother but it's nowhere near as attractive and it's far too limiting.
A friend of mine equated the iPad experience with being put in a padded room where he can't hurt himself and everything if fluffy and safe feeling. It made me laugh but somewhat sums up the experience. Personally, I'd rather not be spoon fed the experience but would rather create my own and make it about me.
My hope is that ICS will be a significant jump. realistically, Android tablet manufacturers should be trolling these forums for employees who can tweak up their software.. Why they don't do this, one will never know.
Either way, I don't think attacks on the Op are warranted. These forums are here for people to both vent and discuss like the adults we are.