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Tablets

I've been looking at all the tablets being released at CES this year and its overwhelming. I was wondering if anyone had any input about what they think is the best one to buy. There's just to many to look at to choose.

The Motorola xoom
Pure honeycomb
Probably the best one as of right now.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Alanrocks15 said:
The Motorola xoom
Pure honeycomb
Probably the best one as of right now.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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+1 Yup the xoom right now looks to be the best so far.

http://liliputing.com/2011/01/hands-on-with-the-asus-eee-slate-ep121-windows-tablet.html

The asus that can dock in a keyboard
Is the one I'm the most interested in.
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Trying to find more details on the LG that is coming to T-Mo, but the XOOM looks awesome with the Tegra2 and 10.1" display
Sent from my Nero powered Vibrant

Ya but it looks like the xoom will be a little under $1000 which is way to much. I really like the blakcberry playbook but kinda better to have a blackberry phone with that
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moto xoom or any good honeycomb tablet, it can't $1000 because it has to compete with the ipad 2.

I currently have the Viewsonic G Tablet. Tegra2, front facing cam and lots of great developers making roms for it. The one drawback is the LCD screen which has a narrow viewing angle. I'm looking for the same hardware with an upgraded screen. Most announcements at CES centered on cpu and screen size so I need to wait for better info on the screen. I already own an iPad and the screens are really good, it's just all the other limitations that drove me away from it. The other thing that Apple does really well is battery life, I never even thought about the iPad battery, it was good for days and even a week on a charge. So my short list of requirements: Tegra2, FF cam, 10" IPS screen and good battery life.

I have the same requirements when I'm looking. I would even take a 7in tablet if it had the right specs. Right now I'm just waiting on more info about the G-Slate, hope that turns out to be a good one.

I really want more info on the 10 inch toshiba tablet. That is the one that caught my interest.
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The Xoom looks great but in a few months there's going to be a flurry of other devices that will be able to do 100% of what the Xoom can do. It only looks as good as it does because it's the only one with honeycomb "partially" working on it. The LG G Slate could be just as good, or who knows, maybe HTC will enter the tablet game. I would say Samsung but right now I'm not talking to them. They don't know how to treat paying customers.
The most innovative showing right now is the NotionInk Adam. It's hardware is almost identical to the Xoom, and it has that awesome Pixel Qi display (google this). It's shipping with 2.3 but the company promises a honeycomb update once the source is out. It has 2 full USB ports for peripherals or usb storage, a full HDMI port, 10 inch awesome screen, tegra 2, 1GB DDR2, 8GB onboard storage + MicroSD, Wifi or 3G models, camera that swivels 180 degrees, nice speakers, solid rubber rounded grip (have to see it to know what i'm talking about).
The reason I like this one so much is because it looks like they actually tried to make something new, where everyone else just had a knee jerk reaction to the ipads success and rushed to make an ipad clone.
The current gen iPad should still be at the top of most lists, because it's still really that good. And just wait until ver2.0 is released. We're in for some great geeky stuff.

SLG951 said:
I've been looking at all the tablets being released at CES this year and its overwhelming. I was wondering if anyone had any input about what they think is the best one to buy. There's just to many to look at to choose.
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I went to CES as press and saw probably at least 100+ tablets. Toshiba, Asus, and Visio had some nice ones. There were a few others such as Marvell, but hands down without a doubt the Moto Xoom killed it. My editor and I had a hands on interview with them on the Atrix and Xoom and have to say they absolutely nailed it. I have a Notion Ink Adam on order and cant wait for that, but the Xoom will probably be in my arsenal when it drops.
If your interested. Here is a quick hands on review at our site. I of course am taping and taking pics but I had plenty of time to actually check it out. Let me know if you have any questions about it, I might be able to share more from a hands on.

techboydino said:
If your interested. Here is a quick hands on review at our site.
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That was a nice read on your site.

Xoom got best in show not for nothing it will be amazing if they price it right and refrain from blur it with Motoblur and company.
One of the UK websites quotes the price at 719 quid, but as everyone said, they will have to do the competitive pricing to attract the customers from iPad2.

The Xoom is only going to be the best Android tablet until the 2nd honeycomb tablet comes out. I used to hate apple, but it's going to take more than a honeycomb video to sway me from getting that over the iPad2. Apple nailed it the first time, I can't imagine they couldn't nail it a second time.

Still haven't seen the charm of owing a overgrown phone? I rather use my computer/netbook/laptop

swehes said:
Still haven't seen the charm of owing a overgrown phone? I rather use my computer/netbook/laptop
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Lol, I used to say the same thing. Tablets are really on a whole other level and they're here to stay.

Paging Dr B said:
Lol, I used to say the same thing. Tablets are really on a whole other level and they're here to stay.
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Agree, I can easily see that it will replace my aging laptop that I use purely for entertainment purposes.

People should really read more about Notion Ink - Adam's specs and review the custom software on it (Eden). I have been following them since last year's CES event and am actually surprised not seeing everybody (I mean eveeeeerybody) drool over it. It easily beats every other tablet.
Check it out:
1) official blog: http://notionink.wordpress.com/
2) official website: http://notionink.com/

The ipad has nothing on the xoom and honeycomb.

I have had an ipad since release. We have used it for school, presentations, documents, email, etc. I can already say it is nothing compared to the xoom.
I've had it less than a day, and I have run into a few quirks. The ipad did too, like wifi dropping on me constantly on release. Anyhow, just sitting here chatting with a friend, browsing the market, internet, xda, etc, I can't help but notice how much better it is than my ipad. Quickly swapping between apps, voice input, etc. I can plug it into the TV and instantly show my wife an article I've found.
Sure the apps aren't there yet, but they will be. The quirks will be fixed, and it can only get better. For all the "I'm taking it back" threads I just don't get it. I'm hooked.
This is the tablet I was looking for.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

i envy you. I originally was going to wait for the xoom but i got impatient and bought an ipad. Then xoom came out and i sold my ipad and bought it. First day amazed, second annoyed. Im getting ALOT of keyboard lag and I need a good pdf reader. The ones for the phone are not cutting it. Tried ez and repligo both lag like crazy.
Definitely returning this for the xoom for ipad 2. Ipad 2 will be my placeholder until Honeycomb gets more apps and bugs fixed.

iPad has nothing over the Xoom? Really? Not even a better screen (I would take IPS and much much better viewing angles and color reproduction over higher resolution)? Lighter weight? Thinner body? Better, more diverse accessories? And that's not even mentioning the better app store at launch which you just handwaved away but a lot of us consider to be pretty important.
It's one thing to be a fan of the Xoom (which I am). I'll even admit that I do have an anti-Apple bias and that I'll probably never purchase an Apple product. But it's another to completely toss all objectivity out the window and just become a cheerleader for a product that so obviously isn't perfect.
It's not as if the benefits I listed above are limited to Apple. Samsung's new Honeycomb tablet is taking care of 3, potentially 4, things from that list. It'll have a lighter weight than even the iPad 2, a thinner body than even the iPad 1 and Xoom, all while having pretty much the same internals as the Xoom. It also might have a better screen (still looking into this). And the delayed release of the product after the release of the SDK means launch customers will have a lot more apps available to them.
Liking a device doesn't mean you have to be blind to it's shortcomings.
EDIT: I just noticed that most of my recent posts are criticisms of the Xoom and I want to clarify. I'm not trying to bash the product. I just think we should be holding Honeycomb tablet makers to, at the bare minimum, the standards that Apple has set with its wildly successful iPad. Clearly that's being done with some factors. Xoom has more connectivity options, a higher resolution screen, an OS that's better suited for tablet work and productivity, etc. But it's obviously not being done with others, especially screen quality which is a huge HUGE deal with tablets, and I don't think Honeycomb tablet manufacturers should get a pass on that.

You plug your tablet into a tv to show her an article?

I own both as well and I love the potential here but wouldn't say that the I pad 1 has nothing on the xoom. The screen is better as mentioned before. Colors and viewing angles. Also overall OS smoothness. The ipad is silky smooth everywhere. The Xoom is smooth sometime then it gets choppy. Right now that is my biggest disappointment. I mean functionally it is fine the the chop gets a little annoying tbh.
On the ipad for example I neverrrrr had a case of music coming in and out while I surfed the web or download files using filer. On this device I randomly get delays in sound when I perform other tasks. Like ashura3 mentioned not to hate on the xoom after all I actually have one and I am going to keep it for sure but being objective the ipad is pretty slick in what it actually does. And insult to injury google and Motorola have had alot of time to look at what apple did before shipping this device. We are comparing the almost 1 year old device on top of that all the early reports and videos I watched and read about yesterday on the ipad show an extremely fast polished ipad2.
I understand its limited in certain aspect but take like functions or apps and compare how the work and objectively it is hard to say the I pad has nothing on the xoom.

ashura3 said:
It also might have a better screen (still looking into this). And the delayed release of the product after the release of the SDK means launch customers will have a lot more apps available to them.
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If I supply is correct the display is a 16bit tft. That would explain the differences I see when looking at the two and comparing the IPS 32bit display on the ipad. All the other downsides of the Xoom can be easily addressed but like the lack of SD or 4g upgrade on the ipad, there is no way the xoom screen will be as nice unfortunately. It isn't a terrible screen but there is a difference and it is pretty obvious to everyone I nave showed both devices to.

But the iPad 2 has a magnetic dust cover!!!!
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I have an ipad and just got the Xoom. The Xoom is certainly a nice device, I don't think the screen is so bad but it isn't IPS.
I think Motorola blew it big time although I hope they do succeed. They should have released the wifi version before Apple announced the ipad 2 event. As a consumer that just wants a wifi tablet, are you really going to spend $800 on a Xoom or $500 (less for a ipad 1) for a ipad? Even if both are the same price, how many people do you think are going to buy the Xoom over an ipad? Let's hope the Xoom does better than the Zune.
The whole user experience of the Xoom isn't nearly as good as what iOS offers. I'm keeping my Xoom as I would rather have Android than Apple (sd slot, usb and I like the file system better for my field work). If Apple had released a 2x res screen with sd slot as some rumors had mentioned, I would have stuck with iOS.
Long term, Android has a good shot but I don't see the Xoom making a dent getting Apple's market share. The cost, hardware and software don't surpass the Apple user experience. There is no compelling reason to switch from iOS or choose Android unless you're a fan of the platform.
I don't have an iphone nor a Mac so no fanboy here but you can't beat the ipod and the ipad is getting to be just as iconic. Jha has done a good job but I think he completely underestimates what Apple is in the market to think that the Xoom is going to compete against the ipad at the same cost.

google voice... the ipad has it...

Ehhhh.... this is what were supposed to do. Early adopters are basically testers, if you guys see anything you don't like, email google and suggest them. You guys are doing a great job of testing out the device. Also, in order for android tablet apps to increase in numbers fast, there's gotta be customers for developers to sell to right? I purchased a xoom to fill my needs, it does get laggy sometimes but it isnt such a dealbreaker to me right now. Looking at the I pad 1 or 2 it doesn't matter. It's still the same ****ty grids of icons from page to page. But I,too, really think motorola should just release the damn wifi version before the I pad 2 takes a whole bunch of customers.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

My emphasis was more on the software experience rather than hardware. I don't see how iOS is going to hold its own once Honeycomb has its kinks worked out. The user experience is just that superior to the iOS grid of icons.
The xoom isn't that special for hardware. Every few months something faster or thinner or brighter is going to come along, but I don't see Apple drastically changing their operating system anytime soon and I think Honeycomb itself is going to be the real threat.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Sirchuk said:
My emphasis was more on the software experience rather than hardware...
The xoom isn't that special for hardware... but I don't see Apple drastically changing their operating system anytime soon and I think Honeycomb itself is going to be the real threat.
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AMEN to that! I was just thinking that this morning... This isn't really a "war" between Apple and non-Apple. It's about user experience, needs etc. Since hardware is always obsolete the moment you leave the store (or click check out) the software is the main determinant. Unfortunately, it looks bad right now for HC. But the more I see users post their homescreens with all the wild widgets and customization going on the more I feel "home". I LOVE the apps on the iPad and the screen (I'm playing with a coworker's iPad today) but the user experience is reminiscent of my iPhone...

Just out of curiousity, does anyone know what the Frequency Response is on the Xoom, I can't find it listed anywhere in the specifications. I know its listed for the iPad. I would like to know what it is on the Xoom though.
Anyone?

Being an owner of both, I have to say that the iPad has the luxury of being on the market for a whole year. Last April, iPad was in the same position as a Xoom is today with the uncertainty, bugs and the like. Compairing to Xoom today, its not really in that bad of a position. My Xoom has already replaced my ipad and I'm super excited to see where this thing can go.

I've had my Xoom since launch, and have not had a single issue of lag, or sound problems. Everything has ran very smoothly... Not a android or apple fanboy, I've used them all, i just like the notification system and widgets on honeycomb much better than the ipad.

Coming to 3.0 from Gtablet

I'm looking at the 3.0 tabs and given the Asus' supply shortage it's down to the Xoom and Acer Iconia. Anyone want to weigh in on their Xoom experiences?

After selling my GTablet a month ago I purchased a wifi XOOM and despite my biggest grip of no sdcard w/out rooting I love the XOOM. I am staying with stock for as long as I can until ROM's come out frequently like they did/do with GTab. For a stock rom this is a great device and the cosmetic look and feel for me is much better than the Gtablet.
Go with the Xoom!!!

i sold my gtab and got a xoom, its awesome!

Yep me too returned my GTAb and got the Xoom. Since it came with 3.0 it was worth the extra money to me.

i had a gtab for a while until the hardware failed. luckily it was right under the 30 day return time frame so i could re-allocate my funds to a much better device. the screen on the g tab really annoyed me. not that i use my tab in the vertical position a lot, but when i do want to use it in the vertical position i don't want it to give me a headache. Also the lack of accessories was somewhat annoying. all i wanted was a descent folio case that i didn't have to modify, but at the time i had a gtab that wasn't an option.

I just yesterday bought a xoom after being in the same spot you are in. Let me start by saying between the xoom and the acer the two major things I was noticing was the screen difference and the battery life. Yes I have held both in my hands and the screen on the zoom just looks a lot better, even at the same resolution. Maybe its because the acer is using an lcd?
And the xoom has about an 1 1/2 hours better battery life.
And then there's the big difference of having more memory out of the box. (Well... depending, where I bought the acer only had a 16gb option avail)
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Do not get the Acer one, I have used it and it feels cheap as all hell. The Xoom feels much better in the hand and the lock button placement was extremely smart. Typing on both devices was pretty easy (although I recommend ThumbKeyboard 4.0 beta 3 best keyboard for Honeycomb thus far) and their UI s don't differ at all. In all honesty, if you want the best Honeycomb tablet I would recommend the G Slate, but since you are stuck with tthese two, go with the Xoom, the developer support will be stronger (stock as the Nexus series) the updates will come quicker and finally, the device just feels better. If you are into Modding, then you can mod the SD card into the Xoom, you can apply kernels that can overclock the Xoom up to 1.5ghz, and then there is the UA string fix that I am not sure of they have fixed it on the other tablets or not, but they have fixed it on the Xoom. Get the Xoom for sure, it is probably the second best Honeycomb tablet, or the third... First being the G Slate, and second being the Asus Transform.
Sent from my Xoom

Smokexz said:
In all honesty, if you want the best Honeycomb tablet I would recommend the G Slate, but since you are stuck with these two, go with the Xoom, the developer support will be stronger (stock as the Nexus series) the updates will come quicker and finally, the device just feels better.
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I decided against getting the TMO G-Slate (I also have a SGS Vibrant with T-Mobile) because of the smaller screen and lack of hardware SD card slot. While the XOOM lacks an SD card slot as well, all that is needed is a software update to enable it (already available unofficially).
I, too agree that the XOOM will receive better support, etc. To this day, I have yet to the G-Slate given a proper forum here at XDA. I've either tried or owned many of the other tablet choices that have become available. The XOOM has the best quality build IMO. Every day more places are selling them. Sam's club just started and Sprint will sell the WiFi version within a week. Availability will be key to which one will succeed.
The XOOM's price is also good as is since it's the same price as the 32GB iPad yet does way more. I've seen people claim the ASUS Tablet is cheaper but some are comparing the 16GB version which is silly!

I like to rip on Motorola for releasing a half-baked device, but the fact is that I really have only a single gripe with the Xoom (buggy bluetooth). Other than that, I love it to death.
Build quality is really top-notch. The thing feels solid and is comfortable to hold (especially in landscape mode). If I were still out there trying to select a tablet, I would pick the Xoom again even with the knowledge that some features would be delayed... and delayed again. Like I say, I have had problems with the bluetooth. I'd like to use this as a netbook from time to time, but the Xoom doesn't play well with bluetooth keyboards. They work... just not very well. I expect that the next update will solve this problem though.
In other words, once Motorola and have patched Honeycomb, I honestly think that the Xoom will be the best tablet for this generation of tablets. Developer support is there. Unlocked bootloader, etc.... Just expect a few moments of frustration in the meanwhile.

Xevilious said:
I like to rip on Motorola for releasing a half-baked device, but the fact is that I really have only a single gripe with the Xoom (buggy bluetooth). Other than that, I love it to death.
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It's funny you say that because it was chosen for a particular project because of it's bluetooth support. Having 3 android devices at the ready, I tested them all to determine their fitness for a particular work purpose. Out of an SGS Vibrant (mine), iPad 1st Gen (not mine) and XOOM (mine). I found that only the XOOM could properly handle serial communication over bluetooth (SPP profile). I get better than expected range, it seems well shielded from interference and it hasn't dropped a byte. So it's hopefully just one or more software glitch(es) with the HID profile.

I stand behind my purchase a 110%. When you pull it out next to an iOS device people just gather around. I'm not comparing - just stating my experience. They want to know what, it, is. Then I tell them the story of the Matrix and I say its a Xoom. They want to look at it but its almost like they are afraid. Its like its too much device for them. Just saying.

I bought my Xoom about a week ago, and I couldn't be happier with it. I had been researching Android tablets for a while, and it came down to either the Xoom or the Asus Transformer. Given that the transformer is next to impossible to find and that Motorola is a reputable company with a good track record, I decided to go with the Xoom. I haven't rooted mine yet since I haven't had a resason to do it yet, but it's awesome that Motorola gave us an unlocked boot loader.
Go with the Xoom for sure over the Acer.

2 days left to return XOOM to BB -> Samsung 10.1

Got the XOOM wifi for my Bday. Totally enjoying the android tablet experience (also a Fascinate phone user). There are a few minor nit-picks for me with the XOOM. Seeing the Samsung 10.1 at Google IO is making me reconside my selection:
XOOM Nit Picks:
A bit Heavy (but certainly sturdy). I don't have any real need to lug this thing too far from my home office, so not really a deal breaker.
Power button on the back. I lie the XOOM flat on my desk. I need to pick it up to wake it up - many time per day. I find this oddly annoying!
Display just feels washed out to me. I have gotten away from the conservative auto-brightness to manually adjusted to better suite my taste. This is surely an UNFAIR LED vs Super Amoled comparison (like on my phone), but nonetheless, it is an issue for me.
Non-USB charging - yep, one more cable to manage. Again, this is an Android Tablet general concern, not specific to the XOOM.
So, the Samsung hits a couple topics for me: Lightweight, thinner, button on edge. But has its own set of issues for me:
Not 3.1 yet, Samsung seem terribly slow to push out upgrades (maybe really a Verizon issue on my phone?).
No HDMI/USB support. I am guessing they will provide some sort of dongle to provide these features, but ONE MORE piece to manage.
No SD Card support. I don have a big concern here, but who knows in the future?
Construction. The Google IO devices really looked/felt like cheap-plastic with that funky white back - but this may be how they get the weight spec to fall just below the iPad2. This is one of my gripes with the Fascinate phone - cheap back. I've not heard any reports of the retail config in June. Will it be like the IO devices, or return to something more like the original 10.18.9 black back.
I am totally on the fence here. Any suggestions??
Thanks,
Mark

Have you held a tab 10.1? it does not feel cheap and plasticy.

Xoom:
Available now w/3.1
802.11 a/b/g/n (as far as I know it's the only device with 5ghz wifi)
OTA updates (kies LOL)
Weight:
I typically carry mine around in some sort of folio case, or padded bag. To me, a few grams of weight is 100% negligible because of that fact... if I had any other tablet I'd stick it in a folio or case of some sort as well which surely adds to the weight. I don't know very many people that use their tablets without any form of cover/folio/case/screen film/etc. Even when I'm "around the house" I put it in a gel sleeve which adds to the weight. So... truly... is weight an issue on any of these tablets?
Screen:
I've held an ipad, an ipad2, a xoom, and an acer all together (not at once) - generally the screen on the ipads just seem better. dont know what the trickery is because its not just the fact that its an IPS screen vs a TN panel... I played with an Acer which is supposedly IPS as well and I thought it looked practically the same as my Xoom. I did get to hold it side by side with my Xoom at a tradeshow, it was a fun little tablet but it felt a little awkward to me. The button and output placement on it was better.
Peripheral placement:
Where the Xoom "sucks" the most if i may say it... is where everything plugs in. Short of the contacts for the power dock being on the bottom everything else is just wrong. You can't dock it and plug it into USB at the same time, gee thanks motorola.
My opinion:
Someone gave you a Xoom and you're out nothing. If you want a samsung tablet just wait until it comes out and sell your Xoom for $399 to someone as a deal and use that money to subsidize your samsung purchase.

I've got until tomorrow to return mine if I want. I've owned the original iPad, the Playbook and rooted a Nook Color. Currently, I have a Transformer on order and who knows if it will ever ship. Anyway, I agree with the previous poster that a little weight really is of little importance, especially when you put on a case. Also, for me, the connectivity is a concern because I use HDMI out a lot.
The Galaxy Tab looks appealing and I'm sure the screen will impress. However, I wonder if it will suffer from the light bleeding issues other such screens seem to have. I am also hesitant to jump in because of the stated concerns about Samsung not updating their products. That wouldn't be as great a concern if 3.1 wasn't such a dang improvement in performance and stability. Personally, I think the wiser course of action is to wait until the Galaxy 8.9. By then, surely 3.1 will be implemented and you will get a better form factor for carry.

Hi MarkP,
I think it`s really a hard decision, every review is saying great things about the Tab 10.1, for me the mains CONS are exactly those you mentioned, lack of ports and SD Reader (to be confirmed, actually, there are rumors that the retail version will have an SD reader).
Just to correct one point, the Tab 10.1 is not AMOLED, Samsung did not mention the display technology and people is speculating that it could be a Super LCD (the qualitty is very good), but is no AMOLED for sure.
I would be very worried about the pace of updates from Samsung, specially in the case of the retail tab which is supposed to come with some sort of TouchWiz (TouchWiz in itself is a big MINUS in my opinion, I like the Google Experience).
I think in any case you will be with a nice tablet, dependes of what is more important to your specific use case.
Regards ans good luck.
Sandro

dulaney22 said:
I've got until tomorrow to return mine if I want. I've owned the original iPad, the Playbook and rooted a Nook Color. Currently, I have a Transformer on order and who knows if it will ever ship. Anyway, I agree with the previous poster that a little weight really is of little importance, especially when you put on a case. Also, for me, the connectivity is a concern because I use HDMI out a lot.
The Galaxy Tab looks appealing and I'm sure the screen will impress. However, I wonder if it will suffer from the light bleeding issues other such screens seem to have. I am also hesitant to jump in because of the stated concerns about Samsung not updating their products. That wouldn't be as great a concern if 3.1 wasn't such a dang improvement in performance and stability. Personally, I think the wiser course of action is to wait until the Galaxy 8.9. By then, surely 3.1 will be implemented and you will get a better form factor for carry.
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I agree, weight is a non issue for the most part, and I also agree about waiting to see if samsung updates...I mean, I have a Samsung Vibrant and have had a Samsung Galaxy Tab, and the updates are slow to come(if they come at all.)...Don't get me wrong maybe Samsung will shape up in the future, but for now til I see it I am going to try to stay clear of Samsung Android devices.

I personally don't understand the argument of Xoom's weight. Did people become that fragile that they can't carry around a device that is less than 2 lbs?
Also, Xoom will have a superior build quality compared to Tab 10.1, this is why it is heavier. You cannot have a slim, lightweight device that will have fantastic build quality. When you make a device that lightweight, you are giving up quality.
To me, it seems Xoom will always get it's updates quicker than any other Honeycomb tablet. Don't forget, Iconia and Transformer will get it in June, even though they are already available. With Samsung having touchwiz, my guess it will get updates a few weeks if not more after Xoom. And remember I/O? Xoom was the device Google used through out their experiments. If this is any indication, Xoom will probably get more dev support in terms of hardware capabilities.

I guess I can't really add anything that numerous people here have already pointed out. My biggest disappointment with the xoom is the display. It's just not vibrant in any way. Pretty dull really, in my opinion. However, the fact that the xoom has pure honeycomb and will get updates much faster than other tablets that contain OEM bloat is the key factor in my wanting the xoom over others. And, the bootloader is open. My first and current android device is the Moto Atrix, and I really wish I waited or researched the android world more before I bought it, and go a device that didn't have a locked bootloader, or could be unlocked.
If you're really on the fence about it, just return the xoom before it's too late, wait for the Samsung to come out and go compare them side by side. Unless of course you must have a tablet to use between now and release.

holtenc said:
I guess I can't really add anything that numerous people here have already pointed out. My biggest disappointment with the xoom is the display. It's just not vibrant in any way. Pretty dull really, in my opinion. However, the fact that the xoom has pure honeycomb and will get updates much faster than other tablets that contain OEM bloat is the key factor in my wanting the xoom over others. And, the bootloader is open. My first and current android device is the Moto Atrix, and I really wish I waited or researched the android world more before I bought it, and go a device that didn't have a locked bootloader, or could be unlocked.
If you're really on the fence about it, just return the xoom before it's too late, wait for the Samsung to come out and go compare them side by side. Unless of course you must have a tablet to use between now and release.
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I don't think the display is bad from vibrant standpoint, but I wish there was some way to change the color temperature to make it a little warmer. Frankly, I don't care much for the overly saturated colors of the Samsung or iPad.

samsung has always been slow and lazy on updates.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

i think I need to see the galaxy 10.1 display in person because the colors I have seen in all the pictures look a little too saturated to me...I think that would get annoying after a while. From a color saturation standpoint, I would prefer the xoom over the GT 10.1

Thanks everyone!
A few notes to add:
The Bday gift was to myself
Yep. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 display is also LED, not amoled like my Fascinate (I wish!). Probably will look very much the same as the XOOM, unless Samsung is able to config color/contrast/saturation default levels before shipping - or provide an interface for these options.
I think I may just return the XOOM, and go tablet-less until ~June 4 timeframe, then try to find a Samsung 10.1 display to do the touchy-feely stuff.
Worse case (or best case) - I buy the XOOM again, probably for a discount over the $599 I paid ($569 prices around today).
Will be only a small issue to go tabet-less for the next 20-30 days!

Looks like the GTab 10.1 i/o devices are suffering from a bit of backlight bleed themselves.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13959199#post13959199
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qVS8KhM_rtXC555bw011jg
Good luck being able to rip open 10 of them on launch day to find a good one. Sometimes the quality control (or lack thereof) just baffles me.

^something like that I completely allowed on my $200 nook color. But when you double-plus the price, my tolerance grows quite thin and I expect the hardware to be as close to perfect as possible. Meaning: no back-light bleed.

Why not return, then repurchase at a different merchant to re extend your return time so you can wait for the Samsung to come out and be able to make a more informed decision? Once you sign into Google with the newly purchased xoom, virtually everything but your movies music and photos will be loaded back onto it.
You probably shouldn't do this, I only did something like this one time when i had a wedding shoot and really needed the money but had just sold my Sony nex. I went to Walmart and bought a dslr camera and returned it after the shoot. I'm sure if lots of people do this, it could **** with the merchants and Motorola. But, you know, its all well within your rights, just frowned upon. Your call.
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Xoom is not the best, but enough to make me satisfied. The problem is Honeycomb itself (lag, missing apps..) not the xoom hardware.

tritran18518 said:
Xoom is not the best, but enough to make me satisfied. The problem is Honeycomb itself (lag, missing apps..) not the xoom hardware.
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Are you still having lag issues even after 3.1? Are you able to surf the net and listen to mp3 without any issues? I have a TF and I dont know if its worth waiting for 3.1 in June. My return date for my TF is at the end of May. I heard good things about 3.1. Listening to my music and surfing is one of the thing I do the most, and on 3.0 using either playerpro or PowerAMP cause so much lag that it will lock up the browser or the player. With PlayerPro it will actually stutter during playback

I was planning on waiting for the 10.1 but started having doubts when I heard about the lack of SD card, then in a moment of doubt I found a xoom on ebay for $405, I definitively think its worth it fr $405.

tritran18518 said:
Xoom is not the best, but enough to make me satisfied. The problem is Honeycomb itself (lag, missing apps..) not the xoom hardware.
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Click to collapse
Are you not on 3.1?

erzhik said:
I personally don't understand the argument of Xoom's weight. Did people become that fragile that they can't carry around a device that is less than 2 lbs?
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no ****. you gotta laugh when someone complains how tablet x is soooo much heavier than tablet y... and the difference is only 100 grams!

What other tablets look good?

I have not yet bought the xoom. But it is the leader in the group of four that I am looking at. I am not sure how I will use the tablet to be honest, so I want the one with the most features possible and the best apps. I am a software engineer, so I can "get it to work", but would prefer something nice out of the box.
Hardware wish list: GPS, Bluetooth, Wifi, 3G, HDMI, USB, SD card, good battery list, replaceable battery.
Software wish list: Napster, Netflix, great video player, good flash rendering, ease of data transfer.
Accessories wish list: nice integrated docking/keyboard if possible.
What do you think about any of these models
1) Motorola Xoom
2) Toshiba Thrive
3) Lenova thinkpad, ideapad
4) asus eee transformer

imo you make choice between:
xoom
samsung
ipad
you will not get everything,eg,ipad has best apps but no microsd and high cost.
xoom has microsd but not that much apps as ipad do have.

i hear great things about the Thrive. it would be my choice if i didnt own a xoom. The Iconia is pretty nice too.

If I didn't own the Xoom I'd own a Transformer. Assuming I didn't need the data. Hands on experience with both.

consider this in your comparison as it looks good
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1273078

If I were buying today, I'd checkout the Lenovo Thinkpad Android Tablet as it has a stylus for handwriting. They also make an Ideapad model which is more consumer oriented.

balaams_ass, what do you mean by
Assuming I didn't need the data.
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??

thebrenda said:
balaams_ass, what do you mean by ??
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it is with reference to internal storage and micro sd card slot

rohit3192 said:
it is with reference to internal storage and micro sd card slot
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I think it's in reference to the Xoom and the iPad both having Wireless Network Carrier support. Whereas I believe the Thrive and the Transformer are both Wifi only.

mgerbasio said:
If I were buying today, I'd checkout the Lenovo Thinkpad Android Tablet as it has a stylus for handwriting. They also make an Ideapad model which is more consumer oriented.
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reviews about their ideapad say it sucks as hell and very buggy, i guess there will be no difference with the thinkpad, i am glad i didn't get the ideapad

I would have to say if I wasn't that into Motorola, I would go with Samsung and their Galaxy Tab 10.1. It has a sleek design, is thin, light weight, and a good choice in my opinion. It has a weaker camera because of the redesign to make it slimmer and lighter than before, but still is a rockin' good Honeycomb tablet no doubt!

>What other tablets look good?
The ones coming next month, alongside ICS release.
Example: The Toshiba Excite (AT200), follow-up of Thrive, is thinnest tablet, with micro-USB/SD/HDMI.
If you need one now, then buy it now. Otherwise, it's close to the start of the next product cycle. Not good to buy old toys just as new toys are about to be released.

thebrenda said:
balaams_ass, what do you mean by ??
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data plan - most don't have 3G or 4G hardware; only WIFI

Sony for style. then it's just the xoom
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tagacapiz said:
Sony for style. then it's just the xoom
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+1
....my thoughts exactly

I had the Thrive. It was awful. Hardware failure within the first day.
Overall even when I had the chance to use it (for 45 minutes) It wasnt super responsive. I couldnt care less about the ports and the size was not natural for a tablet.
Im glad I went to the XOOM. Better build quality all around and it just feels like a solid tablet with solid features (and support in the future).
Galaxy was nice but no SD if I remember correctly. And no ports. Screen was nice but it actually looked a little too bright (if thats possible)
The IdeaPad I played with was supper buggy and laggy - and its build quality disappointed me for a Lenovo product - way too much flex. Flex is a concern for me considering what these machines are meant to do on a day to day basis.
All in all its best to just play with them. I went to best buy and went to town on all of the tablets. Good luck!

Iv had the thrive, advent vega and now the XOOM the wife owns an ipad 2. I hated the thrive the day I got it im big on the latest tech and always move with the times and the thrive was like a step backwards laggy and buggy as hell. The vega is awesome for the price and has honeycomb when rooted and all the ports you cood need however screen quality and looks ect are nothing compared to my XOOM its a top quality product. I tested a galaxy tab 10.1 that I got sent to review and would say that they have made a lot of sacrifices for the slimness. As for the wifes iPad2 its like Apple still own it when you buy it ahha
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I think the Sony Tablet S looks pretty good, and the unique style is growing on me a lot. Of all the reviews I've read of it they all say the shape gives it a better 'feel' in terms of just having it in your hands and carrying it around.
Second place? I don't care what anybody says, the Xoom is a sexy beast. It has the best screen ratio IMO and edge to screen proportion. No front buttons is awesome and kind of underrated. It looks somewhere between "tough and functional" and "sleek".
Happy spendings!

I had an Iconia tab, and if gps is important, avoid it, as it's only A-GPS. You have to be connected to wifi to get a lock, which wasn't working all that well for me. I picked up a Xoom and haven't looked back. One thing that impressed me was the build quality. The Xoom feels so well built its not even funny. I think that this thing could take a bullet, it feels that solid.
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