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After having a bit of time to play with my Xoom, I'd thought I'd tell everyone how I felt about the Xoom and whether you should be think of upgrading from your Galaxy Tab.
Build quality
The Xoom is very will built, all the components are solidly put together - there are no rattles or any bendy bits. That said the extra weight of the tablet is definitely noticeable compared to the Tab, and certainly makes reading while holding the tablet in one hand less comfortable - plus you don't really need the larger screen for this use.
The screen does not go quite as bright as the Tab, and is not so readable in sunlight. Also it attracts fingerprints like moths to a light, after an hour of using it it looked worse than an iPad does after a whole day, though you can't really see the fingerprints while the screen is on.
Software
This is the main part I was excited about - there has been quite a bit of hype surrounding Honeycomb. Sadly, IMHO, quite a bit of it is just hype -- the main changes are in the home screen and the task/notifications bar. Both of these work really well, the 3D carousel effect when turning pages of the Home screen is really smooth, and the new notification system works really well giving you a system which works quite like a desktop. Sadly you can't pinch the screen to show all of your desktops at once.
The rest of it though, it is pretty buggy. The settings app and gmail apps have force-closed on me a number of times - these are pretty important parts of the OS and so it's seriously disappointing to see them not quite finished. The Facebook app seems to work for a few mins then crashes and won't work until I restart the device.
The browser is very nice, with proper tabs (and incognito tabs!), but if you dare to switch on Flash 10.2 all the time then the whole thing is no faster than the Tabs browser with Flash enabled -- in fact it's quite possibly worse than my Tab with an OC kernel and the latest leaked ROM.
But main problem is - where is the software? Google made much issue about Android 2.x not being fit for tablets but the truth is all they've mostly done is what Samsung did - the email app now has one pane with a list of your emails in and another showing the content of your email. It's the same with the other apps, nowhere is there an incredibly large difference in functionality between the modified Samsung apps and the new Honeycomb ones.
Sure you get a film editor app, but that was pretty much put in to grab a bit of press after Apple put iMovie on the iPad - I'm sure most people, me included, would prefer a decent photo editing/retouching app more than a pretty basic video editing one.
No free, Xoom optimized apps with the device or a store for them like you get with Samsung.
And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
That might not be so bad if there was a store like the Samsung Movies Store or iTunes where I could buy or rent a movie in a compatible format. Except this being a "Google Experience" device there are no apps apart from the few that Google put on there (and aside from film studio that's just upgraded standard Android apps). So you have a tablet that doesn't support that vast majority of media formats used by the largest desktop OS; I feel justified in saying that is a slight fail -- is Youtube supposed to be my entire source of entertainment? It's not like you can call the quality of most Flash videos on the web HD.
The one upside is the tegra 2, and all the nice games it will let you play. Except there are only a couple at the moment, and if the Tegra Zone app is to be believed, most of them won't be out for another couple of months. That said the few that are available are very nice, and run perfectly smooth.
Overall
Overall I'd give the Xoom 7/10. It's good, and the first Honeycomb tablet, but I think it will probably not be in the top 5 come the end of the year.
I can understand some people might buy it over others on the promise of slightly quicker updates, but I'm seriously considering taking mine back and waiting for the Tab 8.9, I have a few more days to play around with it before I decide. Sure it will have customized interface so it might not get updates as quickly, but actually it will do much more out of the box than the Xoom does, and it will still probably do more than the Xoom will even after the Xoom has received an update.
I used to be someone who bought plain Android devices on the basis that they quicker updates (have an NS, had an N1, etc), but a lot of the time it makes little difference. Google doesn't actually release updates often enough anymore for that to be much of an issue, and in some cases these days manufacturers have actually made things better than Google did (e.g. the standard browser in the Galaxy S on 2.2 is far better than the stock browser on a Nexus S on 2.3).
Sadly in this case the bad experience reflects badly on Motorola even though it isn't really their fault - they've had nothing to do at all with the software. At the same time that is their fault - it's their tablet and if I was head of a Motorola I'd want to make sure the software I was putting my name on did everything I wanted and worked properly - Android manufacturers should stop getting so desperate to compete with Apple and actually focus on the quality of their own products.
So my advice would be wait. And possibly in this case don't let the factor of whether it's a pure Google device affect your decision so much -- Honeycomb is still an infant and it really needs some features added on for a full tablet experience.
* I was completely aware the Xoom would come with no added extras like the Tab did when I bought it. I just thought Google would have put more work into making Honeycomb for great for tablets.
That's a pretty accurate description. I went through 2 XOOM's which I bought once they released the WIFI only model, and my experience was the same if not worse. Lots of potential, but they really missed the mark with that one. The second XOOM had a hardware failure and refused to charge, and since I was pretty let down overall, and that needle thin power adaptor is just waiting to snap off, I got rid of it entirely. I bought my first Galaxy Tab WIFI model Monday from Tigerdirect, got it Wed and have used it since and I absolutely love it.
That's an interesting review.
It surprised me that honeycomb still isnt working perfectly. I thought that they would update it regularly.
The Xoom seemed to me, to be a liitle bit too fast released device.
I also agree that it probably wont be the best in the flow of the year - off course.
I think HTC looks quite promising, if they release a bigger version of their Flyer.
Let's see if the Companies learn from the others - if a company releases later, it always has a lower risk of failing, because it can learn out of the mistakes of the others...
And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
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This, x1,000. I own an original iPad, and picked up a T-Mo Galaxy Tab for $100 on Craigslist. Once the wifi Xoom came out, I went to Staples to pick one up.
Disappointment doesn't begin to capture it. Such a lovely screen...why, why, why wouldn't you include a Movies app with the tablet? Videos that played flawlessly on the Tab would stutter and whimper on the Xoom. That's just inexcusable.
I also co-sign everything you said about Facebook; I had the same experience with Seesmic.
I bought it on Friday evening. I returned it on Sunday afternoon. I can handle rough edges with software, but this goes beyond that. And selling it for $600? Yeah...not so much.
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.
rnoboa said:
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.
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If you're interested, here's my short review of the Transformer, originally posted in the Transformer XDA forum. I do compare it to my Galaxy Tab, so I don't think it's unreasonable to post here!
Regards,
Dave
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I've had my Transformer for 4 full days now, and I've a few comments to make for prospective purchasers.
First of all, a little background - I've had Android phones since the original G1 was released in the US (I was there when it was released), and since then have owned the HTC Hero, the HTC Desire, and now the Desire HD (and a Pulse Mini as a backup device).
I also have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7", which I've been using since October last year and I still think is a fantastic device, so most of my observations on the Transformer (henceforth called the TF) will be in comparison to Galaxy Tab (henceforth called the GT). As an aside, I also have a Toshiba AC100 Android netbook, so I think I have some feel for how the TF will be once the keyboard dock arrives.
Build quality
The TF feels like a really high quality device. I know some people have reported issues with back light bleed etc, but I've had no such issues. The aluminium case is really nice to the touch, as is the back of the device which is a plastic made to look a bit like carbon fibre.
Design - the design is generally really nice, though if I had one criticism it is the size of the bezel is rather large. Additionally, it does feel a little odd holding the device in portrait mode as it comes over as very tall and thin, especially when compared to the GT.
The IPS display is lovely and crisp, though it does seem a little less bright than the display on the GT.
OS and software
This is both simultaneously the best and worst feature that the TF has over the GT. In general browsing use, the TF is much more like a laptop/desktop experience than the GT, and you can see Honeycomb has great potential. However, it does feel very much like an unfinished product.
When the GT first came out, the stock browser was notoriously laggy (fixed in later iterations), and the TF suffers from the same issue - in fact it is worse because whilst the GTs browser was basically just laggy, the TFs browser is laggy and buggy.
Specifically, clicking on links in other applications often causes the browser to pop up, but it doesn't load the new page - this can be fixed by "killing" the browser and restarting it, but it shouldn't be this way. Whilst I much prefer the native browser when it works correctly, I'm now using Opera Mobile for day to day use.
Honeycomb Gmail on the TF is a revelation - it is a far superior client than the client on the GT.
Other minor Honeycomb/TF complaints are:
1. There doesn't seem to be a way to clear all notifications easily.
2. Just getting to the Settings menu is overcomplicated.
3. The keyboards do seem overly large in my opinion, and there don't seem to be enough long press options to get to alternate characters, though I'm aware these are easily replaceable.
4. Overall the TF performance is good, but I don't feel that Honeycomb is taking advantage of the dual core Tegra 2, and thus in general use it doesn't really feel any faster than my single core GT.
Media Playback
This is an easy one - the GT is a better media player than the TF, simply because it natively supports more formats (e.g. DivX).
I'm not unused to transcoding video to H264, as I had to do this often on my earlier Android devices, but with the advent of Cortex A8 class devices with Neon, I found software players like RockPlayer more than acceptable. This does not seem to be the case for the TF, since Tegra 2 doesn't support Neon instructions. However, the AC100 is a Tegra 2 device, and the built-in media player is much better than the stock TF one too, so really I think that Asus should have done more here.
With the TF, I'm back to having to transcode media, and to be honest for the most part that means I'll just my GT instead.
Overall Usage
Here's where it gets interesting!
The TF provides a very different experience to the GT and for the most part it is very enjoyable- when I bought the device, I knew it be mostly be a "coffee table" device, and that the size, weight, and built-in 3G of the GT was going to a distinct advantage over the TF when it comes to travelling.
What I didn't expect is that the GT still holds some advantages at home too.
Put simply, the TF is still too big and heavy sometimes - when I get up in the morning, I usually take my GT off charge and slip it into the pocket of my dressing gown, and this means it goes with me when I go to make a coffee, visit the "office" in the bathroom etc.
Also, late at night, if I want to watch something whilst lying in bed, the GT is simply much more comfortable to hold for any period of time, and coupled with better media support is always going to be the preferred option.
The Future
I don't think it is really fair to judge the TF until the keyboard dock becomes available, because I honestly think this will significant change the nature of the device.
When I first got my AC100, it was running Eclair and to be honest it was pretty rubbish, but it got so much better when Froyo landed.
I can see the TF similarly getting a completely new lease of life once the dock arrives.
Also, Honeycomb does feel like a work in progress, and I'm hoping for regularly updates to this device, which again should improve the experience, along with more Honeycomb specific apps on the market.
Conclusion
I think the TF is a fantastic product and the price is extremely good for what it is. I certainly wouldn't want to put anyone off buying one if they have a genuine interest this form factor. In the UK at least, I think the Xoom has priced itself out of the market massively, which currently leaves the TF as the 10.1" tablet of choice.
The biggest issue for me is that 10.1" tablets are generally too big and heavy, and whilst newer tablets may be lighter, they will still be similarly sized unless they can dramatically reduce the size of the bezel.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9" may well be a better compromise, and I will be looking closely at this once it arrives. However, it won't fit in a jacket pocket, so would still likely just be a coffee table tablet for me.
Ultimately, I think my ideal tablet device would be a 7" form factor device like the GT, similar internal hardware to the TF (dual core, IPS, memory etc), and built-in 3G. Until something like this ships, I think my GT will still be my primary media consumption/browsing device.
Steve Jobs may think that there is no market in 7" tablets, but in my case he's wrong!
Thank you soooo much for the Tab vs Xoom reiew. I was looking at the Xoom a couple weeks ago, but when I saw Sprint marked the Tab down to $199, I bought it instead. Although the Xoom is a gorgeous device, I am becoming quite sold on the 7" size. After using my Tab for a week, I love it! Now if the Xoom was only, say $100 more than the Tab, I may change my mind, but as it is now, it's way too expensive for what it offers out of the box. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Xoom have a price drop soon.
How bad is Honeycomb? The reviews of the G-Slate, Xoom, and even Eeepad Transformer suggest that Honeycomb itself is... not ready and quite laggy. How does it compare to plain old Froyo on a 7'' Tab?
so if understand correctly, android market does not install the tablet version of gmail or any other app on the galaxy tab?
You will have special section of apps created for the Honeycomb and for 2.2 or 2.3.
Apps that are not suppose to work will not be shown on the Market.
Some apps created for phones freeze or fail to work but overall you can find apps that suit your needs. I would agree that at this point software has rough edges but this is always an issue for the early adopters. The 1st iphone had no software choices at all and it took more than half a year to get something else.
Screen size and resolutiin make Xoom almost a laptop.
I like Xoom but prefer Galaxy Tab because of size and weight.
I currently have the 3G Xoom that I bought the first week that it was out.
I also bought the 64 GB Playbook on its release day.
This thread is for people who is thinking of getting a smaller device than the Xoom.
Playbook vs. Xoom:
Advantages of the Playbook:
1. More portable and lighter. I carry it almost everywhere I go because it can fit into my leather jacket pocket. I can hold it up longer than I can do with my Xoom while laying in bed without the fear that it will fall on my face.
2. Better screen. The whites of the playbook is whiter. The picture looks sharper. It seems to have a better viewing angle.
3. It can play high-profile h.264 movies. It cannot play .mkv container movies yet but if you convert the high-profile h.264 movies to .mg4 (using the free program called XenonMKV) then it plays flawlessly with its high-profile h.264 quality unchanged from original....only the 5.1 DTS sound is downsample to stereo AAC.
4. Multitasking is better on the Playbook than the Xoom.
5. The speakers are better on the Playbook because it directs the sound toward you instead of away from you.
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Disadvantages of the Playbook:
1. Smaller screen than the Xoom
2. No default email (yet)
3. Cannot play .mkv container file (yet)
4. No micro SD card (but if you buy the 64 GB version then you don't have to worry about lack of space)
5. Not rootable (hope someone at XDA developer or any skilled person can hack it in the future)
6. No cellular feature (for the wi-fi only version)
7. Less apps (will improve in the future)
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For me, I like the Playbook better despite the negatives. I am trying to sell my 3G Xoom but I am keeping the 64 GB Playbook. I don't even have a blackberry phone and yet I still like the Playbook more.
It comes down to how I use the tablet the most that make me decide which is better. For me, it is portability (will use it more often) and watching high profile hi-def movies.
What does no default email mean? Like I could not use Gmail or Exchange?
Really I appreciate your opinion and if you would like I would take the inferior Xoom off your hands if u are giving it away.
Brenardo said:
Really I appreciate your opinion and if you would like I would take the inferior Xoom off your hands if u are giving it away.
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I am not giving it away. I am trying to sell it.
Ok, that's nice... thanks.
I don't really care though. If I was in the slightest bit interested in Blackberry, I would have waited around for the Playbook. If I wanted something 7", I would have gotten one of the many 7" Android tablets by now.
okie dokie
4. Multitasking is better on the Playbook than the Xoom.
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Explain. 10char
Why is this even in a xoom forum...troll elsewhere please.
www.facebook.com/redcardgreencardpage
jondwillis said:
Explain. 10char
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Mutitaking seems to be better on the Playbook because I can open more windows. I believe that the Xoom can only have the most recent 5 that you can choose to mutitask. The Playbook can have more than 5.
Will the apps come for the playbook? Apps never came for Blackberry phones...
they will have the ability to use Android apps, but its still to be seen how well it will be integrated into the ecosystem.
csseale said:
Why is this even in a xoom forum...troll elsewhere please.
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Well, because there is no forum that is dedicated to the Playbook here in XDA-developers forum.
Also, I also have the Xoom so I can make a comparison between the two devices.
Earthbrain said:
Mutitaking seems to be better on the Playbook because I can open more windows. I believe that the Xoom can only have the most recent 5 that you can choose to mutitask. The Playbook can have more than 5.
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I'll give you that, the 5 item back history seems arbitrary and limiting. Its not like the apps are killed, you just can't get back to them super quickly.
Earthbrain said:
Mutitaking seems to be better on the Playbook because I can open more windows. I believe that the Xoom can only have the most recent 5 that you can choose to mutitask. The Playbook can have more than 5.
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Wouldn't base my opinion on that, seeing as how there aren't really any decent apps for the Playbook, according to the Ars review posted today ;-)
Don't get me wrong, I liked the Playbook when I first heard about it. The specs are awesome, but it has two major downsides: lack of good 3rd party apps, and no native email/calendar/contacts sync support. It has to sync via a Blackberry handheld. Frankly, that sucks, and it's a gaping hole in design.
ANY other tablet, even the cheapo Android tabs, can sync your email without requiring any 'bridging' to a mobile phone.
The QNX OS is great, a lot like webOS, very intuitive and flexible. But without even basic messaging available out of the box (unless you already have a blackberry mobile), this is an epic fail in my book, and a major lost opportunity. "I coulda been a contender..."
The Xoom has its issues of course, but it isn't hampered out of the box like the Playbook is. I'm disappointed in RIM.
Earthbrain said:
I currently have the 3G Xoom that I bought the first week that it was out.
I also bought the 64 GB Playbook on its release day.
This thread is for people who is thinking of getting a smaller device than the Xoom.
Playbook vs. Xoom:
Advantages of the Playbook:
1. More portable and lighter. I carry it almost everywhere I go because it can fit into my leather jacket pocket. I can hold it up longer than I can do with my Xoom while laying in bed without the fear that it will fall on my face.
2. Better screen. The whites of the playbook is whiter. The picture looks sharper. It seems to have a better viewing angle.
3. It can play high-profile h.264 movies. It cannot play .mkv container movies yet but if you convert the high-profile h.264 movies to .mg4 (using the free program called XenonMKV) then it plays flawlessly with its high-profile h.264 quality unchanged from original....only the 5.1 DTS sound is downsample to stereo AAC.
4. Multitasking is better on the Playbook than the Xoom.
------------------------------
Disadvantages of the Playbook:
1. Smaller screen than the Xoom
2. No default email (yet)
3. Cannot play .mkv container file (yet)
4. No micro SD card (but if you buy the 64 GB version than you don't have to worry about lack of space)
5. Not rootable (hope someone at XDA developer or any skilled person can hack it in the future)
6. No cellular feature (for the wi-fi only version)
7. Less apps (will improve in the future)
---------------------
For me, I like the Playbook better despite the negatives. I am trying to sell my 3G Xoom but I am keeping the 64 GB Playbook. I don't even have a blackberry phone and yet I still like the Playbook more.
It comes down to how I use the tablet the most that make me decide which is better. For me, it is portability (will use it more often) and watching high profile hi-def movies.
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I thanked your post because as I see you do actually own a Xoom you are giving us a brief rundown of a feature comparison between the two devices.
When I heard about this device on the radio I was interested until I heard all the **** it just can't do.
No email app out of the box? Really? That's hilarious, what a worthless peice of equipment if I can't read e-mail on it. App support? Lol WHAT App support have you seen in overwhelming display from Blackberry? All I know about Blackberry is that my experience in supporting their god awfull devices is just that... god awfull.
The screen is better, thats good.. smaller size is cool but then I agree with another guy... I'd just get a smaller android device.
With all that said, thanks for your write up and I hope that we dont get a huge proliferation of non-Xoom comparisons as a result.
cwizardtx said:
With all that said, thanks for your write up and I hope that we dont get a huge proliferation of non-Xoom comparisons as a result.
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For me, I love to read about device comparison. The more, the better. However, I would prefer that the person who writes the comparison actually own the devices and have been using it for at least 1 week.
I actually currently have 4 tablets. They are the jailbroken ipad, T-mobile Samsung Galaxy tab with custom ROM Overcome 1.6.3, Xoom 3G, and the 64 GB Playbook.
Each has its strong and weak points. I use each one according to the situation that I am in. I don't like to bash other devices (or the people who buy them) because of the reason that I just mentioned. I just like to point out the advantages and disadvantages and let people decide for themselves.
You must have really weak arms if the Xoom is a challenge for you to hold up for long periods of time. Try going to the gym?
Also, I can see why the Playbook would be able to play high profile h.264, it's pushing less pixels and has a higher clocked CPU. How does it do playing 720p Youtube videos in browser though? You know how often I've played 720p video files on my Xoom? Once, because I wanted to try it. How often do I Youtube? Just about every day and the new Flash 10.2 makes 720p video playable on the Xoom(granted overclocked to 1.5ghz, the Xoom at stock clock does pretty poorly with 720p video on Youtube still).
Earthbrain said:
For me, I love to read about device comparison. The more, the better. However, I would prefer that the person who writes the comparison actually own the devices and have been using it for at least 1 week.
I actually currently have 4 tablets. They are the jailbroken ipad, T-mobile Samsung Galaxy tab with custom ROM Overcome 1.6.3, Xoom 3G, and the 64 GB Playbook.
Each has its strong and weak points. I use each one according to the situation that I am in. I don't like to bash other devices (or the people who buy them) because of the reason that I just mentioned. I just like to point out the advantages and disadvantages and let people decide for themselves.
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Well there's also the fact that if people in this forum were at all interested in other devices I'd wager that we'd be in other device forums looking for those reviews. Honestly... I want to come to the XOOM Forum to read about the XOOM and not a bunch of other stuff which is why I left my reply off with the comment I did. I gave you thanks for your comparison between two devices but something tells me that a new rash of "im taking my xoom back for XYZ thing" is around the corner and let me tell you those get old and boring fast.
Again... appreciate your write up. From the looks of the features of that tablet... I wouldn't even be able to use it for the most menial of day to day things and thats laughable (to me).
Elysian893 said:
You must have really weak arms if the Xoom is a challenge for you to hold up for long periods of time. Try going to the gym?
Also, I can see why the Playbook would be able to play high profile h.264, it's pushing less pixels and has a higher clocked CPU. How does it do playing 720p Youtube videos in browser though? You know how often I've played 720p video files on my Xoom? Once, because I wanted to try it. How often do I Youtube? Just about every day and the new Flash 10.2 makes 720p video playable on the Xoom(granted overclocked to 1.5ghz, the Xoom at stock clock does pretty poorly with 720p video on Youtube still).
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If you ask 100 people if they would prefer a lighter tablet or a heavier tablet, I would bet that more than 50% of the people would say that they prefer a lighter tablet. I would even bet that most professional weight lifter would prefer a lighter tablet.
The Playbook is great at playing 720p youtube videos. In fact, flash seems to be better on my Playbook than on my Xoom, even when I just upgrade to the latest Flash version on the Xoom yesterday.
Earthbrain said:
If you ask 100 people if they would prefer a lighter tablet or a heavier tablet, I would bet that more than 50% of the people would say that they prefer a lighter tablet. I would even bet that most professional weight lifter would prefer a lighter tablet.
The Playbook is great at playing 720p youtube videos. In fact, flash seems to be better on my Playbook than on my Xoom, even when I just upgrade to the latest Flash version on the Xoom yesterday.
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I weight train, I'm not a professional but I do alright, the weight on the Xoom truly doesn't matter. 1.3lbs or whatever it is is next to nothing. Your experience with Flash on the Playbook doesn't seem to match that of anyone reviewing it.
To OP, I think you are compare two devices with different usage.
I’ve a Xoom mainly to use at home, and a Samsung Galaxy tab as media consumption device for daily commute.
I think the playbook cost too much and not offer any advantages over Android and Apple products.
For example, the Playbook doesn’t have enough apps to attract any android and Apple users and it don’t have 3G version.
I’d recommend 7” Android tablet for anyone who wants a mobile device.
I.E. the cheaper Galaxy Tab have all the advantages you listed, plus with Overcome ROM is very fast and lag free. Since its running Androide 2.2, nearly all the apps in market will work on the device. Also it can play mkv files.
P.S. I use MultiTasking Pro as work around for the limited app switching in Xoom, works well and I can also close most of the apps.
Ok,
I am in the market for a tablet, and hate apple with a pashion. That being said, it leaves me with the options of many good android alternatives.
I am torn between this and the Motorola XOOM tablet. IMO the Acer has a piss poor build quality (though I know alot like it...).
Which is best straight out of the box? I can flash custom roms ofc, but would prefer to stick to stock software for the first 6 months anyway.
I am also considering getting it without the dock as I dont think it would be something I would use much....mabye I am wrong...lol.
Anyhow, whats the TF like running stock software?
Thanks,
Danny
Sorry, should have said, I want a tablet to showcase my amature photography, watch movies and to surf the web
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Asus appears to be better than Moto at tying software to hardware. Their support for software has also stomps all over Moto.
The stock firmware on the TF is perfect for every day usage. Paired with the keyboard dock, I have no problems using it like a regular laptop. It's a powerful piece of hardware that plays nicely with all of my existing storage devices, and even a few of my game controllers. I did end up rooting it anyway, though, just so that I could block ads and disable tap to click on the touchpad.
Photo viewing works flawlessly, provided you can store your photos on a SD card or external hard drive, which you would then plug into the TF. At this point the support for plugging in an actual camera is a bit spotty, no telling whether or not it will work until you try it. Movie support is sort of a mixed bag, as it all depends on which video playing app you use. Personally I like to rip all of my Blu ray movies so that I can watch them from my hard drive, so I use Handbrake to re-encode them all so they can be played natively in the stock Google video player. If instead you have a lot of videos in unrecognized formats like xvid, you'll need to test them with a third party video player.
earlyberd said:
The stock firmware on the TF is perfect for every day usage. Paired with the keyboard dock, I have no problems using it like a regular laptop. It's a powerful piece of hardware that plays nicely with all of my existing storage devices, and even a few of my game controllers. I did end up rooting it anyway, though, just so that I could block ads and disable tap to click on the touchpad.
Photo viewing works flawlessly, provided you can store your photos on a SD card or external hard drive, which you would then plug into the TF. At this point the support for plugging in an actual camera is a bit spotty, no telling whether or not it will work until you try it. Movie support is sort of a mixed bag, as it all depends on which video playing app you use. Personally I like to rip all of my Blu ray movies so that I can watch them from my hard drive, so I use Handbrake to re-encode them all so they can be played natively in the stock Google video player. If instead you have a lot of videos in unrecognized formats like xvid, you'll need to test them with a third party video player.
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Click to collapse
all my xvid and divx flawlessly in rockplayer and even stream from a NAS using upnplayer
what will you use app wise to show of your amateur photography? The stock gallery? Are there better apps out there?
wilbur-force said:
all my xvid and divx flawlessly in rockplayer and even stream from a NAS using upnplayer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MKVs doesnt play audio, decodes video though.
I bought a Xoom first, then an Ipad 2 and have now settled with the Transformer. In my opinion (discounting the Ipad 2 as it's far too limited so I passed that onto the wife ) the Xoom and TF'er are pretty much the same......
the differences which set them apart as the spec are virtually identical are:
- thickness of the tablet
The TF obviously wins this and whilst it may not be the worlds biggest issue, you can definitely 'feel' the difference when you are holding it in your hands and the additional weight of the Xoom can make your arms ache after a while...basically, it's not the most comfortable tablet to hold.
- SD card support
The 3.1 update for the Xoom didn't include the SD card fix so as long as the tablet is stock it is still unsupported (Google still working on the update as far as I'm aware). I know there are fixes and work arounds available but this would depend on what your intentions are regarding modding/rooting etc. The TF'er has it working out of the box so you could drop up to a 32Gb Micro SD card in on day 1. Definitely a bonus and as the OP mentioned a vanilla tablet for the first 6 months in their current state this could be a big issue for the Xoom especially for a photographer who needs storage space.
- Price
Definitely the biggest thing for me...not because I'm on a shoe-string but because of the fact that the tablets have the same O/S, the same spec, the same features and the same software......why would anyone take the Xoom over a TF?, especially with a considerable hike in price and the TF has a much nicer screen which is a major feature of the tablet in itself.
Basically you can't go far wrong with either, but if you're gonna drop £380 or $399 on a tablet then get the one which is $100 cheaper than the current competition.
......and that leads me on to arguably the biggest feature of the TF. The dock. Whilst it may not be a requirement to a lot of people, or something that adds a lot of interest....the flexibility is there to have the TF'er as a notebook replacement - and it also means additional storage space is available via the SD card slot, USB ports which in my opinion will also offer future flexibility as device/accessories/peripherals can be added in the near future with the relevant support.
All in all, a 16GB TF at £380/$399 can have a 32Gb micro SD, and 64GB SD (or another 32GB Micro SD with adaptor) and offers twice the flexibility of the Xoom whilst offering a virtually identical base-feature set. After owning them all, it would be a no-brainer for me. I've not become a fanboy or anything daft like that and wouldn't 'slag' the Xoom off but in a direct comparison with the TF it's virtually identical, so I'd go with 'bang for buck' and flexibility. The TF gets both points by quite a large margin.
What did you find limiting about the iPad 2? Genuine question. I have a tf and ipad2 and I feel they both have limitations.
h00ligan said:
What did you find limiting about the iPad 2? Genuine question. I have a tf and ipad2 and I feel they both have limitations.
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Click to collapse
In comparison to the TF (or large majority of Android devices)
Connectivity - no USB/storage devices meaning there is no option but to get apps/data/movies transferred to the tablet etc via a wireless connection or 3rd party application.
Requirement of additional peripherals for HDMI/cameras etc whereas the TF can take a direct connection or plug in the micro sd card directly for transfer.
The dependency on iTunes for some functionality. ie I'd be reluctant to take my Ipad2 anywhere for an extended period of time without a laptop for backup and updates etc. Another example that infringes on this is if you want to copy friends data/music then it's much more difficult to do this with an Apple IOS than it is with Android due to the bluetooth and connectivity issue.
Customisation - speaks for itself.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that every device has its limitations including the TF'er. The Ipad is a lovely bit of hardware, definitely has the better app store, more polished apps and better UI overall but the issues I listed above are restrictive to me personally and if I had to make a choice (which I don't) and could only take one of them, I'd select the TF in a heartbeat because of these points.
ASUS is hands down better than the xoom under every circumstance.
HOWEVER, if you're not interested in the dock (and the functionality it offers) for the TF or having a micro-sd card on the tablet itself, then you should probably go for the galaxy tab 10.1.
It's a $100 more than the TF but it supposedly has a better screen, is lighter and some people are saying that it has better build quality than the TF also.
Just don't get any android tablet other than the TF or Galaxy tab 10.1, especially if you're trying to show off your photography.
starplaya93 said:
ASUS is hands down better than the xoom under every circumstance.
HOWEVER, if you're not interested in the dock (and the functionality it offers) for the TF or having a micro-sd card on the tablet itself, then you should probably go for the galaxy tab 10.1.
It's a $100 more than the TF but it supposedly has a better screen, is lighter and some people are saying that it has better build quality than the TF also.
Just don't get any android tablet other than the TF or Galaxy tab 10.1, especially if you're trying to show off your photography.
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Click to collapse
Actually, the TF has a much better screen. Look at any video reviews. I remember in a comparison I saw, both the TF and Xoom had the same wallpaper. The TF showed every color, while the Xoom washed out and showed a blend of white...
Since you're going to use it to show off photography, the SD reader in the keyboard dock would come in handy. I found my TF to be very snappy and responsive. I cannot stream pictures and movies correctly, but that's because I don't know how
SwiftLegend said:
Actually, the TF has a much better screen. Look at any video reviews. I remember in a comparison I saw, both the TF and Xoom had the same wallpaper. The TF showed every color, while the Xoom washed out and showed a blend of white...
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Click to collapse
But he didn't even mention the Xoom... he did however compare the TF with the Samsung Galaxy tab 10"
And here i offer a little insight: seems that Samsung loves to have over saturated screens. That could actually be an issue, if the tab has to be used to show photographs... I know that if I set brightness at maximum on my 7" galaxy tab, skintones ends up in the douchebag tan kind of orange. On the other hand, low brightness makes for nice and vivid colours.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
I'd say the TF is the all-round winner for your photography needs:
- It has a much better screen than the Xoom, so that's out.
- It's cheaper than the Samsung
- It has a working AND existent microSD card on it (should be invaluable for transferring pics if your camera also uses microSD. Also if you DID want to to root and flash a new ROM, the Samsung's out again (is this their "No Root" ploy?)
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Thanks paradaz
AlexTheStampede said:
But he didn't even mention the Xoom... he did however compare the TF with the Samsung Galaxy tab 10"
And here i offer a little insight: seems that Samsung loves to have over saturated screens. That could actually be an issue, if the tab has to be used to show photographs... I know that if I set brightness at maximum on my 7" galaxy tab, skintones ends up in the douchebag tan kind of orange. On the other hand, low brightness makes for nice and vivid colours.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This over saturated screen on the 10.1 will drive me nuts not only viewing photographs but also watching movies. Its sound like that vivid mode u see on lcd. Some people prefer that look on their tv maybe that why led lcd sell so great. I prefer that natural look you see on plasma tv.
Wow, thanks for the replies guys!
The Galaxy tab was never going to be an option for me with the lack of being able to use removable storage.
Looks like the transformer will be my weapon of choice! Although you are now making me reconsider getting the dock as well....
My reasons for not getting the dock where;
1. It would be another item to cart around. I will be generally only using the tablet so will probably get a leather cover for it. If I where going away I would need to also bring the keyboard as well, perhaps in a separate case?
2. Low stock in the UK at present...i can drive 2 miles and pick up the tablet only package.
Although I didn't know it had an SD card reader! That coupled with the additional battery capacity is rather appealing!
To answer an earlier question, I have no specific app in mind to show off my photos... Can anyone else advise if there is better options than the stock gallery? I use lightroom on my PC, but would imagine nothing similar is available on android.
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
djglenn1337 said:
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mkv is only the container so many third players like moboplayer are able to open mkv files..
what's really matters is the codec used inside the container, as of now, the TF on 3.1 is able to hard-decode H264 720p High profile and 1080p base profile..
you can use handbreak to encode media files if necessary:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1060825
djglenn1337 said:
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do know some people seems to be experiencing problems with mkv's. Unsure what codecs (video/audio) their mkv's might have, because I played about 30 different mkv's made by different people with and without soft-subs and I've not experienced any hitches or glitches to either sound or video.
All I use is moboplayer and start them - plays flawlessly.
Hi
I have rooted Desire and I just love Android, so I'm buying Android tablet for browsing web, watching movies and some gaming. It was hard to figure out which tablet to buy but I think I'll get Transformer instead of Galaxy Tab 10.1 as it is more functional. So it would be nice if you Transfomer owners could share some impressions.
How good is build quality?
How responsive it is?
How fast it is?
How good does it play 1080p vidos?
Does it work with turn-by-turn navigation?
And would you recommend it?
People have had issues with build quality but I personally haven't. My TF101 has been fine.
Responsiveness is top notch, no issues here.
Depends on what you're comparing it to, it's benchmarks are above the Xoom and Galaxy tab 10.1, but if this relates to real world performance I don't know.
It plays low profile 1080p flawlessly, and 720p high profile flawlessly. Don't quite know why you'd want to watch 1080p on a 750p screen though.
Yes it has turn by turn navigation.
I'd recommend it if you need the extra features it has over the Galaxy tab.
seshmaru said:
People have had issues with build quality but I personally haven't. My TF101 has been fine.
Responsiveness is top notch, no issues here.
Depends on what you're comparing it to, it's benchmarks are above the Xoom and Galaxy tab 10.1, but if this relates to real world performance I don't know.
It plays low profile 1080p flawlessly, and 720p high profile flawlessly. Don't quite know why you'd want to watch 1080p on a 750p screen though.
Yes it has turn by turn navigation.
I'd recommend it if you need the extra features it has over the Galaxy tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said. Screen is totally mindblowing , btw!
I myself have had absolutely zero issues, like seshmaru, but buy it 4m a store, and open and check it, would be my recommendation. Light bleed is the most common issue, followed by some creakiness issues and speaker balance issues, very rare though
Sent from my cell phone. DUH.
Mine eee pad had serial B5xxxxxxxx. So far no issues with it.
But it's quite heavy to hold the eee pad with one hand and using it while laying on the couch.
I got mine like two weeks ago, and I guess I'm lucky that it's pretty perfect (although there's a slight creakiness on one corner).
I don't have any complaints right now, but I'm scared to get the dock because I keep seeing problems about it (battery, lag, what else??).
seshmaru said:
Don't quite know why you'd want to watch 1080p on a 750p screen though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As has been said many times on these forums, it's more about not having to re-encode 1080p movies you already have just to play them on the TF.
Regards,
Dave
I am on my 2nd transformer now, the first one had some light bleeds along with head pixels in the midldle.
The only thing that i suggest is to root it when you get it and throw Prime 1.4 and a custom kernel on it so you see the true speed of it. Im semi please with it, still better then the ipad 2 imo. there are some issues but should be fixed over time. the only really annoying issue is when typing in the browser and how long it takes to show up on the screen.
Then I'll get one. Actually after some googling on iPad 2 I understood that I really wont get one, Transformer has so much better hardware and I love honeycomb. iPad has 0.3 Mpix front camera and 0.9Mpix back camera, lol.
Thank you all for helping.
I just put Prime 1.5 on it, run really smooth..
my only issue is the lack of volume. Its too low for my taste. Other than that i love my TF.
KRolands said:
Hi
I have rooted Desire and I just love Android, so I'm buying Android tablet for browsing web, watching movies and some gaming. It was hard to figure out which tablet to buy but I think I'll get Transformer instead of Galaxy Tab 10.1 as it is more functional. So it would be nice if you Transfomer owners could share some impressions.
How good is build quality?
How responsive it is?
How fast it is?
How good does it play 1080p vidos?
Does it work with turn-by-turn navigation?
And would you recommend it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With all the issue pointed out here I was a bit worried about buying one. I have not had any issues except for bugs which are part of honeycomb. When I got my Galaxy S2 there were a lot of people *****ing about various issues but when I got my phone I had none of these so called issues once I tweaked things! So each to their own.
You'll find that most posts are about complaints. Very few people come online and say how awesome something is. Most of the time there are solutions to issues but people don't want to search.
1. I chose it over the Galaxy Tab 10.1. I like how light the Tab is but I love the dock and the extra features that the Transformer has to offer.
2. Build quality on mine is outstanding. I have had a lot of android devices and you can see the extra effort Asus put into the dock and the tablet. I don't have any light bleed or flex on my device. Even the USB docks have magnetic port covers. How cool is that? Keyboard is very nice and the keys don't feel cheap.
3. Very fast device and very responsive. Interesting to see how both the Tegra processor and the Exonys (in my S2) differ in different tasks but both are blazing fast (the S2 is faster at rendering pages on wifi vs the transformer). Make sure to update to 3.1 firmware. Mine came with 3.0 which was not very responsive and sucked [email protected]
4. No idea about the 1080p. It is touchy at playing high def files (honeycomb hardware decoding issue). My S2 plays 1080 no problem. I find 720p MP4 videos plays perfectly fine if encoded with the proper specs for the transformer
5. Yes turn-by-turn works great. I tether with my phone and off I go
My only complaint is an issue with honeycomb and the stock browser lag when typing. Also, no auto correction when typing on the hardware keyboard.
Cheers. Hope this helps
I have used the Transformer for couple of weeks now having previously owned the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 inch.
All in all, my impressions are very positive and I would definetly recommend the device. The screen's great, device is quick to use, to comfortable hold in hand thanks to clever backside texture and reasonable weight, overall design is good. The keyboard dock has been a true surprise, it is way better than in many laptops and the integration with the tablet is seamless.
My unit (Scandinavian) is faultless, no cranky build quality or light bleeds.
However, there are some things to improve
- Flash performance: Flash being the most obvious advantage over iPad, I was disappointed that my old Galaxy Tab plays Flash better than this Dual Core Honeycomb device
- Browser is a bit buggy (closes unexpectedly once a while)
- Lack of Honeycomb apps evident, no way to sort out Honeycomb apps from all Android Market offerings (not a Transformer issue, though)
KRolands said:
Hi
I have rooted Desire and I just love Android, so I'm buying Android tablet for browsing web, watching movies and some gaming. It was hard to figure out which tablet to buy but I think I'll get Transformer instead of Galaxy Tab 10.1 as it is more functional. So it would be nice if you Transfomer owners could share some impressions.
How good is build quality?
How responsive it is?
How fast it is?
How good does it play 1080p vidos?
Does it work with turn-by-turn navigation?
And would you recommend it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had my Transformer for just over a week now and am absolutely loving it. I have had no problems with my Transformer apart from when I managed to brick it and then get it working again (my fault not ASUS ). The screen is great (though I wish it was SAMOLED+ because my SGSII has an amazing screen) and the build quality is very good - it feels a little heavy compared to an iPad but also very sturdy.
After updating to 3.1 the tablet is very smooth - with the possible exception of the browser when using the dock. Sometimes it takes a couple of seconds for the tablet to realise I'm typing something but generally not too bad. Using the tablet as a tablet (on-screen keyboard) there is no lag anywhere. Youtube 720p and normal 720p play flawlessly and look great. I haven't personally tried a 1080p video yet. Turn-by-turn navigation works well and it's nice they included a GPS chip in it, though you still need WiFi/3G for it work correctly.
The main attraction for me is the fact the Transformer is basically an Android Netbook! Good sized, clear screen with amazing battery life (I get about ~16 hours with Auto-Brightness and browsing/watching films). The best thing is when you root it and under/over clock it however! Under clocked to ~800Mhz I can browse for hours and hours, it's great! Over clock to 1.6Ghz and it's blazingly fast and everything (and can probably handle full 1080p video).
My only slight disappointment is in the rear camera which despite being 5MP is pretty crappy but it's not very often I use it. Bonus points for having Polaris Office and a Remote Desktop service packaged in for free which means I've been playing Portal on mine through my gaming laptop just for fun!
-X
the 2 are much cheaper and has more options for storage expansion and connectivity.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Screen quality, weight, battery life.
Those were my points in favor of the Galaxy Tab. And since storage expansion wasn't even on my list, I chose the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Just about the same reason. 16gb is way more than I need on a day to day basis, plus if I need to off load or swap a movie I can wifi FTP to my phone or use dropbox. I have no need to ever connect my tab via HDMI... if I needed this kind of feature I would have gone with a cheap laptop.
So better screen, better battery, better sound, lighter, looks alot nicer... I also really like touchwiz.
Just like everybody else who will post in here, thinness and weight. I use cloud storage for everything or use USB with my desktop. Not a single tablet on the market is a real laptop replacement so basically I just use the tablet for media consumption and some gaming. Basically though when I went to best buy the 10.1 just felt incredible in my hands. I drain the battery every two days going over my RSS feeds or viewing websites and the occasional Netflix video. So just as above, great battery.
Sent from xda premium app
Form factor, the Tab is light & slim, the picture quality is marvelous & the build quality is superior
Pretty much what everybody in this thread already said.
Oleophobic coating, 8.9mm thick.
Sent from my microwave
Stardate Tab 10.1 said:
Just like everybody else who will post in here, thinness and weight. I use cloud storage for everything or use USB with my desktop. Not a single tablet on the market is a real laptop replacement so basically I just use the tablet for media consumption and some gaming. Basically though when I went to best buy the 10.1 just felt incredible in my hands. I drain the battery every two days going over my RSS feeds or viewing websites and the occasional Netflix video. So just as above, great battery.
Sent from xda premium app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^^^^^
This.
I stream most of my media to the device so connectivity is less important to me. I also think using any portable device for streaming to a TV or home theatre isn't optimum with this generation of h/w so the lack of onboard HDMI isn't important. I got a 32GB version because I travel internationally a lot and download content for long plane flights. Samsung also does the best job with drivers for handling audio and video codecs. I have 2K songs stored locally on the device with a Rhapsody subscription which play via the stock music player or Bluetooth. It's because of Samsung's DRM support. I tried a HTC Jetstream for a week but it weighed a ton in comparison which makes a huge difference on the road and it sucked at video and audio support. The G-Tab also has a bunch of great accessories. I got it a Zenus Carbon Fiber leather case and people always comment on it. Besides, if you don't get a G-Tab people won't ask you "how do you like your iPad?"
build and screen quality were my reasons. I went through 3 tfs and 4 xooms before I settled with the gt10.1.
I use my 10.1 primarily as a textbook (science and engineering mainly) replacement, so screen is absolute first priority.
Thinner, lighter, faster, better. I have no need for ports as you can transfer files over bluetooth or a network pretty easily and quickly. When I was in Best Buy the other day I was just looking at the other tablets and I have no regrets. They are so bulky.
1. Weight
2. Weight
3. Weight
4. Weight
5. Weight
6. Weight
7. Weight
8. Weight
9. Weight
10. Weight
Too much bezel on other tablets
Lack of 3g a factor too.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using XDA App
Form factor and screen.
I have one that hasn't been mentioned...
I bought my tab two months ago at Best Buy. I have a Samsung Captivate, and the GPS has been, let's say, underwhelming. So I flipped on the GPS on the Toshiba Thrive. It was "searching for satellites" for a while, so I went over to the tab and did the same thing. Instantly locked in. I pulled up maps and looked at the satellite view, and it placed me inside the store. I went back to the Thrive, and it was still searching for satellites. Sold me right there.
I took the tab on a backpacking trip, and used the Maverick app to display USGS topos, and if we ever wanted to know where we were, I pulled out the tab, and got a lock within seconds. Plus watched some shows, read a book, did crosswords, etc. Great value for me.
Screen is way better than Asus Transformer and Acer Iconia. Weight. Didn't need any ports because I stream most all my content.. movies, music, etc from home network.
I can easily mount in my vehicle. Plus it must looks cooler than any of the other
tabs out. btw 8.9 was just released and now a 7 here soon. So portable.
Erusman
sparkyxda said:
Too much bezel on other tablets
Lack of 3g a factor too.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
too much? dont you mean too little... the Gtab10.1 has more than the xoom does...
my reasons were it was new...
amazing screen...
light weight
thin...
.torrented said:
too much? dont you mean too little... the Gtab10.1 has more than the xoom does...
my reasons were it was new...
amazing screen...
light weight
thin...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bezel on the Transformer, for instance, is enormous making it really long and difficult to hold.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using XDA App
Geekbabe said:
Form factor, the Tab is light & slim, the picture quality is marvelous & the build quality is superior
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he says.
Pretty much everything has been said already, it's light, it's thin, looks good, great screen. Already had the SGS2 so would of known this would be decent as well.
I'm not bothered that it doesn't have no sd card and such 16GB is ample for me, google music takes care of that!
7.7 looks fantastic though but ill skip that and wait for next get tablets due soon.