Database Users

Making the switch to xoom worth it?

So I've had the Tab (VZW) since Christmas, and for the most part I have been very happy with it, but when I got to play with the Xoom the other day I was really impressed. Anyways that got me thinking...
I bought the tab as well as the HDMI dock and cable and a folio case. Just wondering how much I could realistically get for the whole package. And if the improvements that the Xoom offers are worth it.
Anyone care to cast their opinions?
Thanks.

TBH...I'd hold out a bit yet. There are many more Honeycomb Tablets coming, and at what seems to be considerably less cost.
Many reports show Xoom owners less than satisfied. Seems there are alot of shortcomings not only with the Xoom (losing your Xoom for a week to upgrade to 4G, SD card slot inactive, overall bugginess, etc...google it) but also with the early bugginess of Honeycomb.
Would make sense to hold out for another month...and since you have already owned one of their devices, you should consider the Galaxy 10.1 or the 8.9 when they release...here's a post with some pros & cons.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=988950

Personally I can't compare a 7" device to a 10" device. Totally different use cases. If you just want an Android tablet to have around the house then the Xoom is probably the best one to get right now, but I'd hold off a little bit and see what the Samsung and LG and others are like. If I was in the market for a large format tablet then I'm liking the look of the 10.1 myself. Hopefully Samsung will enable GPU acceleration like they've done with the original Tab. Makes a difference when watching movies. Lack of sd card is a bit of a pisser though...

Agreed on the SD card...mebbe they'll show us something different on the 22nd announcement they have planned. Although, truly, only way 16gb wouldn't be enough is if I dump music or a bunch of movies onto it. The only device I have that has used more than 16gb of space is my Vibrant, I have most of my music on that. Takes up about 24gb (with external SD card).

Honestly I would hold off on any Motorola products right now. They are under MASSIVE attack from customers for various things that they found wrong with the Xoom and other newer devices and Motorola "appears" to be ignoring them.
http://www.androidincanada.ca/news/everyone-mad-at-moto/
http://www.androidcentral.com/moto-employee-confirms-locked-bootloaders-and-bad-attitude

The HTC Flyer looks very impressive. it makes me regret my laggy tab. It's UI is awesome, 1.5Ghz... but as per usual with ALL HTC's there have AWFUL battery life.. (4hrs opposed to out tabs with 7hrs)

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no ****. you gotta laugh when someone complains how tablet x is soooo much heavier than tablet y... and the difference is only 100 grams!

Anyone considering the Toshiba Thrive?

There's some info on Endgadget and the specs don't look too shabby, is anyone considering this machine?
Toshiba didn't exactly jump into the tablet market head first, but now that it's come clean with the Thrive, its first pad for the US market, it's wasting no time -- we just got some hands-on with the 10.1-inch, Android 3.1-powered slate -- which, by the by, is the first that we know of to sport a removable battery. It's also got a few more rarities: full-sized USB and HDMI ports and a full-sized SDHC / SDXC slot. Oh, and its $429 starting price ain't bad either. So was Toshiba's entry into the world of Android tablets worth the wait? Join us for a tour past the break, and decide for yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/toshiba-thrive-hands-on/

This does seem like a fully loaded device but I think compared to the portability of the Tab 10.1, it will soon become annoying. I think I'm going to stick with the Tab 10.1 and purchase the adapters for USB/HDMI. I'd only need to carry them on 5% of my journeys anyway.

Yes, I'm interested. 1.6 lbs is like the Ipad 1 tablet and the reviewer states that its really not that bad. Ports are important, and the user removable battery is a real plus. Thickness is a bummer, but over all, the tablet looks like a real contender

this WAS the 1 i really wanted but when i saw it had more bulk than my xoom i've decide to go with the 10.1, but i would take this over the xoom.

The location of the cameras is ODD. Seems like it would be difficult to hold and not obscure the cameras.

I like that you can change the battery but me personally I don't need all those ports. If I have to have all that I may as well get a laptop or netbook. Also I'm not keen on that chrome around the camera. It's petty but I also like looks when it comes to my devices

It just moved up to number one on my list just waiting to see what HTC comes out with with in a 10.1 tablet
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

No.
1. I hate that silver / chrome plate around the camera. It is too distracting, look cheap and ugly. I cannot stand it, period.
2. It is too bulky and heavy. I don't need all those ports, especially because I will use it rarely.
3. I don't need replaceable battery. From my experience, even after a year or two, the lithium battery is still good. And by that time, I have upgraded to a new device anyway. I know, it is a plus to have replaceable battery, but if it adds to the weight and bulkiness (because of the mechanic or whatnot), then I don't want it!
GTab 10.1 is still my number one choice ... IF I can buy one

I like what I've seen. I was following this for a few months, but scratched it off due to the Tab 10.1. Now I've written off the tab 10.1 I think, because it just leaks cheap. I'll reserve my final judgement until I see some reviews.
I'm sorta curious what the odds of being able to install Windows 8 on it might be. It appears to be the same exact design as one of Toshiba's upcoming Windows 8 tablets they showed at Computex, just with a different processor. I'm not excited about Tegra 2... but..... if it's really that bad, that is why they have return policies. A Dual boot Android / Windows 8 tablet might be a serious case of Winning!
Oh, I also am looking forward to see what HTC is bringing to the table as well. I don't want to count them out.

I am the one considering the Toshiba Thrive as well.
Yeah the Thrive is thick and heavy with the chrome camera and rubber back that sound odd, but the fact that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has no SD card and USB slot turns me off, it seems like Samsung is going to rip us off with accessories that I have seen in the youtube video shown in another thread, so Samsung learned styling and ways of money making from Apple huh?
Full size USB, HDMI and SD card port, plus attractive pricing and the Toshiba brand outweight the clumsy look. Hope XDA will have the Thrive forums soon.

bbeelzebub said:
Now I've written off the tab 10.1 I think, because it just leaks cheap. I'll reserve my final judgement until I see some reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely worth reserving your final judgement because the reviews that I have read all pretty much say how premium the quality of the 10.1 is compared to what they expected before they saw it in person. I didn't bookmark all the reviews I read so can't seem to find them all but Engadget wrote:
"It's a tremendous thing to hold, and it truly oozes quality from corner to corner".
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-review/
Personally, I don't think it looks that cheap but like you, I am also reserving my final judgement until I see it in the flesh.

No XDA forum - No buy!
It's very simple, I like the device and want to get one. But with no XDA forum (yet), I'll have to wait. I do like to try out custom rom's, etc., as well as the practical uses. Right now I have an LG G-Slate, and with no XDA forum I can't do anything (other than rooting). So, if one is interested in simply "using" a device, then the Thrive looks excellent except for its bulk. For those of us who want to do more - we'll need an XDA forum.

Looks like a cool tablet. Had it come out a month earlier, I might have bought it.
These guys releasing Honeycomb tablets in July, August, and September just feel like they are a bit late to the game.

Ravynmagi said:
Looks like a cool tablet. Had it come out a month earlier, I might have bought it.
These guys releasing Honeycomb tablets in July, August, and September just feel like they are a bit late to the game.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes total sense. So I take it you only buy your devices briefly after a new OS is introduced? How old is your Windows/Apple desktop/laptop?

akarol said:
That makes total sense. So I take it you only buy your devices briefly after a new OS is introduced? How old is your Windows/Apple desktop/laptop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With laptops/desktops, I can update the OS whenever I wish. I'm not dependent on the hardware manufacture to make a custom OS for my computer. So tablets are very different from a laptop or desktop. Though I do know people that do hold off laptop/desktop purchases if a new OS release is near, to avoid having to buy an upgraded OS later.
I love Android, but 3.0 and 3.1 have not been that good. It was a rush job and the source code was never even released. And hardware manufactures already proven they are very slow with major OS release updates. With the hope that Android 4.0 will unify the phone/tablet OS and includes major improvements to stability, compatibility, and fragmentation...
Personally I think there probably is a line in the sand somewhere where a person should ask themselves, do I really want to get into an Android 3.x tablet now with 4.0 coming soon?
I'm not sure I made a good decision getting my GT 10.1 back on June 17th (really nice hardware though). It is really going to suck if I'm still rocking Android 3.crap in 2012. Really hope that doesn't happen, but I have no idea.

Techno79 said:
This does seem like a fully loaded device but I think compared to the portability of the Tab 10.1, it will soon become annoying. I think I'm going to stick with the Tab 10.1 and purchase the adapters for USB/HDMI. I'd only need to carry them on 5% of my journeys anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree.
By looking at the photos, it seems as though the rear camera does not include a flash.

I went with the GT 10.1. LOL I got tired of waiting and I didn't like that the Toshiba doesn't have Gorilla Glass, is a lil' heavy and apparently just uses a regular LCD screen with some sort of software to make it crisper and brighter.... The GT has such a nice screen, I couldn't resist. It also feels so light in hand.
Still, different strokes for different folks. I'm sure the Toshiba has nice things about it too... like the ports. Still... I like weight of the GT sooooooo much.

I was seriously considering waiting for the thrive since its almost 100 bucks apart, you could get a 8g, plug in a 16g SD and in the end beat the 10.1 in memory.
But then I thought real hard about what I needed a tablet for. I have a NB at home and at workplace, and if I needed to do stuff that needed serious computing, I would choose the NB over any tablet even if it was quad-core.
The reason I need (or, want) a tablet is for portability, acccessibility to games, video, web surfing and data/email checking. I dont see how often I will cry over that lack of ports, if ever at all. and ports and price are probably the only things that toshiba has an edge over the 10.1. Once I decided that I really dont need the ports (especially you can get the usb dongle for $20 for the rare occasions that you need the port), it was a no brainer decision.
I would think that the Thrive buyers would have to use usb host a lot in order to feel better about the decision over 10.1. Otherwise, everytime you browse the web, watch videos, read papers, or play games on 10.1, it's just hard to think that there's a alternative attractive choice.

arnold88 said:
It's very simple, I like the device and want to get one. But with no XDA forum (yet), I'll have to wait. I do like to try out custom rom's, etc., as well as the practical uses. Right now I have an LG G-Slate, and with no XDA forum I can't do anything (other than rooting). So, if one is interested in simply "using" a device, then the Thrive looks excellent except for its bulk. For those of us who want to do more - we'll need an XDA forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a Thrive forum for you. Its not XDA but a good one never the less
http://www.thriveforums.org/forum/forum.php
If I just wanted to have a usb port or SD slot just once in a great while, than the Thrive is a winner. The comments that the thrive is clunky and heavy is way off base. Its been reported by reviewers that the weight is not heavy and feels good holding it. By the way, the Transformer 2 has been reported today to be coming out this October with Tegra 3, the new OS and goodness who knows what other upgrades. Some thing to consider as well

SR45 said:
Here is a Thrive forum for you. Its not XDA but a good one never the less
http://www.thriveforums.org/forum/forum.php
If I just wanted to have a usb port or SD slot just once in a great while, than the Thrive is a winner. The comments that the thrive is clunky and heavy is way off base. Its been reported by reviewers that the weight is not heavy and feels good holding it. By the way, the Transformer 2 has been reported today to be coming out this October with Tegra 3, the new OS and goodness who knows what other upgrades. Some thing to consider as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Thrive is 1.6 pounds. My Acer was 1.7 pounds, and it felt a lot heavier than my Tab 10.1
I can now surf the web with one hand, unlike the Acer. The Thrive will definitely feel heavier than the Tab 10.1
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

Xoom vs TF101 vs Galaxy 10.1 vs iPad2

Hey all,
Figured I'd pass on my opinions of these devices, and since I finally chose the TF, I figured I'd get the least flames posting here - lol. Looooong time gadget geek/hacker going way back to the Palm Pilot days. If it was a tech gadget, and particularly if it was internet capable, I probably owned one. My current phones are a HTC Desire Z (w/ NAM AT&T 3G) running CM7, and an iPhone 4 jailbroken.
Over the past couple of months I've owned (or still own) the Xoom, iPad 2, TF101 (w/dock) and GTab 10.1. I still own all but the Xoom, and here's a few of my thoughts on all of them and why I'll be keeping the TF.
Xoom - Well built, sturdy, and nice design. Lousy screen (comparitively) and lack of promised features like LTE and the SD Card werre a bummer, but my biggest reason for selling that one was the screen, and seeming lack of "responsiveness" from Moto on the device. Plus I knew cooler devices were coming soon.
iPad 2 - Not yet Jailbroken (grrr) but it's still a suprisingly good media consumption device as is. I go the 32GB AT&T model, and have used it for a couple of trips as a laptop replacement. It'll be cooler when I can JB it, but since I have a fiarly big investment in iOS software, I'll probably keep it a while. Not real impressed with it's Safari performance, considering all the hub-bub about how fast it is. But it does do games great, is slick and trouble free, and nice sized with a great (smart-cover) solution.
Galaxy Tab 10.1 - I got this one on Sunday, so I haven't given it a whole lot of time. It's a beautiful, "Apple like" device from a design perspective. Also the screen while very saturated, is very nice, light weight and thinness also gets it lots of oooohs and aaawwwws from everybody. I hate that Samsung doesn't allow direct mounting of the internal storage, and we're forced to use that awful KIES software. I've just been using Drobbox and all my music is in the Google cloud. This one would have been my second choice if I didn't already have (and love) the...
Transformer 101- now this one is my keeper. A lot has to do wth the dock - I'm an "ultraportable" laptop fan (current Lenovo x220) so I like smaller laptops, and man this thing makes a damn good laptop substitute with tablet caapabilities. The screen is gorgeous, the responsiveness of the OS is equal to or better than the other Androids, and even beats iPad when Safari is sucking wind. I love the quick controls in the browser (missing in the Tab) and that it feels like there's a really robust community developing for this device. I'm not rooted on any of these yet, and actually pretty content like that. Therre's a few things I'd do with root (and anti ad hosts file for one!) but for the most part I'm ok with them as is. When I start to get bored I'll probably root this too.
I sold the Xoom about a month aftr I bought it, I'll keep the iPad (partly for the fun things to try like iOS 5 and it's great for kids to play games on) but the Tab is going back to BB (restocking fee be damned.
I just really like the versatility of the TF w/dock. I have it paired with a small BT mouse and it's like a pretty full featured laptop, that goes into Tablet mode at the flick of a switch. Still on the hunt for the slimmest folio case for it that allows it to be propped up for typing, but the kybd dock does that for now.
Hope these tips help some people interested in any of these, remember their just mmy opinions and everybody has different needs and required attributes that may differ from mine. Either way their all fun.
If anybody has any question about my experiences, fire away, love to chat gadget talk abou the cool toys.
-Joel

well played!

Shouldnt be a restocking fee witjin 14 days. I returned a tab a few weeks ago to wait for tf no issues
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

gottahavit said:
Shouldnt be a restocking fee witjin 14 days. I returned a tab a few weeks ago to wait for tf no issues
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know thaks, I'll push and see what they say, thanks for the heads up!

Good Post. Thanks.
Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt.

I quite agree with you.
From all these devices i tried the iPad 2 and the ASUS transformer.
Im already acquainted with iOS and although its simple and intuitive it's kind of boring. im quite into personalizing my device which the iOs wont really allow.
The bigger and wide screen on the transformer is really nice, and although build-wise it may seems "cheaper" then the iPad (everything that is not shiny-aluminum-ultra-appleish is cheap nowdays) its a comfortable device to hold in the hand.
Price-wise the transformer costs less, + the keyboard dock which increases battery life and also allows you to use it as a netbook.
Performance seems to be almost identical on both A5 and the Tegra 2. BUT the transformer is overclockable, therefore you can squeeze some more juice out of it.
I didnt use the other two, but by reviews i understood that the xooms screen is washed out and not all that great, and the lack of a MicroSD on all of the three (xoom,iPad,GT10.1) is meh-ish.

just picked up mine last night after doing a lil bit of reseasch for a week or so glad i chose this one,, love you wife she bought for me.. BAMBAM

good...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Thanks for the comparison.
Regarding TF and Tab 10.1 screens, which do you prefer? Which is nicer for news/e-book reading? Does Tab 10.1 oversaturation mess with your eyes?

a042349 said:
I hate that Samsung doesn't allow direct mounting of the internal storage, and we're forced to use that awful KIES software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't agree with this point. I had the Tab 10.1 for about 3-4 days and I had it mounted on my PC as a plug-play device and was able to transfer files directly. All your need is to install the proper USB drivers from the Samsung US site

myself11 said:
Thanks for the comparison.
Regarding TF and Tab 10.1 screens, which do you prefer? Which is nicer for news/e-book reading? Does Tab 10.1 oversaturation mess with your eyes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it does. Although the Galaxy screen seems better than the TF , its for sure over saturated and hurts your eyes if watched closely for lot of time.

Srikar_NBK said:
Don't agree with this point. I had the Tab 10.1 for about 3-4 days and I had it mounted on my PC as a plug-play device and was able to transfer files directly. All your need is to install the proper USB drivers from the Samsung US site
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you could be right. I'm just so happy with the flexibility of the TF that for now (and for now could be 1-3 months lol) it's the one I'm choosing. IAs I stressed, this is just my humble opinion, hope everybody is happy with their respective choices.

glad to see that are still people who can choose between products without trashing another.
i'm stlll not sure if i'll send my tf back. i do like the versatility it has but seeing that i am keeping my gt 10.1 it's really hard to justify keeping it.

I don't think the keyboard dock can be stressed enough, and I wish I saw more advertising from Asus around the tremendous increase in productivity it provides. It's really not "just" an external keyboard or dock. It really does turn the TF into a completely different class of machine.
That said, I'll admit that if it weren't for the dock, I'd probably opt for the GT 10.1. I don't really use the microSD card I have in my TF right now, and I doubt I'll ever use HDMI. So if choosing between the two on the screen, size and weight alone, I'd probably lean toward the GT. However, man, the keyboard dock makes me want to stick with the TF no matter what else might be out there. As someone who needs to be able to write long-form stuff anywhere, I can't think of a better device than the TF...
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

i'd have to suppose the lack of advertising is one major factor for the price of the tablet. moto, apple, samsung all have commercials yet i've not seen one asus commercial, not even for their laptops.

To each his own I guess. I played with them all as well including the acer and viewsonic and kept the wifi Xoom. I really wanted to like the Asus because of price but it was just as bulky as my xoom and had serious build quality issues. The Asus screen was great, the quality around the screen, not so much. Enjoy your new toy dude. Aint technology fun
The only one I haven't played with is the tab 10.1, I secretly want one but Samsung and I have bad history.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

wynand32 said:
That said, I'll admit that if it weren't for the dock, I'd probably opt for the GT 10.1. I don't really use the microSD card I have in my TF right now, and I doubt I'll ever use HDMI. So if choosing between the two on the screen, size and weight alone, I'd probably lean toward the GT. However, man, the keyboard dock makes me want to stick with the TF no matter what else might be out there. As someone who needs to be able to write long-form stuff anywhere, I can't think of a better device than the TF...
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This!
The dock is the absolute biggest reason for my choice. With my BT mouse (dislike trackpads) I feel like I'm using a real computer, with 16hr batter life and tablet flexibility. Love the shape, size and design of both the iPad and Tab 10.1, but just love the flexibility of the keybd dock too much - at least for the next 90 days or so. ;-)

a042349 said:
This!
The dock is the absolute biggest reason for my choice. With my BT mouse (dislike trackpads) I feel like I'm using a real computer, with 16hr batter life and tablet flexibility. Love the shape, size and design of both the iPad and Tab 10.1, but just love the flexibility of the keybd dock too much - at least for the next 90 days or so. ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know about the 90 day shelf life all too well
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

wynand32 said:
I don't think the keyboard dock can be stressed enough, and I wish I saw more advertising from Asus around the tremendous increase in productivity it provides. It's really not "just" an external keyboard or dock. It really does turn the TF into a completely different class of machine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Not just a different class of machine, but two machines!

My 2 Bitz
Ok, I'm a little late to the game... but if anyone buys one of these tablets second hand.... like I just did, then here goes nothing: I bought a Motorola XOOM wifi (32gb) and an Asus TF101 (16gb) (and I nearly bought a Galaxy Tab 1 and an iPad Gen. 1). It's my first tablet; I haven't yet figured out what I'm gonna do with it, but there ya go.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 1: I passed on the Sammy because it did not have an SD card slot.
iPad Gen. 1: I passed on the iPad because.... well, it's an iPad. About as useful as a maxi-pad to me. I was put off by the closed system. It means far less choices for free or hard-to-get apps (of the kind I might need), and limited storage with no SD card options. It wouldn't do, even for a kid's tablet. (Despite the fact I have an iPhone....).
Asus Transformer Eee Pad TF101: I really wish they would have stuck to one name, and left it at that. What was the original name? The "Asus Transormer Mario Consuela Maria Concito Esperanto Gonzalez Eeee Pad TF-101"?
Motorola Xoom: Anyway, it came down to Asus and the Xoom. And boy, I had a hard time deciding. So hard, I spent 3 days of my life testing these two tablets, up, down, backwards and forwards. I ended up settling on the Xoom, but first, the Asus....
The Asus has a gorgeous screen, compared to the Xoom. The TF101 is sharper, more clarity, brighter, blacks and whites are more darker and brighter, respectively. Better contrast and angle viewing, and reading books is less of a strain with a more muted white for the background.
THe sound of the Asus however, is like slamming a suitcase lid down on twelve kittens while Freddy Krueger scratches his name out on the chalkboard. It's the ridiculous choice of stuffing really tiny speakers so they can fire out both sides of the unit. Even EQ'ing the thing with Viper4FX could not hide the tinny shortcomings of the speaker sound. Which also had a tendency to break up at louder volumes (its particularly keen to distorting around 500hz). Connected to a stereo though, was quite another matter.
Though much less bass, richness and body, the Asus resolved timbre better than the Xoom on music program material, output through a stereo via headphone jacks. However, I still preferred the sound of the XOoms (yes, "Xooms" as in I had TWO Xooms to compare), because the Asus was causing some degree of stress through its sound and picture, as compared with the calmer energy of the Xooms.
The construction of the Asus was nice in parts (ie. color, back design, aluminum frame)... but the superb construction, design, looks, case and smaller size of the Xooms is what pushed me toward the Motorola choice. I have not seen any tablet as well built as the Xoom. The Xoom has a timeless design and hough it is heavy on the wrist if you have to hold it up, it just feels nicer in the hand than the ultra-wide Transformer; which appears more dated due to its size and design. The really nice charging dock and 32gb internal (vs 16gb of Asus) also helped me accept the inferior colors and viewing angle of the Xoom. I also liked the nice design of the various white & green charging LEDs, around the screen of the Xoom - the Asus has none of that. I was not enamored by the fact that Asus required special prorpietary data cables, where the Xoom uses microUSB. What also pushed me toward the Xoom was the mediocre camera in the Asus. No flash and grainy photos (though it let in an unusual amount of light, despite or because of no flash... but it was too much light, and washed out detail at times). The Xoom 5mp camera was excellent... perhaps better than that on my iPhone. I like the idea of snapping pictures on a tablet, because of the large viewfinder.
I'm kind of a stickler when it comes to design. On pure performance and lightness of weight, the Asus wins. But you might not feel like a winner, trying to listen to vidoes and music on those tinny built in speakers for extended periods of time.
My wife has a Samsung Tab 4, and comparing it with the Asus, I don't find the Tab 4 any much better in any way, and in some ways, not as a good (it has a cheaper build, for example).