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honeycomb has some ui glitches when running on our nooks, but honeycomb 3.2 is optimized for 7in screens, so if somebody were to make a honeycomb 3.2 rom for the nook, would that fix the ui glitches
Honeycomb 3.2 is still just a rumor. Granted Acer made the comment about it, but even when it comes out, we still wont have the source code until Google releases it. Our main problem is the display drivers we have for the nook don't support the lancher app in Honeycomb. Since the nook is using older technology, unless new drivers are made/released we'll need to find our own workarounds or continue to use software rendering for the UI.
Tapple said:
Honeycomb 3.2 is still just a rumor.
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Not according to this it's not: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/huawei-mediapad-revealed-worlds-first-7-inch-android-3-2-table/
It's here folks -- the planet's first Android 3.2 tablet. Huawei just introduced a downright luscious new slate over in Singapore, with CommunicAsia being the launchpad for the 7-inch MediaPad. It's the first high-profile 7-inch tablet we've seen in quite some time, and somehow or another, it's managed to leapfrog most of the currently shipping Honeycomb tablets with a build of Android we've only ever joked about. Huawei tells us that Honeycomb 3.2 is essentially the same as 3.1, but specifically tailored to 7-inch tablets as opposed to 10-inch. Packed within the MediaPad's 10.5mm shell, there's a 217 pixels-per-inch IPS capacitive touchpanel, GPS, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, 802.11n WiFi, a battery good for around six hours of life and a bona fide racehorse as a processor: a dual-core 1.2GHz chip from Qualcomm. If all goes well, it'll ship in the United States in Q3 2011.
It's a fair bit chunkier than the newfangled Galaxy Tab 10.1 (8.6mm), but still slimmer than the original Tab, which clocked in at 11.98mm. It weighs in at 390g (0.86 pounds), supports full 1080p playback, includes HSPA+ (14.4Mbps) 3G support, offers 8GB of internal storage (as well as a microSD slot) and comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Twitter, Let's Golf and Documents To Go. There's also a Bluetooth module, an HDMI output for catching those high-def flicks on the go, and the Flash 10.3 player ensures that those websites won't be a problem. Unfortunately, the company's left a great deal to the imagination -- like pricing, which is being "sorted with retail partners and providers" -- and all we've got for system RAM is a promise that it's "working with partners on specifics." Oddly enough, the company has "no current plans" to produce a WiFi-only model, which definitely puts a damper on those who aren't interested in ponying for carrier data. You can bet we'll be digging for more, but even with the surrounding mystery, calling us "excited" would be a severe understatement.
Update: There's a demo vid just after the break, and the first eyes-on shots have emerged from the conference.
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yerand said:
honeycomb has some ui glitches when running on our nooks, but honeycomb 3.2 is optimized for 7in screens, so if somebody were to make a honeycomb 3.2 rom for the nook, would that fix the ui glitches
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Deeper blue may have more insight into 3.1, but working on 3.01, screen size never even appeared to be an issue. Our issues have always been with the drivers and properly compiling the OS for our hardware. Frankly, i have no doubt that if we had AOSP 3.0/3.1, we would have had something nearly as smooth as CM7 right now in no time....
Divine_Madcat said:
Deeper blue may have more insight into 3.1, but working on 3.01, screen size never even appeared to be an issue. Our issues have always been with the drivers and properly compiling the OS for our hardware. Frankly, i have no doubt that if we had AOSP 3.0/3.1, we would have had something nearly as smooth as CM7 right now in no time....
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The problem is, I fear we won't see the source for a long time to come.
I Am Marino said:
The problem is, I fear we won't see the source for a long time to come.
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Once the time has come for the source to drop we shall all have moved on to newer, better, cheaper tablets and our Nooks will sit alone on bar stools and drink heavily and cry, just cry. While remembering their former days of glory, when geeks of all ages would gawk and stare in amazement at what the $250 tablet could accomplish, the golden days, our Nooks will toast & reminisce... Glory, Glory, Glory!!!! Remember the humble Nook Color and weep!
joenathane said:
Once the time has come for the source to drop we shall all have moved on to newer, better, cheaper tablets and our Nooks will sit alone on bar stools and drink heavily and cry, just cry. While remembering their former days of glory, when geeks of all ages would gawk and stare in amazement at what the $250 tablet could accomplish, the golden days, our Nooks will toast & reminisce... Glory, Glory, Glory!!!! Remember the humble Nook Color and weep!
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Being supported by a "major" ROM like Cyanogenmod I bet we will get a couple Android versions out of this device.
I just wish the NC development scene would explode so even in the next year or so, the NC won't be forgotten. Considering it's only really CM, Phiremod, HC test builds, and some 1.2 builds, I'm not excited for the future of NC development.
I Am Marino said:
I just wish the NC development scene would explode so even in the next year or so, the NC won't be forgotten. Considering it's only really CM, Phiremod, HC test builds, and some 1.2 builds, I'm not excited for the future of NC development.
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Speak for yourself, CM7 with Tablet Tweaks is amazing. I dont need 10 different roms with ugly themes on them, i just need 1 solid rom thats customizable and thats what the Nook offers. If you are looking for something to flash a new rom for every night out of bordem, look to the Evo 4G forum, they flash for flashing sake.
quepaso said:
Speak for yourself, CM7 with Tablet Tweaks is amazing. I dont need 10 different roms with ugly themes on them, i just need 1 solid rom thats customizable and thats what the Nook offers. If you are looking for something to flash a new rom for every night out of bordem, look to the Evo 4G forum, they flash for flashing sake.
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I have an Incredible and I stick with CM7 nightlies on it too, the point I was trying to make is that even if it's 10 different roms with "ugly themes" it's still development, it's still interest, it's variety.
CM7 with tablet tweaks is undoubtedly a brilliant success, and I'm infinitely grateful for the efforts of the CM team, and Murdock. Phiremod is also brilliant, and has proven incredibly serviceable for me.
However, I'll say that I am still anxious to get a working build of Honeycomb. I hope DB, Divine_Madcat, et al won't see this as a criticism of their work, because I genuinely appreciate all the efforts that have been put in thus far - I'd just like to be able to have it at a DD state.
At that point, I think I'd settle.
For some reason it seems the Nook Color Community is dying out. When I got my Nook around March, there were at least 2 new threads in the dev section everyday. Now, it's lucky to get a new ROM in a month. And yet still, devices that are older get new stuff faster than us. So I highly doubt we will get Honeycomb that fast, even with the source.
arrjaytea said:
However, I'll say that I am still anxious to get a working build of Honeycomb. I hope DB, Divine_Madcat, et al won't see this as a criticism of their work, because I genuinely appreciate all the efforts that have been put in thus far - I'd just like to be able to have it at a DD state.
At that point, I think I'd settle.
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Well, you certainly won't offend me. As it is, i wish i had the ability to make the SDK build more than it is; but I have hit my roadblocks. Our next big project will be ICS, since we should have the source for that, and with the lessons learned from CM7, make it into a daily use product fairly quickly. As we go one, we will see our hardware becoming more dated, but sadly, that happens to the best of us.
ikingblack said:
For some reason it seems the Nook Color Community is dying out. When I got my Nook around March, there were at least 2 new threads in the dev section everyday. Now, it's lucky to get a new ROM in a month. And yet still, devices that are older get new stuff faster than us. So I highly doubt we will get Honeycomb that fast, even with the source.
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Look, im sorry, but i am going to be blunt; just because we aren't getting a million "me too!" roms, does not mean we are dying out. If anything, we are ramping up as CM7 gets more and more polished. i mean, in just the last week, USB host support got released for the nook, adding in a second hardware feature officially unlocked. Dalingrin, Fattire, nemith verygreen, and others, have been tirelessly working on our device, and that doesn't show signs of stopping.
As it is, we have gone from a basic ereader, to:
a fully fledged tablet running Android 2.3, overclocked to 1.2-1.3Ghz, with hidden bluetooth and USB host enabled, and dev support that has not faltered since Nov. I would not trade our dev group for any other out there.
Divine_Madcat said:
Look, im sorry, but i am going to be blunt; just because we aren't getting a million "me too!" roms, does not mean we are dying out. If anything, we are ramping up as CM7 gets more and more polished. i mean, in just the last week, USB host support got released for the nook, adding in a second hardware feature officially unlocked. Dalingrin, Fattire, nemith verygreen, and others, have been tirelessly working on our device, and that doesn't show signs of stopping.
As it is, we have gone from a basic ereader, to:
a fully fledged tablet running Android 2.3, overclocked to 1.2-1.3Ghz, with hidden bluetooth and USB host enabled, and dev support that has not faltered since Nov. I would not trade our dev group for any other out there.
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Thank you! Isn't it quality that we want over quantity? I'd much rather have 1 GOOD implementation of an OS than 20 bad ones. CM7 is amazing, the work that Divine_Madcat and deeperblue did with HC is rather remarkable considering how little they had to work with.
It's kind of like a free market economy: those that are successful will float to the top, and that's what's happened in this dev community. The good ROMs have definitely stuck around, and the questionable ones didn't. That doesn't mean the community is on its death bed, it just means that the community is maturing. That's a very good thing, IMO.
Yeah, here's another small article on that 7" Android 3.2 tablet. I agree that it'd be wonderful if this could be brought over to the Nook Color, whether it's built from source (ideal scenario) or "ported" from an existing build as with the current Honeycomb builds for the NC. Just the fact that everything is tuned for the exact size screen we have is huge!
SCWells72 said:
Yeah, here's another small article on that 7" Android 3.2 tablet. I agree that it'd be wonderful if this could be brought over to the Nook Color, whether it's built from source (ideal scenario) or "ported" from an existing build as with the current Honeycomb builds for the NC. Just the fact that everything is tuned for the exact size screen we have is huge!
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Sadly, i don't see it helping too much. The build from that device MIGHT help get rid of the 120DPI limitation, but that is about it.
Now, if somebody were to release a HC tablet built on the Omap 3630, we would be much closer to business...
Divine_Madcat said:
Sadly, i don't see it helping too much. The build from that device MIGHT help get rid of the 120DPI limitation, but that is about it.
Now, if somebody were to release a HC tablet built on the Omap 3630, we would be much closer to business...
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Like the phone market, if someone released a low budget HC tablet running a single core. Don't see it happening though.
There are three things that excite me about this Android 3.2 tablet:
1. Honeycomb being changed for a 7 inch screen. I always thought Honeycomb was too much for 7 inches (without going to an insane low DPI). I would love to know what tweaks they made.
2. Unless I missed something this is the first Honeycomb tablet that is not Tegra. That hopefully means the days of Honeycomb apps being Tegra only in many cases is coming to an end. Since Chainfire doesn't work on Honeycomb it would be nice if the app developers did away with the Tegra requirement voluntarily.
3. I am excited that the above two improvements will surely be baked into ICS from the start, meaning that once we DO get the source for Android tablets, we will be able to have a version made for a 7 inch screen.
As far as getting before ICS? Well to me it seems like Honeycomb 3.2 is to Huawei what Honeycomb 3.0 was to Motorola- an OS they get first as reward for being such good Android vendors (read $$$).
It will be winter before we know it, then we get the source for all this cool stuff. Google's gotta pay for that Honeycomb development first...
ikingblack said:
For some reason it seems the Nook Color Community is dying out. When I got my Nook around March, there were at least 2 new threads in the dev section everyday.
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I think there are two reasons for that. One is the release of Cyanogenmod stable, the other is Google announcing that they will not release the source code for Honeycomb. CM covers that basics pretty well, and the lack of HC source makes it difficult to explore the cutting edge.
I think that Cyanogenmod will eventually release a ROM for the Nook Color based on Ice Cream Sandwich, when (or if) Google decides to release the source code for that. The ICS source code may revive the rest of the Nook Color development community as well by making it easier to put out cutting edge ROMs.
"ICS by the end of the year" could mean Cyanogenmod and others won't get their hands on the source code until December 31. What I find unsettling about this situation is that right now the manufacturers of new tablets have to crawl on their hands and knees to Google in order to release a Honeycomb tablet. Once Google gets used to having that power and control, will they ever go back to the old, more open way again?
While I do NOT want to wait 'til December for Google to get its act together, the current state of CM does a lot for my patience. I'll use a gadget for as long as it's useful to me. The Palm IIIx still gets used every day, the NC may be no different.
ICE CREAM!
is anyone else excited to have ICS (ice cream sandwich) on their xoom?
maybe then will we get some more rom development (props to team tiamat for pwning motorola so far!)
just thought id get the conversation going
Sadly i still don't have the 3.2 update but excited for the ice cream sandwhich? Sure Why not =P
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
All for one and one OS for all is what I say!
Majin101 said:
Sadly i still don't have the 3.2 update but excited for the ice cream sandwhich? Sure Why not =P
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
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You should be excited! From 3.1 to 3.2 is not too much of a huge changelog. Main updates included the zoom feature, and the SD card read but not write. Now, from 3.2 to the alleged 4.0 ICS... that's another story! That's a HUGE update in terms of software development. So much will be added and improved... it's the real update to look forward to, especially since ICS will unite the phone and tablet into one super high quality OS that both will share and work together with. That makes compatibility issues much less complicated. All for one and one OS for all!
I for one, am super excited for ice cream!
i just hope it allows data sharing between the same directories. Like, if I play a game for a bit on my tablet, it updates my phone with my progress.
patass said:
i just hope it allows data sharing between the same directories. Like, if I play a game for a bit on my tablet, it updates my phone with my progress.
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The ability to store settings and data on the cloud was actually added in Android 2.2, few developers use it, unfortunately.
(In fairness the API is kind of wretched)
I gave up on expecting an update for the xoom
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Android's strength was that of fragmentation - different phones coming in different sizes with different hardware.
However this is also Android's weakness as developers have to test on a larger number of devices (and we all know it's financially impossible to own all devices).
With ICS this should level the playing field with Apple - we should then see some new apps coming in for the tabs (and phones!).
patass said:
i just hope it allows data sharing between the same directories. Like, if I play a game for a bit on my tablet, it updates my phone with my progress.
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ZanshinG1 said:
The ability to store settings and data on the cloud was actually added in Android 2.2, few developers use it, unfortunately.
(In fairness the API is kind of wretched)
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I am sure I read Rovio of angry Birds fame was trying to get some sort of save-data-in-the-cloud style transfer between devices...
Gorship said:
ICE CREAM!
is anyone else excited to have ICS (ice cream sandwich) on their xoom?
maybe then will we get some more rom development (props to team tiamat for pwning motorola so far!)
just thought id get the conversation going
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Wait.... so is the XOOM going to get ICS? like OTA?
Lothaen said:
I am sure I read Rovio of angry Birds fame was trying to get some sort of save-data-in-the-cloud style transfer between devices...
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That would be a welcome addition. Using Titanium to sync my progress is kinda bulky.
burden010 said:
That would be a welcome addition. Using Titanium to sync my progress is kinda bulky.
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Yes it would indeed!
phone <-> tablet is a pain
Chubby_Skunk said:
Wait.... so is the XOOM going to get ICS? like OTA?
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We hope so - it was demo'd on a Xoom for I/O so I imagine it will - they'll probably be a 'Nexus' type device or other GED out for it - but Xoom will probably get it second (US Xoom).
Yeah i wish the could idea would work for game saves i HATE that i have to root just to get my save files to back them up in case anything happens. And i pray with ICS read and write is enabled for the SD card.
Just-in-time said:
Yeah i wish the could idea would work for game saves i HATE that i have to root just to get my save files to back them up in case anything happens. And i pray with ICS read and write is enabled for the SD card.
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they should introduce an sdcard/gamesave/ directory or something and have all gamesaves copied into that folder...
Lothaen said:
they should introduce an sdcard/gamesave/ directory or something and have all gamesaves copied into that folder...
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That would be a bad idea because it would extremely limited where games can save data, and encryption would be more difficult. Plus old games would have to be updated
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
the interesting thing is; they are compiting with the apple (according to me apple is compiting with them but still, as compainies it is the goal), and i believe this is why apple and android have the same date of releasing the ew sowtfare; the 4th quarter of 2011..
however apple has introduced the software, the new videos and betas are everywhere but there is no sign of ice cream sandwich yet.. this is risky because since we have no referance point to set our dreams we can dream whatever we want and this leads us to dissappointment in the end because there is no way to guess what they are doing..
so, i guess i am ready for a dissappointment and being suprised at the same time.. i have high hopes for ICS but i am trying to accept my device with honeycomb already and telling myself i did not buy it for ICS..
really, i have been asking to myself; "what kind of software are we dreaming of"? there are android devices with 600 mhz qualcomm cpus and quadcore devices are on the way.. how can they share the same software? there is only one example for that in the history; apple again.. apple updated the iphone 3g last time but they did not put multitasking and menu background due to the performance limitations..
and the other question is; "what kind of changes are coming for us"? android users are more professionals generally, but still i want some UI improvements.. i do not like my app icons are forced to be close only in the middle of the screen.. i want a menu which gives me the impression of wideness, so i will not feel i am drowning in the screen..
>but there is no sign of ice cream sandwich yet..
I skimmed through the 51-min I/O presentation to glean the major upcoming features of Android. The big thing are cloud features (video & music everywhere) which are rolling out independent of the OS. Even for cloud fans, these aren't a big deal, since similar options are available elsewhere. Mentioned in passing was an app-abstraction layer so apps can run seamlessly on any form factor. A "mini-big" deal, but already assumed since ICS is supposed to unify different screen sizes.
The Open Accessory initiative could be a big deal, but again that's not tied to the OS. I looked up "android open accessory" for 3rd-party announcements, and there were zip. The safe bet is if anything were to happen on this front, it'll be next year. Hopefully, it'll fare better than the GoogleTV effort. Logitech is learning the hard way that not all is golden in Android land.
The pie-in-the-sky stuff shown is the @Home initiative (I'm wondering if they had to pay AT&T to license that moniker, since [email protected] was acquired by Ma Bell a while back). It's the old Internet-appliance spiel rehashed and reclothed to Android skin. Judging from the applause level, most peeps in the audience were about as excited as I was.
So, the conservative projection (always a good idea) is that ICS will be what it was announced to be, one OS for all form factors. As explicitly mentioned, it will have the same hologram motif as the present HC, only that now your smartphone can run it as well. Any additional functionality beyond this will likely be minor, else it would've been mentioned. If you're wondering what's "minor," take as a benchmark that cam headtracking made the fit-to-be-announced cut.
Personally, the magic words I was looking for were "peripheral support," or "device support." MIA. I know, kinda boring. I like boring stuff, like using my scanners and printers and cams.
Anyway, I'm happy that 3.2 is out and about at least. That'll allow the 7" toys to show up this year, which is my preferred size. Looking forward to Sept to see what Win8 will have up its sleeve.
Oops, I left out one big feature for ICS, probably the biggest: unlike HC, it will be open-sourced.
Now, I'm sure ROM'ers will all rejoice, and I'm rooting (get it?) on CM8. But my biggest cheers are reserved for those poor bereft Shenzhen souls left out in the cold. YES! THERE'LL BE CRAPPY EL-CHEAPOLA ICS TABLETS AT LAST! ahahaah lemme check DealExtreme again..
e.mote said:
Oops, I left out one big feature for ICS, probably the biggest: unlike HC, it will be open-sourced.
Now, I'm sure ROM'ers will all rejoice, and I'm rooting (get it?) on CM8. But my biggest cheers are reserved for those poor bereft Shenzhen souls left out in the cold. YES! THERE'LL BE CRAPPY EL-CHEAPOLA ICS TABLETS AT LAST! ahahaah lemme check DealExtreme again..
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lol
I love my atrix despite its quirky flaws. I love the size, the pentile screen (even though Im told Im not suppose to like the screen), the battery life, etc.
I just feel like the software side has not lived up to the hardware. My opinion is Alien4 has been the only good OS/ROM released yet. Everything about the current software feels like a tradeoff. ex. you can run this fast beta but theres 10 issues. You can run this kernel but there these issues, etc. While I appreciate the work of devs, time doesnt seem to be on this devices side. The CM7 betas/nightlies/weekly's while good to see for enthusiasts are still not very good for daily runners for heavy users who value stability. I guess I don't subscribe to the 'every release of CM7 is perfect for me so you must be doing something wrong...'. I mean look how long developmental is taking on CM7. Does anyone see this effort being put into CM9?
I guess my point is what do you see being the high water mark of Rom releases after its all said and done? Will development continue for years? Is Atrix an officially recognized CM phone and enjoy the fruits of that?
My guess we will see a final CM7 release. a very early CM9/ICS alpha, a few more GB based roms and updates, and most devs will move on within the next 6 months. My gut tells me many serious devs have moved on.
Same here, I'm thinking of moving on to the HTC Sensation
Sent from my Atrix 4G
Like I said in other threads, I'm samsung galaxy lines all the way from this point. The development community on them is insane.
Motorola was dicks with their bootloaders and the atrix was the first american dual core, 1 gb ram phone. I think that stop the atrix more so than started it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
I wouldn't move on to a marginally better phone such as the Sensation. A friend of mine has it and the performance difference is negligible.
I think people are looking for something that isn't there. A hunger for something more for their phones, to quantify 'what' they're looking for is vague at best.
What people DO see is a phone with powerful hardware and potential not fully realized, and with that dissatisfaction, the desire to change devices arises.
If nvidia decides to release binaries and possibly source for their tegra architecture, I think that developers who stuck around despite the locked bootloader, despite the pain-in-the-ass hardware Motorola put into this device, could do a lot more with this phone.
If nvidia renders ICS an impossibility for such a capable device, I will be joining in the nvidia boycott. They have pulled out a lot of stops to make this device difficult to develop for, and there is no reason for it.
The developers who 'moved on' moved on when the bootloader was locked. We have a small, very devoted community of developers and despite its size, it is my favorite dev community for any device at the moment. Coming from HTC devices, releases for the Atrix are reliable and consistent. I spend a lot less time concerning myself with 'will it boot?'.
That being said, until more software is released that takes advantage and optimizes this sort of hardware, there truly isn't a need to upgrade or change. We're seeing companies pump out more hardware than they can keep up with on the software end because people are stupid enough to buy into it. They keep making money, so why not keep the software development ****ty? No one can seem to tell the difference.
Concerning CM7/CM9: The effort put into CM7 will pave the way for CM9, if nvidia cooperates.
Ah I do have to disagree with you on the locked bootloader issue, it's unlockable with a hack, secondly you shouldn't blame nvidia for missing drivers but instead motorola. It is very true that sources for tegra would greatly improve developing, but actually nvidia updates its drivers quite regularly and besides all the tegra2 tablets will get ics eventually, so one can use those drivers for the atrix too. The bigger problem is that motorola probably won't release ics for the atrix, which would in turn make developing way easier ( assuming they release the sources with it). But ye the phone has great features, and there isn't really any phone with as revolutionary specs in regards to the atrix as the atrix was to the other phones when it was released (most high end are 1.2ghz dualcore with 1gb ram and similar display res/size, even 9 months after the release of the atrix you get at best 20% better specs). So yes hopefully with cm9 on the phone it will be still very useful.
I am making this sticky thread to allow discussion of all other tablets and theie comparison to the Xoom. Feel free to discuss thoughts on upgrading, specs, and value of swapping. Please respect other members and their opinions. Flaming is against forum rules so again please be respectful.
Thanks
FNM
well as i just ordered my Xoom yesterday and it should be at my house this afternoon, and since it is my first tablet, i will say that i did a lot of research (no hands on though) on a few tablets before i decided to get the Xoom.
what i like about it is its history as being the first tablet with Honeycomb and one of the first to get ICS. And now will be one of the first to get JB so a big plus is the support for the device. Couple that with Google's purchase of Motorola and it seems like a match made in heaven
i know there are smaller, thinner, lighter tablets out there, but for the price and specs, its more than i need and i am sure i will be very happy with it
I'll take this opportunity to say that imho, the OG Xoom on team EOS ROM is still the best tablet currently available. It will be even better once it has been updated to Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) later in July.
I have been hankering for a new toy and have been looking at the Nexus 7, in part because I know that team EOS is going to be developing for it. But I'm wondering if I'll really be happy with it, seeing as it is missing some important features (especially no sdcard slot). 7 inch form factor is really nice for reading and gaming. It's easy to carry around too, but I have no problems carrying my Xoom in my backpack. I'm not sure about getting it yet, but no matter, it certainly won't replace my Xoom.
I am kind of interested in the Transformer Infinity when it comes out, again because Team EOS may develop for it, but it's not a nexus tablet... Then, there may be a 10 inch nexus tablet coming out later in the year. What to do?
I think the XOOM is one hell of an excellent device that would last me for a few more years. Has great people backing it up and making this tablet one of the best for the long run. To be exactly honest I was never in the tablet market, but by chance I had $400 AUD left over from my HTPC build so I decided to spend it on the XOOM. Probably one of the best choices I had done, but also another problem I don't use my tablet all that often, since there is no need. I'm always in front of a computer or laptop so my tablet just sits there. But I'm trying to use it for other things, such as reading eBooks and mangas. Though I just do all of that on my phone, but on the tablet is a lot more nicer with the big HD screen. In short, I have no need for another tablet even if I got it for free it be sitting right next to my XOOM collecting dust, and I rather use the XOOM since it has a tough feel to it. The Australian MZ601 is very well built!
Xoom is KING!
I've had the Xoom since it was first announced. (I was one of the lucky ones with a 25% off coupon, which they quickly ended) Since then I have bought and returned an Acer, an Asus, an iPad2, a Toshiba and have bought and kept an Archos 80 and a new iPad.
Having had and used various tablets I still prefer the Xoom for most uses. I have the Archos as a cheap backup if the Xoom goes down and I have the new iPad and use sometimes. The display is better than the Xoom but most other features are less useful than the Xoom.
I recently dropped the Xoom face down on the floor from my lap. I was sure I would have a broken screen. Apparently no worse for the wear. It Is Built Like A Tank.
ICS made the Xoom even more functional and if it should get JB then that would be even more reason to use and enjoy the zoom.
The new Google tablet sounds good but no micro sd card and no HDMI cripples it considerably.
Unless the Xoom gets broken or is stolen, I see no reason to update and there are no tablets on the horizon that interest me.
Mine arrives Monday, cancelled my nexus 7 for it. As soon as it arrives in going to flash the US Rom to make it a Google device....thanks to XDA
I've yet to see a tablet that is as good as the XOOM. Period.
yosterwp said:
I've yet to see a tablet that is as good as the XOOM. Period.
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While I love my Xoom (first tablet and it's done a great job of making my netbook pretty much pointless) I wouldn't say that it's better than anything else out there. IMO the screen on the Xoom leaves a lot to be desired contrast wise especially compared to the Tab 2.
I also just picked up a Xoom. I've been in the market for a tablet over the last few weeks and considered a bunch. While the Ipad does offer a lot app wise, the additional tablet apps just didnt interest me. So ios was a non starter.
I use a Gnex and love it to death. I figure I'll stick with the google ecosystem. As soon as I found out the Xoom was getting Jellybean my mind was all but made up. I have a jellybean rom running on my nexus and it seriously does perform at another level. It just made me realize that I didnt need the latest quad core processor to run like a beast. So with that In mind I didnt go out searching for the latest tegra 3 android tablet. I've tried other android phones that werent stock android and I never enjoyed them.
Here's what I love about the Xoom:
- built like a tank, some say its too big...I love quality feel it has
- micro sd slot, thanks
- hdmi out, wicked
- in line for Jellybean in a few weeks
- everything works like it should...wifi, gps, cameras
Its not the flashiest tablet...doesnt have a cutting edge processor.....no next gen display....it just does the job for me.
as long as the next full size (read: 10.1/8.9) Nexus/GED has a good processor (1.5+) and has decent screen to go along with vanilla jb, ill be on board.
Ill be on board faster if google is selling it w/ the same strategy as the Nexus 7.
063_XOBX said:
While I love my Xoom (first tablet and it's done a great job of making my netbook pretty much pointless) I wouldn't say that it's better than anything else out there. IMO the screen on the Xoom leaves a lot to be desired contrast wise especially compared to the Tab 2.
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Yeah, I agree that hardware-wise, the Xoom is no longer bleeding edge, but software-wise, there is nothing really out there on ICS to touch it, and with Jelly bean custom roms that will come, this thing is going to scream. Right now, everything just works (on the configuration in my signature, at least), and that's more than some android tablets can claim. Transformer Prime, I'm talking about you, lol...
One thing I really hate is the disrespect the Xoom gets outside of the Xoom community, and it's started to resurface again now that the Nexus 7 is being called the 1st "nexus" tablet, when we know that that was actually the OG Xoom. I'm still torn about whether I want to add a Nexus 7 to my stable of Android devices, or wait for something more satisfying.
I too have been itching for an upgrade to my release day Xoom but once I loaded the JB ROM I realized what a waste of $200 the Nexus 7 would be. The Xoom on JB will satisfy me until the next version of Android which I will bet the Xoom will get though unofficially. It has been an up and down past year-and-a-half for the Xoom but one I don't regret and look forward to another year at least.
063_XOBX said:
While I love my Xoom (first tablet and it's done a great job of making my netbook pretty much pointless) I wouldn't say that it's better than anything else out there. IMO the screen on the Xoom leaves a lot to be desired contrast wise especially compared to the Tab 2.
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I always felt that what the xoom lacks in hardware, it makes up in software. I completely agree about the screen. But with the xoom, that same screen is going to be showing jelly bean officially. Speaking of Jelly Bean I can't wait for it to drop on our xooms!
I guess its fair to say that the xoom does have some shortcomings, but so does all other tablets. But with the xoom, there is a good amount of support from Google and Motorola, being a GED at least in the U.S. That fuels development even more and it's a great thing when an awesome community backs the xoom too! In a way, it makes up for some of them.
But I completely understand what you were saying. Good point
Putting some thoughts here
I've owned many tablets in the past, ranging from Apple to Android. One thing for sure that made me love my xoom on top of many other tables is that Team EOS roms are great and their efforts developing customization are the one thing that makes me stick to the xoom.
When rooted, you feel like you have the power on top of your device to do anything you like. if you brick your device, it is still recoverable due to the amazing community support for it.
Price wise- it is affordable.
ROM size it a bit small compared to phones but ROM Images (system) are designed to fit just ok.
Screen: very responsive especially with ICS better than HC.
Charge time: very fast.
Speaking of JB, I don't have a single doubt that Team EOS would make it for us.
Ghost-of-the-Sun said:
You're telling me that Samsung, HTC, Sony and Google itself with Nexus devices have magical powers that gives them the ability to update their devices while the little Motorola can't do anything?
Think before posting, please.
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To each his own, i love my little motorola, xoom first to get HC, ICS and soon to be JB, all of google (TM) product will get jb first, I wonder what samsung htc and sony will do for an OS when google stop releasing the source code, Motorola will be one step ahead of your samsung, htc and sony,..
tumpy said:
To each his own, i love my little motorola, xoom first to get HC, ICS and soon to be JB, all of google (TM) product will get jb first, I wonder what samsung htc and sony will do for an OS when google stop releasing the source code, Motorola will be one step ahead of your samsung, htc and sony,..
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Since several threads were merged, this conversation has taken a bit of a turn, but to back-up your point, my Samsung GS2 E4GT phone still has not received the official upgrade to ICS, probably more due to Sprint than Sammy, but we are running custom roms based on leaked builds. They work fine but it's been quite a long time to wait for OTA and source.
The OG US Wifi Xoom has gotten every official upgrade just as fast as possible, and our devs get them to us even faster and much improved!
---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:07 PM ----------
Mandelbrot.Benoit said:
I too have been itching for an upgrade to my release day Xoom but once I loaded the JB ROM I realized what a waste of $200 the Nexus 7 would be. The Xoom on JB will satisfy me until the next version of Android which I will bet the Xoom will get though unofficially. It has been an up and down past year-and-a-half for the Xoom but one I don't regret and look forward to another year at least.
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Can you use it as a daily driver, or are you just test-driving right now until the full version comes along?
I will admit that I'm tempted to try it, but nightly 114 is already so smooth and lag-free that I'm at least pretty satisfied for daily use.
okantomi said:
Can you use it as a daily driver, or are you just test-driving right now until the full version comes along?
I will admit that I'm tempted to try it, but nightly 114 is already so smooth and lag-free that I'm at least pretty satisfied for daily use.
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I am sacrificing a lot test driving the JB preview. BT, sound, data isn't working but enough is working to at least show the smoothness and lag free experience we should expect with JB. I was getting tired of the lag when hitting the "recents" button, home screen scrolling etc. Much more responsive on JB but in hindsight I have lost more than I gained and it may not be worth it for most.
My Xoom
I'm running a stock Xoom M604 Xoom. It's running ICS, which was slow to rollout here in Canada, but it came all the same. The updating of the OS is one of /the reasons I chose Xoom. I use it for most day to day things, as well as using it to control a friends DLNA amp. The "variety" of apps available for Android and iOS are moot, as there are so many redundant and useless apps for both platforms. I like not being locked in by the manufacturers whim, which is why I won't consider an iPad or iPhone. Only complaint I have with my Xoom is scrolling between the desktops. Which is a minor complaint vs iOS, because we actually have desktops I love the stock keyboard. It's large enough that I can still impress people with typing speed in Teamview sessions. I'm not a bleeding edge type, so thus far my Xoom has all the horsepower I need.
Mandelbrot.Benoit said:
I am sacrificing a lot test driving the JB preview. BT, sound, data isn't working but enough is working to at least show the smoothness and lag free experience we should expect with JB. I was getting tired of the lag when hitting the "recents" button, home screen scrolling etc. Much more responsive on JB but in hindsight I have lost more than I gained and it may not be worth it for most.
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OMG! EOS Jelly Bean! That's all I can say.
okantomi said:
OMG! EOS Jelly Bean! That's all I can say.
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I completely agree and cannot wait another second for it.
I haven't personally tried any quad core tablet, however there's no comparison between my xoom and my old advent vega (which was good, but the viewing angles were terrible) and with my dad's galaxy tab 10". they're all terribly sluggish.
Hey everyone,
I figured some of you might find this a good read. Since the Xoom is my favorite Android device of all time, I decided to finally sit and write a retrospective on the OG Android tablet. I'm interested in feedback and comments.
Thanks!
http://www.randomphantasmagoria.com/the-motorola-xoom-a-retrospective/
Good read,
The Xoom is defiantly my best ever investment, I use it more than my laptop purely because it's light, easier on the lap, more manoeuvrable!
I personally think though the Nexus 10 probably is the successor, I don't think it's as good purely because of Android 4.2 onwards, the tablet UI is really inconvenient in the middle I find. Custom roms compensate for this, EOS include an option to have the softkeys 4.1 style which is far easier and simpler.
I still find it really interesting that google didn't open source honeycomb!
matt4321 said:
I still find it really interesting that google didn't open source honeycomb!
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They did eventually. They released the Honeycomb source the same day they released the Ice Cream Sandwich source. According to Google at the time, the reason they never open-sourced Honeycomb was because of the fact that it was designed specifically for tablets. They were afraid that the development community would begin trying to shoehorn Honeycomb onto phones. This had a large potential to create horrible user experiences since they'd basically have to create a phone interface from nothing. Once ICS launched, that risk went away since ICS ran seamlessly across phones and tablets, therefore open-sourcing Honeycomb was no longer an UI/UX liability.
I remember a group of people trying to take the SDK build of Honeycomb and port it to the Nexus S. They found there was a phone interface built into Honeycomb but it was only half there and was basically unusable. It's pretty well known that Honeycomb wasn't a finished product.
oldblue910 said:
They did eventually. They released the Honeycomb source the same day they released the Ice Cream Sandwich source. According to Google at the time, the reason they never open-sourced Honeycomb was because of the fact that it was designed specifically for tablets. They were afraid that the development community would begin trying to shoehorn Honeycomb onto phones and creating horrible user experiences since they'd basically have to create it from nothing. Once ICS launched, that risk went away since ICS ran seamlessly across phones and tablets, therefore open-sourcing Honeycomb was no longer an UI/UX liability.
I remember a group of people trying to take the SDK build of Honeycomb and port it to the Nexus S. They found there was a phone interface built into Honeycomb but it was only half there and was basically unusable.
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Oh yeah, I remember them doing it once ICS was open, bit pointless really.
Yeah the ZTE blade had an sdk port, was terrible though, nothing worked, more of a proof of concept thing
Brought back some painful memories! But in the end I guess it all worked out. I still don't need a new 10" tablet so after 2 1/2 years I guess she's earned her keep. I did get the new N7 but its a completely different experience so I don't consider it cheating.
Even if the Xoom ends up on 4.2.2 it will continue to be a great tablet for my family for years to come.
Very nice. Thanks! :good: