Database Users

[Q] Xoom or Galaxy Tab 10.1?

Hey All Geeks
So, i decided that it's time to get a tablet, and finally found that Android 3.0 is the long-awaited, dream OS for me. But here is where the problem kicks in (Bad English?). Xoom and GTab2 (Easier name) are bothi running the almighty Honeycomb... so now i'm confused which one to get? i've been thinking for a week now, but my experience isn't as your (Geeker people and Devs ) experience and i thought i would ask you if you don't mind. So, far what i want is: Continuous Development ( because i'm NOT a Dev so i'm putting my faith in you guys and going with the tab you're choosing)
Extra's:
Pro's of Gtab2:
Design is Gorgeous...
Light weight...
Con's of Gtab2:
No SD Card
No MicroUSB
Pro's of Xoom:
MicroUSB
SD Card
Con's of Xoom:
Typical Design (not really bad but not innovative)
bad rear camera position
In short:
I DO want the GTab2 for the Design BUT will i regret getting that for the missing of Micro USB (which is my most concern) and SD Card (Which isn't REALLY bad but bad)
Q2: Which one will have MORE development (assumption)?
(for Xoom Forum): UNLOCKABLE Bootloader means ONLY for Devs? if so, as a normal human (xD JK JK) will i be able to do custom ROMs?
Help!

LOL the Topic i posted at Xoom forum is really ALIVE (better development sign?) BUT the winning device isn't the Xoom xD it's actually the GTab2 lol IF ONLY SAMSUNG included SD Card slot and MicroUSB T_T Or IF MOTO improved the design and provided 1080p recording and playback that would be THE PERFECT Device and they would OWN the market with either devices... but PERFECTION is even BEYOND IMPOSSIBLE

Very long debate...
I'm getting a tab. Its beautiful, deving will be there, not like tab 1, and its going to kick ass.

I have to say that now having two of these tablets to choose from I am really torn :-(.
I love Moto specs and Samsung looks.
To be completely honest because of that I am already very disappointed with both.
My major fear is that if I will buy one of them I will have this disturbing and annoying thought at the back of my head that I made a mistake... should have gone for the other one It is not good considering the price of both devices... with this kind of money one should have 150% of satisfaction.
Moto... Samsung.... I HATE YOU BOTH! :-(

devil snake said:
Q2: Which one will have MORE development (assumption)?
(for Xoom Forum): UNLOCKABLE Bootloader means ONLY for Devs? if so, as a normal human (xD JK JK) will i be able to do custom ROMs?
Help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speaking as Nexus One and Nexus S owner, I can say that the power of 'fastboot oem unlock' is a force to be reckoned with...
That said, this is XDA, and you can be sure that both will be hacked and modded. Since they're so similar in terms of specs and quality, I would go with the prettier one, but that's just me. The USB issue isn't that bad, the last I heard about the issue was that it had USB functionality through its dock port--meaning you just need a special cable.

I do not mind USB in the dock. I do not see many thing I would have to connect to tablet directly. HDMI I also do not care about - it is a mobile device for me to watch and surf on the go, not a local NAS player. But lack of SD card support seems like a very big issue and not only to me (everywhere I look ppl are complaining about this).
What I would love is to see an explanation from Samsung why??? What was the logical process behind this decision not to include this port. Hey, SAMSUNG, please tell us why?

Maybe Honeycomb can't handle more then 32GB of storage. And the Tab have 32GB internal memory already.
The XOOM have a sd card slot. Only problem is that is not activated when you buy it. So maybe Android is not compatible whit more memory then 32GB.
I personally have problem to decide witch one to get. Witch one of does have the best screen? And will GT be Xvid certified?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk

Well, form me this device was about (mainly) about media consumption. I do have Asus 1201N bot it is just tu big... but my Wife's NC10 cant play the movies I do watch.
Tablet that I will buy has to give me access to Hulu (free) as PC does. Has to work on batteries for approx. 8h (that is why I do not have tablet with Windows, as I said I already have netbook) and play divix (all kinds) nicely. Since I do go for holidays (from time to time) and I plan to use built in camera I need storage space
32GB is simply not enough and since Xoom has problem with playing 720p videos (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=968308&page=3) I am simply devastated. I did not buy an iPad (because of the issues above), I am waiting for over a year and what... nothing :-(.
Please tell me I am wrong

I almost jumped on the Xoom train yesterday.... They had a 25% off glitch coupon going and I missed it by like 5 - 10 minutes.

Don't worry... 2nd of March they will get a first reason to lower prices (a bit). I expect Apple to laugh (in a laud matter) at all those things that were supposed to give us an iPad killer and are not with us yet . And if thing will continue to go the way they do with Honeycomb and Xoom (more and more issues + more features "coming soon"). Ppl will refuse to pay $800 for something that is "almost" ready
Do you think (since hardware is the same) GT10.1 will have the same problem with playback of video as Xoom has (everyone is complaining about it!!!)? It would make him bigger than GT1 and worse :-(.
For Tegra 2, 2h of video that works on tegra 2 takes approx. 8GB of storage... this is unacceptable :-(
Links you might want to take a look at (seems all tablets with T2 inside are useless as an mobile entertainment device):
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4144/...ra-2-review-the-first-dual-core-smartphone/14
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4181/...-a9s-coming-to-smartphonestablets-this-year/3
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=968640
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=970428
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=968640
Seems that issue is with 720p as well :-(

Concerning video playback I think Samsung does a better job. Like on the galaxy s, where they play a lot of video files with no additional software, meaning they included the necessary codecs.

Is the lack of SD card slot a sure thing? I suppose in the videos there is no visible slot along the sides...in my daydreams you can screw the samsung logo off the back and reveal the hidden sd slot! A guy can dream?
Daydream update: Since the logo is big, when you screw it off, there's actually 2 sd card slots. Yeah! Not deluding myself at all.

I am afraid it is :-(.
First I fell in love with Xoom and than I saw Galaxy Tab 10.1 OMG i looks awesome...
But now reality strikes... no sd card slot... and since you can not play (straight away) stuff you can download... GOD! I was so hoping to swap my netbook fro tablet :-(
This is especially painful as in all ads and information that is exactly what you are being offered. Not a word that video support is limited compared to what last years netbooks and older tablets (Archos 101, Galaxy Tab) can do :-(
At the moment (if above will get confirmed, and it will :-( ) I am thinking again about tablet with windows on-board (although I really hate this idea as I do not need BIG system in a device like this) or hoping for 10" Playbook.
Both Xoom and GT10.1 so close to perfection... ehh :-(

Soyou are saying that neither Samsung Gtab 10.1 nor the Xoom can play video like the Samsung Galaxy S i9000?

Tegra 2 can not play high profile mkv videos and this is one of the most popular formats to download HD stuff...
Go to rslinks.org or other sites and see what you can get... without spenidng extra time for re-encoding it will not play :-(
I got over 500GB stuff on my NAS drive - no way I will waist time to change format of that all just so I will be able to spend 700 euro
Idea for me was that it will be able to replace my netbook and will give me longer bat. life. Well it can not :-( And it is twice as expensive. Because iPad do/did only part of what I require I haven't bought it.. same here. You can (well.. you will be able to) watch flash but videos only in specific format. Who has time for that?
One would think that what we are talking about is pretty basic stuff and I thought that was the main idea behind tablets:
- web browsing on the go like at home
- full multimedia support
- long battery life
- limited weight
Something that has not been offered so far (windows tablets - limited batt. life, iPad - other limitations .

Correct.
You forget one point: acceptable price point ( i think the honeycomb tablets are a little to expensvie)
And one negative point for windows tablets: often they have a fan

I dont mind the price... it is the same as the iPad. I understand that for a gadget like that you pay Premium - OK. (of course if it would be free I wouldn't complain! .
I do know about fan in the Windows tablets... I got Asus 1201N that gets really hot sometimes... tablet with fan is out of the questions (imagine to shake a hand with someone after watching a movie!)
Another thing is that "BIG" stuff i do on desktop any way so I do not need full windows (heavy system) on a tablet.... I do not need photoshop or dwg editor. But I want web pages to look like they are supposed, I want to read without magnify glass, I want to watch a movie (without thinking before if it will work), listen to music, look at the pictures, etc... Just normal things Maybe play a game once in a while...

I was also considering one of these two tablets, but then i found the Acer Iconia A500. It has the same specs as Xoom and Galaxy 10.1, but WITH MicroUSB, SD Slot and HDMI. And, from what I can see, around half the price!!
Well, if all this is true, I know what I'm getting!!!

If this thing does not have USB port, how can we sync or copy files to the internal memory?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

It will have USB connectivity through the propriety port, and I would be surprised if there won't be a dock that offers hdmi connectivity also.
We also have to wait and see if samsung will offer an accessory like the iPad and xoom (or soon to be introduced) that can be plugged into the propriety port allowing sd cards to be connected or even an external USB drive. I really hope so. That would be ideal.
The tab 10.1 doesn't have all the ports we want built into the unit, but there is a benefit of that......the weight and size is notably reduced, far lighter than any of the upcoming tablets.
The weight is a big thing for me as I currently carry my iPad around in a small bag and any weight loss would be welcome

Are you keeping your A500 or gonna try the next best thing?

I am still on my 14 day return and have been thinking about this. Android biggest problem is something new is always right around the corner. I think a lot of you are here cause the Asus was unavailable and may still be waiting on that.
So are you keeping it.
Did it surprise you enough to stay with it.
Is the upcoming Samsung Galazy Tab 10.1 or the burning desire to have the Transformer gonna make you take it back.
Maybe the Toshiba Tab with it's built in USB might persuade you.

Sticking. Stuck.

I bought the Acer because the ASUS wasn't available, but I'm quite happy with it anyway. As you said, there's always something new around the corner, but what I've seen about the Toshiba models put them in the Xoom price range, and I haven't seen pricing on the Samsung 8.9 and 10.1 (new thin models, not the 10.1V original design.)
Honeycomb in general's still a very new system, and I expect by this time next year most of the things we're looking at as "missing" or "broken" will be available and/or fixed. Kinda the way I'm still using my (original generation) Droid phone, which, when overclocked and ROMd over to Gingerbread is just fine

Actually...
I figured that I'd get it to play with Honeycomb and wait for some of the vaporware tablets to emerge. I had bought a Xoom but it was a real POS - nothing worked including the falsely advertised charging dock, etc. So I returned it.
Now I'm absolutely keeping the Iconia - I have a rooted Nook Color - very nice but not in the same league as the Iconia.
Don't believe all the BS put out about how bad the screen is, or other stuff.
I rooted it (easiest root I have ever done) and everything works as advertiszed.

I still got until Monday wiki decide Saturday if I will return or not to get the transfoemer, tegra 3 tablets are also coming out in august
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

Got both the Asus and the iconia and will keep the iconia ..
The Asus just feels so cheaply made that no amount of screen quality can make up for it feeling like a cheap toy in my hands.
I can understand the whole IPS vs standard screen debate as i have owned many great screens over the years including IPS desktop screens and iPads etc etc .
They both have there pros and there cons but a good screen and good build quality are more important to me and the whole USB host thing built in without the need for a dock or separate accessory is just great.
Will never need a keyboard attached to it either and i think thats what really pushed me over the edge to keep the Acer.
Not slamming on the Asus btw because its decent in other areas but after getting 2 with some nasty light bleed on top of questionable build quality the Acer just took the crown for overall winner .

I am keeping mine. I actually had a Xoom first and took it back...thought it was too expensive for what it was. I actually really like the Acer better. I love the USB port, the micro card slot actually works ( didn't on xoom as of yet), It feels a lot lighter and I actually like the bezel being larger as it is easier to hold without hitting the screen. The viewing angle is good (not sure why bad comments on that). I like it a lot.

Keeping. Was waiting on the Asus, but i'm more than happy with the screen of the Acer, absolutely love the usb port, and since removing the phone apks, I have no complaints about battery life. I'm happy.

Right before I got the Acer I had purchased a used Galaxy Tab 7" thinking that would satisfy me.
Then I saw the Acer. Once I touched it I fell instantly in love and fought myself not to give into temptation everyday. Suddenly it hit me... I have a Bestbuy card and it means I can take 18 months to pay for it without a dime of interest.
1/2 hour later I had the Iconia in my sweaty hands.
Sure the wife *****ed but hey, it's only a new toy once.
For me it's a keeper. Like others have said, the USB port is a big factor and I see nothing wrong with the screen.

Keepin'. I am surprised how much I enjoy the Acer iconia Tab. The USB port makes all the difference. I think the build quality is very nice indeed and I really like the design. Root doesn't hurt either.
I was an early adopter of the Linux Eee Pcs and thought they were very solid little machines, but later models had some serious build quality issues. So the Eee Transformer quality/build problems I have read about do not surprise me one bit. . . .
Also have the Galaxy Tab 7" and a Nook Color. Not sure which one of those I'm sticking with though. I like them both but I leaning toward the Nook and selling the Galaxy Tab on Ebay.

Keeping for sure

I will be taking mine back, but only cause I will be waiting for Samsung galaxy tab 10.1. The weight of the Acer is an issue for me, but can understand why it is. Feels very sturdy. I absolutely love the USB port & sdcard working out of the box. So testing the Acer gave me a few things to think about far as what I want in a tablet. I know Galaxy tab 10.1 will not have USB port. Not sure how Toshiba's will feel.
I definitely recommend people to try the Acer
Also the corners of acer are kind of pointy if holding for awhile.

def keeping mine. I don't know why the Asus got so much media and Acer didnt

I'm still on the fence. I'm coming from daily use of a convertible Fujitsu with stylus and have wanted something this light for a while and miss not having a stylus for normal handwriting.
There are also some things I may not be able to live without which require Window$ but I'm going to give it another week and see if I can see a way to fit it into my normal working life.
If there weren't things that were broken out of the box (gps, compass) I'd probably be leaning more towards keeping at this point

Took a day or two to work out a couple of bugs, but now my A500 is rock solid, smoking fast, amazing battery life. I'm 100% satisfied. This should be fine for me until a Tegra 4 comes out in 2012...
The only thing I am waiting for is a new kernel so I can see what this baby will do when it is overclocked.

bhageman said:
Took a day or two to work out a couple of bugs, but now my A500 is rock solid, smoking fast, amazing battery life. I'm 100% satisfied. This should be fine for me until a Tegra 4 comes out in 2012...
The only thing I am waiting for is a new kernel so I can see what this baby will do when it is overclocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any tips tricks as to what you did to fix / customize?

nubbin77 said:
Any tips tricks as to what you did to fix / customize?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Immediately did a factory reset. Eliminated problem with screen coming back on after screen time out and an odd problem I had with my screen timeout being stuck at 15 seconds.
-Rooted with GingerBreak (make sure you lock in portrait during process)
-WPA supplicant
-changed phone.apk and telephony___.apk to .bak to kill the phone processes. Mad a HUGE improvement in an already satisfactory battery life. WARNING: This will brick your phone if you do a factory reset without changing them back.
-Installed ADW for my home screen
-Installed SyncSMS to get SMS functionality
Apps that help:
-GingerBreak
-Root Explorer
-Terminal Emulator
-Uninstaller for Root
-Super Manager
-ES File
Apps I love:
-PlayOn: Streaming TV from my NAS drive
-SugarSync: All my work docs in the cloud
-WinAmp: Sync music with my desktop over wifi
-Feedly: Google RSS feed looks like a magazine
-Chrome to Phone

Still on the edge
I like the screen and feel of it, but with Honeycomb there aren't many apps out there that run on it (without FC all the time).
I'm trying to justify keeping it for work, but there's no Activesync (without rooting), Calendar is a joke and other than playing movies/games on it what do YOU use it for?
I can't see dumping my laptop anytime soon, so my question is what are you using it for? Serious question.
Thanks
S

I wanted the EEE TF as well but got the Iconia in the interim. I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't want the TF anymore. After playing with a friends, I'm not convinced it's worthwhile to exchange them. It has a gorgeous display and is a tad lighter but I'm afraid I've been jaded by the really bad things I've read about it and am convinced the first batch was very shoddy. Unfortunately, by the time it's released there will be competitors with possibly better options (toshiba, samsung, sony, htc, etc.)
My goal is to get something I'm 100% happy with. I'm 98% happy with the Iconia.
What's in that 2%? Limited video file and format playing ability and bugs due to Honeycomb right now.
Otherwise, hell yeah! I'd have liked an IPS screen. This AUO screen isn't bad at all but it's no IPS, right? Acer could have at least pegged Samsung for PLS.
It's also in wrestling with the idea of having the faith in Acer to believe they really will update and fix these things in the near future. These companies aren't known for keeping their products updated beyond a certain period. I can easily see their promised June update becoming Samsung-esque and not seen for months if ever.
That being said, I've entertained the idea of returning it and waiting to see what I can get in June. But tech is tricky and if you decide to wait, you can easily end up waiting forever for the next best thing as it's always around the corner. If the competitors are too expensive, it's not like the A500 won't be there for me to fall back on, it may even be cheaper! Of course, just like a cell phone - once you own one of these things you come to depend on it rather quickly if you're used to doing things a certain way.
I use it for everything now. My notebook sits in it's bag most of the time.
It's awesome for multimedia, period.
I use it in the kitchen and around the house to play music and videos if I don't feel like sitting in front of the TV.
I use it in the kitchen to look up new and different things to cook.
I use it as a visual remote for my PC (to control music or manipulate downloads). I use it in the couch to look up stuff I see on TV.
I bring it with me EVERYWHERE, yes...I now own a manbag.
I use it on the road when I'm out with the wife and she's in Macys/JCPenny/Kohls or any of those places I don't feel like venturing with her into for hours.
I use it when I'm at the cafe or out at dinner. I don't have it out all the time, but it's with me in case I want to use it and I must say, it's nicer than flipping out a netbook which I guess is ironic but I always thought that was so odd looking. You know, when people pop their netbooks out on a table in the middle of 4 people being social. For me it's a matter of looking up something quick and then popping it back in.
The list goes on and on.
It's basically replaced my android phone in its smart abilities while managing to be more comfortable in that the screen is bigger. It's replaced my notebook in it's lighter tasks like multimedia due to it being ultimately way, way more portable and touchscreen.
My dilemma is living without it for 2 months while I wait for something that I'm hoping will satisfy me 99 or 100%, should I decide to return it. I still have a few days to decide.

kalric said:
Calendar is a joke
S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Jorte?

Sorry for a potentially stupid post

I'm tablet shopping.
I have 500 bucks to spend. I don't know much about the Iconia other than the reviews being good. Are the problems I've read about honeycomb on the Xoom present here as well? Is 3.1 coming any time soon?
I don't want to buy another iPad
Dammit I thought I was in General Mods please move.

If they're OS related (aka Honeycomb's), then yes, all tablets running Honeycomb have them. Compared to Xoom though, the Iconia is sexier (my opinion), and has a working microSD card slot.
On the other hand it has other problems, e.g. the screen turns on by itself from time to time, and there is (apparently) battery drain from Cell standby (divided opinions on this one).
The thing that got me hooked though was the USB port. At the moment you can attach a keyboard or USB storage, and it works, and it seems with a 3.1 update it will be able to do even more.
Re: 3.1, I've seen a post around here somewhere from a user who contacted support about a problem with the browser, and they stated that the problem would be fixed in the 3.1 update sometime in June. Don't have any additional info.

gunnyman said:
I'm tablet shopping.
I have 500 bucks to spend. I don't know much about the Iconia other than the reviews being good. Are the problems I've read about honeycomb on the Xoom present here as well? Is 3.1 coming any time soon?
I don't want to buy another iPad
Dammit I thought I was in General Mods please move.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy it - you'll love it. The combination of features can't be beat. I just tried out this morning the USB mouse (there's an apk floating around this forum somewhere - I just don't remember where it is).
Also, I might point out it's quite sturdy, Gorilla glass screen and, at least for me, I have not had any sudden screen on/off behavior, no hardware issue whatsoever, and excellent battery life. I have WiFi set to turn off when the screen is off and I only lose a few % of battery overnight.
All in all, it's a lot of fun to use

adancau said:
If they're OS related (aka Honeycomb's), then yes, all tablets running Honeycomb have them. Compared to Xoom though, the Iconia is sexier (my opinion), and has a working microSD card slot.
On the other hand it has other problems, e.g. the screen turns on by itself from time to time, and there is (apparently) battery drain from Cell standby (divided opinions on this one).
The thing that got me hooked though was the USB port. At the moment you can attach a keyboard or USB storage, and it works, and it seems with a 3.1 update it will be able to do even more.
Re: 3.1, I've seen a post around here somewhere from a user who contacted support about a problem with the browser, and they stated that the problem would be fixed in the 3.1 update sometime in June. Don't have any additional info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The xoom has a working microSD card as well via custom kernel. The Iconia is a great tablet but the lack of recovery is what ultimately led me to the xoom. The two are actually very similar. No word on 3.1 yet Gunny, the jurory is still out on what Acers support will look like, another reason I chose the xoom in the end. I enjoyed my time with the Acer. The Acer has lots of potential but it's a tough nut to crack. Even with running stock I didn't like the idea of not being able to complete recover without sending it into Acer.
Although you can kind of recovery by flashing the Chinese update.zip, I would have felt better with a stock US image. Good luck my friend.
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.

Im in the same boat. I have the iconia, and am loving it. But I think when my fourteen days comes due I'm going to bring it back, and get the galazy 10.1 and try it. Which ever I like more, I'm keeping.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I took the plunge today. So far so good.

Seagullbeagle said:
Im in the same boat. I have the iconia, and am loving it. But I think when my fourteen days comes due I'm going to bring it back, and get the galazy 10.1 and try it. Which ever I like more, I'm keeping.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tomorrow is my 14th day.. I'm pretty sure I'm going to return it and wait for the 10.1 tab. There are some quirks that are really bothering me about the tab
Screen on and off
Laggy text input while typing.
Sometimes laggy browser.
Considerable lag w/ live wallpaper.
The battery rocks, I've already reset to stock and re-rooted. I also have the ntfs support enabled. I have an external 32gb sd which was a pain to get working. I am bothered that Acer didn't include a file manager. (I know there are plenty out there).
Just my thoughts.

If your looking for another reason to keep your Iconia, take a look at this review:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/03/the-five-minor-differences-between-the-motorola-xoom-and-acer-iconia-tab/
I think this review by TechCrunch really breaks down some of the more obvious differences and puts it into perspective as to why the Iconia is a better purchase.
Don't worry about Honeycomb 3.1 ... it'll be out soon enough for the Iconia and someone will ALWAYS hack the system so if your ever worried about being locked out... also give it some time.

lanisan said:
Tomorrow is my 14th day.. I'm pretty sure I'm going to return it and wait for the 10.1 tab. There are some quirks that are really bothering me about the tab
Screen on and off
Laggy text input while typing.
Sometimes laggy browser.
Considerable lag w/ live wallpaper.
The battery rocks, I've already reset to stock and re-rooted. I also have the ntfs support enabled. I have an external 32gb sd which was a pain to get working. I am bothered that Acer didn't include a file manager. (I know there are plenty out there).
Just my thoughts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of the stuff you pointed out can be fixed via a software update.
The Samsung tab losses a lot of input ports to attain its thinness.
No USB, no HDMI, & who knows what else.

mr.r9 said:
All of the stuff you pointed out can be fixed via a software update.
The Samsung tab losses a lot of input ports to attain its thinness.
No USB, no HDMI, & who knows what else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why I chose the Iconia over the Xoom or Tab 10.1, updates can fix the laggy stuff, you cant add a usb/hdmi port(unless your a serious modder or computer engineer). Ive only had my Iconia for 3 days but so far I havent had any issues anyone else is talking about.(Screen or Wifi issue).

I think engadget also raised the possibility of the iconia having ddr3 memory, although from what I read on the Nvidia white papers, it only supports ddr2 memory.
Anyone see any breakdowns that identify the memory modules, and if they are truly different from other tabs?

still not sure if i want it - why did you buy?

i am still not sure i want to by the Acer,,, or the Asus..
be honest with me.. why did YOU buy the Acer.
it doesnt have to be Asus vs Acer. it can just be why you got the Acer.
was it the usb port?, the expandable memory? price? (target has them for $399 so i am really tempted.)
so what pushed you over the edge to buy the Iconia ?
i also am still not sure if it cna see dSLR cameras on the USB port to read the images off the cameras memory card so if someone says it works for their dSLR then thats a huge game changer for me.
i own an ipad and its really really a tough choice given the app and game availability on the ipad, but i am an android phone user so i am very familiar with Android.

USB Full
All the features, mainly usb

To be honest, it was down to the Acer or the ASUS for me although I did like the fact the hardware was working at launch (SD slot, USB etc).
While everyone seems to be complaining on the Acer ROM update schedule, or lack thereof, I am happily running a custom ROM (of which there are several now) which is now at 3.2
What drove me to the Acer was it was available when I decided to buy. Otherwise, it would have been a hard choice. But, I think after actually looking and holding the ASUS I would have picked the Acer.
I use it primarily for business (sales) showing customers products by using well bookmarked PDF files, email (I moved my domain over to Google Apps for business and quick lookups while I am on the road (WiFi tether to my HTC phone) so I don't need a seperate data plan.
No complaints.

do either of you own or owned an ipad to give me your thought comparisons outside of the obvious massive App lead that the ipad has?

I got it for free... kinda... I traded some work for it.
I needed an upgrade from the Archos 101 which was only about three weeks old at the time I saw the upcoming Acer. Preordered it from BB.
I still would have gotten the Acer if Asus TF was available. I need the USB. Period. And I don't care about the TF dock feature.

Well I just plugged my Canon Power Shot A1100 IS in and the Aconia recognized it right away and the pictures showed up right away.
I haven't tried my Nikon or Canon DSLR yet but no reason why they shouldn't work as well on jpg files.
I bought it because of the USB slot, expandable memory, HDMI and the price.

Bought mine for simple reasons
I did the stupid thing and did not bother to do any homework before going out and buying my first tablet (apple I pad 2) - returned to the store the next day. Had no idea it had no native flash support (the "solution" was to use Skyfire for crummy flash support).
Went home, did my homework - when it came down to simple price/vs features the Acer Iconia seemed like the best choice - microSd, full size USB port (awesome for me - it works with a USB hub also, I have lots of USB devices).
Not sure we can claim apple has much if any "app lead" over android tablets - and once you consider how many apps are written for the Android phone but run great under Honeycomb as well. Don't feel much of an app shortage here, the Droid market is freaking huge.
All in all, very happy with my purchase.

I bought mine largely due to the full-sized USB port as I'm an avid retrogamer, so getting to play emulators with the actual controllers (I have USB adapters for them) on my tablet was pretty much a childhood fantasy come true ^_^.
Anyway, that and I really love the metal casing... it just feels solid and sturdy, not large or bulky at all even though it's the heaviest tab of the bunch. I'm sure in some instances, like holding it up over your head in bed or something, you'd notice the weight, but really, there are no heavy or bulky tablets in this category at all, only those that are impressively small like the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
I will note that Acer is so far the worst at getting updates out, but the community here seems pretty devoted, not to mention there's a ton of cross-developer action as the Tegra 2that all of these share means much of the software can just be transplanted from one brand to another. So, if you're going to root and run roms, software becomes a bit less of a concern. As far as the hardware goes, I love it myself.

It was a choice between the Acer and Asus for me. I got the Acer because I was impatient, but I ended up not returning it because after using it I couldn't see myself getting by with no usb and no flash. I considered the new Galaxy Tab as well but for the same reason I decided not to wait.
If I DID end up waiting, I'm sure I'd have decided to wait for a Kal-El based tablet. At some point in the 'waiting for better to come' game, you have to take a step or you'll never buy a product. I use the tablet daily, even my wife uses it now and so it's proven it's value to me.
I use the flash for extremely stupid things, but tbh to each his own, right? One of these things is to sneak into bed at night. By the time I go to bed sometimes my wife is already sleeping and she's a very light sleeper. Flicking a light on to see where I'm going would surely wake her up and it's sometimes difficult to navigate around the bed (without smacking off a big or little toe). I thought, "can I live without the flash? Sure!" But it would be an inconvenience, especially if I do ever find myself in a slightly more important scenario where I need it and don't have (for taking a pic in low light, for eg).
The USB is a must as I travel a lot and the big reason for getting the tablet beyond using it in my home is so I can travel light (without having to use my laptop). With the usb I can plug flash drives or hard drives in and watch my tv series and movies or use it to juice my phone if I strain it chatting too long or whatever.
Other than that, I didn't like the feel of the Transformer and I didn't want to depend on getting/using the keyboard part to have usb functionality. I had been keeping up with all the pics of the light bleed and saw it first hand. Who wants to worry about getting a tablet with light bleed at a time when they weren't in very many stores? That would have meant back and forth shipping. Not my thing.
The Acer is fully usable as-is, with the Asus and Samsung you MUST buy accessories for them to get a usb port.
I also considered resale value, like any tech head . If I am to resell my Acer A500 right now, I'm going to get ~$400 for it (not everyone knows about the sale price of 350 at certain stores). In a few months, I will lose another $50 to depreciation...as by then I'm sure the price will further fall to something more attractive to fringe and impulse buyers.
The Samsung with added accessories to make it function similarly to the Acer is already in the $550 region, but it will depreciate exactly the same as the Acer, unfortunately. Same with the Asus.
So after you buy the accessories to get USB (if you need it), you still end up selling the other tabs (with accessories) for approximately the same price as the Acer, as resale value for accessories is little to nothing and you can very rarely if at all sell them on their own. (This is based on the many, many times I've seen people reselling their tablets with accessories like docks and cases for way, way less than what they got it for).
In essence, you lose more money with the other tablets IF you need* to accessorize them. *(to play catch up to the A500, like buy the keyboard section for Asus or buy the proprietary addon for the Samsung to get USB)

I replied before reading the whole thread and missed the inquiries into the Apple side of things <insert evil grin>... imma hate me some on Apple, hoo wee. Android is slowly doing to Apple in the mobile market what Microsoft did to Apple in the computer market. What's amazing is that everyone always said Microsoft beat Apple because of developer support, because Windows had all the software, all the games. Now, we've seen the exact opposite, Apple with all of the software goodies and their competitor standing out alone on their OS alone... but what happened this time? Android is proving once and for all that Apple's walled-garden approach, their almost communistic approach to electronics just isn't going to appeal to the masses once they are exposed to the idea of choice, something Android offers in spades. We all want to do whatever we want with our devices... they are OUR devices after all, not Apple's or Samsung's or HTC's or Google's. Apple has made it clear that they intend to impose strict control over their hardware and software, whereas Google has opened the door wide and invited everyone in with a gentle wave. I, for one, after having had (and at the time loved) an iPhone for 2 years, will NEVER buy a single Apple product again.

entropy.of.avarice said:
I did the stupid thing and did not bother to do any homework before going out and buying my first tablet (apple I pad 2) - returned to the store the next day. Had no idea it had no native flash support (the "solution" was to use Skyfire for crummy flash support).
Went home, did my homework - when it came down to simple price/vs features the Acer Iconia seemed like the best choice - microSd, full size USB port (awesome for me - it works with a USB hub also, I have lots of USB devices).
Not sure we can claim apple has much if any "app lead" over android tablets - and once you consider how many apps are written for the Android phone but run great under Honeycomb as well. Don't feel much of an app shortage here, the Droid market is freaking huge.
All in all, very happy with my purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a huge Apple fan at all but in their defense they do have a huge "app lead" and it's not necessarily the number or amt. (though it certainly does have that as well) it's the popularity of the device. The iPad has had hulu and netflix forever and Android is just getting it now. It's not a huge deal but the fact is, apps will almost always hit IOS first, and that IS saying something.
I agree with you though, I don't feel a shortage. I have every app I need (and many I don't, lol) so I'm not worried. With Hulu and Netflix now on 2.2/2.3 and heading soon to 3.1 I can safely say I'm completely happy with my purchase as well.

v_lestat said:
do either of you own or owned an ipad to give me your thought comparisons outside of the obvious massive App lead that the ipad has?
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Click to collapse
I don't, my daughter and son-in-law do (Ipad 1 & 2). I had enough time to use theirs but to each his own they say.
I like being able to read/write office files (Polaris) and maybe you can do that in the App Store?? I also don't like needing to use iTunes for everything (and maybe you don't?).
Like I said, no regrets on my part.

If I was going to be torn between devices it wouldn't be between the Acer and the Asus it would be between the Acer and the Toshiba Thrive.
I have the ipad2 32gb 3g Verizon. Stood in line on March 11. It's nice I play w/ it occasionally. I really like my Acer a500 though. It does more than the ipad can. Imo the Acer is a better machine.
I have the Nikon d3100 dslr. Both tablets will display the jpegs. I pop out the SD card and use a card reader, in the Acer, or the adapter, in the Apple, to access the pictures.
Also, starting tomorrow, the Acer is $350 at Target ($399-50gc).

Like most people, full size USB. All Android tablets are pretty much the same... this had full size USB so easy choice.
However, if I had to make a choice now, it'd be a bit harder cos the Tosh Thrive has it as well but that looks massive! But you can get it in pretty colours.. oooh!
edit: Oh, I also see it has a full size hdmi! I've already broken 2 micro-hdmi cables on the Acer cos all u need to do is put a tiny bit of pressure on the cable and the end snaps off!

For me it was all about the SD expandability, if I had known about the Toshiba Thrive, I probabbaly would have waited. It's not all about micro-weight and thickness with me. Acer tab has micro SD up to 32 G, Toshiba has full SD up to 128 G I believe.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

has anyone compare this acer iconia a500 to the viewsonic gtab, which have similar hardware. only difference is the older android 2.2. it has usb and hdmi and etc... i am debating between the two. also gtab aonly cost 260 buck at amazon

As far as the gTablet goes, the software isn't a concern since roms for all of these Tegra 2 devices are becoming plentiful and easy to install, so finding 3.0 or 3.1 on the gTablet is likely a piece of cake. Now, as far as the SCREEN goes ...
The aspect ratio on the gTablet is just off... everything is squished just a little, so round things are slightly ovular, squares are slightly rectangular... I got a Pocket eDGe off of woot a while back and it was the exact same way. The screen on the gTablet is also off-center with that thick-ass bezel along the bottom. Personally, I originally wanted a gTablet until I saw that screen, but if you can live with it and wanna run a custom rom, it's the cheapest way to get a Tegra 2 tablet, and it even has a full-size USB port on there, which was one of the reasons I'd originally considered it. As for how it feels in the hand, I played with one and it feels like a cheap Xoom... similar thickness and feel to the edges, but obviously a lower (though acceptable) build quality. I still think the way my Acer feels in my hands is the best of all those I've tried, including the Xoom and Galaxy Tab 10.1 (oh but the GTab 10 is f-ing sexy... my bf has that one). If you can afford the Acer, I'd still say go for that one, but if money is your primary concern and you're not bothered by the screen, go for it. Just remember, the screen's resolution is slightly lower (1024x600 vs 1280x800 on the rest), and there's only 512MB RAM in there vs the 1GB the others have... also only a front facing cam, none on the back, but I never take pics with my tablet anyway... that's what my phone is for. Otherwise, it's Tegra 2 all the way... it's definitely worth what they're going for these days, but so is the Acer even though it costs more.

Torisen said:
For me it was all about the SD expandability, if I had known about the Toshiba Thrive, I probabbaly would have waited. It's not all about micro-weight and thickness with me. Acer tab has micro SD up to 32 G, Toshiba has full SD up to 128 G I believe.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm right there with you. I'm still within my return window, so I'm seriously considering returning the a500 and getting the thrive when it comes in august. I've always been a toshiba fan.
My only concern is will the toshiba be locked down and unrootable.

Mainly because of Android (aka not an oversize iPod) and the USB slot.
Would have gone for another if it was thinner. Now with the acer case on it's darn fat and heavy. If you don't really care about the USB go for samsung 8.9. I'm still torn between the two.

Target plus $50 gift card
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

[Q] Any drawback of A500?

Hi folks over A500 forum, i'm thinking to get myself an A500, but i afraid that i'll regret buying this tablet, because i've read some quite hmmm.... negative feedback about it.
some says that the charger wouldnt charge [i can assume that he has a faulty unit], poor mic, gps, unresponsive keyboard, weak wifi. So can anyone of you kindly enough to tell me what can i expect this tablet will be weak at?
I can tolerate at the poor camera quality though.
Please tell me, thanks!~

I have not found any issues at all with my tab. It is not an A500 but may as well be. (Gateway A60 running A500 roms). I use it at work and at home.
This tablet is pretty much perfect. The camera quality is fine as far as I am concerned (Front and rear), it is easily rootable, even if you install the OTA updates and the price point is where it needs to be.
The only thing that I have been on the lookout for is ICS but so far I am OK with HC. Way better than the Froto on my gtablet.

smishra said:
I have not found any issues at all with my tab. It is not an A500 but may as well be. (Gateway A60 running A500 roms). I use it at work and at home.
This tablet is pretty much perfect. The camera quality is fine as far as I am concerned (Front and rear), it is easily rootable, even if you install the OTA updates and the price point is where it needs to be.
The only thing that I have been on the lookout for is ICS but so far I am OK with HC. Way better than the Froto on my gtablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Perfect info. Any more? =D

Go to the store and play with the Tablets... the gps is a issue.. mic is a issue (only with video chat)
you need to root to fix the gps issues the patch is in the dev section also to tether again patch here in the forum.
keyboard that is stuck sucks badly... install THUMBS KEYBOARD
SUMMERY REQUIRED TO MAKE MY ICONIA PERFECT FOR ME..
BUY AND PUT A SCREEN PROTECTOR ON IT. (Even Gorilla glass can Scratch)
ROOT. install acer recovery install .. flash recovery ... Im now using the RA Recovery
install Root Explorer file manager (there is a free verson on makert.but support the dev BUY IT)
Install Titanium Backup (again Buy it DEV is awesome on this program)but to many updates pushed to often
Install the ad-hoc fix.
install Thumbs Keyboard
Install the gps fix
Install splashtop HD.. (to access my home computer)
Install IPRINT APP for my Brother Printer.
Install Office Program.. (i have two some do certin things better then other . find the one thats right for you)
Install CO-PILOT (THIS ACTUALLY BELONGS BELOW THE GPS PATCH)
Install sync sms .(to forword text msg to and from my tablet from my phone)required drop box account
Install DROP BOX
Flash my UI FOLDERS. to change the colors of the ui to A BURGUNDY Pinkish Color.. (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS .ADVANCED USER EXPERIENCE REQUIRED)AND DEV TOOLS Needed on your Computer and I USE ADOBE CS5..
Setup my email accounts sometime in the above events
Backup my tab with T B
BACKUP MY TAB AGAIN IN RECOVERY..
After all of the above.. my tablet fits my life Perfectly..

As already said by others, weak GPS, keyboard kinda sucks, glossy screen that really shows finger prints, etc. What I haven't seen mentioned, is the inability to properly play HD mkv's, most ppl will say you don't need high quality on tablet, and they are right, but, what if you want to hook your tab to a hotel TV to watch HD, etc. There also seems to be a lot of stuff in the market that is not compatible with this tab (specifically for me, mybuick and onstar)
That being said, having a usable USB port is pretty handy, the micro SD,(missing on the Zoom) micro HDMI are all nice to have. Microphone works well for apps like Skype as long as you use headphones.

You should be using headphones for video conversations anyway, otherwise the mic picks up the sounds coming from the speaker and then you have yourself a poorstorm of feedback.
I have never had any sort of keyboard issue with my tab. This is actually the first I heard of any sort of keyboard issue.
The rear camera is 5 megapixels, so expect 5 megapixel quality. Except for the newest Tegra3 tabs, this is the best camera you can get on a tablet.
You have to expect that this tablet comes from the first generation of real Android tablets that hi the market. As a result, you have to expect that there will be some issues with it. The good thing is that devs has created fixes for common problems (like GPS, wifi etc) so if you are someone who is in to rooting, this is a great tablet.

hardslog said:
You should be using headphones for video conversations anyway, otherwise the mic picks up the sounds coming from the speaker and then you have yourself a poorstorm of feedback.
I have never had any sort of keyboard issue with my tab. This is actually the first I heard of any sort of keyboard issue.
The rear camera is 5 megapixels, so expect 5 megapixel quality. Except for the newest Tegra3 tabs, this is the best camera you can get on a tablet.
You have to expect that this tablet comes from the first generation of real Android tablets that hi the market. As a result, you have to expect that there will be some issues with it. The good thing is that devs has created fixes for common problems (like GPS, wifi etc) so if you are someone who is in to rooting, this is a great tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So true.. MY TAB WORKS Well as stated above.. But it does not come without some work... i have read forums of other tablets. we have less trouble then average..

Oh ok, thx for those feedbacks! BTW, have any of you suffer from keyboard delay? I played Transformer, G Tab10.1, and A500 at the store before, and fall in love with the port and weight of this tablet. But the thing that frustrated me is the keyboard delay it has[btw, i dont really know what happened on that tablet though]
And how was the wifi strength? I heard reports say that it drops quickly?

I love my a500 and should you learn to root and flash you'll uncover the real power and potential in the device. that being said it should be mentioned the a500 is old tech that is going to be replaced by newer more powerful models this year. as these models come out the cutting edge developers will migrate and Dec on the a500 will slow down somewhat. this does not mean the a500 isn't a good purchase option. its great hardware that with the right software is just amazing. but it is on the backside of its lifespan and that carries some downfalls that should be mentioned.

A501, same as A500 except with 3g...
I've never had wifi dropouts, either at home or at work.
The public wifi at work is pretty bad but I have never had a problem logging on and its never dropped out.
Keyboard, again no issue here...
Haven't really played with GPS properly but do use co-pilot. I do find we seem to have pretty bad satellite reception here in OZ but when I have played around it seems pretty reliable, but again only done short trips...
Love the USB, this is why I bought the Acer A501 in the 1st place, no other tab had one. Expandable memory also a BIG plus...
I like the fact I can attach a 1Tb HDD and use this on my tab too...
No real problems, aside from the locked bootloaders Acer insists on sticking on its tabs, most things are fairly good.

I love my A500, but after taking it to meetings and with me pretty much all the time, I find it a bit heavy. I use it almost exclusively professionally and end up using dropbox more than USB drives. I would probably go with a GT10.1 because of the weight and thickness.

Thanks guy! but i bought the G Tab 10.1 instead of A500, because it is really a lot lighter than A500, and my dad prefers it more ;D
Thanks anyway!

Picked up my A500 from The Source on a boxing day special price. It was a bit of an impulse, but also a bit of tech jealousy as my cousin had bought one the week before so he could learn to program apps for it and I got to play with it a bit on New Years. ANYWAYS. I loved it right away, and the prospect of rooting it was pretty awesome.
I have zero faults with this machine. It looks great, works great, was easily unlocked/rooted, and there is a ton of support on this forum. I just keep trying out new roms (4 diff. builds so far) and new kernels (on my 3rd one of those), and I'm having a lot of fun with it.
Only drawback is that I didn't buy one sooner.

picking one up today... 32GB for $220 I think its a fair deal...main reason i would even consider it is becuase its ICS upgradable
I also have a HP Touchpad with CM9 ICS... thats a great piece of equipment if your into modding as well!

mind telling where you got 32gb one for that price?? Im looking to get one myself by budgets tight so any savings is appreciated.
BTW one question about the tablet itself can someone give me an idea about the average battery life, Yes i know battery life is very subjective but i need some kind of referance as i read a review by engadget and it basically said the iconia had the worst battery life of all of the major 10 inch tablets.

220$ for a 32gb?! Who did you steal this from?? haha
I got mine from acer's official ebay store, 330$ (shipping+tax included), refurb 32gb. Works fine.

docnas said:
mind telling where you got 32gb one for that price?? Im looking to get one myself by budgets tight so any savings is appreciated.
BTW one question about the tablet itself can someone give me an idea about the average battery life, Yes i know battery life is very subjective but i need some kind of referance as i read a review by engadget and it basically said the iconia had the worst battery life of all of the major 10 inch tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've gotten 5 days on standby with battery drain to 42% (busy week, it just sat on the bedside table for that time no usage). I figure it could have gotten to 10 days.
When I was using it as an e-reader running the Kindle app almost exclusively I was getting on average 3 days of use between charges, reading for about 3-4 hours a day (Game of Thrones books are LONG and addictive).
Right now I've been playing games on it and I can easily go a whole day (overclocked at 1504mhz) before having to charge it.
Standby had wifi turned on, but off when the screen was off. Reading I always had it in airplane mode, and playing games can be a mix between airplane and wifi. Actually it hasn't seemed to make a huge difference that I can see.