Database Users

[Q] Motorola Xoom vs iPad 2, and Honeycomb Apps

I'm on fence on whether to buy a Motorola Xoom (32GB WiFi EU) or an iPad 2. In terms of price, here in Malta the Xoom seems more worth it as I can get it for 498 euro whilst the iPad 2 Wifi 32GB is at 609.
My main concerns are regarding software, and more importantly, apps availability. Now, before you bash my question, I've read a lot of reviews for both devices, and I've gone through lists for Honeycomb apps, but I'd like input from actual Xoom owners that are using it day to day.
Thanks in advance,
Emmanuel

well email and surfing is alot more fun and productive on a Xoom compare to an Ipad2 because of the integrated email and the flash enabled full size browser experience
but if you look at the build quality of them it sure looks like the Ipad2 went thought a lot more intensive QA then the Xoom since on the back of the xoom you kind of able to push in the plastic a bit.... thats makes me a sad panda
anyway comparing xoom vs ipad 2... there is only one logical answer
android =widgets
IOS = no widgets
and with widgets you get your information a lot faster like news, socks and twitter on one page... so yeah and i do use that alot
productivity = xoom
build quality = ipad2
that said i still think the ipad2 really rocks since it's a finished product but it does not have the widgets

I've owned an iPad and now I own a XOOM. For me personally, the ipad doesn't come close - the OS is far too restrictive and the dependency on iTunes was a killer for me (I use linux on all of my home machines, forcing me to run a windows virtual machine just to activate the damned thing).
With that said, the XOOM, or rather, Honeycomb doesn't even come close with regards to app availability. Even if you take the huge headstart that apple have (1 year+), the ipad has simply always been better marketed and there are a lot more apps available. Let's not even get started on the android market place; it's dire. The worst. And for some reason, it's even worse on honeycomb than it is on phones; no ability to rate apps, plenty of bugs (some of which have been addressed in 3.1), no ability to view only tablet apps, terrible filtering and search in general, etc. Apple's app store is how it should be done, the android market place has a long way to come.
The situation is improving for honeycomb and I personally wouldn't dream of going back to the ipad, but for friends and family who couldn't care less about the restrictive nature of iOS and the other things that I dislike, I would recommend the ipad.
With all that said, it looks really weird to see me almost recommending Apple, because I personally can't stand the software. Oh well...

Well, I've never owned an I pad but I have just purchased the xoom and I LOVE it!!!
Most comparisions regard the xoom better, but with the I pad having loads more apps - to some people, this is the deal breaker.
However, if you want a true tablet experience and not just an oversized iPod touch, then go for the xoom.
The xoom has better OS, greater browser and keyboard, better cameras and support flash, it is also not tied down to any PC software such as iTunes and includes more customization options such as widgits. (Android includes a free turn by turn navigation system too)
Oh and the maps and YouTube apps are better on the xoom and have more features (Google property pays off)
I made my decision and I'm happy with my xoom - but the choice is yours.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

I have to disagree. I think the xoom build quality is top notch and better than the iPad. It's just when I hold the iPad I feel like it will break... to thin for my liking.
Now applications look better in my opinion on the iPad. Like it was mentioned here the Apple eco system keeps me away.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

I have owned an iPad, and will likely own an iPad 2 when the current shortage lets up. There is very little left to say about the iPad (either version) that hasn't been said already. They are exceptional devices, gamechangers, perfectly designed to introduce mobile technology to mainstream users. Almost anyone can be up and running in 15 minutes with an iPad, even with no experience and iOS rewards those who embrace its deliberate limitations.
My first experience with Android was with an Archos 5 tablet, and then an Archos 101. I bought both as relatively inexpensive ways to get acquainted with Android. and both were very frustrating experiences in different ways. They really made me begin to view Android as a very niche market.
However, when I needed a new phone and decided that I couldn't wait for a Windows Phone 7 device to be offered here, and refused to get an iPhone, I opted for the Galaxy s and a whole world opened up to me...which then led me to my new Xoom.
I have been playing with it for about half a day now after doing a great deal of reading...I unlocked it, tried to root it and ran into the "stuck on the red M" problem, spent about 2 hours reading and sorting out how to get myself out of the trap via adb, rooted it at last, installed CWM then flashed the Tiamat kernel and finally began loading up my apps. Loved every moment of it. The build quality of the device, in my opinion, is excellent. It feels much better and more substantial in my hands than the iPad. The screen is top notch and I really like the honeycomb environment for work and play.
Most of all, I like the fact that Android is a living, breathing OS. SO much to explore and learn and investigate.
The iPad, for all it's many good points, as I said before rewards those who embrace its limitations. The Xoom rewards those who refuse limitations, who are willing to spend the time and effort to learn how it works and discover ways to do it better.
The iPad is the USS Enterprise...sleek and beautiful but cold and a bit sterile for all its power. What you see is what you get.
The Xoom is the Tardis...a hodgepodge of history and possibility, all wrapped in a shell of sweet wonder....and it is bigger on the inside.

With a Xoom I could have never ever owned a PC and set it up and get it working. It does not require you to hook it up to itunes first. With the iPad... yea I dont know about 15 minutes but after you hook it up to your computer to unlock it (lol) you can finally use it. In my house we have both, I like the Xoom better

you said
"The iPad, for all it's many good points, as I said before rewards those who embrace its limitations. The Xoom rewards those who refuse limitations, who are willing to spend the time and effort to learn how it works and discover ways to do it better."
I couldn't have said it better. The Xoom is my third Android tablet, my second Tegra2 tab, and the most hands-on and most rewarding and fun to own. I have never liked the Apple zeitgeist and have always avoided that product. I prefer the freedom to mess around, get into scrapes and come back from the brink with a better tab and a lot more knowledge. I think that as an open source, Android will continue to grow and evolve in wonderful ways and I want to be along for the ride.
Also, this thing is built like a tank.

rschenck said:
The iPad is the USS Enterprise...sleek and beautiful but cold and a bit sterile for all its power. What you see is what you get.
The Xoom is the Tardis...a hodgepodge of history and possibility, all wrapped in a shell of sweet wonder....and it is bigger on the inside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That made me giggle . But I think the ipad are like the dalek. Cold personality and desire only perfection. seek only to dominate the world!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

inspiron41 said:
That made me giggle . But I think the ipad are like the dalek. Cold personality and desire only perfection. seek only to dominate the world!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Steve Jobs as Davros ...*shudder*
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

i'll keep this short as can be...
iPad/iOs = Checkers.
Xoom/Honeycomb = Chess.

I have played around with both Ipad and Xoom. I currently own a Xoom. Ipad is probably fine if you want something simple with few options(not talking about apps).
The Xoom is pretty cool, and even cooler after unlock & root. The downside is app / game availability, but it's getting better every day.
The killer for me between the two is multitasking. The xoom has it, the ipad not so much.
And also, no itunes. The xoom works out of the box.
The Ipad on the other hand has more accessories, wee..

Keep in mind that these sorts of issues are ultimately a matter of taste, so the things I don't like the iPad may not bother you at all.
I bought an iPad2 and returned it within 48 hours. I really can't explain my utter contempt for that device, but I just hated everything about it. I'm not an Apple hater, mind you; I owned every iPhone through the 3GS and was one of those dorks standing in line on launch days. I really, really wanted to like the iPad 2, but after having owned two Android handsets (and being a big gadget whore) I couldn't stomach going back to an iOS product.
What I hated about the iPad 2:
-Screen resolution sucks
-Too thin and flimsy feeling
-Stock keyboard is HORRIBLE and there's no way to change it
-No widgets
-No UI customization, period
-Cameras suck
-"Notification system" is sort of a joke
-"Multi-tasking" is also sort of a joke
-Far higher cost for iPad apps vs. iPhone/iPod apps, developers nickel & dime you for every little thing (subscriptions, in-app purchases, etc) - seriously, the whole ecosystem was like a giant money sucking vacuum
-QA on my particular unit was terrible - massive light leaks around the edges of the screen and 3 stuck pixels within 1 day of use (and this is not an isolated issue, though Apple is replacing defective units but making sure to blame their supplier)
iOS is getting long in the tooth, and this is hugely magnified in tablet form, especially with the crappy-looking display. I felt like I was using old technology, despite the awesome internal specs. The best comparison I can come up with between Honeycomb and iOS on a tablet is something like Windows 7 compared to Windows 3.1.

hello,
i'm maltese too, on a xoom us wifi .. from amazon.com
worked out to 508 eu including hsbc's 'conversion charge' of 8 eu or so.
ipad vs xoom.. depends on what you need.
if you want a platform to play stuff from itunes.. ipad
if yiu want a portable computer you can meddle with.... xoom of course.
build quality, screen and battery life are excellent too.
cheers

btw where is that price from?
when i bought mine it was closer to 600eu for wifi eu
which is why i got the us one..

While I will state now I am no expert on iOS or the Ipad1/2 I will say this:
My Xoom has me constantly entertained and I've NEVER felt I needed an app that I didnt have at least 4 decent choices of. I have also never left limited on my Xoom for any tasks I wish to undertake, I stream all my media from my computer (via WiFi OR 3G) so everywhere I am I have access to all my media (and now thanks to Google Music moreso) and with Remote Desktop I have access to my Linux and Windows machines no matter where I am. The Xoom constantly feeds me information without having to do anything but look at my homescreens.
I have played with friends Ipad1/2's and while for the most part things seemed smooth and work well I always had this feeling of being lost when looking through the app screens, its like all the icons look the same (same size, many of them same colors) just felt very sterile and un-enjoyable and you get ZERO information without going from one app to another just felt like so much work for simple basic information readily available on my Xoom.
I've never been a fan of iOS or Apple's strategy towards their customers but I really tried to look at my 2 options without bias before choosing my Xoom. As several others are stated you really dont have any choices with Apple products, you take what your given and if you dont like your options you dont have any more to look at.
Android (despite its fragmentation in some areas and flaws, hiccups in others) is the best choice if you like options and a desire to learn more and have real options with your chosen device. If you want something simple that tells you what you want then Apple products are for you. If you dont mind a hiccup with something here and there and having the ultimate say in the apps and add-on parts for your device then I say without a doubt Android is the way to go. Widgets are the best thing to happen to phones/tablets as it gives you so much information without having to do anything to get it and you can always enter into that app for a more detailed look and more options.
As for the comment on Apple App Store having more options, maybe it does but judging by the amount the Android Market has grown over 1 year I highly doubt Apple will be able to say the same thing next year. More and more developers either jump ship from Apples restrictions in apps or choose to release their products on both Android and iOS platforms which means in many cases the Apple App Store is slowing down and stagnating in some areas due to the open nature of app development for Android OS, its infinitely easier to write and sell and app for Android than iOS.
As a side note a friend of mine and I compared apps, we both had some niche apps and some common ones... my total cost was about $40 (like I said I have some apps that cost about $15, my phone apps only had a grand total of like $10) but all in all his total for all similar (sometimes the same app) was about $200, that alone pushed my decision for another android device with the Xoom vs Ipad2.

If your cheap and want to hack get the Xoom. If you want to easily be able get VIDEOS to play fluently for rent or TV episodes get iPad. I got the ipad because it was so gay to get Videos on the thing. Having to convert then drag to device verse iTunes makes iTunes seem easier. Especially is JB.
Xoom =iPad none is clear winner
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

jamaicansolja said:
If your cheap and want to hack get the Xoom. If you want to easily be able get VIDEOS to play fluently for rent or TV episodes get iPad. I got the ipad because it was so gay to get Videos on the thing. Having to convert then drag to device verse iTunes makes iTunes seem easier. Especially is JB.
Xoom =iPad none is clear winner
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure I would call the Xoom cheap (not in build quality and certainly not in price) and I don't see what the sexual orientation of the iPad has to do with the issue.
I feel the video converting question is a non issue. For me, converting via iTunes or by a third party app is just as big a pain, and the iPad's native video app is even more limited codec-wise than the Android stock Video. Anyway, just use a player like MoboPlayer or VPlayer which can show pretty much anything, and you are golden.
However I agree that there is no real BEST TABLET...it is just a matter of personal preference.

jamaicansolja said:
If your cheap and want to hack get the Xoom. If you want to easily be able get VIDEOS to play fluently for rent or TV episodes get iPad. I got the ipad because it was so gay to get Videos on the thing. Having to convert then drag to device verse iTunes makes iTunes seem easier. Especially is JB.
Xoom =iPad none is clear winner
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So spend more money for the more restrictive device? Also, you don't have to hack the xoom. The Xoom has more option out of the box than the ipad.
You didn't manage to get gay videos on the Xoom?

Croolis said:
btw where is that price from?
when i bought mine it was closer to 600eu for wifi eu
which is why i got the us one..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's on www.expansys.com.mt, excluding VAT.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

GTab >>>> Ipad

I posted this in another forum, thought I will re-post it here.
I had Ipad2 for 2 weeks and returned it. Once you use android tablet for a week, you can't go back to Ipad 2.
There are lot of reasons to choose android over ipad. Couple of examples:
=> Google maps kicks ass in android. IPad also has google maps, but its crippled - there are no reviews, no 3D view, no rotating using multi-touch, etc..
=> Widgets make a big difference in the 10" screen. You get the see emails, weather, calendar in the main screen, esp. with re-sizable widgets. Switch on the tablet, look at important stuff, move on with your life. In Ipad, you need to search for the three apps in the sea of icons, open one, close, look for next app and so on. There's a sea of difference in usability.
=> Android task bar has short cuts to change lot of settings like brightness and is available without the need to close the app that you are on. Say, you are reading a webpage that has a link to youtube. For reading you may like low brightness, but video with dark background requires more brightness. Steps to change screen brightness in IPad: you need to close the current app, search for settings icon in the sea of app icons, open settings, look for 'screen' settings, open the settings, look for brightness control, change brightness, double tap the hardware button to see the previous app, click it to open where you were. In honeycomb, you just click the task bar icon, change brightness, done. Now, that's usability.
=> Ipad is 4:3, pretty useless for viewing videos/movies. Watching 16:9 movies in Ipad is painful. Netflix works in Ipad (in the works for android, not out yet), but I honestly couldn't use it in Ipad because of the 4:3 screen. It's like watching movie on the old CRT screen.
=> IPad has no flash.
=> IPad has no back button. Every app implements 'back' functionality in their own way. You need to search for the 'back' button in every app. It gets frustrating very fast. Android has a beautiful back button that's available always and behaves exactly the same way in every app. It's magical. Really.
This is just the tip of iceberg. The list goes on and on.
If you are not big on games, then the several thousand apps in the app store means nothing. Because every useful app has a counterpart in honeycomb.
I know this is a android/gtab 10.1 forum so we'll be obviously biased, but what do you think of ipad?

I agree with everything you have said - not to mention the specs are under that of the 10.1, and if the rumors are true around the place there will be an updated model either at the time of the release of the 4G (unlikely), or within a few months after...
I am crossing my fingers and waiting for the rumors to be confirmed because if an updated model with wqxga (retina display competitor) 300+ dpi, plus microSD (if it's not released with the coming model), and possible quad core cpu (although it might just be the exynos 1.2Ghz), comes out within that sort of time frame then bugger me you are already beating the released 'possible' specs of the 2012/2013 release of iPad3!
lol - I am seriously excited about the 10.1. I have no doubt it is going to rock the crap out of the iPad2 for all the reasons you have stated and many more.
I have no concerns about possible build issues with the device as I have an Omnia 2 which is the same high grade plastics they are using in the 10.1 and i have dropped it many many many times - the phone has no issues, no cracking no warping etc it is just like the day i bought it (with some minor scratches of course).
Also people say customer service is crap for Samsung - well that depends on the country you are in and your expectations but let me tell you here in the philippines where customer service for the majority of companies is unheard of, I have had my screen replaced on the Omnia 2 when i had some white dots appear (probably due to me dropping it down some stairs on to concrete), no questions asked, within 3 to 5 days. and that was with a cooked rom that came up with a naughty boot message.
So yeah I don't blame you for trading in your iPad2

I started writing out this long response on all the positive points I see with the iPad 2 over the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Not because I think the iPad 2 is better. Just wanted to point out some of the iPad's strengths because I do think the device is pretty good.
But I like the Galaxy Tab 10.1 more, got worried I might come off wrong and get riped apart like a rabbit before a pack of wolves. Haha.
So instead of the long post, I'll just give a brief short list of what I consider some pros for the iPad 2 over the Galaxy Tab 10.1... and I emphasis I still like the Galaxy Tab 10.1 more and am waiting to buy one.
* Over 50,000 tablet optimized apps. Original iPad came out over a year and has been massively successful. Apple has a huge head start. I think the Android optimized apps still count in the low hundreds right now. And I often see lesser quality with the Android versions. It'll improve, but it's going to take time.
* iOS is more stable. 3.1 has helped, Android Market doesn't bug out on me as much. But there are still stability issues with Honeycomb. I'm a little fearful to install too many apps on my Android tablets because I've had some apps have a negative impact on the entire tablet's performance. Even Motorola's CEO commented recently on this being a concern. iOS on the other hand I have no fear installing everything I see (had over 120 apps on my iPad 1) without fear of performance issues.
* iPad has excellent standby battery life. I can leave the iPad asleep for 24 hours and find it the next day still at 99 or 100% battery life. My Android tablets seem to lose about 25% or more battery life a day just sleeping. I wish more review sites would measure this. I'm curious how much it varies between Android tablets and wouldn't mind seeing more light shed on the issue.
There are other things I could bring up. But generally iPad's strength is the maturity and polishness of it's OS, it's 1 year head start and massive number quality apps.
Still. An exciting thing about Android is this is it's first tablet OS, I think things are moving fast for Android, and we get to be along for the ride. It's only going to keep getting better. And we are already blessed with amazing freedom, flexibility, and customization options. This is what I love about Android.
And I had seriously thought about getting an iPad 2. There are some apps I know I like much more on iOS than Android. But I feel like I'm just giving up way too much control for that. And I think the apps will get better here.

Ravynmagi said:
* iPad has excellent standby battery life. I can leave the iPad asleep for 24 hours and find it the next day still at 99 or 100% battery life. My Android tablets seem to lose about 25% or more battery life a day just sleeping. I wish more review sites would measure this. I'm curious how much it varies between Android tablets and wouldn't mind seeing more light shed on the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, this is weird. Samsung has a bigger battery, but 2 1/2 hours less runtime on the Anandtech review.

Again I agree with everything you said as well and as far as summaries are concerned you are probably summing up the majority opinion on the overall apple or something else debate.
I am an intel person myself because of that very freedom Apple lacks. I love intel because if I want to dual boot, or just feel like blowing my machine away and running pure linux, or windows or whatever even a hacked version of OSX, I can do that. You go apple, you have to use their hardware - while it is pretty sexy etc it is expensive and you can't mix and match the way you can with intel or make your own best of breed monster. If it had of been they didn't customise OSX to only run on apple hardware i probably would have switched to OSX and been laughing - but again they chose to limit their market and for whatever reason maintain the big f you apple sentiment (maybe just in my opinion only )
The same goes for the tablets - with IOS you are stuck with IOS - you can jailbreak it but with more and more difficulty, and gain access to 100,000's of really cool apps and games, it seems to flow a bit better (well at least in the iphone arena) than other OS's etc but at the end of the day you are stuck with IOS and their way of doing things as otherhawkeye said in his/her post.
My biggest dislikes re apple mobile technology - no common connectivity options (micro usb connector), cannot remove the battery and replace it yourself, no microSD, limited to itunes for a lot of things, lack of common options like gps, 3g etc until their customers all complain and then they add one in and then their customers complain some more and they add some more in. Some people like to be ripped off and jerked around and played like the fools apple must think of the majority of people out there... but sorry it's just not to my liking.
I have to give props to Samsung for actually stating once Apple had released iPad2 that they were going to delay the release of their product revamp it and release a better product because he felt (ceo of samsung) that the 10.1v was inadequate! This is a Korean based company and they are known for quality - that is what the Korean's pride themselves on - best quality from clothes, food, appliances, cars etc - you ask a Korean and they will say everything of theirs is better quality than anywhere else from rice to well everything. That's the mindset they have ... so while it may not always be the case in the real world and is a little biased etc, you have a company trying to live up to that ethos and saying while the 10.1v is good and in many ways still better than the competition they can make it better before finally releasing it.
Apple - ummm well just look here and see what has changed from iPad 1 to iPad2 http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/ipad-2-vs-original-ipad-whats-changed this is a YEAR between release dates also....
Remember this is an entirely NEW product yet only a few things have changed. and the cameras they added in are of particularly crap quality according to many reviews. Pleeeease don't tell me that they couldn't have included a better camera, please don't tell me they couldn't include a microSD card, or micro USB or put in the retina display like they did for the iPhone4, or a host of other things that are in smaller devices already. Your probably going to talk quality control and proper lead time for adding in things right - or give other reasons why they don't want to "clutter" the thing with microSD or micro USB etc but ... faf that!
As I have said in my previous post there are already hints that later this year (we're already half way through), that Samsung will more than likely release another version of the same tab with a few extras, if they don't release them along with the 4g version... this is the same product getting revamped for the 2nd time WITHIN the same year! Why? It would be nice to think of it as living up to the ethos but I like to think that it's more that they are sick of Apple releasing inferior products and cleaning up the market with hype and sexiness and they really want to stick it to Apple.....
lol I hope that doesn't come off as apple bashing too much....

Ravynmagi said:
There are other things I could bring up. But generally iPad's strength is the maturity and polishness of it's OS, it's 1 year head start and massive number quality apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about the "more polishness", but its more stable than honeycomb. I think honeycomb is more polished than ios, but it's less stable right now due to the FCs.
About battery life - honeycomb tablets don't have bad battery life. 8-10 hours battery life is not bad. Apple does have couple of more hours of battery life and better standby battery life, but then we are now in the bragging rights territory. If you charge every day and not going on international trips, the extra hour of battery life is not going to matter to most of the tablet buyers.
Same goes for app store. You said you have 120 apps installed in your ipad, average person has 5 to 20. Honeycomb had every app *I* wanted. The quality of third party apps was similar between Ipad and Honeycomb. But YMMV. If a person needs a specialized app that's not available in HC, then they need to stick with Ipad. OTOH, google apps are vastly superior to the ones in Ipad. That was the deciding factor for me.

Is it true that iPhone apps do not scale on the iPad? I am sure I heard this somewhere, but I cannot imagine it's true.
With that said, while there are not many Honeycomb-specific apps, at least most pre-3.0 apps play nice with HC (upscaling for screen size).
I had a brief time (about 3 hours) where I thought the iPad2 would be a better option for me than the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Luckily, I was talked off the ledge. The only thing that had me leaning towards the Pad is tablet-specific apps, but in the end most of my tablet usage is through the browser.
What sealed the deal in my getting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was the deep integration of Google services. Until iOS5 comes out, there is definitely nothing on the iPad that holds a candles to Google's Android-account management system (not that I'm aware of, but I an ignorant on this subject).

mightymouse2045 said:
Again I agree with everything you said as well and as far as summaries are concerned you are probably summing up the majority opinion on the overall apple or something else debate.
I am an intel person myself because of that very freedom Apple lacks. I love intel because if I want to dual boot, or just feel like blowing my machine away and running pure linux, or windows or whatever even a hacked version of OSX, I can do that. You go apple, you have to use their hardware - while it is pretty sexy etc it is expensive and you can't mix and match the way you can with intel or make your own best of breed monster. If it had of been they didn't customise OSX to only run on apple hardware i probably would have switched to OSX and been laughing - but again they chose to limit their market and for whatever reason maintain the big f you apple sentiment (maybe just in my opinion only )
The same goes for the tablets - with IOS you are stuck with IOS - you can jailbreak it but with more and more difficulty, and gain access to 100,000's of really cool apps and games, it seems to flow a bit better (well at least in the iphone arena) than other OS's etc but at the end of the day you are stuck with IOS and their way of doing things as otherhawkeye said in his/her post.
My biggest dislikes re apple mobile technology - no common connectivity options (micro usb connector), cannot remove the battery and replace it yourself, no microSD, limited to itunes for a lot of things, lack of common options like gps, 3g etc until their customers all complain and then they add one in and then their customers complain some more and they add some more in. Some people like to be ripped off and jerked around and played like the fools apple must think of the majority of people out there... but sorry it's just not to my liking.
I have to give props to Samsung for actually stating once Apple had released iPad2 that they were going to delay the release of their product revamp it and release a better product because he felt (ceo of samsung) that the 10.1v was inadequate! This is a Korean based company and they are known for quality - that is what the Korean's pride themselves on - best quality from clothes, food, appliances, cars etc - you ask a Korean and they will say everything of theirs is better quality than anywhere else from rice to well everything. That's the mindset they have ... so while it may not always be the case in the real world and is a little biased etc, you have a company trying to live up to that ethos and saying while the 10.1v is good and in many ways still better than the competition they can make it better before finally releasing it.
Apple - ummm well just look here and see what has changed from iPad 1 to iPad2 http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/ipad-2-vs-original-ipad-whats-changed this is a YEAR between release dates also....
Remember this is an entirely NEW product yet only a few things have changed. and the cameras they added in are of particularly crap quality according to many reviews. Pleeeease don't tell me that they couldn't have included a better camera, please don't tell me they couldn't include a microSD card, or micro USB or put in the retina display like they did for the iPhone4, or a host of other things that are in smaller devices already. Your probably going to talk quality control and proper lead time for adding in things right - or give other reasons why they don't want to "clutter" the thing with microSD or micro USB etc but ... faf that!
As I have said in my previous post there are already hints that later this year (we're already half way through), that Samsung will more than likely release another version of the same tab with a few extras, if they don't release them along with the 4g version... this is the same product getting revamped for the 2nd time WITHIN the same year! Why? It would be nice to think of it as living up to the ethos but I like to think that it's more that they are sick of Apple releasing inferior products and cleaning up the market with hype and sexiness and they really want to stick it to Apple.....
lol I hope that doesn't come off as apple bashing too much....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
umm.. you do realize that apple computer run on intel chips, right? saying that you're "an intel person" doesn't really many any sense..
anyway, you say that the ipad sucks because they use proprietary ports, don't have sd, etc. but... the galaxy tab 10.1 doesn't have those things either

ralexand said:
Is it true that iPhone apps do not scale on the iPad? I am sure I heard this somewhere, but I cannot imagine it's true.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's true. iPhone apps run on iPad /w the same resolution (occupy a tiny area in the middle of the tablet) or 2x the resolution (occupy most of the tablet screen, but /w blurry text, etc.). Either way, I found it unusable.
OTOH, many, but not all, phone apps run well in HC. They scale nicely and you would hardly know that they are not designed for HC. Case in point, engadget app or many of the news apps.

smaskell said:
umm.. you do realize that apple computer run on intel chips, right? saying that you're "an intel person" doesn't really many any sense..
anyway, you say that the ipad sucks because they use proprietary ports, don't have sd, etc. but... the galaxy tab 10.1 doesn't have those things either
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol yes i know they changed over to intel hardware - however OSX only supports their combination of hardware, won't install on other hardware etc unless you get the hacked boot image and then the drivers that are in the 'hacked' OSX support some hardware and not others and the hardware that is supported it varies on either partial support to full support. when i played with it last year i could only get a single gpu working on my dual gpu video card, no wifi support, no 3d effects, multi threading and virtual support and some other issues that I just wasn't willing to accept. They have a kickass OS why don't they release it to the masses - because they want you to buy the hardware as well from them to get more money. It's like the Catholic church - the only path to God is through the church.
The intel man statement was more meant to describe the freedom you have when using intel based hardware, windows and linux OS's compared with if you go OSX and in the past risc based Apple - you need apple hardware. I like open standards, compatibility and choices for my computing experience.
Yes I am aware of the 'potentially' missing microSD port, and the proprietary 30 pin port to USB cable it comes with. You didn't read what I said about possible 2nd revamp and release of another version which would include the microSD along with an even better screen and maybe a quad core later this year?
Look through some other posts about what supercurio is saying about the current gtab 10.1 - transformer has a screen - gtab 10.1's screen is art, and other comments comparing ips (apple) to pls (gtab 10.1).

mightymouse2045 said:
lol yes i know they changed over to intel hardware - however OSX only supports their combination of hardware, won't install on other hardware etc unless you get the hacked boot image and then the drivers that are in the 'hacked' OSX support some hardware and not others and the hardware that is supported it varies on either partial support to full support. when i played with it last year i could only get a single gpu working on my dual gpu video card, no wifi support, no 3d effects, multi threading and virtual support and some other issues that I just wasn't willing to accept. They have a kickass OS why don't they release it to the masses - because they want you to buy the hardware as well from them to get more money. It's like the Catholic church - the only path to God is through the church.
The intel man statement was more meant to describe the freedom you have when using intel based hardware, windows and linux OS's compared with if you go OSX and in the past risc based Apple - you need apple hardware. I like open standards, compatibility and choices for my computing experience.
Yes I am aware of the 'potentially' missing microSD port, and the proprietary 30 pin port to USB cable it comes with. You didn't read what I said about possible 2nd revamp and release of another version which would include the microSD along with an even better screen and maybe a quad core later this year?
Look through some other posts about what supercurio is saying about the current gtab 10.1 - transformer has a screen - gtab 10.1's screen is art, and other comments comparing ips (apple) to pls (gtab 10.1).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, of course. I couldn't agree more. Just thought it was a bit of an odd way of putting it haha.

10.1 vs Transformer vs Ipad2

After I could compare the Ipad2, 10.1 and Transformer for days now, I decided to go and buy an Ipad2. Yes, I turned my back on Android and here's why:
10.1:
Very nice lookings, high quality and hardware but there is a big problem: the colors. On some pictures the saturation is so high that it kills lots of details every time 2 similar colors are nearby. Here you can see what I mean, check the right circle where orange and red meets - if the orange circle would be more reddish, you could hardly tell there are 2 rings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bkovoLXw4&feature=player_detailpage#t=208s
If you compare it to a perfect calibrated monitor, it looks like crap. Flashy, colorful and nice but details are gone. That's the one and only weaknes from what it offers. It's 16:9 display is a winner when it comes to videos but video playback is poor. Ipad2 is much better, even for flash, later more to come about it.
Another MAJOR problem is Samsung support. Android is a fresh system and needs tons of support. Samsung provides NONE. For EU, they still have no release dates or closer info about their device - just lol. For me, the 10.1 is just a step in the process to upgrade to Tegra3. They built the shell now and can use it for the next device to compete with Apple. Same like they did to the 10.1v - no support, they just forgot about it.
Transformer:
Diplay is pretty good but the build quality is crap. After I saw the Archos tablets with the bronze frame, I knew where Asus bought their stuff. Both have those sharp metal frames which are wrapped around the screen. TF and Archos have gaps between the frame and glas, with some kind of rubber to fill it. Asus tried to even out the sharp edges but you can see how cheap it is. Archos tablets can cut in your finger if you swipe around the edges ! For me: complete garbage quality, should cost 250$ max to satisfy the minimalist who just want's to read or something.
Ipad2:
This device is pretty awesome. First I thought the 4:3 diplay sucks for reading but after I measured books and calculated ratios, they were ALL closer to Ipad2 standards. That menas you will have less wasted space on Ipad. When surfing internet you will learn to love 4:3, everything fits perfectly while you feel how broken sites are on 16:9. The drawback are 16:9 movies without a border and the good about it, you have FULLSCREEN ! in emulators without scaling. There are also a lot of older movies/series with 4:3, which I prefer on travel anyway.
It is fluent everywhere and feels like my Galaxy S after getting the lagfix. Stock 3.1 is bull**** compared to it. The only point where it is superior, are widgets.
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
You can play Flash Videos on Ipad using Iswifter or other apps. Inconvinient sometimes but to my surprise, they are fluent on the Ipad - Androids are sluggish. The Ipad even played a movie fluent with 10 other flash animations around it !
The crappy part about the Ipad is itunes and the structure how app files are arranged. Every app has it's own folder, so if you use FTP or something to transfer via network, you have to put those files IN the app folder, so they can find it. Not a big deal, if the app folder wouln't be named like 429403290239203023948393. Android is way better, copy somewhere on SD and browse it. Sure you can use itunes to put everything together but Itunes won't work with Jailbroken apps from Cydia. This breaks the use of my NAS server at home, leaving me with ****ty USB-to-PC solutions if I want it the easy way. Music and Videos which are supported by NAS can be played over UPNP but I found more nice apps for that on Android as I could on Ipad.
Conclusion:
10.1 is a nice device but it's like to own a ferrari and only have crappy roads to drive on. Android kills the Tab, sadly. It's good for smartphones but not for tabs - it's worse as an alpha build of windows. Every manufactuerer does what he wants, there are no standards. Compatibility between Android versions are a joke - imagine you upgrade from win7 to win8 and everything stops working - arrrrrrrgh.
This may be fixed with 4.0 but it will take another 1-2 years for the software. Until then, there will be Win8, which could break Androids neck (if it's compatible to Win7 programms!). Also I can sell the Ipad2 for 200-300 bucks, even if Ipad3 is released, so screw it, will lose ~150-200€ to it. But it will buy me at least 6 months of fun.
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.

Wow there are so many problems with this post I don't even know where to begin. I think I will just address your last line:
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try telling that to the iPhone 3G users who upgraded to ios4 and had a device that was next to worthless. Apple pushed that update out to ose iPhones knowing it would turn it into a piece of **** 100% of the time.

dcc22 said:
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having met way more people with iPodTouch4/IP4/IPad1&2 that do this than those who DO NOT do this, it makes me wonder if the ideology of app devs to take preference to iOS for financial considerations is not completely flawed.

....what is the point of this post?
your inability to play with android OS and tweak it is not an excuse for you to say that android is flawed..with that said, i agree some stuff need to be fix, but its minor stuff such as typing on the browser...and...well thats it for me.
if you want something that work out of the box, agreed pick ipad 2, but if your geeky or you like linux pick android, more custimization then IOS can ever dream of.

THE firmwares with ripped features for different devices, as they become incompatible with every next release the iphone 3g and now 3gs with ios5. Don't tell me jailbreak is easy, it took the developers 3 months to make a jailbreak for ipad 2 which is still raw with compatibility issues! If buying the idevice is an excuse for free apps...probably games in your case with a new handheld gaming device than off board ye pirate! People jailbreak the device for customisation which is the soul of android os (which is not fresh but time tested and evolving i need not wait a whole year for new features to sprout, mostly inspired and already popular in other os!).
Ever heard of DFU mode, recovery mode? Similar terms and combos are used here! Atleast in android thanks to diversity if one model ain't suitable there is a myriad to choose from! Compare two devices of same platform when making a point.

I agree with G1 and the person above but since you decided to share...let me take a turn.
Why you felt the need to justify your iPad 2 choice in an Android related forum is beyond me.
You either realize or fail to see that Apple purposefully limits their tech. Minimal upgrades between generations. Even the newest iPhone won't support 4G from what I have heard yet they want to use LTE patents against Google?
Your train of thought that the iPad 2 is perfect is already starting to form.
The iPad's dimensions do not in any way make it better for video, reading, and web surfing. I was just having a debate with a friend who started complaining about where the dock port was on my Galaxy Tab 10.1. He was quickly shut up when I pointed out that cell phones have the port at the bottom so our hands can grip the sides. However a tablet is meant to be held in LANDSCAPE...that's why sticking the port in a different place was a smart decision.
Point being...he turned into another person claiming everything is horrible with Android. Guess what? He never owned an Android device. He actually has a Touch Pro 2 right now. IGNORANCE!
Look I've had an iPad. I know that jailbreaking it is POINTLESS. Your battery dies out super fast, the app selection is fairly weak, and all of that jailbreaking does nothing but try to replicate an Android experience. But it fails.
Unlike you, I do care about the future. I don't want to live in a world where everybody has the same glossy tablet with a slippery back so you can drop the darn thing. I don't want to be told what I can and cannot do on my tablet. I do not want to support any company intent on holding back technological progress for the sake of money or who buys patents just to sue other companies out performing them.
You have EVERY right to buy an iPad 2 but just know that your choices and who you choose to support speaks volumes. I have friends just like you. One day they're talking about freedom and openness. The next day they're justifying EVERYTHING Apple does. Cool. As long as I have a choice too.
As for your claims about Windows 8, it only serves to buttress how you allowed us yourself to come to your decision.
"Ignorance is bliss." That should be Apple's new tagline.

I love the OP and how he compares the worst of Android tablets to the best of iPad2 lol
4:3 is perfect for reading books with less wasted screen space. Yay! Now try reading comics and watching WS movies You prefer 4:3 movies? Good for you
Jailbreaking is easy for the iPad2 NOW! But do you know how long it took for the jailbreak to come out? That's right, they've been working on it since the iPad2 was released in March. Four months for a jailbreak to give you the 3rd party features equivalent of... Android. Who knows how long it will be the next time a new iPad/iDevice comes out. Compares that to the usual quick turn-around of rooting an Android device.
I'm happy that you're happy with your iPad 2. It's a nice device. But it sounds like you're just an iOS fan who tried Android and didn't like it.

I'm so glad you guys posted such thorough responses, so now I don't have to. I particularly like the point about why an Apple Fanboy felt the need to post his decision in an Android forum was beyond sensible.

goalweiser said:
I agree with G1 and the person above but since you decided to share...let me take a turn.
Why you felt the need to justify your iPad 2 choice in an Android related forum is beyond me.
You either realize or fail to see that Apple purposefully limits their tech. Minimal upgrades between generations. Even the newest iPhone won't support 4G from what I have heard yet they want to use LTE patents against Google?
Your train of thought that the iPad 2 is perfect is already starting to form.
The iPad's dimensions do not in any way make it better for video, reading, and web surfing. I was just having a debate with a friend who started complaining about where the dock port was on my Galaxy Tab 10.1. He was quickly shut up when I pointed out that cell phones have the port at the bottom so our hands can grip the sides. However a tablet is meant to be held in LANDSCAPE...that's why sticking the port in a different place was a smart decision.
Point being...he turned into another person claiming everything is horrible with Android. Guess what? He never owned an Android device. He actually has a Touch Pro 2 right now. IGNORANCE!
Look I've had an iPad. I know that jailbreaking it is POINTLESS. Your battery dies out super fast, the app selection is fairly weak, and all of that jailbreaking does nothing but try to replicate an Android experience. But it fails.
Unlike you, I do care about the future. I don't want to live in a world where everybody has the same glossy tablet with a slippery back so you can drop the darn thing. I don't want to be told what I can and cannot do on my tablet. I do not want to support any company intent on holding back technological progress for the sake of money or who buys patents just to sue other companies out performing them.
You have EVERY right to buy an iPad 2 but just know that your choices and who you choose to support speaks volumes. I have friends just like you. One day they're talking about freedom and openness. The next day they're justifying EVERYTHING Apple does. Cool. As long as I have a choice too.
As for your claims about Windows 8, it only serves to buttress how you allowed us yourself to come to your decision.
"Ignorance is bliss." That should be Apple's new tagline.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
God, I really like this post. Spoke about everything I wanted to say.
I dont want to be told what I can or cannot do. I want to tweak, optimize and control every setting that I can. There are tons of problems with JB and everyone, even a non-apple user like me, knows it. And without JB youre just living in a matrix that Steve Jobs dictates.
I would really like to hear the OP thoughts on flash. My friend tried to buy something on the web and couldnt use her credit card on the iphone. in the end I bought it for her using-yes my samsung 10.1- and she wrote me a check. And Steve Jobs is saying people dont need/shouldnt use/ cannot use flash on their mobile device.
This kinda makes me think of how I am training my 2 year old son to use the potty.

hmmm
I just recently got a galaxy tab 10.1, after spending the last month using an ipad2, I need both tablets for an app i am building.
And I can tell you this much, anyone that has an iphone will love an ipad2. Anyone that uses an ipad2 will be very very very happy with it.
But trust me, use that device for a month, then switch to honeycomb..... and it will blow you away.

One think I can say about apple is so easy to use, than it becomes boring after a while.thats why I have the samsung galaxy tab.

evolishesh said:
One think I can say about apple is so easy to use, than it becomes boring after a while.thats why I have the samsung galaxy tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple's draw over its competitors has been its simplicity for years - well before Android. Back in the day it was Microsoft. The sad truth is that reduced functionality in a shinier package is what most people want. Thankfully for those of us with a bit more intelligence, we have products like Android to keep us entertained.

SolusCado said:
Apple's draw over its competitors has been its simplicity for years - well before Android. Back in the day it was Microsoft. The sad truth is that reduced functionality in a shinier package is what most people want. Thankfully for those of us with a bit more intelligence, we have products like Android to keep us entertained.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. I love android and its platform

Um, wow. Glad everyone else said already literally everything I could think of responding to the OP with.
And personally, I will never buy a Win8 tablet until I can wipe it and install Android, Ubuntu or MeeGo on it.

Lorddeff07 said:
hmmm
I just recently got a galaxy tab 10.1, after spending the last month using an ipad2, I need both tablets for an app i am building.
And I can tell you this much, anyone that has an iphone will love an ipad2. Anyone that uses an ipad2 will be very very very happy with it.
But trust me, use that device for a month, then switch to honeycomb..... and it will blow you away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the non-ipad users, could you elaborate some points on that? I just want to know some actual comparisons aside from the well advertised facts, ex: flash.

All of these tablets have their quirks and flaws. Mostly with the software. I actually need to return my second 10.1 because it's been randomly turning off like my first. Must be due to heat.
In any case, I will wait for the next batch of tablets instead. Hopefully we start getting some stuff that's really spectacular. Like a processor that can handle the native resolution of HC and has more video codecs.

Colors are pretty drab on ipad and saturated on tab. Both screens need calibration.
Tabs screen is brighter and higher Res. Side by side with same pics regardless of source tab wins everytime. Anyone saying otherwise needs prescription checked.
There's a reason ipadhd is coming. Apple knows full well there display is now second rate.

dcc22 said:
After I could compare the Ipad2, 10.1 and Transformer for days now, I decided to go and buy an Ipad2. Yes, I turned my back on Android and here's why:
10.1:
Very nice lookings, high quality and hardware but there is a big problem: the colors. On some pictures the saturation is so high that it kills lots of details every time 2 similar colors are nearby. Here you can see what I mean, check the right circle where orange and red meets - if the orange circle would be more reddish, you could hardly tell there are 2 rings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bkovoLXw4&feature=player_detailpage#t=208s
If you compare it to a perfect calibrated monitor, it looks like crap. Flashy, colorful and nice but details are gone. That's the one and only weaknes from what it offers. It's 16:9 display is a winner when it comes to videos but video playback is poor. Ipad2 is much better, even for flash, later more to come about it.
Another MAJOR problem is Samsung support. Android is a fresh system and needs tons of support. Samsung provides NONE. For EU, they still have no release dates or closer info about their device - just lol. For me, the 10.1 is just a step in the process to upgrade to Tegra3. They built the shell now and can use it for the next device to compete with Apple. Same like they did to the 10.1v - no support, they just forgot about it.
Transformer:
Diplay is pretty good but the build quality is crap. After I saw the Archos tablets with the bronze frame, I knew where Asus bought their stuff. Both have those sharp metal frames which are wrapped around the screen. TF and Archos have gaps between the frame and glas, with some kind of rubber to fill it. Asus tried to even out the sharp edges but you can see how cheap it is. Archos tablets can cut in your finger if you swipe around the edges ! For me: complete garbage quality, should cost 250$ max to satisfy the minimalist who just want's to read or something.
Ipad2:
This device is pretty awesome. First I thought the 4:3 diplay sucks for reading but after I measured books and calculated ratios, they were ALL closer to Ipad2 standards. That menas you will have less wasted space on Ipad. When surfing internet you will learn to love 4:3, everything fits perfectly while you feel how broken sites are on 16:9. The drawback are 16:9 movies without a border and the good about it, you have FULLSCREEN ! in emulators without scaling. There are also a lot of older movies/series with 4:3, which I prefer on travel anyway.
It is fluent everywhere and feels like my Galaxy S after getting the lagfix. Stock 3.1 is bull**** compared to it. The only point where it is superior, are widgets.
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
You can play Flash Videos on Ipad using Iswifter or other apps. Inconvinient sometimes but to my surprise, they are fluent on the Ipad - Androids are sluggish. The Ipad even played a movie fluent with 10 other flash animations around it !
The crappy part about the Ipad is itunes and the structure how app files are arranged. Every app has it's own folder, so if you use FTP or something to transfer via network, you have to put those files IN the app folder, so they can find it. Not a big deal, if the app folder wouln't be named like 429403290239203023948393. Android is way better, copy somewhere on SD and browse it. Sure you can use itunes to put everything together but Itunes won't work with Jailbroken apps from Cydia. This breaks the use of my NAS server at home, leaving me with ****ty USB-to-PC solutions if I want it the easy way. Music and Videos which are supported by NAS can be played over UPNP but I found more nice apps for that on Android as I could on Ipad.
Conclusion:
10.1 is a nice device but it's like to own a ferrari and only have crappy roads to drive on. Android kills the Tab, sadly. It's good for smartphones but not for tabs - it's worse as an alpha build of windows. Every manufactuerer does what he wants, there are no standards. Compatibility between Android versions are a joke - imagine you upgrade from win7 to win8 and everything stops working - arrrrrrrgh.
This may be fixed with 4.0 but it will take another 1-2 years for the software. Until then, there will be Win8, which could break Androids neck (if it's compatible to Win7 programms!). Also I can sell the Ipad2 for 200-300 bucks, even if Ipad3 is released, so screw it, will lose ~150-200€ to it. But it will buy me at least 6 months of fun.
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same thing,I had the transformer for week return it and waited for the galaxy tab,I love the galaxy tab but too much force closes and app crashing.I exchange tab for ipad2 and jailbreak it.
I am very happy with the ipad,but I miss honeycomb,hope ice-cream sandwich and all manufactures they stop using nvidia Tegra

The hardware is there, and Google is revving up for Ice Cream Sandwich right now, which will hopefully bring some much needed changes to current Android
Tablets.
Sent from my Fascinate with MIUI Gingerbread

The fact that you're here means you don't mind getting your hands dirty.
So you have one simple choice - have your device running as you want it by managing the device yourself, loading ROMs from XDA - or not and wait until Apple decide to fix something.
XDA is fantastic - here there's talented bunch of guys & gals mixing & matching the best features from roms of different vendors into something unique.
There is no comparison between Apple & Android.

[Q] UK Users

I'm an iPhone 4 user who was going to buy an iPad but came across the Xoom. I want to buy it but have never used Android and am concerned about updates to the UK where I live. I would be interested in hearing from fellow UK or European users of the Xoom regarding whether its worth buying it against the benefits of an iPad 2. Cheers.

In my personal opinion, I advisebyou to buy an ipad2.
I consider myself an advanced user and had numerous smartphones with all three main OSs, I had the Xoom since launched in the UK, honestly, put aside all issues with Xoom and all 'promised' advantagrs, the screen display remains the main gactor in prefering the ipad2 over all honeycomb tablets, until you compare them head to head and if you only read/watch reviews, you might be still convinced that there is no big difference, but in reality, there is a huge difference, the ipad2 display is 10x better than the Xoom. Another najor factor is the weight and size, Xoom is much heavier and thicker. At the end of the day I believe at least in the UK, you can do with your ipad2 all what you can do with Xoom as sd and usb functionalities are not working yet and by the time they are enabled, the next generation of android tablets will be out and the next major update for ipad2 is out as well.

zoum79 said:
In my personal opinion, I advisebyou to buy an ipad2.
I consider myself an advanced user and had numerous smartphones with all three main OSs, I had the Xoom since launched in the UK, honestly, put aside all issues with Xoom and all 'promised' advantagrs, the screen display remains the main gactor in prefering the ipad2 over all honeycomb tablets, until you compare them head to head and if you only read/watch reviews, you might be still convinced that there is no big difference, but in reality, there is a huge difference, the ipad2 display is 10x better than the Xoom. Another najor factor is the weight and size, Xoom is much heavier and thicker. At the end of the day I believe at least in the UK, you can do with your ipad2 all what you can do with Xoom as sd and usb functionalities are not working yet and by the time they are enabled, the next generation of android tablets will be out and the next major update for ipad2 is out as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, thats really helpful. I've seen a few head to head reviews and now looked at the Android apps on the market many of which seem the same as what I've already purchased for the iphone. To be honest, I do want something different as I'm not keen on a large iphone, however, I agree, that from what I've read, the Xoom may not be worth my while in the UK. I should wait for the next generation of tablets but want something now!!

I know a guy who sent the xoom back and got an ipad2 in the UK.
i think if you have an iphone and are happy with that already you probably should get an ipad instead of an android tablet.
it's also a little sad with updates for anyone outside the US for the xoom - transformer has better update-policy it seems
to get around that you can flash the US image on (for wifi) - 3g ones take a bit more effort from what I read

Yeah I've read on the forums about flashing or rooting, which I'm assuming is another method of jailbreaking but to be honest I just want to take it out of the box and be able to receive the same as USA customers. I like the thought of being able to attach an external hard drive as I assume, this would make it easier to transfer video over as aside from comics, I want to take it on holiday in case the hotel room tv is rubbish! I'm not keen on having to convert or watch films in apples preferred format as all of my stuff is in avi.
Ive seen the Xoom online for just under £400 for 32gb and I assume the future option of a 32gb SD capability so really tempting but think I will order an ipad today or tomorrow and guess when its time to change in a few years the market will have matured a little. Thanks for your help all.

I have a nexus s so went for a xoom tablet, since you have an iPhone I would suggest you stick with an apple tablet.

Essentially the Xoom is a nice device which takes a bit of dicking about to make work the way it should. Once you've completed that process, it's probably more capable than the iPad 2, but for consumers who want something that works out the box the iPad is the better product. Android for tablets is currently where Android for phones was back in the 2.0 days.

I've got an iphone 4 and love it for being a phone.
I do love my xoom but my two biggest bug bears are 1 the screen, not so much the overall quality but the reflection from light and it just attracts finger smudges.
The second is the lack of MS Exchange support. There is nothing that comes close to the apple and microsoft usability for email and calendars. Ive tried almost every app and nothing works in the way exchange is designed to work.
Yes i love my xoom, the apps are being developed and improved daily, android is very customisable over IOS even without rooting, the tablet is great and works well with rdp apps, few good games and great fr browsing the net. The fact that someone somewhere has probably created an app for what you need (with the exception of exchange, although some of the apps may work for you). If you are looking at replicating iphone apps then you may be disappointed with some, even well known apps may have slight variations, logmein is one that has greater functionality on IOS, the ipad version is far better than the android versions.
The ipad works much better for video, like steve jobs said, why would you want to waste time re-encode video, click click and your done with ipad.
Standby battery is far better with ipad as well but constant use is on par with ipad. Find myself charging xoom every two or three days, when u was using an ipad 1 i got a week of use with breif browsing and receipt of 60 to 80 emails per day via exchange.
Need to work out what you want from the tablet. Post your uses and we can advise.
Sent from my MZ601 using XDA Premium App

ukc101 said:
I've got an iphone 4 and love it for being a phone.
I do love my xoom but my two biggest bug bears are 1 the screen, not so much the overall quality but the reflection from light and it just attracts finger smudges.
The second is the lack of MS Exchange support. There is nothing that comes close to the apple and microsoft usability for email and calendars. Ive tried almost every app and nothing works in the way exchange is designed to work.
Yes i love my xoom, the apps are being developed and improved daily, android is very customisable over IOS even without rooting, the tablet is great and works well with rdp apps, few good games and great fr browsing the net. The fact that someone somewhere has probably created an app for what you need (with the exception of exchange, although some of the apps may work for you). If you are looking at replicating iphone apps then you may be disappointed with some, even well known apps may have slight variations, logmein is one that has greater functionality on IOS, the ipad version is far better than the android versions.
The ipad works much better for video, like steve jobs said, why would you want to waste time re-encode video, click click and your done with ipad.
Standby battery is far better with ipad as well but constant use is on par with ipad. Find myself charging xoom every two or three days, when u was using an ipad 1 i got a week of use with breif browsing and receipt of 60 to 80 emails per day via exchange.
Need to work out what you want from the tablet. Post your uses and we can advise.
Sent from my MZ601 using XDA Premium App
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Thanks. I think my mind is sort of made up now. I originally wanted an ipad 2 for comic reading and possibly the odd video to watch as my iphone covers off lots of stuff for apps. My brother suggested looking at alternatives as the ipad is an expensive bit of kit for what I want. To be honest, I know that whatev er I buy, I want restrict it just to comics etc and will end up using it for all and sundry.
After some research, I feel that the Xoom is the best alternative at the moment but I mistakenly thought 'other' tablets are like mini laptops but some of the base principles such as apps are the same as the ipad format although appreciate I'm being simplistic.
It feels after lots of reading what others think, that the Android market is very exciting and certainly something that I want to get into but I think the next releases will have less challenges. One thing that has interested me after reading over the last few days is the apparent 'animosity' between some Android and Apple users. I dont get it?? As someone in his early 40's I think all of this technology is exciting and I think most of what is on sale is just a matter of preference without many major differences. I think the iphone is the best phone ever, however, I'm sure if I had picked up an Android first, I would have thought otherwise!

Comparing HC devices to the ipad2

Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?

goodintentions said:
Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?
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No idea what you're talking about, seriously. I had an iPad and now iPad 2 as well as the Iconia and love em both for their separate strengths. We have 3 ipad2's in our house and due to my job, they are stuffed to the gills with all kinds of apps and none have frozen, needed to be restarted or crashed. There have been an occasion app that has refused to load, but nothing like you are gleefully mentioning.
As for your rumor regarding screen issues, I posted something about this earlier today- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1188841 - the iPads have consistently been the screen by which all others are compared and reports of light bleed, from what I've read, have been a rare defect.
I'm also loving my Android devices now that my Infuse is rooted (ROM is next) and my Iconia has HC3.1. There are days when I only use something running iOS for phone calls (my iPhone still has my main number). But Android it still doesn't have the polish iOS does (/ducks to avoid flames and large stones... ) which I blame more on the OEM's than the software. Android, again IMO, also doesn't have as many quality apps- game, productivity, multimedia, graphics, etc. But this is just a matter of time.
Is iOS the "perfect" blend of hardware and software? Maybe not, but IMHO, it's the closest to it for an "out of the box" experience at the moment. I'm sure with enough tweaks, ROMs and hacks, an experienced owner could create a near perfect tablet experience and while the ability to do all that is the beauty of Android, you can't expect your average user to do anything close to that.
So I don't know if your post was a troll shot and I got suckered into replying, but I guess I'm replying as an iPad and Android owner that doesn't feel like I have to boast about one product to denigrate another. Other than stating how a particular OS suits their expectations more than the other, I've never been around any iPad owners chanting about how superior their tab is, that's just ridiculous... of course all the iPad owners I know other than my son are adults...

goodintentions said:
Has anyone else noticed the number of complaints about light bleeds, freezing, and glitches about the ipad 2?
I regularly run into ipad and ipad2 users and their universal attitude seems to be "my tablet is better than yours".
Isn't the ipad 2 suppose to be the perfect hardware and software integrated product?
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I think some Apple folks suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect as well as some cognitive dissonance - caused by the ADF (Apple Distortion Field).
Any and all Apple products, therefore - as superior to any competing product. Any and all Apple strategies are superior to any competing brands strategies.
Any and all Apple "stuff" is superior to any competing "stuff".
Once you understand and agree to compromise (shut yo mouth, foo!), you'll get along with them.
Now, these statements are a mixture of jokes and certain feelings I may possibly really believe .
Either way, the truth of the matter is the iPad and iPad 2 are great products. I think they are extremely thoughtfully made for better or for worse. I think they choose processes that make them great looking and 'easy'. I also think they are terrigreedy, holding back tech. and restricting certain features in order to squeeze money from customers. But give any company a chance and they'd do this - don't think it's just Apple. They are simply getting away with it, and that upsets folks.
I haven't seen many products which touch Apple quality in terms of materials they use and such. Apple's been shipping laptops with backlit keyboards for a while, look how long it took PC makers to do the same? (Granted, Apple notebooks are at a more than 70% premium, but still...nice, right?).
The light bleed may be an issue for some but think about it, most Apple users aren't doing anything to accentuate it. We're hard on our stuff! We really are. We penalize our hardware harshly, they don't (for the most part) and those that do are probably not Apple fans.
We turn lights off and make our screens pitch black in order to check for problems we wouldn't notice unless/until we search for them, they don't...they use and enjoy their stuff. While I do not agree that the iPad 2 is a BETTER device than even the A500, I do think it contains some parts that may be considered superior. That doesn't mean the competition (A500, Tab 10.1, TF) doesn't beat the pants off of the iPad 2, they in general do in terms of playing movies, games and such - but it means that a TYPICAL user will probably get 1. less heartache and 2. more enjoyment out of the iPad 2, while there's sort of a small learning curve for Android Tablets.
I hope this makes sense.
I'm a little biased, you can tell...but I'm objective enough to know good technology when I see/use it.

tazm0n said:
So I don't know if your post was a troll shot and I got suckered into replying, but I guess I'm replying as an iPad and Android owner that doesn't feel like I have to boast about one product to denigrate another.
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Actually, no, it's not a troll shot. I take the train everyday to work, so I encounter quite a few ipad users on a daily basis. Even at work I run into them. There's something about the ipad that makes people want to look down on everyone who uses something else.

Neoprimal said:
I haven't seen many products which touch Apple quality in terms of materials they use and such. Apple's been shipping laptops with backlit keyboards for a while, look how long it took PC makers to do the same? (Granted, Apple notebooks are at a more than 70% premium, but still...nice, right?).
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I mean, no, not really. I HAVE a macbook, and don't care about, nor will look for a backlit kb on my next laptop... The mofo has also developed an annoying problem where it seems to see phantom touchpad presses and repositions my cursor at random.

I've the Iconia and the original iPad.
If I didn't have 'weird' requirements from a tablet, which are:
Connect a KB/Mouse for RDP
Use Bittorrent client (for legit purposes of course!!!)
... I would use the ipad every single time.
IMO, it's just a much much much nicer experience to use. Now, don't bother contradicting me on that. It's MY opinion and it's MY experience.
It's just smoother, nicer, better apps and the tablet itself is nicer (esp the iPad 2 which I have access to at work).
I've been thinking recently tho.. what I really want is a 13.3" Windows 8 tablet with Tegra 3, full size USB/HDMI, and something like a retina display and be same weight/thickness as iPad2.
Then I can ditch my laptop which I really only use to play Windows only games.
I also want 13.3" cos 10" is too small to work on all day long and I hate my work desk cluttered by a big fat clunky external screen. Just waiting for those transparent displays like u get in Avatar.
Windows 8 so I can install Diablo 3 on it when it comes out. Or OSX or whatever since I guess D3 will be out on Mac as well.
All I want is one all-encompassing device (and by the time D3 comes out, that shouldn't be too hard....)

MrBoingy said:
... I would use the ipad every single time.
IMO, it's just a much much much nicer experience to use. Now, don't bother contradicting me on that. It's MY opinion and it's MY experience.
It's just smoother, nicer, better apps and the tablet itself is nicer (esp the iPad 2 which I have access to at work).
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Not trying to argue against you, but thought I'd just offer my personal view on that too, since I have experience on both devices too. I have an Ipad and the Iconia in my home as well, my wife has the iPad2 and I have this tab. Before I got the tab, she used to have the original iPad, and I used it quite a bit...she upgraded to the 2 around the time when I got my toy, after which I've barely touched the iPad2.
Now, I really like the iPad - I really do. When we just had that, I used it all the time (too much according to my wife ). It's snappy, clear to use, simple...nice device, I really like it for very basic stuff.
However, when that was the only tablet thing we had, I had to use my laptop/desktop much more than I do now, I felt like it was "too basic" for my needs. I didn't use to think I go to many flash sites, but I guess I do...there were plenty of things that just didn't work with the Safari, unfortunately. Plus the whole media experience is completely different, with the iPad I never watched anything since I just couldn't...it supported absolutely nothing of my current video collection, nothing works, everything should've been re-encoded and somehow (itunes I guess) brought into the iPad, which I didn't want to bother with - I have my setup and there are plenty of standards to go with how I access my stuff (DLNA, SMB, etc.), I didn't want to bend over backwards to redo everything. And now, with my Iconia, I can stream vidoes of whatever format from my home server, copy files by plugging in the USB or using samba etc. all sorts of options for that. So to me, the Iconia / HC tabs are clearly more useful than the iPad, the Android tablet is more of a computer in that way, it works with my existing network, just plugs into it. So yeah, I prefer it. Greatly. And even physically, I have to say I prefer the Iconia now...the 4:3 aspect ration on the iPad just looks wrong now.
But anyway, not trying to argue, just offering my views on the two devices. Like you, I see good points in both, but I'd say I strongly prefer the Android tablets for the more "computer-like" power they have and the way they interact with the existing setup I have.