Database Users

[Review] Xoom vs Galaxy Tab 7"

After having a bit of time to play with my Xoom, I'd thought I'd tell everyone how I felt about the Xoom and whether you should be think of upgrading from your Galaxy Tab.
Build quality
The Xoom is very will built, all the components are solidly put together - there are no rattles or any bendy bits. That said the extra weight of the tablet is definitely noticeable compared to the Tab, and certainly makes reading while holding the tablet in one hand less comfortable - plus you don't really need the larger screen for this use.
The screen does not go quite as bright as the Tab, and is not so readable in sunlight. Also it attracts fingerprints like moths to a light, after an hour of using it it looked worse than an iPad does after a whole day, though you can't really see the fingerprints while the screen is on.
Software
This is the main part I was excited about - there has been quite a bit of hype surrounding Honeycomb. Sadly, IMHO, quite a bit of it is just hype -- the main changes are in the home screen and the task/notifications bar. Both of these work really well, the 3D carousel effect when turning pages of the Home screen is really smooth, and the new notification system works really well giving you a system which works quite like a desktop. Sadly you can't pinch the screen to show all of your desktops at once.
The rest of it though, it is pretty buggy. The settings app and gmail apps have force-closed on me a number of times - these are pretty important parts of the OS and so it's seriously disappointing to see them not quite finished. The Facebook app seems to work for a few mins then crashes and won't work until I restart the device.
The browser is very nice, with proper tabs (and incognito tabs!), but if you dare to switch on Flash 10.2 all the time then the whole thing is no faster than the Tabs browser with Flash enabled -- in fact it's quite possibly worse than my Tab with an OC kernel and the latest leaked ROM.
But main problem is - where is the software? Google made much issue about Android 2.x not being fit for tablets but the truth is all they've mostly done is what Samsung did - the email app now has one pane with a list of your emails in and another showing the content of your email. It's the same with the other apps, nowhere is there an incredibly large difference in functionality between the modified Samsung apps and the new Honeycomb ones.
Sure you get a film editor app, but that was pretty much put in to grab a bit of press after Apple put iMovie on the iPad - I'm sure most people, me included, would prefer a decent photo editing/retouching app more than a pretty basic video editing one.
No free, Xoom optimized apps with the device or a store for them like you get with Samsung.
And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
That might not be so bad if there was a store like the Samsung Movies Store or iTunes where I could buy or rent a movie in a compatible format. Except this being a "Google Experience" device there are no apps apart from the few that Google put on there (and aside from film studio that's just upgraded standard Android apps). So you have a tablet that doesn't support that vast majority of media formats used by the largest desktop OS; I feel justified in saying that is a slight fail -- is Youtube supposed to be my entire source of entertainment? It's not like you can call the quality of most Flash videos on the web HD.
The one upside is the tegra 2, and all the nice games it will let you play. Except there are only a couple at the moment, and if the Tegra Zone app is to be believed, most of them won't be out for another couple of months. That said the few that are available are very nice, and run perfectly smooth.
Overall
Overall I'd give the Xoom 7/10. It's good, and the first Honeycomb tablet, but I think it will probably not be in the top 5 come the end of the year.
I can understand some people might buy it over others on the promise of slightly quicker updates, but I'm seriously considering taking mine back and waiting for the Tab 8.9, I have a few more days to play around with it before I decide. Sure it will have customized interface so it might not get updates as quickly, but actually it will do much more out of the box than the Xoom does, and it will still probably do more than the Xoom will even after the Xoom has received an update.
I used to be someone who bought plain Android devices on the basis that they quicker updates (have an NS, had an N1, etc), but a lot of the time it makes little difference. Google doesn't actually release updates often enough anymore for that to be much of an issue, and in some cases these days manufacturers have actually made things better than Google did (e.g. the standard browser in the Galaxy S on 2.2 is far better than the stock browser on a Nexus S on 2.3).
Sadly in this case the bad experience reflects badly on Motorola even though it isn't really their fault - they've had nothing to do at all with the software. At the same time that is their fault - it's their tablet and if I was head of a Motorola I'd want to make sure the software I was putting my name on did everything I wanted and worked properly - Android manufacturers should stop getting so desperate to compete with Apple and actually focus on the quality of their own products.
So my advice would be wait. And possibly in this case don't let the factor of whether it's a pure Google device affect your decision so much -- Honeycomb is still an infant and it really needs some features added on for a full tablet experience.
* I was completely aware the Xoom would come with no added extras like the Tab did when I bought it. I just thought Google would have put more work into making Honeycomb for great for tablets.

That's a pretty accurate description. I went through 2 XOOM's which I bought once they released the WIFI only model, and my experience was the same if not worse. Lots of potential, but they really missed the mark with that one. The second XOOM had a hardware failure and refused to charge, and since I was pretty let down overall, and that needle thin power adaptor is just waiting to snap off, I got rid of it entirely. I bought my first Galaxy Tab WIFI model Monday from Tigerdirect, got it Wed and have used it since and I absolutely love it.

That's an interesting review.
It surprised me that honeycomb still isnt working perfectly. I thought that they would update it regularly.
The Xoom seemed to me, to be a liitle bit too fast released device.
I also agree that it probably wont be the best in the flow of the year - off course.
I think HTC looks quite promising, if they release a bigger version of their Flyer.
Let's see if the Companies learn from the others - if a company releases later, it always has a lower risk of failing, because it can learn out of the mistakes of the others...

And then we get to media playback, or rather, the almost complete lack of it. So you've just bought a nice new tablet that will play "HD". Like to play your MKV on it? Nope. AVI? Nope. Xvid? Nope. DivX? Nope. WMV? Nope. MP4 and MP4 only (to the point where you have to rename M4V files to MP4 to make them work even though they are the same thing but with a different extension). Yes I know I can use RockPlayer etc but this simply isn't as good as native support. If Archos could afford it the Moto sure can.
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This, x1,000. I own an original iPad, and picked up a T-Mo Galaxy Tab for $100 on Craigslist. Once the wifi Xoom came out, I went to Staples to pick one up.
Disappointment doesn't begin to capture it. Such a lovely screen...why, why, why wouldn't you include a Movies app with the tablet? Videos that played flawlessly on the Tab would stutter and whimper on the Xoom. That's just inexcusable.
I also co-sign everything you said about Facebook; I had the same experience with Seesmic.
I bought it on Friday evening. I returned it on Sunday afternoon. I can handle rough edges with software, but this goes beyond that. And selling it for $600? Yeah...not so much.
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.

rnoboa said:
That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Asus Transformer; $399 is a sweet price point.
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If you're interested, here's my short review of the Transformer, originally posted in the Transformer XDA forum. I do compare it to my Galaxy Tab, so I don't think it's unreasonable to post here!
Regards,
Dave
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I've had my Transformer for 4 full days now, and I've a few comments to make for prospective purchasers.
First of all, a little background - I've had Android phones since the original G1 was released in the US (I was there when it was released), and since then have owned the HTC Hero, the HTC Desire, and now the Desire HD (and a Pulse Mini as a backup device).
I also have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7", which I've been using since October last year and I still think is a fantastic device, so most of my observations on the Transformer (henceforth called the TF) will be in comparison to Galaxy Tab (henceforth called the GT). As an aside, I also have a Toshiba AC100 Android netbook, so I think I have some feel for how the TF will be once the keyboard dock arrives.
Build quality
The TF feels like a really high quality device. I know some people have reported issues with back light bleed etc, but I've had no such issues. The aluminium case is really nice to the touch, as is the back of the device which is a plastic made to look a bit like carbon fibre.
Design - the design is generally really nice, though if I had one criticism it is the size of the bezel is rather large. Additionally, it does feel a little odd holding the device in portrait mode as it comes over as very tall and thin, especially when compared to the GT.
The IPS display is lovely and crisp, though it does seem a little less bright than the display on the GT.
OS and software
This is both simultaneously the best and worst feature that the TF has over the GT. In general browsing use, the TF is much more like a laptop/desktop experience than the GT, and you can see Honeycomb has great potential. However, it does feel very much like an unfinished product.
When the GT first came out, the stock browser was notoriously laggy (fixed in later iterations), and the TF suffers from the same issue - in fact it is worse because whilst the GTs browser was basically just laggy, the TFs browser is laggy and buggy.
Specifically, clicking on links in other applications often causes the browser to pop up, but it doesn't load the new page - this can be fixed by "killing" the browser and restarting it, but it shouldn't be this way. Whilst I much prefer the native browser when it works correctly, I'm now using Opera Mobile for day to day use.
Honeycomb Gmail on the TF is a revelation - it is a far superior client than the client on the GT.
Other minor Honeycomb/TF complaints are:
1. There doesn't seem to be a way to clear all notifications easily.
2. Just getting to the Settings menu is overcomplicated.
3. The keyboards do seem overly large in my opinion, and there don't seem to be enough long press options to get to alternate characters, though I'm aware these are easily replaceable.
4. Overall the TF performance is good, but I don't feel that Honeycomb is taking advantage of the dual core Tegra 2, and thus in general use it doesn't really feel any faster than my single core GT.
Media Playback
This is an easy one - the GT is a better media player than the TF, simply because it natively supports more formats (e.g. DivX).
I'm not unused to transcoding video to H264, as I had to do this often on my earlier Android devices, but with the advent of Cortex A8 class devices with Neon, I found software players like RockPlayer more than acceptable. This does not seem to be the case for the TF, since Tegra 2 doesn't support Neon instructions. However, the AC100 is a Tegra 2 device, and the built-in media player is much better than the stock TF one too, so really I think that Asus should have done more here.
With the TF, I'm back to having to transcode media, and to be honest for the most part that means I'll just my GT instead.
Overall Usage
Here's where it gets interesting!
The TF provides a very different experience to the GT and for the most part it is very enjoyable- when I bought the device, I knew it be mostly be a "coffee table" device, and that the size, weight, and built-in 3G of the GT was going to a distinct advantage over the TF when it comes to travelling.
What I didn't expect is that the GT still holds some advantages at home too.
Put simply, the TF is still too big and heavy sometimes - when I get up in the morning, I usually take my GT off charge and slip it into the pocket of my dressing gown, and this means it goes with me when I go to make a coffee, visit the "office" in the bathroom etc.
Also, late at night, if I want to watch something whilst lying in bed, the GT is simply much more comfortable to hold for any period of time, and coupled with better media support is always going to be the preferred option.
The Future
I don't think it is really fair to judge the TF until the keyboard dock becomes available, because I honestly think this will significant change the nature of the device.
When I first got my AC100, it was running Eclair and to be honest it was pretty rubbish, but it got so much better when Froyo landed.
I can see the TF similarly getting a completely new lease of life once the dock arrives.
Also, Honeycomb does feel like a work in progress, and I'm hoping for regularly updates to this device, which again should improve the experience, along with more Honeycomb specific apps on the market.
Conclusion
I think the TF is a fantastic product and the price is extremely good for what it is. I certainly wouldn't want to put anyone off buying one if they have a genuine interest this form factor. In the UK at least, I think the Xoom has priced itself out of the market massively, which currently leaves the TF as the 10.1" tablet of choice.
The biggest issue for me is that 10.1" tablets are generally too big and heavy, and whilst newer tablets may be lighter, they will still be similarly sized unless they can dramatically reduce the size of the bezel.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9" may well be a better compromise, and I will be looking closely at this once it arrives. However, it won't fit in a jacket pocket, so would still likely just be a coffee table tablet for me.
Ultimately, I think my ideal tablet device would be a 7" form factor device like the GT, similar internal hardware to the TF (dual core, IPS, memory etc), and built-in 3G. Until something like this ships, I think my GT will still be my primary media consumption/browsing device.
Steve Jobs may think that there is no market in 7" tablets, but in my case he's wrong!

Thank you soooo much for the Tab vs Xoom reiew. I was looking at the Xoom a couple weeks ago, but when I saw Sprint marked the Tab down to $199, I bought it instead. Although the Xoom is a gorgeous device, I am becoming quite sold on the 7" size. After using my Tab for a week, I love it! Now if the Xoom was only, say $100 more than the Tab, I may change my mind, but as it is now, it's way too expensive for what it offers out of the box. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Xoom have a price drop soon.

How bad is Honeycomb? The reviews of the G-Slate, Xoom, and even Eeepad Transformer suggest that Honeycomb itself is... not ready and quite laggy. How does it compare to plain old Froyo on a 7'' Tab?

so if understand correctly, android market does not install the tablet version of gmail or any other app on the galaxy tab?

You will have special section of apps created for the Honeycomb and for 2.2 or 2.3.
Apps that are not suppose to work will not be shown on the Market.
Some apps created for phones freeze or fail to work but overall you can find apps that suit your needs. I would agree that at this point software has rough edges but this is always an issue for the early adopters. The 1st iphone had no software choices at all and it took more than half a year to get something else.
Screen size and resolutiin make Xoom almost a laptop.
I like Xoom but prefer Galaxy Tab because of size and weight.

Why is the Iconia so far behind?

I still cannot understand why the A500 is not in the top 5 tablets, rarely in the top 10. I love my a500 and I think it out beats any other tab. It has all the ports you need, its fast, just as fast as an overclocked Xoom or G-tab, and it cant be overclocked yet!!!!!! Wait till the new kernal comes out! But so far the Xoom, Eee Pad, Playbook and Galaxy 10.1 are always beating it. The A500 has all the features of all these tablets combined. The Xoom sd doesnt work and no usb port, same with the Eee pad, Galaxy has not ports at all (damn you apple for influencing such a stupid idea)! and the playbook is half the size and lacks everything, more like a big phone. It might be heavier (by an arm tearing, wrist breaking, cardio session .25lb) than all these tabs but who cares if you get all the ports, cameras gps, gyroscope, accelerometer and compass.
Why is the Acer not acknowledged for what it has?! I think it is the king right now.
What do you guys think?

I think all the tabs are good to some extent, but it seems the A500 always takes a hit on wieght and the screen. I personally love mine. I have no issues with the videos I have watched and as for speed, I think it is on par to the rest. The reviews that lump the PlayBook and iPad2 in with the android pads are not fair. They are not the same class of tab. Completely different OS. If I was a business man using a Blackberry phone, I would have chose the PlayBook. They play well together because the PlayBook was designed that way. If I want to play a few games, surf the WEB, read a book, or friend then I would choose an iPad or the Galaxey 10.1.
That is not what I wanted. I wanted the flexability to expand and use periferials without a special cable, adapter or such, so I chose the Acer A500 and am quite pleased with it. I with all the useres would quite bashing the other tabs. Each like what they like for what ever reason they like it. No different here. Next year the next great tab will come out. For now, for me, it is the A500. I do not need to defend my decision. It is mine.
Happy tabbing.

I do love mine too, and sincerely, I don´t care to top lists or trendings.
I used to have an iPhone 4, never got used to it. I never got the concept of missing a home screen, the need of iTunes and a lot of other details.
Anyway, if you are happy with your tablet, ignore those lists. It´s your opinion that matters to yourself, period.

I don't know, I just love this fat bus****!

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I ve had the xoom for 10 days i got the sd to work and upgraded to 3.1
the build is quite nice but for the price and the lack of usb i returned it for an a500 and am loving it... Go acer

I for one don't know or care why the Acer is rated so low. I did quite a bit of reading and research before I got mine and compared to the other tablets I was looking at, it had the most features and a really good screen. With the possible exception of the Toshiba tablet which isn't even out yet the Acer has the most bang for my hard earned buck. My one complaint and its a small one is the lack of accessories. I do like me some accessories.

karlkarloff said:
I for one don't know or care why the Acer is rated so low. I did quite a bit of reading and research before I got mine and compared to the other tablets I was looking at, it had the most features and a really good screen. With the possible exception of the Toshiba tablet which isn't even out yet the Acer has the most bang for my hard earned buck. My one complaint and its a small one is the lack of accessories. I do like me some accessories.
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What accessories do you want? You have a case, docking station, screen protector, HDI cable and a pethra of USB items that you can attach. Way more than most of the other tabs on the market. The after market seems to be getting on the band wagon too. Won't be long until you will find anything you are looking for.

maybe some hardcase angrybird, or diamond cover stuff...
hahaha
Actually I will do prefer have more "case, cover" choices, not just a sad black leather things....
but
I have to say
WEIGHT should not be taken as a bad point... for me it's a better point I do love feel what I have in the hand.

i think its just because of the brand...
come on, acer vs apple vs samsung vs motorola
this is all about brand, you know 80% of people in this world are branded mind...

There was an article on Cnet yesterday that says Acer is vieing for the number two spot in the tablet market right now.
http://m.cnet.com/Article.rbml?nid=20073055&cid=null&bcid=&bid=-64

Search for top android tablets on cnet.......a500 is at 5th position....and in the specs.....the ram is given as ddr3...!
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

Isn't the Xoom barely thinner and the same weight anyway?
Either way i'm happy with my device, and that's really all that matters. Even though some of the others may look nicer and be thinner/lighter, it's not worth the price premium imo.

Xoom has a very poor build, like anything moto.
Either way guys ,perhaps you haven't noticed the price on the Iconia.
Corners have been cut where they've not been strictly essential, eg. no divx support (codec) and especially no ads. This thing hs been available right from the start in my country (some hell hole on the border of the EU) where things always come in last.
If there were no ads, I imagine tech sites like engadget haven't been paid to make a proper review (no, they don't do them for passion for technology, only for cash or when a product reaches critical hype)
That being said, this is a product for the tech savvy who don't get a device just because of the hype. I like my device cheaper and less advertised, thank you.

Bec07 said:
Xoom has a very poor build, like anything moto.
Either way guys ,perhaps you haven't noticed the price on the Iconia.
Corners have been cut where they've not been strictly essential, eg. no divx support (codec) and especially no ads. This thing hs been available right from the start in my country (some hell hole on the border of the EU) where things always come in last.
If there were no ads, I imagine tech sites like engadget haven't been paid to make a proper review (no, they don't do them for passion for technology, only for cash or when a product reaches critical hype)
That being said, this is a product for the tech savvy who don't get a device just because of the hype. I like my device cheaper and less advertised, thank you.
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Omg I want a LIKE Button for can LIKE this post !!!!

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.
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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.

motorola xoom vs sony tablet s

Hi,
I am new to the world of tablet & I am going to buy my first tablet & got stuck with two choices - xoom & sony tablet S (ruled out tab 10.1 due to lack of expandable storage option). can you guys please suggest on this? (p.s. - android OS is not new to me)
Also, I would be grateful if you guys can inform me about the 3G frequency band being used in xoom. Also, please let me know what type of SIM being used in 3g xoom for ex - normal SIM card or U-SIM.
p.s. - didn't found any thread for this comparison

Both tablets aren't really very smooth.
Of the two, its hard to choose. The sony tablet looks very nice.
As the owner of the xooms, the display is dull and poorly calibrated, unbearably ugly heavy and fat. Shadowgun isn't completely smooth. Playable, but not smooth.
Live wallpapers does not work, UI still lag. Sony tablet also didn't get such rave reviews
You sure you need so much space? Please consider the samsung 10.1, due to the ****ty screen of the xoom I didn't even bother putting videos on the tablet.
32GB sounds enough I seldom use my sd card too.

Mine has a good screen, the weight is fine, live wallpapers work fine and ICS is on par with iOS.

The Xoom's panel is really bad.
I wouldn't think like that if I also didn't own a Galaxy S2. Comparing the 2 panels is like comparing a V12 Ferrari to a V8 Mustang on a racetrack. Obviously the Mustang is pretty and powerful, but once you have them side by side competing against each other, you come to think that the once mighty Mustang might be just a cheap POS when compared to the almighty Ferrari V12.
The other downside of the Xoom is the lack of 1080p output on the micro-HDMI port. I can connect if to my big LED TV, but all I get is 720p.
It has many obvious advantages over the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but if image output (either on its display or on TV) is important to you and a deciding factor, rule the Xoom out.

ccaian1 said:
Both tablets aren't really very smooth.
Of the two, its hard to choose. The sony tablet looks very nice.
As the owner of the xooms, the display is dull and poorly calibrated, unbearably ugly heavy and fat. Shadowgun isn't completely smooth. Playable, but not smooth.
Live wallpapers does not work, UI still lag. Sony tablet also didn't get such rave reviews
You sure you need so much space? Please consider the samsung 10.1, due to the ****ty screen of the xoom I didn't even bother putting videos on the tablet.
32GB sounds enough I seldom use my sd card too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would return the Xoom if you are not happy with it. I love my Xoom and wasnt expecting the best of the best when I purchased it. The build quality of the Xoom is far superior over any other Android Tablet out there right now. Maybe the screen isnt the best or some other asepects but that doesnt bother my. It does what I want it to do. Enjoy. Thanks

hotdude2411 said:
Hi,
I am new to the world of tablet & I am going to buy my first tablet & got stuck with two choices - xoom & sony tablet S (ruled out tab 10.1 due to lack of expandable storage option). can you guys please suggest on this? (p.s. - android OS is not new to me)
Also, I would be grateful if you guys can inform me about the 3G frequency band being used in xoom. Also, please let me know what type of SIM being used in 3g xoom for ex - normal SIM card or U-SIM.
p.s. - didn't found any thread for this comparison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For us to better help you, I would suggest listing things that are important to you.
Then instead of people complaining about things only they care about, you can actually get some usable opinions.
Also,the Xoom uses a standard SIM. Not sure about the bands it uses.

ccaian1 said:
Both tablets aren't really very smooth.
Of the two, its hard to choose. The sony tablet looks very nice.
As the owner of the xooms, the display is dull and poorly calibrated, unbearably ugly heavy and fat. Shadowgun isn't completely smooth. Playable, but not smooth.
Live wallpapers does not work, UI still lag. Sony tablet also didn't get such rave reviews
You sure you need so much space? Please consider the samsung 10.1, due to the ****ty screen of the xoom I didn't even bother putting videos on the tablet.
32GB sounds enough I seldom use my sd card too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely disagree with you, regarding the performance of the Xoom.
My experience is the opposite. On EOS ICS, especially, my Xoom is super smooth, fast and responsive. I have a good screen. I can do everything I want with my Xoom. I don't have all the troubles reported by owners of other tablets, including the Transformer Prime. I don't know the Sony tab but, the Xoom is a terrific device...even better than when it was first released, because of the software development.

Also have to disagree with ccain1,
the xoom is a nice product, performance wise even on stock ICS the performance is great, no lag, very smooth. apps are snappy.
as for the screen, majority say its dull, but thats because its not as contrasty as the samoleds that people regard as the holy grail of screens, the screen does the job, looks fine with movies, youtube and games. its just a heavy duty LCD screen.
they arent many niggling issues that other tabs suffer from that many complain about. (transformers dock/battery issues, 10.1s screen "oil mark" defects/all other tabs lack of updates)
Plus the Xoom, is considered a nexus device, which is why its the only tab released last year that officially running ICS. and likely will continues to receive updates.
You also gotta realize that is this complaint/fix heavy forum. Most things you read hear unfortunately will be negative, people don't come to brag about how things are great too much, only to complain and look for fixes.
bundled with a 32gb mSD you max out at like ~60GB of usable space.
easy to unlock/root
it is kinda heavy tho buts a 1st Generation tab, @ 1.7lbs, same weight as the first gen ipad

Only have the wifi version of the Xoom so can't tell you anything about its 3g. Have never tried the Sony model so can't give you an opinion on it. However, what I can tell you is that the Xoom has taken me completely by surprise. I was lucky enough to pick up a cheap xoom at the airport and within one day I had rooted it and put a custom rom on it. It was really easy even for a non-techie like me. And when the ICS custom roms started appearing it was not a problem putting that on it. It's a whole new experience from Honeycomb.
All in all I can only recommend the Xoom. Unless you can get the Sony model a whole lot cheaper I can't see the reason for you not getting a Xoom

Don't get the Sony. Made of plastic, even the screen is plastic, not Gorilla Glass like the Xoom. There's no development on the Sony and is not very popular. ICS on the Xoom is very very good.

I was also considering between these two and I finally chose xoom. It is cheaper and the screen is gorilla glass.

I don't what you are looking for in the Xoom so like others I will give you my opinion based on my needs. I am middle aged business man not interested in rooting and playing games on the Xoom. I use it for travel and work when I don't need my laptop. I have the 4G version so still on Honeycomb. All the griping about lag, delays and fingerprints is just that gripes. If someone thinks a tablet should be the end all to all of the computer needs well they are not very realistic. Got a problem with fingerprints then get a screen protector or a stylus pen. Need to access your laptop from afar, download an app and there you go. Wanna watch a movie on the plane no problem works great. Do you want to read in bed it works great. Good battery life and one last thing I would rather have a little bit heavier device that is built better then save a few grams for a plastic device.

KGOKnicks said:
I don't what you are looking for in the Xoom so like others I will give you my opinion based on my needs. I am middle aged business man not interested in rooting and playing games on the Xoom. I use it for travel and work when I don't need my laptop. I have the 4G version so still on Honeycomb. All the griping about lag, delays and fingerprints is just that gripes. If someone thinks a tablet should be the end all to all of the computer needs well they are not very realistic. Got a problem with fingerprints then get a screen protector or a stylus pen. Need to access your laptop from afar, download an app and there you go. Wanna watch a movie on the plane no problem works great. Do you want to read in bed it works great. Good battery life and one last thing I would rather have a little bit heavier device that is built better then save a few grams for a plastic device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed!!
Minus that im a younger geeky dude that like to expirement with rooting and getting my hands dirty unlocking the true potential out of our devices, The only thing I hate about the Xoom is motorolas lack of not being able to give there customers the support we deserve and for releasing other newer products before perfecting the ones that have been released!!!

KGOKnicks said:
I don't what you are looking for in the Xoom so like others I will give you my opinion based on my needs. I am middle aged business man not interested in rooting and playing games on the Xoom. I use it for travel and work when I don't need my laptop. I have the 4G version so still on Honeycomb. All the griping about lag, delays and fingerprints is just that gripes. If someone thinks a tablet should be the end all to all of the computer needs well they are not very realistic. Got a problem with fingerprints then get a screen protector or a stylus pen. Need to access your laptop from afar, download an app and there you go. Wanna watch a movie on the plane no problem works great. Do you want to read in bed it works great. Good battery life and one last thing I would rather have a little bit heavier device that is built better then save a few grams for a plastic device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.... I purchased my Xoom on day one and haven't looked back. With the HC upgrades and now ICS it's like I have a brand new top of the line device.
Even with all the new tablets being released I have yet to see one that is as well made as the Xoom.

Why I bought and returned 8 tablets to finally end up with the Note 10.1

Hi everyone, I've had a problem over the last year or two, habitually testing out tablets and returning them. My wife has gotten concerned that my tablet buying would beome obsessive, but I really was just looking for the right tool for me. I have finally chosen the Note 10.1 as my preferred choice thought some forum posters might want to hear my thoughts on a variety of tablets and why I chose the Note.
My use case - I'm sort of a techie, I go to a lot of meetings, I have a wicked awesome x100e thinkpad netbook that I absolutely love and that I use for casual and work, and I have a media center computer at home for watching xvids on my TV. But I've wanted a tablet for meetings and other times when pulling a laptop out would not be acceptable. I also really wanted a wacom pen for electronic notes, I seem to believe that might help keep me more organized. One last thing I wouldn't mind from a tablet is learning games to play with my daughter.
I used to have a thinkpad windows xp convertible, which was nice, but heavy and the battery died. So last year when the thinkpad android tablet came out, I jumped on it. But it didn't live up to the hype, too big, too slow, android wasnt really ready and frankly the ntrig pen on it was horrible, the battery on the pen died twice in the month I had it. Returned.
I bought a blackberry playbook, was sleek, ahead of the times, fast. But too small, not enough apps, and no wacom pen. Returned.
I bought a ipad 2, was pretty impressed with it actually. Really great selection of apps, jailbroke it and was quite excited about it, but it really wasn't suitable for notes no matter what I tried. Why doesn't this thing have a microsd port? And the Apple ecosystem is hugely frustrating. And as a techie, I can't really walk around holding an iPad, just way to emberassing I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror. In the end this was a great purchase as a learning tool for my daughter with lots of learning games we play with at night, but it wasn't really suitable for what I needed.
I was really eager when the note 10.1 came out, preordered it and got it in september. Fast, perfect size, speakers are awesome, and the microsd port was really appreciated! But it didn't have USB, android can be pretty quirky and Windows 8 was coming out. I had some problems with polaris office and thought to myself I have to give windows 8 a try before I commit.
So I bought the Microsoft Surface RT. This was an impulse buy, mostly cause I couldnt see it in the store and I had to know what it was like. Frankly its awesome, sleek, quick, the keyboard is amazing. But... not a lot of apps, no wacom pen, pretty much its a netbook with office, and I already have a wicked lenovo netbook, so it went back because what I really wanted was the Samsung Ativ Smart PC!
The samsung Ativ Smart Pc with windows 8 was pretty impressive. This atom cpu flies, I mean flies for office use. It was quicker at reading pdfs then any other tablet I tried including the Note 10.1. It had a wacom pen that worked well. It had a USB port and a mini-hdmi! It has windows 8, which is by far the best windows I tried. Things are so much simpler, sleeker and logical in it. The OS is a joy to use, and the best part it runs ALL of my intel x86 programs so I can load it up with virtually anything. But its still windows, so be prepared for Norton, daily updates and the usual Windows annoyances that I have come to love, this wasn't really a negative for me, but I could see how it would be for my wife. The main problems with this tablet:
1. It couldn't connect to my work wifi. Some windows 8 bug that aggravated me, I'm sure they'll fix it... eventually.
2. Its 11.6 inches, its huge and more to the point it's widescreen. The widescreen aspect ratio is too wide, hard to read a pdf, its a joke to hold this thing in portrait mode.
The Ativ Smart PC is an awesome low power windows ultrabook/tablet, but not a good tablet for occasional use when a netbook won't suffice, too big, too wide. (PS I live in canada, and in canada the ATIV Smart PC does not come with a smart pen, so I returned it, bought the american version....... and returned that).
So I rebought the Note 10.1 on a cyber sale for 449, saved myself 50 bucks from my original purchase and you know what, I'm loving it. I think Windows 8 has a bright future, but not right now. And android is getting better every day
The only cons to the Note I know of for me are:
I am missing audio recording while writing notes, snote and lecture notes can do this but they won't play and fast forward the notes like OneNote or Livescribe do, oh well.
I'd also give props to the niche area apps available on the ipad that has tons of learning games for my daughter that no other platform can rival.
Sucks that it takes so long for samsung to update, Android is finally going to have multiuser ability, and I doubt the Note 10.1 will ever see it. Oh well, wasn't really all that necessary anyways.
The note can do virtually everything I need it to do. Since I last used the Note I have come to see Polaris office is actually pretty good, and I am impressed with Astro file managers improvements. I love how dropbox works with my note, and I have a microsd 32gb card ready to hold all my work files from dropbox on it. I love being able to pull up a doc during a meeting and append, highlight and make notes, thanks polaris office for that. Right now I'm connected to an adobe connect meeting for my work through my tablet, and I'm loving it, switch windows to skype my wife on my tablet, and I marvel at how powerful this small tool is. I just bought a case for the note, I'm keeping it this time, I better or my wife is going to kill me lol.
Edit - Oh yeah, I just have to add this cause other review sites mention it. The whole "thing feels like cheap plasitc" is a bunch of bs in my view. The note is slim, light, and awesome. The screen is also bright and crystal clear.

It's hard to ignore all the hype and praise the other tablets are receiving, huh.
I mainly use my Note for drawing and having an Intuos at home, I already know Wacom is the bee's knees. But I came pretty close to buying an iPad w/ an Adonit Jot anyway just b/c everyone kept telling me and I kept reading the iPad's the greatest. But after trying the Note w/ Wacom and the palm rejection... there was no way I could pick anything else

" And as techie, I can't really walk around holdin an iPad, just way to emberassing I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror."
Thank you. The the two don't equate. :laugh:
Also made the same mistake with the TPT, but didn't bother with other tabs until the GNote was released. After the horror show that was the ThinkPad, and the poor reviews on the Note, I was afraid of it. Glad I got over it. It's been perfect since day one.

My wife has a IPAD and she wants my Note 10. No way, Jose I said. You can do so much more on the Note 10 than a IPAD. IPAD is great for reading, better than the Note 10 but that's it, Note 10 exceeds everywhere else.

toenail_flicker said:
" And as techie, I can't really walk around holdin an iPad, just way to emberassing I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror."
Thank you. The the two don't equate. :laugh:
Also made the same mistake with the TPT, but didn't bother with other tabs until the GNote was released. After the horror show that was the ThinkPad, and the poor reviews on the Note, I was afraid of it. Glad I got over it. It's been perfect since day one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As someone that certainly prefers the Note 10.1 over the ipad, i still really dont understand this statement. Some of the "techinest" people i know use ipads and its their preferred tablet of choice. Im guessing the usual will get thrown out the lack of flexibility and closed ecosystem, but ive seen some very impressive things performed on an ipad, especially when jailbroken.

I have them all and thought the Note would be impossible to beat but the Ativ may beat them all. If you are looking for note taking you can't beat OneNote and an spen
Sent from my GT-N8013 using XDA Premium HD app

GaresTaylan said:
As someone that certainly prefers the Note 10.1 over the ipad, i still really dont understand this statement. Some of the "techinest" people i know use ipads and its their preferred tablet of choice. Im guessing the usual will get thrown out the lack of flexibility and closed ecosystem, but ive seen some very impressive things performed on an ipad, especially when jailbroken.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like what
Sent from my GT-N8013 using XDA Premium HD app

GaresTaylan said:
As someone that certainly prefers the Note 10.1 over the ipad, i still really dont understand this statement. Some of the "techinest" people i know use ipads and its their preferred tablet of choice. Im guessing the usual will get thrown out the lack of flexibility and closed ecosystem, but ive seen some very impressive things performed on an ipad, especially when jailbroken.
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Agreed, if you could customize the ipad a bit it would be unbeatable. But no wacom pen, no microsdcard (which is embarrassing really), and just the hunk-a-junk file system and primitive ways of putting files on the thing annoy me to no end. Even jailbroken, I put a couple seasons of big bang theory on there, had to get vlc player from cydia (not in the app store). And had to install them through vlc so they weren't accessible to other programs. Little things just frustrate me about the device, and I dont get that in note 10.1. The multi window thing is pretty cool too. Not to mention philosophically I believe in Gnu/Open source, and while google isn't a saint there, they are much better then apple. I love my sleek lil note
Edit - one thing that annoys me in general about android is the file system as well. Why am I putting everything in /mnt/sdcard? And I know of no way to organize this thing. I tried making /mnt/sdcard/home and have all my personal files/directories in there, but some programs wont configure where they save so you inevitably had to go into that mess of /mnt/sdcard. Not to mention you can't keep that directory clean cause every app wants to put a directory there. I guess I just have to use the "favorites" tool in astro and just mark directories I like as favorites.
As for techies and ipads.... maybe its an age thing? Im 35 maybe that is a factor? I'm not really sure... but to give you some background I have a masters in comp sci, I work with tech, I know a lot of techies and not one has an ipad they would publicly admit too. Only people I know who have ipads are people who never really had computers or didnt know they could do cool stuff like "teleconference" or "photoshop" or "take pictures and share them" or "edit videos in premiere" or "play online games" and now that apple made this stuff popular with products like "facetime" and the "instagram app" and "draw something" they are obsessed with running around telling people like me (who don't find it all that impressive) and it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I just had a conversation with someone today about how cool her iphone was cause it could send voice messages with the app called voxie! I found it hilarious that she was unable to easily send sms voice messages on her phone and needed an app for it to make it useable. Oh well, I just think their way of popularizing and "owning/stealing" things "techies" like me have been doing for a long time leaves a bad taste in some of our mouths. Might be different with different groups tho.
Don't get me wrong, they occasionally make great products, the Ipod was a work of art, and compared to the other mp3 players I had at the time it was light years ahead. The first ipod belongs in a museum, and my creative jukebox deserves to be run over by my car, if I can find it lol. It's just I don't really respect the brand, it makes me think "locked down", "over priced" and "less functional" so I will avoid it if possible

inmnbob said:
I have them all and thought the Note would be impossible to beat but the Ativ may beat them all. If you are looking for note taking you can't beat OneNote and an spen
Sent from my GT-N8013 using XDA Premium HD app
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I spent two weeks with a canadian ativ, and another two weeks with an american ativ. I can say that lil atom is much faster then you might think. And the OS is a dream on tablets once you get used to it. Still... its a new-ish OS, and its got kinks. In a year or two, I think windows 8 tablets will be awesome, right now Android has so much available and working out of the box. Not to mention size wise the ativ is more of a computer, forget bringing it to bed or bringing it to meetings while holding a coffee. Its just too big. I like reading pdfs in portrait, so I can see a whole page, the widescreen ativ is unusable in portrait.... unless all my pdfs go widescreen in the near future, that aspect ratio is done. Incidentally if you use apps like bing/news, the tiling layout is awesome cause it's formatted for that screen. Unfortunately my dungeon magazine is in portrait and its much more readable on the note 10.1

GaresTaylan said:
As someone that certainly prefers the Note 10.1 over the ipad, i still really dont understand this statement. Some of the "techinest" people i know use ipads and its their preferred tablet of choice. Im guessing the usual will get thrown out the lack of flexibility and closed ecosystem, but ive seen some very impressive things performed on an ipad, especially when jailbroken.
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Sorry, but as a long-time techie, before there were laptops and pads, my statement and sentiment about the OP's post stands. As to the techies you know- there's no accounting for some people's taste. JMO

Don't trust the people who tell you that an adonit jot pro with a capacitive screen is anywhere near the wacom stylus on this.. I used the jot pro (meh, waste of money because of the issues regarding the conductivity between the ball and the plate) with the asus transformer. Even at its best, it cannot be compared to the Note.

I agree with you absolutely. Coming from a Galaxy Tab 7.7 with a Jot Pro was an exercise of frustration. The Jot was over rated. For true note taking experience on tablet form factor, nothing beats the S-Pen.
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I have always owned an ipad since the first generation. They are excellent devices and I consider myself a "techie". I am never ashamed of carrying it or my Note 10.1 because my self-esteem has this weird quirk where I just dont give damn what other people think of me because I own it. I certainly wouldn't judge someone because they owned an apple product. The whole premise is ridiculous and immature.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Kopi-O said:
I agree with you absolutely. Coming from a Galaxy Tab 7.7 with a Jot Pro was an exercise of frustration. The Jot was over rated. For true note taking experience on tablet form factor, nothing beats the S-Pen.
Sent from my GT-N8000 using XDA Premium HD app
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I tried about every stylus available with my TF101 in just about every app available. Ended up using LiveScribe instead. Happy stopped using both when I got my Note 10.1, the S-Pen and lecture notes. It simply cannot be beat and after years of trying to be paperless for meetings I have finally done it with the Note. Oh, and I love using my AllShare cast dongle with presentations. I can look at my notes, display full presentation and do markups with my S-Pen. Pretty slick. I'm sure you can do that with iPad somehow but I wouldn't consider another tablet without a wacom.

Wow, I didn't think there was anyone as "crazy" as me lol. I actually do have OCD and it takes me forever to make a decision. I've also tried and returned many phones and tablets. More so for phones. I'm never satisfied with the one I have. I just got the Note 10.1 today tho and I'm loving it! Just put on JB.
I agree with the second poster also. It is hard to ignore the hype and praise for these different tablets. You never truly know which one is going to be the best until you've tried them out. It was between the Note 10.1 or the iPad 4. I've had iPads before but for some reason I thought this one would be different. I decided on the Note 10.1 and the whole time I was waiting for it to arrive I kept thinking that maybe I should have taken the iPad but now that I have the Note I have to say I'm glad I stuck with my decision.

I'm still on part where I try the ativ before getting the 10.1, but I'm currently abroad until after christmas, so I can't try/buy yet since I haven't seen an ativ smart pc here. I've tried the note 10.1 and it feels a bit strange to me. The stylus and the screen don't have that feeling that I can draw on it like on my tablet pc. So I'll found out after christmas. I'm at a stage in my life where I don't know if I am going to replace my tablet pc with an ativ smart pc or replace my xperia play with a 3g 10.1. I may end up getting both though.