Is the A500 really discontinued?????????? - Acer Iconia A500

I usually look at all the tablets at electronic stores and the last 1-2 weeks I have not seen 1 on display.
Fry's no longer have them on display. Staples and HH Gregg used to have a power display and neither are displaying them also.
Wonder if Acer is just getting ready for the next versions.

I would guess they are clearing them out in hopes of replacing them with ICS versions.
Just my guess, but a lot, I mean a LOT of tablets are at 'fire sale' prices.
Then you got tablets like the Kindle Fire out there that are really cheap.
Now for a look into my Crystal ball, I see data moving to the Cloud. Tablets getting cheaper and cheaper. Apps and the Cloud growing to the point hardware is irrelevant. Tablets will become disposable just like a disposable camera, what's import is the apps and data are on the Cloud.
Now; fast forward 10 years. Everyone will have a data profile that is their personal space. This personal space, is maintained in cyberspace (the cloud or call it skynet ). The Cloud is world wide and can be accessed from just about anywhere on the planet using wireless G5 (huge fast bandwidth). Your phone, your car, your PC, your tablet, your TV all are just vehicles to access your personal cloud. You loose your phone or drop it in the toilet, no big deal. You just turn on your TV and all your data is there, even the email you were in the process of typing when your phone fell in the toilet.
TD

Nice. I hope it's not G5 but instead WiDi or WiMax that takes over. No more phone numbers, data/text caps, and convert voice to voip. Oh and free would be nice too.

antonio8 said:
I usually look at all the tablets at electronic stores and the last 1-2 weeks I have not seen 1 on display.
Fry's no longer have them on display. Staples and HH Gregg used to have a power display and neither are displaying them also.
Wonder if Acer is just getting ready for the next versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in 2 best buys today they are all sold out. Crazy.
Sent from my A100 using Tapatalk

Definitely a firesale going on, as tablets move to ICS.
The A500 might also be moving away to be replaced by the equivalent A200.
To give you an idea of the value some stores are giving, I've just ordered my A500, which was the 64GB Unit, for $399 CAN. Which is crazy considering a few weeks ago you'd be paying that for the 8GB or 16GB models.

mswirski said:
Definitely a firesale going on, as tablets move to ICS.
The A500 might also be moving away to be replaced by the equivalent A200.
To give you an idea of the value some stores are giving, I've just ordered my A500, which was the 64GB Unit, for $399 CAN. Which is crazy considering a few weeks ago you'd be paying that for the 8GB or 16GB models.
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Click to collapse
Seems to be the trend. Everyone is gearing up new models for ICS and some are offering them with HC saying ICS ready.
However, I caution everyone on ICS. The architecture is totally different and early hardware along with older hardware will have issues. Does anyone remember buying a computer that had Windows 3.1 but was Windows 98 compatible? Or a Windows 98 computer that was Windows XP compatible? These usually don't offer the performance you'll get if you just wait a few months and many really had serious issues.
So, take advantage of the 'fire sale' going on now and you'll get a great tablet with HC that you can use for a long time. Well, at least long enough to wait for vendors to release ICS and work out the bugs.
TD

timmyDean said:
Seems to be the trend. Everyone is gearing up new models for ICS and some are offering them with HC saying ICS ready.
However, I caution everyone on ICS. The architecture is totally different and early hardware along with older hardware will have issues. Does anyone remember buying a computer that had Windows 3.1 but was Windows 98 compatible? Or a Windows 98 computer that was Windows XP compatible? These usually don't offer the performance you'll get if you just wait a few months and many really had serious issues.
So, take advantage of the 'fire sale' going on now and you'll get a great tablet with HC that you can use for a long time. Well, at least long enough to wait for vendors to release ICS and work out the bugs.
TD
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Click to collapse
This and more of this. People try to buy products that will encourage capability of upgrading, but little do they know, their device will run it very slug like and could frustrate them more than the previous version they had installed.

I picked mine up for $280 with free shipping and no tax. I couldn't be happier with it.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

timmyDean said:
Seems to be the trend. Everyone is gearing up new models for ICS and some are offering them with HC saying ICS ready.
However, I caution everyone on ICS. The architecture is totally different and early hardware along with older hardware will have issues.
TD
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Click to collapse
I wonder what makes you think ICS is "totally different" from 2.x or 3.x ?
My understanding is that it is really isn't changing very much of the honeycomb base for tablets, and is instead just merging that with 2.x style support for phones.
In other words, the only growing pains should be the time it takes apps to develop proper ICS apps that adjust based on tablet vs phone. But there shouldn't be any problems running ICS on our hardware, given that it's basically 3.x.
Is there something I missed?

The A500 is going to be replaced by Acer’s A700 Tablet Detailed: Quad-Core Tegra 3 SoC and 1920x1200 Screen. Just do a search on the web for A700

The lifetime of these products is going to be similar to those of cell phones which is 6 months to a year. Maybe a bit longer.
The business model is all about turnaround, planned obsolescence, consumers buying the next hot product, upgrading at every turn, etc. Just look at some of the signatures everyone has with several models of phones, tablets, etc. listed. Seems the economy is tanked yet everyone is buying electronic products at a furious rate (gotta have priorities).
The A500 is not immune to this paradigm.

speeddaddy said:
The A500 is going to be replaced by Acer’s A700 Tablet Detailed: Quad-Core Tegra 3 SoC and 1920x1200 Screen. Just do a search on the web for A700
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Click to collapse
I tried to tell you lot about this a couple of months ago when my sister inlaw(acer employee) told me about a completely new tablet coming out

mswirski said:
I wonder what makes you think ICS is "totally different" from 2.x or 3.x ?
My understanding is that it is really isn't changing very much of the honeycomb base for tablets, and is instead just merging that with 2.x style support for phones.
In other words, the only growing pains should be the time it takes apps to develop proper ICS apps that adjust based on tablet vs phone. But there shouldn't be any problems running ICS on our hardware, given that it's basically 3.x.
Is there something I missed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically put, ICS has a series of new API's that require more horsepower to run. Running this on a earlier version of chip sets not designed for ICS will be sluggish.
Like I've said, I've been using ICS for over 3 months and it runs like a dog on older equipment. Half the time you think it's hung or locked up.
TD
---------- Post added at 07:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:05 PM ----------
irishmoe said:
I tried to tell you lot about this a couple of months ago when my sister inlaw(acer employee) told me about a completely new tablet coming out
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Click to collapse
Exactly, follow the money. There is NO money in it. The margins are too tight to spend money and resources on something you've already been paid for. You might not like it, I don't like paying baggage fees at Airports either, but that's the market place.
If you have ever listened to JT (CEO) at ACER and his vision, you'll see exactly what he has told every employee. That ACER's life cycle is 6 months. They plan and build on replacing hardware constantly improving and encouraging customers to upgrade. The second thing, that comes out through him, is the need for ACER to make money on services, the Cloud, and software. Look around and you will see a lot of the tablet MFG's doing the same thing (just like bag fees at airports) they are all doing it.
TD

Did anyone think since it is the holiday season that may be why they are sold out?
Perhaps Acer did not make enough to keep them in supply or the stores did not order enough.
I doubt they would stop selling just because ICS may be an update.
And I doubt they would stop making the 500 until the 700 is close to being available.
But then it is Acer we are talking about and who knows what their thinking is.

frankws said:
Did anyone think since it is the holiday season that may be why they are sold out?
Perhaps Acer did not make enough to keep them in supply or the stores did not order enough.
I doubt they would stop selling just because ICS may be an update.
And I doubt they would stop making the 500 until the 700 is close to being available.
But then it is Acer we are talking about and who knows what their thinking is.
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Click to collapse
Demand is high and they probably did not make enough. But, they also cut back on the A500 production numbers too. So you're probably looking at several reasons. However, the a500, according to ACER personnel has been added to their twilight list. Not sure it twilighted items are 6, 9, or 12 months. It use to mean 12 months with production runs dropping each month after 6.
TD

I can confirm that they are officially discontinued at Best Buy. They will no longer receive any from Acer. Of course there are some stocks at some stores an distribution centers but once they are gone they are gone.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

cbradberry said:
I picked mine up for $280 with free shipping and no tax. I couldn't be happier with it.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where, if you don't mind me asking?
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

Discontinued.
Does this mean I have to give up my tablet..Please don't make erica sad. Don't make me cry.
Acer will continue support or will loose so many customers they will be out of business.

timmyDean said:
Basically put, ICS has a series of new API's that require more horsepower to run. Running this on a earlier version of chip sets not designed for ICS will be sluggish.
Like I've said, I've been using ICS for over 3 months and it runs like a dog on older equipment. Half the time you think it's hung or locked up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to disagree with the statement that ics runs poorly on older devices. I've been running ics without any issues on first generation samsung galaxy s variant for the past couple of months. the speed is one of the main positives with the ics rom. I don't see why a tegra2 based 1gig memory iconia a500 wouldn't be an excellent hardware to go along with ics.

durango99 said:
I have to disagree with the statement that ics runs poorly on older devices. I've been running ics without any issues on first generation samsung galaxy s variant for the past couple of months. the speed is one of the main positives with the ics rom. I don't see why a tegra2 based 1gig memory iconia a500 wouldn't be an excellent hardware to go along with ics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i loaded ICS on my Captivate the other day, and I noticed the same thing. If a single core 1Ghz phone with 512mb ram can run it smoothly, why can't a dual core with 1Gb?
The only official specs I can find is that it will be of similar requirements to honeycomb, with a minimum of 512mb ram.

Related

Bad news for Tab owners

Hopefully the following article is misinformed (I do also have a Tab)
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/03/honeycomb-to-require-dual-core-processor-initially-tablet-only/
Otherwise we'll have to wait for devs to port Honeycomb to our tabs. Which may very well not happen since few of them have SGTs (and given the news flow they may very well pass it...) plus our hardware may be too limited (Underpowered processor, too small screen resolution) and we may very well want to pass on honeycomb too (If it's only for tabs and not for phones, forget about phone functionalities...)
Anyway let's just hope this is not true (Would hate to have to dump my tab only after 3 months of use...)
It's not like SGT becomes somehow inferior just because there's a new version of Android. It is a great device as it is.
All the more reason for me to justify picking up a Tab 2 when it is released
I love my tab as it is, and I see that there are already improvements to be made through updates to FroYo, so I am not really worried because I am satisfied even with my stock tab now.
Same here - I bought an unactivated vzw tab, and it just does everything I need. If there's a Tab 2 with Honeycomb, I'll look at it, but with my other android devices, the dev community seems to produce better functionality than the vendors do, and I can hopefully skip all the vendor-installed crap with a clean image when that time arrives.
R.I.P.
These are really bad news for us owners.
Maybe I'll switch to iOS devices then. They're running so much smoother compared to android 2.X devices...
We won't see how good the tab with its powervr 540 graphics would perform with proper hardwareacceleration honeycomb will provide.
And that, ladies and gentlemen is why we're all here on XDA......
The way things are looking, unless Google is planning on HC being a tablet only OS, there will be a basic HC OS for phones and an extra feature set that's unlocked for tablets with dual core procs and 1280 X 720 screens. What may happen is that the 7" tablet will essentially be an oversized phone with XDA hacking it so you can use the tablet features on the 7" tablets.
As a Galaxy Tab owner I'm not really that butthurt by this because I can envision having a camera phone and 7" tablet as mobile devices and a wifi only 12" tablet for home use. If the HC tablet features truly require a larger screen, then I'm content with a 7" tablet that more of a mobile device.
I am a big fan of the 16:9 screen dimension. Better for movies and better for mutli-pane implementation.
The worry I have is this will just cut the spread of SGT buyers. If we end up with a device not very popular and with a small customer/devs base you can forget about any dream of good custom roms or app developments
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
HTC is rumored to be releasing a 7" tablet, and the SGT has sold millions in a short amount of time. Unlike the iPhone, there was no carrier based reason to purchase the SGT over the iPad, but people did, in large part due to the form factor. I suspect that the 7" tab will not go away.
LOL, Any body want to sell their antiquated Galaxy Tab?
I've been looking to get one on AT&T or T-Mo... a trade for a mint 16GB iPhone4 perhaps???
FUD
There are no mins for Gingerbread, and IF there are any for Honeycomb, the community devs will pull apart what is a good update for the GTab and cook it up.
Honestly if you are worried, start a fund to get a tab into more dev hands...
lets not forget these are claims and have not been officialy confirmed by Google themselves yet... we still have hope. i don't think Samsung will just abandon us like this. they will probably be expecting to release their next sucessor to the tab in september. honeycomb will come out before then, and hopefully the update will be pushed out to us. the gtab was made in mind to be upgradable to Honeycomb. much like the HD2 was made to be upgradable to WP7... but that never happened.
only time will tell if we get the update.
lets not forget these are claims and have not been officialy confirmed by Google themselves yet... we still have hope. i don't think Samsung will just abandon us like this. they will probably be expecting to release their next sucessor to the tab in september. honeycomb will come out before then, and hopefully the update will be pushed out to us. the gtab was made in mind to be upgradable to Honeycomb. much like the HD2 was made to be upgradable to WP7... but that never happened.
only time will tell if we get the update.
Eh...it's only bad news if you don't like your Tab the way it is now. So it's not bad news for me, it's just more news.
What is bad is how all of a sudden there are so many deals for people to get these Galaxy Tabs. That had dramaticly reduced the cost. My guess that are getting rid of invintory. And it seems this is going on before CES. Just my view
What deals? That $100 Verizon price drop? Good luck finding a Verizon store that will sell one for $500 no-contract, it's a rumor and not official, at least not yet.
The T-Mobile $349 on a 2-year? That's not a price reduction, it's a little lubrication for the contract buttsecks. The Best Buy and Amazon sales? Short term holiday traffic generators. The UK/Euro price drops? Those were adjustments to bring the device in line with US pricing once the North American Tabs were released.
Lets not forget economy of scale, the more they make and sell, the cheaper each individual unit becomes to produce, and they can (and often do) lower prices over the life of a product to reflect this.
As for Honeycomb, Asus just announced a 7" Honeycomb tablet with 1024x600 resolution, so that part of the specs rumor is busted right away.
And any way you slice it, we're looking at March at the very least for a Honeycomb tablet explosion*. That's six months after the Tab launched. That's six months of awesome Tab usage before you should start to get the urge to replace it.
The alternative would have been to do without for six months. Life is too short for holding out for the next best thing...buying the best thing you can now is almost always a better bet.
*The Motorola tablet may launch before then, but frankly, I don't give a DAMN about the Motorola tablet, because it's a 10" device and I don't want one of those.
Croak said:
The alternative would have been to do without for six months. Life is too short for holding out for the next best thing...buying the best thing you can now is almost always a better bet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am with u but u need money to burn
Croak said:
The alternative would have been to do without for six months. Life is too short for holding out for the next best thing...buying the best thing you can now is almost always a better bet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No truer words have been spoken.
You can play the waiting game forever. By the time the Honeycomb tablets are finally in the wild, the next generation tablet hardware / software will already be announced. At some point you just got to buy.
Sent from my SGH-I987 using Tapatalk
I just got a tablet running Samsung S5PV210 and I do hope it would be upgrade to honeycomb. The tablet run Android 2.2 OS currently, and its hardware specs. as following on the site where I picked up.
I'm going to contact with the vendor and ask for certain upgrade info.
Croak said:
As for Honeycomb, Asus just announced a 7" Honeycomb tablet with 1024x600 resolution, so that part of the specs rumor is busted right away.
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Click to collapse
I also believe that one of the announced Asus tablets with Honeycomb also has a 1Ghz snapdragon so that busts the Dual Core requirement too.

My Opinion

Seeing where the SGT Dev community is going (nowhere).... I am thinking of selling my 3 week old SGT for cash and saving up for the wifi-Xoom. Anyone in the same boat.... or can rebut my opinion.
I've had the same thought, but since my GF got it for me for X-mas, I'm gonna keep using it, and give it back to her when I can afford a XOOM
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
kenfly said:
Seeing where the SGT Dev community is going (nowhere).... I am thinking of selling my 3 week old SGT for cash and saving up for the wifi-Xoom. Anyone in the same boat.... or can rebut my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the tab in January and so far other than gaining root haven’t done anything else with it, the mobility factor is a big plus no question about it, but then I got the xoom on launching day and now I really like them both…so if or when you do it you will appreciate the differences.
I think the Devs have nothing to do with your decision.
I really like the form factor, but performance is an issue with my tab. and with the dev community not really huge, i feel left out of so much with all of these honeycomb tegra2 tablets coming out. I just really feel that Samsung really jumped the gun with the tab. releasing it with no hopes of any real update. Then pretty much rubbing it in our face by releasing 2 more tabs that are far more superior. makes me feel like i made a bad investment by falling for their trickery.
Maybe SGT 8.9 if released with similar specs as of the xoom. and reasonably priced
The tegra processors and Honycomb make our tab look outdated already but IMO the differences are not that big unless one expects too much from a tablet; is not going to replace our laptops yet…as for sami updating my hopes are nonexistent. I was in Germany recently when a saw the tab of a friend of mine, phone working etc I turned green . My biggest beef is with the carriers here in the US that crippled the device.
tegra 2 isnt a device without their own problem
like not able to play 720p mkv movies unless it converted on a specific format
that would be a problem to some people
and is there really a lot of app that dual core ready anyway?
afaik, for normal process, only 1 core would work unless there's a need for the 2nd core?
jumping too soon on honeycomb with limited apps wouldnt make that much of a difference either
and did you say saving up? how long? ^^
if it took months, who knows we already got honeycomb or ice cream on the way on our tab?
honeycomb, i doubt, but the next generation for smartphone definitely gonna be ported to our tab IMO
my main interest in this tab is phone capability, so unless there's another contender out there, i'm still gonna keep this one
kenfly said:
Then pretty much rubbing it in our face by releasing 2 more tabs that are far more superior. makes me feel like i made a bad investment by falling for their trickery.
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Click to collapse
I'm trying to see what trickery Samsung have fooled you with here?
The 7" Tab was sold as an Android 2.2 device, with no promise of a Honeycomb update, and that's what they delivered.
We may, or may not get an official upgrade, which may be Honeycomb, or perhaps Gingerbread, but the Tab is still a very capable and useful device as is IMO. I do believe that we will at least get an unofficial Honeycomb ROM once the source code drops.
None of the upcoming tablets can replace my Tab because they are too big for my purposes, though I may end up getting a bigger tablet purely for home use.
Regards,
Dave
For me its all about size, the 10s are just to big to carry around comfortably. Might as well continue to carry my Dell mini9 laptop. I dont require much from my tab maybe thats why Im happy with the 7.
Remember no matter what you buy it has a good 6 months of obsolescence built in
I think most devs wait for the honeycomb source... no one wants a broken sdk port on an expensive device...
As soon as HC hits aosp I'll contribute developing.
And the xoom community won't move very fast with development for the first six months either. And with that price, probably not much development after that.
rangercaptain said:
And the xoom community won't move very fast with development for the first six months either. And with that price, probably not much development after that.
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Click to collapse
Agreed. The xoom may be "developer friendly" but it is way too expensive to mess around with.. the galaxy tab gets cheaper and cheaper and will attract more devs too over time.
Why are we comparing the Tab and the Xoom? Two totally different niches. Anyone buying a Tab should know what they are getting, and most that do are getting them for a reason. 7 inches, and a solid product with the full Android Market without having to push it onto the device.
I have three different 7 inch tablets right now (had a 4th, but the Dell Streak 7 is dismal) and the Galaxy Tab is BY FAR the best of the three. The NookColor is fun, and is running dual-boot Honeycomb (port from sdk) and froyo. It's overclocked to 1.1Ghz and is primarily used by my wife as an e-reader (which is what B&N intended), though she likes firing up Angry Birds, etc.
The Archos 70 Internet Tablet is running 2.2.1..and is slim and can handle just about ANY media thrown it's way. Archos is a leader in Media devices, having created the HDD portable Music player before anyone else (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archos)...including Apple. It's hands down the best for watching movies. However it's flimsy and buggy...Archos sucks at support, truly. Plus, there's not much in the way of accessories for it. I had the 10.1 also...but sold it.
My Tab gets the most use...as I swap my phone's sim into it quite frequently. And it handles pretty much everything I want it to do. Out of the 3, theres no comparison as to my satisfaction.
If I wanted another 10" Tablet...and wanted Honeycomb right now, I STILL would not get the Xoom. I can afford it, but that doesn't mean I want to plunk down $800 on something obviously rushed out of production. Too many things wrong with this early adopter device.
Here's to hoping the incoming 8.9' Galaxy Tab has some of the kinks worked out...cuz I'm gonna pounce on it right away. 10.1" prolly not, the form factor just too large for my usage.
Whatever some people get, they will NEVER be satisfied
hehe...truly, and that's why my wife calls me a gadget whore...just have to have em all. Could be worse in her eyes, at least I'm loyal to her
kenfly said:
Seeing where the SGT Dev community is going (nowhere).... I am thinking of selling my 3 week old SGT for cash and saving up for the wifi-Xoom. Anyone in the same boat.... or can rebut my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you bought a tablet based on the dev community then you were wrong to do that in the first place. You buy something for what it is, not what it may be based on some random people messing around with roms.
I can't see how a 10" Xoom could possibly be a replacement for the 7" SGT. One you can carry around with you, use in your car, act as a backup phone, and the other is mostly a stay at home couch device. Personally I think the Xoom is a bit of a let down on things it should be better at - like playing high bitrate movies. SGT blows it away on that score. The SGT build and screen is also very high quality. As good as my iPad 1 (which I've not really touched since the SGT came along. Never mind how I've come to despise the Apple lock-in methodology...).
Honeycomb looks like it will be a great update when the bugs are ironed out, but Froyo (maybe Gingerbread soon) on the SGT currently makes more sense as the device really is closer to a phone than a tablet (and I'm personally happy that it is). Ice Cream Sandwich looks like it will be the natural OS upgrade for this device, as it will combine Honeycomb UI changes with smartphone functionality. Whether Samsung will release it for the SGT in the coming months is anyone's guess, but for now I'm rocking the Tab. For a couch device I'll see what the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is like (hopefully they'll find a fix for the video snafu), but none of the Tegra 2 SoC based tablets are wowing me at the moment.
Bandage said:
hehe...truly, and that's why my wife calls me a gadget whore...just have to have em all. Could be worse in her eyes, at least I'm loyal to her
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm one too. I hide some from my wife too, so that makes me some kind of addict! But she uses the RAZR we got many years ago.
rangercaptain said:
I'm one too. I hide some from my wife too, so that makes me some kind of addict! But she uses the RAZR we got many years ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol...not mine, she's become a gadget snob. Though she won't admit it, she's glad to be cutting edge. I see it when her girlfriends drool over the cool gadgets she totes around, lmao. We'll go get coffee, and she will look to see who noticed her pretty NookColor while she's reading and surfing the internets.
So you're selling a device because people aren't modding it? IMHO that's a ridiculous reason to sell this amazing piece of tech.
And im guessing one main reason is Honeycomb because, lets face it, its what everyone wants in a tablet. Then why not buy a Nook? You complain lack of development, the Nook Honeycomb port is better than anything they'll ever do with the Xoom.
Still, just my opinion. I'm keeping my Tab until it dies, then ill get another one.
Sent from my GT-P1000
+1
and..truly one of these days someone WILL put out an Android device that doesn't need modding! Might be 3 years from now...with 8 core cpu & AirWave connectivity (5+TB wireless connection passed through our existing electrical cables that are strung on the poles...or passed through now vacated VHF / UHF signals...yeah, I can dream BIG!)
But you will only be able to get 3g data or 2g+ voice.

Honeycomb 3.2 update coming?

Not sure if there is any truth to this, but check out this article from Android Police and judge for yourself:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...-day-one-7-tablet-support-bug-fixes-and-more/
looks good, if it is anything like that describe it.
It should make the xoom soooo much better.
mazodude said:
looks good, if it is anything like that describe it.
It should make the xoom soooo much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Because I didn't get that impression at all from the article. The impression I got is that it adds support to smaller devices, qualcom processors and an update to the video editing app. That doesn't really qualify as "soooo much better" in my mind.
It took just a couple mouse clicks and I was able to learn that 3.2 is for the smaller (e.g. 7") screen and 3.1 is for the larger (e.g. 10") screen tablets, beyond that there is no significant difference.
Remember.......Google is your friend.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I guess if it is true, at least it'd get us closer to the possibility of source code being released since they would have taken care of the smaller tablet size porting issue.
From the ThisIsMyNext post, the main benefit is different res & CPU support (well, QualComm at least). It supposedly also improves "hardware acceleration," which would be a perk for existing Teg2 devices. But apparently, any substantive improvement will come in ICS.
My impression is that HC is a ICS beta, released early so that Android vendors can establish a tablet market this year against the iPad juggernaut. One wonders if that means ICS can at least make Q4, or if it will miss the Xmas shopping season altogether. If it's pushed to 2012, and assuming Win8 beta gets good reception come Sept, Android may have a steeper path to adoption than envisioned.
There is nothing "to die for" in the upgrade...
3.1 wasn't a major upgrade either, but it was still welcomed. As it stands, 3.1 is still a mixed bag, which is born out in lackluster sales. 3.2 reportedly will be in time for back-to-school, and hopefully will make Android tabs presentable enough to be a viable competitor to the iPad.
"As for timing, we’re told that current tablets like the Motorola Xoom will get the update in the “next few weeks,” with new seven-inch tablet hardware to follow in August."
here we go with the term next few weeks...
its going to be next few months again before we even sees it..
Ok - that's great - we don't know what other additions are thrown in to 3.2 but the major thing is support for more processors and smaller sized screens - knowing Google they have probably thrown in heaps of other little minor changes...
like 3.1 which was touted as loads of bugfixes? then throw in that usb host and xbox controller goodness and bluetooth mouse stuff...
let's just wait and see what officially gets announced as 'fixed' or 'upgraded' in the 3.2 announcements...
also is this the first time an Android OS has gone through three (major?) revisions, from 3.0 (-> 3.0.1) -> 3.1 -> 3.2
I think if I recall wasn't Eclair 2.0 and 2.1 ?
keitht said:
Not sure if there is any truth to this, but...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should have been the title of your thread. Or, perhaps more accurately, "I didn't bother to research this because I care much more about being the first to post hearsay than about the validity of my posts."
I think we can assume this is pretty well confirmed, due to the recent announcements of 7 inch Honeycomb tablets by Huawei and Acer. 3.2 seems to be basically a maintenance release aimed at setting up the infrastructure for ICS. Google needed to get the 7 inch tablets on the same version as the 10 inchers so that they can focus on phone integration in ICS.
However the news is not all 7 inch focused. I think hardware acc. improvements is good news for the Xoom and other larger tablets and I am sure there will be general improvements and performance tweaks. I would expect to see other fixes related to the recent movie rental abilities of non-rooted tablets.
While not a world shaking update it will be welcome to US Xoomers, and I for one am already looking acquisitively at the 7 inch Iconia tablets running HC3.2 that Acer has announced.
As for Euro Xoom users, can we hope that Moto decided to just jump 3.1 and focus on a 3.2 Euro update?
...
Nah, me neither.
rschenck said:
As for Euro Xoom users, can we hope that Moto decided to just jump 3.1 and focus on a 3.2 Euro update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure that line will be bandied about but I don't know if there's any truth in it. Tbh, I'm sure BRD and the rest of Team Tiamat will have the update ready for us before Moto even think about a Euro release. /sigh.
Psychokitty said:
This should have been the title of your thread. Or, perhaps more accurately, "I didn't bother to research this because I care much more about being the first to post hearsay than about the validity of my posts."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice contribution to the thread.
I had the A100 on my radar since 10" is too large for my preference, but its announced specs were disappointing. It has half the RAM (512MB vs 1GB), half the storage (8GB vs 16GB), and half the battery capacity (1530mAh vs 3260mAh) of the A500.
http://www.blognotes.in/compare-acer-iconia-tab-a100-vs-iconia-tab-a500/
At USD$350, it's only $50 less than the Asus TF, which for the Acer brand is grossly overpriced. Acer's waffling Android support is also worrying. It's going for the shotgun approach and sees what sticks, releasing a ChromeOS laptop and a Win7 (Iconia W500) tablet at the same time. Yet it has cut its tablet sales projection by 60% for 2011. Not exactly a vote of confidence in Android.
Another downer is that when it comes out in Q3, the Tegra 2 will be close to the end of its short life cycle. And if ICS shows up in Q4, then it's a triple-whammy of outdated hardware & OS, and halfhearted vendor support. Imagine getting a Teg2 in Jul/Aug, and 3 months later, ICS pops out the chute with the quadcores in tow.
I suppose it boils down to whether it serves one's immediate needs. But too many consumers will buy into these things expecting continued support, and disappointment then ensues, as to wit here.
Weirdly enough, I'm actually looking forward to seeing the Vizio 8" specs, as I like the 4:3 format anyway. If it sports 1024x768 with 3.2 and anything other than the Teg2, it's on my short list.
e.mote said:
I had the A100 on my radar since 10" is too large for my preference, but its announced specs were disappointing. It has half the RAM (512MB vs 1GB), half the storage (8GB vs 16GB), and half the battery capacity (1530mAh vs 3260mAh) of the A500.
http://www.blognotes.in/compare-acer-iconia-tab-a100-vs-iconia-tab-a500/
At USD$350, it's only $50 less than the Asus TF, which for the Acer brand is grossly overpriced. Acer's waffling Android support is also worrying. It's going for the shotgun approach and sees what sticks, releasing a ChromeOS laptop and a Win7 (Iconia W500) tablet at the same time. Yet it has cut its tablet sales projection by 60% for 2011. Not exactly a vote of confidence in Android.
Another downer is that when it comes out in Q3, the Tegra 2 will be close to the end of its short life cycle. And if ICS shows up in Q4, then it's a triple-whammy of outdated hardware & OS, and halfhearted vendor support. Imagine getting a Teg2 in Jul/Aug, and 3 months later, ICS pops out the chute with the quadcores in tow.
I suppose it boils down to whether it serves one's immediate needs. But too many consumers will buy into these things expecting continued support, and disappointment then ensues, as to wit here.
Weirdly enough, I'm actually looking forward to seeing the Vizio 8" specs, as I like the 4:3 format anyway. If it sports 1024x768 with 3.2 and anything other than the Teg2, it's on my short list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Vizio is an interesting option...since I really want something in the 7ish size bracket and the Galaxy Tab and HTC Flyer strike me as steps back in terms of OS with 2.2 and 2.3.
As for Huawei....I have too much experience with Huawei's build quality across their overstretched industries to actually pay my own money for their products.
I'm sure the GalTab 7" will be updated for this year, as Samsung is all-in for the Android effort. Ditto HTC. Once 3.2 hits, I think we'll see new products (or updates) from both.
It's the PC vendors like Asus, Dell, and Acer that Android is more of an iffy proposition. They have strong existing relationships with Microsoft, and will likely be Win8 launch partners. If I were in their shoes, I'd be biding my time for Win8--if its schedule doesn't slip of course.
Huawei...reportedly the 7" is going through carrier channels only. Not a mass-market item. It has no presence in the US anyway.
Motorola will probably say they were waiting for the 3.2 release before pushing an update out to the 3.0.1 non-US models....
although you'd start to hope that 3.2 actually comes out with the sdcard fix by now - in a few more months its not going to be worth it with ICS coming out probably with, like the rest of the 3.x tablets, a working sdcard slot
The Xoom will get 3.2 in the "next few weeks".
As for timing, we’re told that current tablets like the Motorola Xoom will get the update in the “next few weeks,” with new seven-inch tablet hardware to follow in August. We’ll also have to wait and see how this will affect the Ice Cream Sandwich rollout — with Android updates coming this fast we’re finding it a bit hard to believe that Google will be able to stick to its upgrade promises, but we’re all for being proven wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://thisismynext.com/2011/06/20/...ummer-seven-inch-tablets-qualcomm-processors/
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/android-3-2-shipping-this-summer-for-7-inch-tablets-huaweis-me/
Hopefully 3.2 includes a fix to email integration with Exchange ActiveSync that got broken in 3.1. If thats all I get out of the 3.2 update, I'll be happy...

TF2 will be around soon.

Compatible with existing docks and will have ICS.
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/42382/asus-eee-pad-transformer-2
Ha I just got this info myself from another source that will not mention here...
Dang glad i didn't buy one now.... cause I did find a B60 in my area..and had them put it aside..for this week...
http://tablets-planet.com/2011/10/0...t-will-be-499-no-price-cut-for-transformer-1/
well isnt that just great. Ive had mine for one day. A quad core? Damn!
this is all well and good but im still gonna keep my tf1 with a smile. im sure ICS will be on the tf1 shortly after its available. not worried
Ditto - I can't see quad core being necessary for some time to come. I'll upgrade next year.... when it's six or 8 core for the same price
I think it would make sense for Asus to ditch Android and wait for Windows 8...
Sorry, but I think Windows 8 > Android Honeycomb.
xTRICKYxx said:
I think it would make sense for Asus to ditch Android and wait for Windows 8...
Sorry, but I think Windows 8 > Android Honeycomb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow win 8 ok... I'm def buying one or two.
would you's recommend i wait for this or go for the galaxy tab 10.1? I really like the docking keyboard but i also like the look of tab 10.1. thanks!
Windows 8 <<<< Give me a break
I would wait for the TF2.... think about it Quad Core<<<<
how was the build quality of the first gen compared to samsung products?
I can say the TF3 will be out in June of 2012 too, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. This is the beginning of media hype. The same thing happened with the original Transformer as well. How many months was it until we had a concrete date, much less hardware in hand? For god sakes, they were showing off hardware 3+ months before it hit stores! Having the CEO say they're preparing, is like me saying I'm preparing for Christmas now.
When we have a date, fine, post threads. But until we have a date, whats the point of having thread, after thread, after thread with every little stupid article about the TF2? It's all hype and nothing more.
---------- Post added at 02:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:15 AM ----------
mrloltime said:
how was the build quality of the first gen compared to samsung products?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was sorta a crapshoot. In a way...I mean, as you probably are well aware, the people that got bad units (or are just too picky when it comes to backlight bleed) complained the loudest. When you consider the fact that they were selling 100k+ per month, having even 100 people complaining is still only 0.1%. Outside of that, I feel it's good. I have a B50 unit (not one of the even older B40 units) and it's build really solid, I can't complain unless I expect everything to be better than perfect.
mrloltime said:
would you's recommend i wait for this or go for the galaxy tab 10.1? I really like the docking keyboard but i also like the look of tab 10.1. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're after the looks, why not try the ipad 2? I don't even ow why people will buy the tab for $500.
mrloltime said:
would you's recommend i wait for this or go for the galaxy tab 10.1? I really like the docking keyboard but i also like the look of tab 10.1. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can find a B60 or below tab I'd go for it. B70 series are hit and miss when it comes to being able to root. Even if you NEVER root it, it's good to have the option IMO.
Quad-core? Not necessary for functioning apps at present. The dual-core TF1 performs beautifully. "Less is More" axiom applies here I believe.
I'd jump to the quad-core ONLY if dual boot with Win8 were an option. Never been a gamer so playing games mean diddly to me. (Win8 option would help with work interface).
Its not going to be thinner? Different Color? More aesthetically pleasing w/ a new dock to match? Only hardware is the difference?
I am dissapoint. I was really hoping that they would have created a more badass version of the TF2. They might as well just called it the TF1S and saved the TF2 monicker for the real deal.
I honestly think Asus, like Lenovo, are going to be in the Tablet races a long time. However, I think the tablets running Android will be short lived. I want a fully featured, robust, heavily developed OS. Windows 8 is just that. If anyone is not excited about Windows 8 competing with Android, then they are not excited for any innovation.
The Transformer 2 will most likely run Windows 8.
xTRICKYxx said:
I honestly think Asus, like Lenovo, are going to be in the Tablet races a long time. However, I think the tablets running Android will be short lived. I want a fully featured, robust, heavily developed OS. Windows 8 is just that. If anyone is not excited about Windows 8 competing with Android, then they are not excited for any innovation.
The Transformer 2 will most likely run Windows 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows 8 should be able to run on Tegra 2 so we should have the dual boot capability on the TF1.
xTRICKYxx said:
I honestly think Asus, like Lenovo, are going to be in the Tablet races a long time. However, I think the tablets running Android will be short lived. I want a fully featured, robust, heavily developed OS. Windows 8 is just that. If anyone is not excited about Windows 8 competing with Android, then they are not excited for any innovation.
The Transformer 2 will most likely run Windows 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
source?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
xTRICKYxx said:
I honestly think Asus, like Lenovo, are going to be in the Tablet races a long time. However, I think the tablets running Android will be short lived. I want a fully featured, robust, heavily developed OS. Windows 8 is just that. If anyone is not excited about Windows 8 competing with Android, then they are not excited for any innovation.
The Transformer 2 will most likely run Windows 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't. It will run IceCream Sandwhich. - If there is one thing I've learned it is to take all posts with a grain of salt. Usually it's peoples' personal opinions or prefrences instead of facts.
http://androidcommunity.com/asus-ee...ice-cream-sandwich-expected-in-q3q4-20110623/
If it doesn't have digitizer stylus I'll pass. I need the tablet for taking hadwritten notes at work, Transformer 1 is not good for it.
multiple places are reporting that the CEO of Asus has stated that transformer 2 will be coming out shortly (meaning by the end of the month or early next month).
http://androidandme.com/2011/10/news/asus-the-fire-isnt-hot-enough-transformer-2-going-for-499/
http://www.techradar.com/news/mobil...nd-gen-eee-pad-transformer-on-the-way-1031351
however, the price point says $499...hopefully they are referring to the 32GB model and not the 16GB model. I was really hoping to get this as soon as it came out but if 16GB is at $499..i might wait until closer towards the end of the year to hopefully get a better deal on it once samsung and others come out with their kal-el models.

xoom 2 advertisment. No ICS?

http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/11/01/motorola-xoom-2-ad-confirms-honeycomb-and-pre-christmas-launch-will-likely-retail-for-400/
Well if Moto are going for a 2011 release there's no way they could shoehorn ICS on there before it hits the shops. Better to get the hardware out and selling and work on an ICS upgrade in the background once they have the source.
Well how many people on here would install another rom, install adw ex or multilive wallpaper? So what difference does it make which OS it has.
It would make no difference to me if it had froyo, i had froyo on my 7' galaxy tab and still use all the same apps and widgets on my xoom. So what does it matter?
With ICS you can have a fingerprint unlocker? woopeee dog doo! utter worthless sales mode crap!
Let's have a fingerprint unlocker, but we won't have micro sd card expansion so we can have a thin device, i think these tablet developers are brain damaged!
I would absolutely love and use a fingerprint unlocker! I synch with 2 Exchange servers that require a device unlock PIN every time I turn it on. Not sales crap - a very useful feature for some of us.
not sure if i get the point of them releasing it with only a dual core...
joeyddr said:
not sure if i get the point of them releasing it with only a dual core...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think they're trying to target the consumer market. Xoom 1 was best of CES and first device honeycomb. I think first device with honeycomb means a lot because the ui was designed almost exclusively for xoom 1. Xoom 2 is not innovative but lighter weight and better screen for $200 less than xoom 1 (589 vs ~389) could do wonders for moto who posted a 3rd quarter loss. If xoom 2 is the first tablet to get ics that may help it out otherwise ics on xoom1 will hopefully satisfy my needs until octacore xoom 3 comes out
Xoom 2 looks like it has a ui skin. Big problem for me.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
>not sure if i get the point of them releasing it with only a dual core...
One major reason is being able to play most videos w/o need to convert, thanks to OMAP4's better multimedia support. For regular people, it means smooth HD Netflix & Hulu streaming. It's a big use-case. In addition to being thinner, lighter, more stylish, etc.
I agree it's not a big jump functionality-wise. Having ICS onboard would've been a more compelling sell, but ICS didn't make the deadline. Regardless, the new Moto line-up is much improved over the old.
>I think they're trying to target the consumer market.
Only for the Xoom Family, which is $350-ish now at BestBuy. The 8.2" Xoom 2 Media Edition will be for €400 (one can assume the same for the US), and is targeted at the under-10" segment.
The 10" Xoom 2 is targeted at the business crowd, mainly by its software load-out. Extrapolating from the announced UK pricing (£325+VAT vs ME's £299), it'll probably go for USD$450.
To sum: Xoom Family $350, Xoom 2 Media 8.2" $400, Xoom 2 10.1" $450.
The emphasis on "value pricing" (read: cheaper than iPad's $500) was made clear by Moto CEO when he said that pricing was something they'd work to bring down. I am a little surprised by the narrow price band--only $100 spacing between high and low-end. It may well be because of ICS' inavailability, which makes a more ambitious roll-out problematic.
Also, Moto is in a major transition of its own, being integrated into Goog, so it has other concerns at the moment.
Does anyone one knows any more info about this tablet? I can't find a decent video review. I am interested buying the media edition.
ICS will come later as an update. As for "When?", well... It's Motorola. Your guess is as good as mine.
The specs on this new tablet are indeed outdated considering new tablets coming in the next 3 months will mostly feature quadcore (or at least much faster hardware). The only way this tablet could be successful is if it allows them to sell it quite cheaper than the quadcore tablets. That could provide a very interesting mid-range product. So, pricing will either make, or break this product IMHO.
See Motorola is not equal to Asus
Motorola new Tablet dual core processor, less internal memory upgrade to ICS as they said.... in due course
Asus 32gig Quad Core same price as Motorola Dual Core 16gig Xoom 2. Upgrade to ICS they said before Christmas
I was surprised that they would release the Xoom 2 with the lackluster hardware and no ICS. What's the huge improvement? Apart from the fact that there's some nice but non-essential upgrades. Spill resistant Screen, shiny metal back, Rear Camera Centered, Power button on the side and not the back, Speakers centered, Grooved corners for easier holding.
My favorite being IT CHARGES OFF OF MICRO USB.
That would of been nice (and expected I would say) on our OG Xooms.
Also w/ Google acquiring Motorola and not releasing ICS on the Xoom 2 right away, I think, shows that Google is not out to play favorites since they acquired a hardware manufacturer. This should give the other big Android manufacturers warm feelings; HTC/Samsung/LG.
I could be wrong but just wanted to put my word in there.
Personally, I think once the Xoom 2 hits shelves, Moto could careless about the OG Xoom and we will be LUCKY to get ICS. I have not used my Xoom in a while since I now prefer my Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 with a 32GB Class 10 Micro SD (and unlike the GED Xoom I can actually use it to move around files) and I use my Blackberry Playbook for $199. I happen to like the smaller form factor.
The OG Xoom will be forgotten by Moto soon and we will be left to XDA to update our devices;(
I really want a a premium tablet that weight less than 450 gr and is no bigger than 8.9 inch . I have a 7 inch tablet and i want my new one to be a bit bigger . Xoom 2 media edition has what i need . But nobody seems to care about it and every one want transformer prime for its tegra 3 . i am a bit afraid to buy it because i cant find any info on this tablet . Does the media edition has the digitiser to make active stylus work or not ? How is the the battery life on this tablet ? Will the xda community support this tablet or motorolla will just sell few and no one will care to built a custom rom ? I usually i am not an early adopter on products .... Do you have any suggestions for others tablets that will suits my needs ?
I read somewhere that Motorola would not lower the price of the Xoom becausenof the Xoom2, but I can't believe this statement. My guess is that there will be big discounts on the first model. What do you think about this ?
Saintfyre said:
Also w/ Google acquiring Motorola and not releasing ICS on the Xoom 2 right away, I think, shows that Google is not out to play favorites since they acquired a hardware manufacturer. This should give the other big Android manufacturers warm feelings; HTC/Samsung/LG.
I could be wrong but just wanted to put my word in there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I think you are wrong. Google hasn't acquired Motorola yet. That deal has yet to be finalized or even passed.
mdcykkk9 said:
How is the the buttery life on this tablet ?
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Click to collapse
It's great as long as you don't leave it near sources of heat.
I'm sorry
---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:48 AM ----------
sodaboy581 said:
Yeah, I think you are wrong. Google hasn't acquired Motorola yet. That deal has yet to be finalized or even passed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, the deal hasn't closed yet. I think just recently around the 15th 99% of Motorola Shareholders approved of the merger. Most recently I think they're getting approval/clearance from the European Commission.
So hopefully January-February the deal will be finalized.
Saintfyre said:
It's great as long as you don't leave it near sources of heat.
I'm sorry
---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:48 AM ----------
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smart keyboards make us look stupid sometimes ...

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