Database Users

Is Xoom the tablet for me?

I am not currently a tablet owner. But I'm constantly trying to watch for the tablet that meets my needs. I feel those needs should be met before I can consider dropping money on a product that I will only need to upgrade within a few months if they don't.
I loved my ipod touch, and when my cellphone died...iphone was a no brainer for me. But when I view the ipad, I see nothing more than a larger ipod touch. So for now, it's been scratched off my list of potential tablet options.
Features I believe to be important to be considered a tablet that suits my needs:
-expandable memory
-customizable UI
-ability to attach usb devices (usb sticks, extrenal HDDs, etc.)
-file management
-ability to transfer data on/off device without the need to use syncing software
My research leads me to believe that the Xoom has basically achieved my list of requirements in full, except for point#3. As far as I'm concerened that could be rectified with little more than a micro usb to usb converter cable when/if one ever exists. So thats truly a minor concern.
My primary uses for the tablet would be:
-reading epubs
-music
-video
-email with hotmail and gmail accounts
-browsing web
-doc/pdf management and storage
Additionally, because I work in a tech support environment I would love:
-an app that I could use to scan whatever pc I'm attached to for system specs and what not. (I figure if any app store would eventually get this, the android one would, if one doesn't already exist)
So with my needs in mind, it seems to me that the Xoom qualifies. Which is exciting. But I read alot about new tech before I ever jump blindly into it, and am concerned that android 3.0 is still too infantile. This conclusion is solely based on posts from various forums of people experiencing issues with the OS, sluggishness, etc.
Is this the case? Having had no real experience with android based products, I don't know what to expect in the near future or even further down the road. Should I wait for the next honeycomb upgrade? Should I jump in now because things aren't as bad as some people make them out to be? Am I right to be cautious? Or is there a device out there that suits my needs listed above that I'm unaware of?
Sorry for my incredibly long first post
But I welcome any thoughts.

The xoom is a great device. I do not regret my purchase one bit And it will only get better. Not to say that there is nothing out there currently better, but i dont think there is any device that i would switch my xoom for.
Go for it.

You mean a cable such as this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Micro-male-USB-...=260750150828&ps=63&clkid=8964873560898851009
The xoom is a fantastic tablet and honeycomb is certainly full featured when compared with its iRivals. But there is no denying that Google couldn't release a new version of android soon enough for me. Too many force closures and reboots without warning. So close to being fantastic. And its getting lots of attention from the devs on here so some great kernels to try.
So in summary, great tablet. Great xda support. honeycomb released in a hurry and needs a new bugfix release despite showing great promise
Just my $0.02
Sent from my MZ604 using Tapatalk

Yes! A cable such as that!
So what is android's bugfix track record? Good/bad? Am I better off waiting on honeycomb 2.0 release?
And as for the hardware, is the Xoom good/bad? Am I better off waiting on different hardware that runs honeycomb?

I own both a Xoom WiFi and a Nook Color. The Nook Color with the official 1.2 firmware will do everything on your primary use list out of the box for much less. Of course, the Xoom will too and a whole a lot more.

the developers are doing a terrific job with the xoom to make it a worth while tablet, but you might wanna buy it from Costco since they have a excellent return policy, just in case something better comes out you won't be comitted to a $600 purchase.

Yeah id agree that bigrushdog and the others are doing a great job of filling the gaps in the current kernel with their cooked replacements for rooted devices. Hardware wise the xoom is second place to nothing at the mo. With USB, hdmi and microSD it's missing nothing. Ok, it's not an ips screen but the one it has is very good. If you're thinking of waiting it's only worthwhile if you're gonna wait long enough for quad core tablets. Probably a long wait. If you reckon you'll jump on board with the xoom when honeycomb is patched I'd say you might as well not wait and get one now. The update will come eventually and there is plenty to enjoy in the meantime. It's only the occasional app closure that spoils the party at the mo.

Well, I plan to head down to bestbuy after work today and make my final decision. If I do come home with one today, should I be changing up the kernel? And can I reset back to factory if I do and decide to go back?

Really like the the looks of the upcoming Toshiba Tablet with the replaceable battery & built in usb. so at $600+, might not want to get locked into the xoom at that price point just yet.

I have the Xoom, and I love it!
There really isn't anything I don't like about it. I have had a couple issues with the browser closing (like 2 times in a month, and only when I am running multiple flash intensive sites). The speakers are nice and loud, the screen is really beautiful - no matter what people are saying.
Get one - you can always wait for the next best thing, but then you'll be waiting forever. Like I said, I hummed and hawed, but took the dive - and I am in love with my XOOM.

Karnalsyn said:
Well, I plan to head down to bestbuy after work today and make my final decision. If I do come home with one today, should I be changing up the kernel? And can I reset back to factory if I do and decide to go back?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I were you, I would spend a little time getting used to the device before rooting. After you have decided that you really like it, like me, then I would root and flash a custom kernel.
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

mankoorb said:
Really like the the looks of the upcoming Toshiba Tablet with the replaceable battery & built in usb. so at $600+, might not want to get locked into the xoom at that price point just yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I literally just got home with the Xoom, and read this..... /facepalm
What was crazy, was they had 2 demo models setup at bestbuy. One of them was working flawlessly, with seemless screen transition. And the other was lagging upwards to 2sec response time on screen transition.
I've yet to unpackage the xoom....now I must consider whether or not to take it back and wait for the toshiba.

Karnalsyn said:
-video.
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Click to collapse
Now, I didn't try a XOOM so I can't say this for sure, but looking around here it does look like the Tegra 2 can barely handle 720p video. If that is important, the Galaxy tab ( not the crippled WiFi only one) is better since it reads 1080p at really high bit rate. Like 40 mbps.
Edit: ouch, horrible timing it seems.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk

Seems the toshiba tablet comes with full usb, mini usb and full hdmi. The back can be taken off to change the battery, or to exchange with a different color back. All very good additions....
However, the price is looking like it'll launch at $700 us for the 16gb model. And I think that might be the deal breaker for me. $100 more for a full usb port and half the memory, when I can buy a $5 usb converter cable. Looks like I will be sticking with the Xoom.

Karnalsyn said:
I literally just got home with the Xoom, and read this..... /facepalm
What was crazy, was they had 2 demo models setup at bestbuy. One of them was working flawlessly, with seemless screen transition. And the other was lagging upwards to 2sec response time on screen transition.
I've yet to unpackage the xoom....now I must consider whether or not to take it back and wait for the toshiba.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know best buy's return policy, but Costco allows you to return it up to 90 days with no restocking fee. I returned the first 1 I bricked and bought another 1 right then without any issue, so I figure I can play with the xoom for 90 days & check out the toshiba tablet & maybe a few others within that 90 day window or maybe a price drop & not be tied down to the xoom just yet.

I have to admit I was skeptical about the xoom, I made the jump, used it for two weeks, rooted and custom kernal, and love it. It has quirks, bluetooth keyboard lag online, but really it flies. I read somewhere that there was an it applcation for android to work on network systems but I believe it was expensive. Wait on a cheaper version if you want but the xoom rocks.

Why are so many returning their A500's?

I keep reading post about people being "scared" that acer isn't going to update as fast as they would like. Or their is no Restore yet, bootloaders and other minor annoyances.
One thing I see is request for USB charging. Will never happen, the Acer's dual 3650mah batteries would never get charged under the .5 load that a usb port can supply, I doubt a usb port would even be able to turn the machine on. A quick look at the ac adapter shows it's putting out 12v and 1.5amp and that's capable of charging my machine from about 25% to 100% in about 2 hours. Thats very respectable in my eyes since I can run a full 10-12 hours with really moderate to heavy use (Video's/Music/Games) wifi always on and screen set to auto brightness.
Besides I didn't buy my acer for the software that it came with, I bought it because of the hardware. The Xoom Asus and Acer are pretty much twins as far as respective hardware. If your going to nit pick something, the xoom's SD card doesnt even function, the acer's does. And the Asus transformer lacks USB host all together if I understand correctly, I can't begin to imagine the fun things that could be done when the dev's start tweaking the kernel and making 3rd party apps as well that are capable of using both usb ports on the A500, esp if the mini usb is capable of being switched on as a host as well.. (god i wish i could program my ideas)
As far as the locked boot loader issue goes, it'll get unlocked, as well as recovery, it will come. Even if Acer decided to be a complete ass and never reaveal any flaws in their code base, someone will get it accomplished.
I got the HTC inspire as soon as it was released for AT&T, no recovery, locked bootloader. I lurked on the fourms and saw a mirror of the exact same thing here, i'm scared... im returning mine for this, this or that. Now look at the inspire; there are tons of rom's, and dev support is flourshing.
I'm staying with my A500. I've had it 1 week this Friday, and my until has had no battery drain issues, gps or any other bad issues I've read others having. i have rooted mine, renamed phone / telephony .apk > .bak, and it did help battery some. For the most part I wonder what some of these people are running in the background. (even live wallpapers can seriously strain the battery with the device idle. A good example is the Asus water live wallpaper that has been hacked to work with the A500)
My biggest problem with mine is the market refusing to download and install apps I find until I kill the MyApps service and task, then it works for a few downloads, then refuses again..
I can't see returning something with fairly minor software annoyances that will eventually get fixed anyway. Now granted I love to get under the hood and tinker (I am not a dev though) I see promise in Acer's future with this tablet.
I really can't justify buying a $599 Xoom when it's spec'ed the same as the acer, and has it's own shortcomings that readily already works with the A500.
Input please?

it's the "hey, look at me look at me look at me" syndrome.
either you buy it, you don't. if you've already got it, you either keep it or you don't.
if you're so scared to drop $450-600 for something then you're never going to be satisfied. me, originally, i bought this to hold me over til the 32gb transformer came out, but the more i play with it--despite it's shortcomings--the more i like it. the screen is really nice, much nicer than i was led to believe due to various "reviews" on the 'net.
it's no ipad screen but then again, what other tablet in this form factor even comes close to the ipad screen?
people need to stop crying so much and learn to live with what they've got. i didn't exactly NEED this tablet, and i could have very well continued living without it so i really don't understand these folks who are just itching to spend money on something just so they can cry about it online.

Acer A500 Ace Enough ?
I think your query is 100% valid. Here in Australia we have the Galaxy Tab 10.1v out but in very short supply, no Xoom yet, so I bought the Acer A500 then got offered a Galaxy but am still waiting for the delivery, I also have an iPad2.
Based on honeycomb alone I like it better than the iOS on the iPad 2, but iOS is really a few years old now and honeycomb is new.
Add in the ACER's native USB that works with drives or keyboards etc, a working microsSD, and the Acer is a force to be dealt with even at more money.
I look forward to the Galaxy but the Acer feels like old hardware with a new operating system, whilst the iPad2 for instance feels like new hardware with an old OS.
Here in oz, I am more concerned at the lag of accessories / cases for anything other than the iPad2
The only hardware issue I have is that it doesn't charge by USB and you get a small residual charge when using it whilst connected to the power
If I was doing it all over again the galaxy tab 10.1v is likely to have been worth waiting for, and might be selling my Acer on eBay less than a week after purchase.
But only if I can get the idea of the working microsSD - not on any tablet yet (but the Xoom should be working in the future) , and USB.. the idea of plugging a usb stick in a tablet is soooo good.
I also find using the Acer as a PDF reader much better than the iPad2 (a big deal for me) and finally I find the bigger bezel and wider viewable screen, better onthe acer than the apple especially when typing.
Live wallpaper is awesome on the acer.
Typing is so much better on the Acer.. iOS 5 has a lot of ground to make up for.
So Galaxy I expect to be better than the Acer, in build quality but not features.
Between the Xoom and the Acer, I do not get the point of the price difference for the Xoom .
Hope that diatribe helps
@mr_internet

In my case I sent it back because I am scared about the Iconia
bootloader is strictly closed at the moment and its
build quality (mine creaked on the right backside just where the border is - heard from few people having the same problem)
and in addition I had the chance to
get a Motorola Xoom at the same price as the Iconia - and because of its
great developer base plus the freedom to customize it in any way
I have choosen the Xoom about the Iconia.

On The Fence
I'm concerned about a few things but nothing major:
1. The "wobbly" charging pin failing once I'm out of warranty - I've had this kind of charging pin on a (admittedly) crappy Archos and returned it to BB.
2. The lack of accessories
The software doesn't bother me since I rooted (easiest root I ever did) the devs will ultimately prevail - what does bother me is if the devs lose interest - then we're dead in the water.

...Probably because people aren't getting the attention from the public they thought they would from buying a tablet. I figure Apple sold so many for that reason...

jb0nd38372 said:
I keep reading post about people being "scared" that acer isn't going to update as fast as they would like. Or their is no Restore yet, bootloaders and other minor annoyances.
Input please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you drop $450 on a device on impulse, you look for reasons to take it back. Plain and simple. I believe a majority of people purchasing the Acer A500 were looking forward to the Transformer. When that didn't come (properly, anyway) they hurriedly got the A500 on impulse because it was available.
I think we all know how impulse purchases go. We practically sit there and look for reasons to return the device because we know it's something that we didn't REALLY think through thoroughly and I suppose the responsible part of our psyche becomes hyperactive. Everything and anything becomes a problem and we start seeing issues that aren't really there (not saying this is true of everyone).
The people who returned their A500s are likely serial returners, ie: people who regularly impulse buy and return stuff and between the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the other Honeycomb tablets coming in June, there's going to be plenty fodder for them to get through before they finally settle on a device. There's nothing wrong with that as it's their money and they should spend it how they see fit. There's also the fact that some people are genuinely having software or hardware issues and simply lost confidence in the device.
So why are people returning it? It's all relative. Some people have/had hardware issues. Some are having software issues that they'd rather not wait to see fixed. And some are looking for something "better" to come along down the line.

i took mine back for more than a few reasons
the bulk, it was uncomfortable to hold
the short charging cable
the weird dot grid on the screen
and lastly not knowing how acer was going to handle updates
the biggest reason, the battery life
i liked the device it is just as fast as the xoom, the iconia is a good device but just wasn't for me.
i hope acer does you all that still have it right with the updates

I won't be returning mine. I love this device. I've been on Android for a little over two years and have seen devices come and go. This device does have some flaws like the short charging cable and the strong solid fact that it isn't the Transformer. To be honest why does everyone want the the Transformer over the Iconia? Because it has a keyboard dock with an extended battery plus USB function for an additional 150$? To me thats a waste. Or that fact that no one knows how Acer will handle the Android updates? Okay, that's valid but what about ASUS, they are still unknown to the Android arena. Maybe the dots on the screen that are on all touch screen devices like the Transformer and Xoom are the reasons. Maybe one day the very small development team will stop doing such? So download the Android SDK and have at it. The lack of accessories is a big reason, give it time the device just hit the shelves. There are probably millions more and more to come. I just don't get it, this is a very good device that can do practically the same things as all the other devices. The other reason I'm not returning it is the fact that at first I wanted the Transformer but the more I started to contrast the device instead of comparing, I started seeing that the Iconia does in fact offer a little bit more to it users but it is up the the users to decide.

Maybe those that are so scared should stick to buying APPLE products , dont worry Steve Jobs will decide for you what you need and when you need it!
My god Ive never seen so many babies!
I thought it was bad in the Windows Phone 7 forum , but in here its even worse ,the "if I dont get my updates I'm telling mommy" crowd is really annoying!
Maybe its because I was around when the first PCs and Macs came about ,maybe thats why Im more patient , I like to figure it out myself , I hate products that are already "Made" Like the Ipad, nothing to do with it, most of the people in here need an ipad if they want a tablet , they dont have to put any sweat into it!
To all the devs way to go , Im pretty sure if they just gave up because the bootloader wasnt available the Iconia would never make it, none of these Android tablet would make it!

I have to say this forum is the same as the Xoom with everyone second guessing the device, well I had the Xoom, infact I had two Xooms, the first one had wifi problems that developed over time and it eventually took anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute to connect to my wifi.
I had the second one up until yesterday when it completely froze up and nothing would help it. I did a factory reset and everything, finally after a hour setting turned off, I turned it on and it did come back up but the problem's continued with the wifi not working, and the screen became unresponsive. To me the Xoom with it's nonworking Micro SD and all of the other problem's it had was just not worth $589.99 at all, and that was just the wifi only version.
As for all the people complaining about how heavy the Acer is well you have not had a Xoom in your hands, this thing is not heavy at all, I purchased this right after I returned my Xoom to Amazon yesterday and this is a delight to hold next to the Xoom, I was waiting for the Toshiba tab but after reading many things about it and the use of their own market feature I decided to forgo that one and as for Samsung well I tried that one when AT&T sold it for $650.00 when it came out the very first time and all my downloaded apps kept disappearing from it every time I would turn it on. Was told it was a known problem but had no fix for it, both from AT&T and Samsung, needless to say I got rid of it!!
As for the little dots on the screen that the one guy took his Acer back over, all I can say is WOW, I have the exact same dot's on my Inspire, they are sensors that are built into the screen for better touch response!!!!!

Sounds like most share the OP's sentiment, myself included. Yes, I thought I wanted the Asus, but when I did a comparison, the Acer was superior. I bought the device because I was already an Android junkie, thanks to my Evo (CM7-powered). Can you say wireless tether? I knew you could.
I wanted a larger form factor for use at the office, and it gets a workout. I have my Exchange email and my Office documents - perfect for the manager type that I am. Having an instant-on device that I can use for meeting notes is something I've wanted for a long time (yeah, a pen and paper works, but I tend to lose those notes).
Yes, it's nice to play Angry Birds, too. The HDMI connection to my 60-inch LED television makes that experience almost religious.
Having a rooted device is a plus, because that brings Titanium Backup into play, and I find that very valuable.
Add in Pandora, my Music (Google Music this week, too!), and movies on the device just completes the package for me - it's an excellent travel device.
There's quite a bit of nit-picking over features, but what it boils down to is this: do you USE the device? Does it work for YOU? If so, great. If not, return it, try something else. If it's better, please let us know.
Then check back in a year, and let us know how it's going. Technology moves too fast to try to keep up with the latest features. Pick your poison, and make the most of it. Regret is for sissies.

Hows the hdmi working? Havent tried that sound good though
jimbobtexas said:
Sounds like most share the OP's sentiment, myself included. Yes, I thought I wanted the Asus, but when I did a comparison, the Acer was superior. I bought the device because I was already an Android junkie, thanks to my Evo (CM7-powered). Can you say wireless tether? I knew you could.
I wanted a larger form factor for use at the office, and it gets a workout. I have my Exchange email and my Office documents - perfect for the manager type that I am. Having an instant-on device that I can use for meeting notes is something I've wanted for a long time (yeah, a pen and paper works, but I tend to lose those notes).
Yes, it's nice to play Angry Birds, too. The HDMI connection to my 60-inch LED television makes that experience almost religious.
Having a rooted device is a plus, because that brings Titanium Backup into play, and I find that very valuable.
Add in Pandora, my Music (Google Music this week, too!), and movies on the device just completes the package for me - it's an excellent travel device.
There's quite a bit of nit-picking over features, but what it boils down to is this: do you USE the device? Does it work for YOU? If so, great. If not, return it, try something else. If it's better, please let us know.
Then check back in a year, and let us know how it's going. Technology moves too fast to try to keep up with the latest features. Pick your poison, and make the most of it. Regret is for sissies.
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Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

moe3754 said:
I have to say this forum is the same as the Xoom with everyone second guessing the device, well I had the Xoom, infact I had two Xooms, the first one had wifi problems that developed over time and it eventually took anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute to connect to my wifi.
I had the second one up until yesterday when it completely froze up and nothing would help it. I did a factory reset and everything, finally after a hour setting turned off, I turned it on and it did come back up but the problem's continued with the wifi not working, and the screen became unresponsive. To me the Xoom with it's nonworking Micro SD and all of the other problem's it had was just not worth $589.99 at all, and that was just the wifi only version.
As for all the people complaining about how heavy the Acer is well you have not had a Xoom in your hands, this thing is not heavy at all, I purchased this right after I returned my Xoom to Amazon yesterday and this is a delight to hold next to the Xoom, I was waiting for the Toshiba tab but after reading many things about it and the use of their own market feature I decided to forgo that one and as for Samsung well I tried that one when AT&T sold it for $650.00 when it came out the very first time and all my downloaded apps kept disappearing from it every time I would turn it on. Was told it was a known problem but had no fix for it, both from AT&T and Samsung, needless to say I got rid of it!!
As for the little dots on the screen that the one guy took his Acer back over, all I can say is WOW, I have the exact same dot's on my Inspire, they are sensors that are built into the screen for better touch response!!!!!
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Good to see over here Moe Well, I too am keeping my Acer. It's too early in the game to be worried about updates and/or recovery. I "MAY" consider the Galaxy Tab as my return policy ends on June 7th, the day before it's released. The micro sd and usb are biggies for me. I also have to see what the pricepoint of the Galaxy Tab will be like. I'm still recovering from my Captivate though....

lrs421 said:
Good to see over here Moe Well, I too am keeping my Acer. It's too early in the game to be worried about updates and/or recovery. I "MAY" consider the Galaxy Tab as my return policy ends on June 7th, the day before it's released. The micro sd and usb are biggies for me. I also have to see what the pricepoint of the Galaxy Tab will be like. I'm still recovering from my Captivate though....
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Click to collapse
Great to see that you are here lrs421, with all the great help from you and Bubby to get my Inspire rooted it is great to hear from you again, well if I ever need any help with this thing at least there is one person I know I can count on. I am not sure I will ever try a Samsung tab again since I has such trouble with that first Galaxy tab I had and the worthless Samsung tech support!!! I still have a eye on that Toshiba tab, I just cannot get over wanting it, kind of like a itch I cannot scratch!!!! Plus a removable battery is another thing that sounds good also!!!

moe3754 said:
Great to see that you are here lrs421, with all the great help from you and Bubby to get my Inspire rooted it is great to hear from you again, well if I ever need any help with this thing at least there is one person I know I can count on. I am not sure I will ever try a Samsung tab again since I has such trouble with that first Galaxy tab I had and the worthless Samsung tech support!!! I still have a eye on that Toshiba tab, I just cannot get over wanting it, kind of like a itch I cannot scratch!!!! Plus a removable battery is another thing that sounds good also!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No prob I'm still learning alot about this tab as well.
This is my point exactly regarding the galaxy tab and "others". I see these threads popping up a lot lately about people keeping or returning tabs, waiting or upgrading, etc, etc. I've spent a lot of time in the Galaxy, ASUS, G Tablet and Xoom forums, in each one it's all the same; some happy people and some not so happy people. IMO, the perfect android tablet simply doesn't exist yet. Futhermore, we have to give these things a little time to evolve, it's only been a few weeks and in the hands of a few devs, albeit capable devs. I've rooted and hacked my Inspire to within an inch of it's life so I really don't mind running the Acer stock until things get sorted out. Those of you considering jumping ship, spend some time in the other forums and see what I mean.

I was torn between the Xoom and the Acer having returned my third transformer because of build quality issues (its a long story).
So I spent about 20 mins playing with each one in PCWorld (uk) today.
I have to say, I have come down on the side of the Acer for a number of reasons, yes there is the obvious ones of microsd, usb connectivity and hosting and of course the fact that it's about 30 quid cheaper in the UK.
But also the form factor was a big influence in my choice. Yes, I know it's a bit heavy but that extra frame real estate is a big help in holding the device in one hand.
I am a big guy with pretty big hands, and when holding the Xoom in one hand, because the bezel is so narrow, my thumb is actually on the touchscreen activating what ever is underneath it, the wider bezel on the Acer means this doesn't happen. Plenty of space for my thumb allowing for a wider holding position, and (because of something to do with fulcrums) as far as I was concerned, greater comfort.

lrs421 said:
No prob I'm still learning alot about this tab as well.
This is my point exactly regarding the galaxy tab and "others". I see these threads popping up a lot lately about people keeping or returning tabs, waiting or upgrading, etc, etc. I've spent a lot of time in the Galaxy, ASUS, G Tablet and Xoom forums, in each one it's all the same; some happy people and some not so happy people. IMO, the perfect android tablet simply doesn't exist yet. Futhermore, we have to give these things a little time to evolve, it's only been a few weeks and in the hands of a few devs, albeit capable devs. I've rooted and hacked my Inspire to within an inch of it's life so I really don't mind running the Acer stock until things get sorted out. Those of you considering jumping ship, spend some time in the other forums and see what I mean.
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I agree, I just picked up the Acer yesterday because it is available and a good product, but there is alot of ppl returning it hoping for better. I spent alot of time watching the Asus boards and it's the same over there, theres also alot of problems with the tranformer that Asus definately could have fixed before releasing it, and you can't get one. I am hoping that shear numbers of units sold will help out the Acer here, as the general majority of dev support seems to be heavily wieghted towards the transformer. I'm still not sure that ill keep the Acer, but once we get recovery I think ill be very comfortable keeping it.
Sent from my Inspire 4g using XDA Premium app

rorytmeadows said:
...Probably because people aren't getting the attention from the public they thought they would from buying a tablet. I figure Apple sold so many for that reason...
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I got married to a porn star the same day I bought my tablet man, they're chick magnets.
On a more serious note, I dunno, it's a solid device for me. There are issues, and I think forums generally tend to be populated with the more vocal(obviously) people as well as bringing about mob mentality. If the Xoom all of a sudden dropped to the same price at Bestbuy, I might consider an exchange, sure. Motorola has a proven support record for tabs. Acer is an unknown, and their PC's were never that great IMO either.

Vintage144 said:
Hows the hdmi working? Havent tried that sound good though
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Perfectly. Just plug it in and go.

Is xoom the right tab??

Guys pardon me if I'm posting this in the wrong place.......
I'm little confused about which tablet to buy....price is not an issue.....can someone recomend me the best tab on the market!
Should I buy the xoom....being that non us customers haven't got the 3.1 update......and plz if someone could tell me does the sd card slot work without 3.1....I heard it needs a software upgrade!
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

its completely up to you. It all depends on your needs. And the SD card slot isn't officially supported in 3.1 either.

you can gate the sd card to work, and also the 3.1 update by reading here
i got my xoom in the states but have been on the tiamat kernel with 3.1 for ages now
tried the transformer, and might buy it yet, but the xoom is the best still

Is samsung tab 10.1 or the lg optimus pad better than xoom.....also can I make the sd card slot workin without unlockin the bootloader.....I don't want to void my warranty!
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

Better?? there is no better, there are features and bloatware, and updates...
what you get with the xoom
crappy screen
micro USB with host capabilities (this means you need the stupid OTG to plug stuff like cameras and USB flash drives, altough the second one needs a kernel hack)
micro HDMI
software updates (pretty fast) but if you hack to get the Flashdrive and SD card reading forget about this.
Some say Built quality is better than acer
the Openness of this tablet, unlocked bootloader "google experience" device
Acer Iconia
crappy screen
full USB, don't remember HDMI
propietary ports so you need to get a 20 dollar accesory for everything you are willing to do. SUCKS BIG TIME
some more time to get updates
Asus transformer
"best screen" when you don't have any light leaks lol.
keyboard dock with full USB, SD card reader but 150 or 200 dollars more
micro sd slot (on a working condition)
when not docked you don't get any usb or anything just microSD
updates might take longer
Galaxy tab 10.1
Best screen when not light leaking
thinner/lighter than the others
usable micro SD
propietary port so any accesories OTG, USB whatever has to be used tru an adapter. so ditch out some more monay!!!
dont forget the bloatware.
I had to do a lot of research and ended up with the xoom, mainly because updates, I run stock, and will run stock as long as possible, I don't mind the "crappy" screen i can read all my websites/e-mails pictures no problems whatsoever, I can live with the"lag" on the UI (I don't really care about it, cause I'm not 24/7 switching desktops, that is just stupid). I can always hack this baby and get my SD card running same with Flash drives. You need to know what are you going to be doing with it, bare in mind a TABLET is a content search/reading or entertainment and not a full PC/Laptop replacement.
Hope that helps clarify some things, I know I missed a lot more specs on the tablets but that is mainly what I focused on.
***EDIT: To clarify crappy screen means LCD quality, that being said IPS is "the best" it is what iPad's use same as Asus and (I might be wrong) Samsung Tab 10.1, Acer is LCD I believe, the xoom I don't know what it has but it doesn't look like an IPS. you WILL notice the difference side by side.

If it were me, I'd be picking between the Xoom and the Tab 10.1, and it's a tough decision. I'm a big fan of my Xoom; it's replaced my laptop for most tasks. Just go play with them; check out specs, how they feel, etc.... I'm sure the Xoom will get faster updates, and it's a really solid device, but that Tab 10.1 is a pretty sexy piece of hardware.

I pick Xoom because of the Strong Dev support on this 3.1 Honeycomb device, in addition to a very sturdy feeling heavy metal piece.
Devs actually are what I jump to Android for. If not because of such, I will settle in apple product and listens to what she said.

if you like updates go with the xoom. If you like being a couple updates behind go with the competition. Xoom will always be updated about a month or more before the competition. We'll see when the other tabs finally get 3.1 which we've been enjoying for a couple of weeks now

ive been thinking of going with the galaxy tab 10.1 (though i really like the 8.9 version too)
it has twice the battery of either slate but weighs only 600g
but it is plastic!

p-slim said:
if you like updates go with the xoom. If you like being a couple updates behind go with the competition. Xoom will always be updated about a month or more before the competition. We'll see when the other tabs finally get 3.1 which we've been enjoying for a couple of weeks now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought only the us version got the 3.1.......since I'm non us I don't think there would be fast updates?!
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

I'm considering getting a Xoom because of the sturdy build, just not quite sure if I'll be happy with the screen? I had a Transformer but also had the light bleed, unbalanced sound and a bit of a creaky case. I'm hanging on to find out how much the Samsung 10.1 will cost here in the UK, alas I think it will be beyond my 'willing to pay' (or what can I get away with spending) amount. I wish Samsung would get their finger out, I'm getting impatient.

vari9 said:
I thought only the us version got the 3.1.......since I'm non us I don't think there would be fast updates?!
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be correct, sorry I didn't pay attention to the fact you're not in the US sorry. Its because of the way they did the galaxy s and their 1st tablet. The galaxy s froyo update was the biggest screw up ever and took the longest (at least in the US) as well as their 1st tablet only has gotten 1 update since release date. Personally I'm done with Samsung
Sent from my Evo using Tapatalk

Can anybody tell me will all the xooms outside us will get 3.1 and if so does the sd card slot work with it?
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

vari9 said:
Can anybody tell me will all the xooms outside us will get 3.1 and if so does the sd card slot work with it?
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3.1 did not bring official sd support
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

i had a transformer and now have a wifi xoom. the build quality on the xoom is 100x better, but i do miss that vibrant screen from the asus.. too bad it was littered with light bleed on all edges and dead pixels. screen was beautiful though if you are able to ignore it.
the xooms are only 569 at costcos around here now, but it looks like they are phasing out the wifi only models based on the 2 stores i was in and speaking with the clerks. i plan on seeing what the galaxy tabs have to offer before my 90 day return window is up.

So...will all non us xooms will get 3.1......I'm asking this again and again because I have a real bad experience with moto b4.....I had the xt720.....evryone knows its story...the same model got an upgrade in korea....but not anywhere else!...
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

Guys moto xoom hasn't been launched in india yet.....I had enquired a little bit and got to know that there are rumors that the xoom will ship with 3.1 installed and with a working sd card slot......xoom will be available here by a week.....will let you guys know!
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

Ppl the acer iconia has 1gb ddr3 ram whereas the xoom has ddr2......so does the acer iconia work faster??
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

Xoom Ordered

Well just ordered my Xoom.
Had a poke on the Otterbox site and thinking of ordering one of them (Got the commuter on my DHD) as well as a matt screen cover (again on my DHD).
Then I came here, thinking perhaps I should of done that first as there seems to be mixed feelings about the Xoom, I mainly decided on the Xoom as it was the only one with 3g that I could get at the time..
Maybe I should of gone for the Flyer or A500 instead

Trig0r said:
Well just ordered my Xoom.
Had a poke on the Otterbox site and thinking of ordering one of them (Got the commuter on my DHD) as well as a matt screen cover (again on my DHD).
Then I came here, thinking perhaps I should of done that first as there seems to be mixed feelings about the Xoom, I mainly decided on the Xoom as it was the only one with 3g that I could get at the time..
Maybe I should of gone for the Flyer or A500 instead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Flyer is an interesting looking device but the screen is significantly smaller than the Xoom (7 inch vs 10 inch), and it is running Gingerbread rather than Honeycomb. Also, it's bootloaders are still locked tight so rooting and modding will be an uphill struggle.
The A500 is a nice machine, but a bit heavier than the Xoom. Also, I have had bad experiences in the past with Acer which tends to skimp on Design and build quality at times. However the full size USB is a nice addition. On the minus side, the dev community for the Iconia is not nearly as far along or as active as here with the Xoom. In addition it is still waiting for 3.1, which if you are in the US your Xoom will have via OTA right out of the box or it is easily added using XDA guides.
I feel you made the right choice ordering the Xoom...and I agree, Otterbox cases are the gold standard, the crowning touch on a great device.

i have had the otterbox defender case for the xoom since early last week. it ROCKS! bullet proof construction. can be configured in a couple ways, ports are secured by flaps. they took the time to get this right. worth the money spent and the time to wait on it.

Not in the USA, in the UK so no OTA for me, guess I'll be checking out the ROM's soon enough, dont think I've had a device thats been supported here thats had stock ROM on it for more than a day after it arriving :lol:

Trig0r said:
Well just ordered my Xoom.
Had a poke on the Otterbox site and thinking of ordering one of them (Got the commuter on my DHD) as well as a matt screen cover (again on my DHD).
Then I came here, thinking perhaps I should of done that first as there seems to be mixed feelings about the Xoom, I mainly decided on the Xoom as it was the only one with 3g that I could get at the time..
Maybe I should of gone for the Flyer or A500 instead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too! It will replace my not so bad Gtab
I was looking for a small device, but so far the smallest announced is the LG but it doesn't have GPS and the price point isn't that great, one of my friend have a Transformer, it's a nice unit for the price but it feel too big!
The Flyer is't as powerful as the Tegra, and other model where bigger, beside the accessory for the xoom seem interesting!
Not sure yet what I am going to do with the gtab, I might as well keep it to have a testbed for rom flashing, not sure!
anyhow, ordered from costco in canada, so I have plenty of option in regard of exchange or credit (I expect the canadian version to follow the US pricing down to 499)
The reason why I am upgrading is that I want to use the encryption on the unit, I can't help to think about the nightmare if It got stolen!

Trig0r said:
Well just ordered my Xoom.
Had a poke on the Otterbox site and thinking of ordering one of them (Got the commuter on my DHD) as well as a matt screen cover (again on my DHD).
Then I came here, thinking perhaps I should of done that first as there seems to be mixed feelings about the Xoom, I mainly decided on the Xoom as it was the only one with 3g that I could get at the time..
Maybe I should of gone for the Flyer or A500 instead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I returned my A500 for the Xoom last week and haven't looked back since. The Acer is heavier than the Xoom but it actually feels lighter because of the weight distribution on it. Overall the A500 is a very nice device but since Costco had the Xoom on sale for only $20 its an easy call.
The pros for the A500 are the full size usb connector and working SD card slot.
The pros for the Xoom are the software updates, dev support, and more accessories to name a few.

Yea I'm ordering the otterbox from amazon I've been looking for the white and black version that I saw on YouTube anybody know who has them
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

woodylee said:
I returned my A500 for the Xoom last week and haven't looked back since. The Acer is heavier than the Xoom but it actually feels lighter because of the weight distribution on it. Overall the A500 is a very nice device but since Costco had the Xoom on sale for only $20 its an easy call.
The pros for the A500 are the full size usb connector and working SD card slot.
The pros for the Xoom are the software updates, dev support, and more accessories to name a few.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flash a custom kernel to the Xoom, you can have your SD card, and use it, too! :-D
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

Whats the deal with custom ROM's, same sort of thing as the phone, unlock, root, clockworkmod?
Who's the best guys to follow ROM wise, I'm not so bothered about regular releases with all the new bells and whistles, I want something thats mature and well supported similar to what I get with the revolutionHD ROM that mike1986 kicks out..

Trig0r said:
Whats the deal with custom ROM's, same sort of thing as the phone, unlock, root, clockworkmod?
Who's the best guys to follow ROM wise, I'm not so bothered about regular releases with all the new bells and whistles, I want something thats mature and well supported similar to what I get with the revolutionHD ROM that mike1986 kicks out..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since HC sources are not available, ROMs for the Xoom focus can only focus on overclocking, optimizing and adding small features but I can say that BigRushDog's work really adds to the performance of my Xoom.
BigRushDog (BRD) creates the Tiamat kernels and custom ROM (along with Solarnz and the rest of Team Tiamat) and is definitely the one to watch as far as custom romming on the Xoom currently.
Also keep an eye on the Launchpad kernel by TDR as well.

Whata bout the dreaded Tegra HD playback issues, that sort of thing fixed in the customs, what about the SD card slot working?

cancel your order and get the galaxy 10.1, i have my xoom for months and loved it, just got a GT and am selling my xoom on ebay, i LOVE my GT

DroidHam said:
cancel your order and get the galaxy 10.1, i have my xoom for months and loved it, just got a GT and am selling my xoom on ebay, i LOVE my GT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why should he cancel I returned the 10.1 for the Xoom because theres no expandable storage or 3g data only wifi the only plus the 10.1 has is its thinner and I noticed the Xoom has longer battery life
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

vdub804 said:
Why should he cancel I returned the 10.1 for the Xoom because theres no expandable storage or 3g data only wifi the only plus the 10.1 has is its thinner and I noticed the Xoom has longer battery life
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i personally hate Samsung products, the quality is cheap and they always break very easily. As well i think the xoom looks alot better and if i'm not mistaken it has a 5mp camera vs. the 3.15mp on the tab 10.1.

I had a Samsung N220 netbook, was ok tbh but the complete lack of support from Samsung was enoguh to put me off any of there stuff again..
The reason I went for the Xoom was for the 3g in the end as its the only Android tablet my supplier had in that was 3g, I would of looked at the Transformer but they dont stock Asus...
My requirements were, in no particular order.
Expandable storage
Bluetooth
Wifi
3G
Media Playback
I was also looking at the Flyer but they arent getting stock of the 3G one until the end of the month and I want it before then..
Xoom seemed to tick all the right boxes..

Trig0r said:
I had a Samsung N220 netbook, was ok tbh but the complete lack of support from Samsung was enoguh to put me off any of there stuff again..
The reason I went for the Xoom was for the 3g in the end as its the only Android tablet my supplier had in that was 3g, I would of looked at the Transformer but they dont stock Asus...
My requirements were, in no particular order.
Expandable storage
Bluetooth
Wifi
3G
Media Playback
I was also looking at the Flyer but they arent getting stock of the 3G one until the end of the month and I want it before then..
Xoom seemed to tick all the right boxes..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And if you get tired of verizon you can flash the xoom to another carrier like I did, $400 deposit for $35/month data my ass and thats after I gave them ****ers $800 for the xoom
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

3G is pointless with a 4G Thunderbolt to tether to.
Galaxy Tab has better battery life
Screen is WAY better.
32GB internal is plenty of data for me, I had a Xoom for 3 months and never used the SD Card even after I rooted and installed the kernel for it.
Dont get me wrong, I loved my Xoom, but I think its outdated now. Its big and bulky, and has a sub par screen.
Just my opinion, but I think my SGT is ALOT nicer.

DroidHam said:
3G is pointless with a 4G Thunderbolt to tether to.
Galaxy Tab has better battery life
Screen is WAY better.
32GB internal is plenty of data for me, I had a Xoom for 3 months and never used the SD Card even after I rooted and installed the kernel for it.
Dont get me wrong, I loved my Xoom, but I think its outdated now. Its big and bulky, and has a sub par screen.
Just my opinion, but I think my SGT is ALOT nicer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this experiment, that I did, only don't use your GT. I went into a BestBuy and tried to flex/twist the iPad2, Xoom and Iconia, The iPad2 and Xoom were solid, no give. The Iconia flexed and creaked. Let us know how the GT fares, but use a display model, not your personal GT.
As far as viewing angles go, I've not found the Xoom to be problematic as once the angle gets extreme the viewing experience goes down hill because of the angle, not just the change of image quality. Although I wouldn't complain if the Xoom had an IPA or equivalent display.

flyer is extremely laggy

davidsos said:
Try this experiment, that I did, only don't use your GT. I went into a BestBuy and tried to flex/twist the iPad2, Xoom and Iconia, The iPad2 and Xoom were solid, no give. The Iconia flexed and creaked. Let us know how the GT fares, but use a display model, not your personal GT.
As far as viewing angles go, I've not found the Xoom to be problematic as once the angle gets extreme the viewing experience goes down hill because of the angle, not just the change of image quality. Although I wouldn't complain if the Xoom had an IPA or equivalent display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this:
goto best buy, and slam the ipad2 on the ground. Does it break?
Point is, im careful with my devices. Im never going to "twist" my tablet. Its thin, so yes, its vulnerable. Luckily I am careful. If you want a brick to make sure you can twist your device without it breaking go for it.

Motorola xoom , is it good?

hi everyone , ive just bought my motorola xoom mz604 , and i think its awesome because android honeycomb is really good OS, it is fast and smooth
but iam having some problems with installing apps, and i realized that most of them aren't compitable with the xoom, like the android games hawx, assassins creed and modern combat 2...
anyways i just wanted to know the adv and dis-adv of my device from an expert
thnx =)
sorry for my bad english

Answering the question in your title, the xoom IS good... very good, in fact. Sure there are a few apps here and there that do not work, but for the most part, everything runs fine. Additionally, the new scaling option in 3.2 ensures that more apps are functional. I simply love the beauty and elegance of honeycomb, and I still find the xoom to be my preferred method to obtain the honeycomb experience. Plus, being Google's reference HC device, we get all of the updates first.

I like it
3.1/3.2 is brill for emulators too when you connect up a ps3 controller via usb!

Im thinking of returning my tab for the xoom thoughts?
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1

kwiggington said:
Im thinking of returning my tab for the xoom thoughts?
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the Galaxy Tab displeases you and makes you want to switch to the Xoom? They are about even on features and such, with the Galaxy being slightly lighter and thinner.

Ummmm. Its the "google dev" device. With that said...
Moto is a horrible company
The xoom 3g has turned into the last tab to recieve updates
Still no promised 4g
Sd support is only soso...
I would recommend a samsung device...the xoom is a bastardized piece of hardware. Go with a device that is "popular" thus will be supported more....not the xoom

csseale said:
...the xoom is a bastardized piece of hardware. Go with a device that is "popular" thus will be supported more....not the xoom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't disagree more, but to each his own...

I'm plenty happy with mine, just a wifi though and no cell network model. That, honestly, is probably the issue with slow updates just like it is for my epic: the company that runs the network it's attached to wants to manage its stuff (aka install crap and extra 'features') and is slowing down the process. Sprint is HORRIBLE with this.
As for why I chose the xoom over others - part of it was price, it was the $400 32gb wifi model off woot.com. Second was that it has actual ports on it (micro-usb, mini-hdmi, etc) and not some proprietary jack *cough*galaxytab*cough* that you need to hook up some dorky dongle to in order to get a usb port.

I'm pissed that the Xoom 3.2 update only let's you read the SD card but not write. That's ass backwards to me.
I have to root this thing to get that basic feature. I think they still haven't figured out the issue that devs figured out. Other than that I like it and apps are slowly starting to catch up.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Like most of the respondents to this thread, I have been very happy with my Xoom. I have had the chance to play about with most of its major rivals in the 10 inch space (The Transformer and the Iconia and a 7 inch Tab) and while each has pros and cons (and nearly identical tech specs), I prefer the Xoom for several reasons...
The build quality is excellent. The device feels solid and durable while also giving off a sense of luxury. Most people who have handled it have commented on how "high-end" the Xoom feels.
As a Google experience device (thanks to special ordering a US model), the Xoom has the best chance of the current crop of tablets to run Ice Cream Sandwich well in a few months.
The XDA community for the Xoom is the best developed of the current slew of tablets with many excellent developers and plenty of other users willing to help and guide you (and "gently" remind you when you are being an idiot).
I like the design of the Xoom, with the power button recessed on the gently curved back. The placement works well for me and I prefer it to having the power button on the front of the edge of the tablet.
Those are my reasons for choosing the Xoom as the first amongst equals, but as always, ymmv. I suggest you find a store with demo models of most brands and see which one feels right to you.

JanetPanic said:
What about the Galaxy Tab displeases you and makes you want to switch to the Xoom? They are about even on features and such, with the Galaxy being slightly lighter and thinner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like vanilla android and dont want touchwiz or the crap apps itll have
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1

Plus no sd slot and only one port
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1

kwiggington said:
I like vanilla android and dont want touchwiz or the crap apps itll have
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair Enough. Touchwiz might be able to be disabled when it comes out but maybe not. The xoom comes with a bit of crapware itself, dungeon defender and cordy are the ones that come to mind though there may be more.
It would not be worth the cost to me but to each his own. You could probably find a xoom owner who is fed up with Motorola enough to do a trade.

xoom
I totally agree with you. I bought mine with a $100 off coupon from staples. I initially wanted to buy the tranformer now looking back I dont regret my purchase. Love my xoom.
rschenck said:
Like most of the respondents to this thread, I have been very happy with my Xoom. I have had the chance to play about with most of its major rivals in the 10 inch space (The Transformer and the Iconia and a 7 inch Tab) and while each has pros and cons (and nearly identical tech specs), I prefer the Xoom for several reasons...
The build quality is excellent. The device feels solid and durable while also giving off a sense of luxury. Most people who have handled it have commented on how "high-end" the Xoom feels.
As a Google experience device (thanks to special ordering a US model), the Xoom has the best chance of the current crop of tablets to run Ice Cream Sandwich well in a few months.
The XDA community for the Xoom is the best developed of the current slew of tablets with many excellent developers and plenty of other users willing to help and guide you (and "gently" remind you when you are being an idiot).
I like the design of the Xoom, with the power button recessed on the gently curved back. The placement works well for me and I prefer it to having the power button on the front of the edge of the tablet.
Those are my reasons for choosing the Xoom as the first amongst equals, but as always, ymmv. I suggest you find a store with demo models of most brands and see which one feels right to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I hope it's good Mine should be here tomorrow

I just exchanged the tab must say i like the xoom better and i already have a spare 16gb sd
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

drsteven2 said:
I totally agree with you. I bought mine with a $100 off coupon from staples. I initially wanted to buy the tranformer now looking back I dont regret my purchase. Love my xoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

4g is coming in sept. Per verizon
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App

Good, solid hardware.
Mine was rooted 5 minutes out of the box, so I have had SD R/W since day one.

gqstatus0685 said:
I'm pissed that the Xoom 3.2 update only let's you read the SD card but not write. That's ass backwards to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to fiddle around with the formatting in order to make it work, but I know the problem you had and eventually got around it. Try ntfs, fat, or whatever - just mess around with it in your computer until you find one that it likes. I forget offhand what made mine happy.