Database Users

[Q] Debating a Return before Wednesday

First off, let me say that i'm no fan of Apple and I really can't stand Steve Jobs. Yes, i've bought his products, but I hate being told what to do once I give him my money. I like customization. I like options. Hence, I do not like Steve Jobs.
I was very excited about the Xoom. I checked online every day for information about it since it's announcement. I had very high expectations and, even though the price tag was higher than I wanted to pay, I was the first to buy it at my local Best Buy.
Now, with that being said. I'm coming up on my 14 day return policy and am debating if I should keep it. I am new to this forum and have been reading through all the threads and learned a lot. However, in my learnings, I have also found things that concern me.
To start, let me tell you why I bought it. I had an iPad before and I mainly used it for online browsing around the house. For movies when I go on trips. And I wanted to use the Xoom for all of that, but also as my work and personal organizer. For easy access to business plans and work integration.
Here's where I'm having problems. If these are things that I should expect to be fixed with updates over time, then great. If not, then I'll have to find another option.
1) The Tegra Processor. I read on here that the Tegra Processor is what is preventing the Xoom from playing my divx movies. Now, I have gotten them to work on RockPlayer. But it has that watermark in the top left hand corner and my status bar at the bottom of the xoom never fades out. Also, and this is the biggest problem, the quality doesn't look good. It looks like their is a subtle light grid in the background. Almost like the original LCD's you saw in airports back in the day. When I first heard about the Tegra issues, I was just going to return the Xoom and get another Honeycomb tablet, but then I saw that all of the Android Tablets will have one.
2) The Browser. I did the trips where you go into debug mode and tell the Xoom to view all webpages in Desktop mode, but there are still a few sites that will only show me the mobile mode. Also, I like to have my bookmarks sorted by the order in which I visit them, yet the Xoom seems to randomly organize them for me. Kinda annoying.
3) Accessories. The only thing that I loved about my iPad was not the unit, but the Apple portfolio case. The motorola porfotlio case is just bulky, scratches the unit, and the latch is loose at best. I've found some nice leather cases online, but none that fold over and cover the screen. Yes, I have a screen protector. But, even those I can't find a good one with anti-glare.
4) eMail. I use exchange and apparently my work email is one of the ones that won't work on the xoom. I had to get Roadsync, which is okay, but I just prefer to use the default, integrated email/contacts/calendar programs. My EVO is perfect for this.
5) Widgets. Seriously, what's the deal with having cell phone sized widgets on a 10.1" screen. LauncherPro is nice, but still has custom icons like it's a phone, which I find to be in the way.
I know that most of these things seem small. But when you drop $800 on a device because you expect atleast the same functionality as your smaller cell phone, you come to have higher standards. I knew about Flash and the SD card issue going in, but the rest is bothersome. I know i'm an early adapter and with that comes quirks.
In any case, you all are 1000x smarter than me with this thing. I will take whatever advice you have.

1. Touchdown for tablets is great for email.
2. Some sites might not have updated their pages yet.
3. Apple always gets the third party love but more and more products are coming online everyday check Amazon
4. Being this is Google's flagship devise you have to believe this will be supported with updates and the file types should change

OK, first off, I agree with alot of what you have said, your right the software is a bit buggy at this time, again at this time. What you have to consider is that that this is an android device, and by that I mean it does not have all the overage that alot of companies put out on top of the overall software that make it look nice and neat, to include custom apps and infrastructure, but this also means that it is much easier to update. Half the time lost between when an actual Android update comes out and the time it takes for your device to get that update is due to all the crap that the company puts on top of the original Android infrastructure.
Give it a bit of time and I am sure that most of your problems can be worked out to you satisfaction due to them being software and not hardware problems.
Also take into account that since Motorola chose to use this clean interface it makes it much easier to modify by the hacking community , which is definitely something that an iPad cannot due.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

virgil1528 said:
1) The Tegra Processor. I read on here that the Tegra Processor is what is preventing the Xoom from playing my divx movies.
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Any CPU/GPU can play video so long as it supports the right codecs. Have you tried transcoding to a supported codec?

xlGmanlx said:
1. Touchdown for tablets is great for email.
2. Some sites might not have updated their pages yet.
3. Apple always gets the third party love but more and more products are coming online everyday check Amazon
4. Being this is Google's flagship devise you have to believe this will be supported with updates and the file types should change
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said.
+1 for Touchdown. It is fantastic for exchange, I use it on both my Evo and Xoom.
If this wasn't a Google Experience device, I'd say your complaints would carry more weight.
However, Google has always done a good job of keeping their GE devices updated and at the forefront.
This device only just came out, I'm fairly sure they will get things handled fairly quickly.
As far as the apps/widgets go. This is still a new device and platform. All android tablets are going to suffer from the same right now. However...again... this issue is largely due to the limited time the device/platform has been available. Within a few weeks...I'm sure we'll see a lot more apps/widgets (even the ipad had limited selection out right). Just think of what it'll be like in a couple of weeks/months with more custom apps/roms/kernels etc...
I had buyers remorse for the first evening...not for any particular reason...and now I can't put it down. Not to mention my wife (who has an iPad), won't shut-up about when she is getting her Xoom
So I would say hang on to it, but that's just me. Do what makes you happy

I've come to the decision that I'll be taking mine back on the 13th day.
I've tried to really give it love and get use out of it, but tablets just don't really fill any niche except "web browsing on the couch".
I'm a sysadmin by day, and although I've carried the Xoom with me every time I step away from my desk, it just hasn't served a single purpose on the job. I had imagined it would be neat to dial into servers using RDP, but the interface is just horrible. I'm much better off just dialing into the server in question at any desk I'm in front of. I'm never more than 8-12 feet from a desktop machine, so there goes that.
Pulse news reader is basically the killer app, but is hardly worth 1000 (799 + tax + extra charger + 129 protection plan against drops for 1yr + case).
Motorola certainly hasn't won me over on the price especially considering I prepaid for it on the first day I could (at two different best buys just to cover bases), and then people who *DIDN'T* do that had a chance at 200 dollars off that was honored in the end. Ridiculous.
I had intended to pick up android development for tablets eventually, but I can hold off and stick with honing my Python until these come way down in price or offer some more functionality.

That's too bad, this has taken over as my laptop and let's me have a mobile office so to speak

For RDP I use Remote RDP light and it works credibly, but if your looking for true RDP functionality then you have to have a mouse and keyboard, and guess what, you bought a tablet with a touch screen interface, you can buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if you want, but that just means more devices to carry around. A tablet, any tablet, will not be the proper interface for RDP, it can't, it is not a PC with all the perifials. A tablet, as far as RDP is concerned, is a device to do what you have to do when a PC is not around and a cell phone is impractical. As a network administrator I can do some of the emergency things that I need to accomplish while out on the town with my tablet, reading a book, surfing the web, commenting on a blog, watching a movie, all without lugging a laptop.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

Yeah, unless you wanted to leave the mouse and just use the tablet as a touch screen with a keyboard your better off with a laptop. But like you said in a pinch its tough too beat
richardjr said:
For RDP I use Remote RDP light and it works credibly, but if your looking for true RDP functionality then you have to have a mouse and keyboard, and guess what, you bought a tablet with a touch screen interface, you can buy a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if you want, but that just means more devices to carry around. A tablet, any tablet, will not be the proper interface for RDP, it can't, it is not a PC with all the perifials. A tablet, as far as RDP is concerned, is a device to do what you have to do when a PC is not around and a cell phone is impractical. As a network administrator I can do some of the emergency things that I need to accomplish while out on the town with my tablet, reading a book, surfing the web, commenting on a blog, watching a movie, all without lugging a laptop.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
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Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

Usmc7356 said:
Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
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I don't imagine I'll walk away and never look back, but now I know what they're good for (and not good for) and when the price wars drive these down to 400ish I'll scoop one up again. : /

Not all tablets are create equal, and sometimes it takes having one first hand to validate all the information out there and how it applies to your situation
ixobelle said:
I don't imagine I'll walk away and never look back, but now I know what they're good for (and not good for) and when the price wars drive these down to 400ish I'll scoop one up again. : /
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Return your Xoom and buy it in 6 months for cheaper price
Or probably there will be a new kind of better Honeycomb tablet at that time.
Usmc7356 said:
Keep the tab. U will love it in 6 months when everything is revamped
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
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codeman05 said:
Well said.
+1 for Touchdown. It is fantastic for exchange, I use it on both my Evo and Xoom.
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Click to collapse
I downloaded the free version of Touchdown this morning after reading this thread. Could you explain to me why it is so great? I haven't had time to use it extensively but maybe you can quickly list some advantages over the stock mail client?
Thanks!

I understand your frustration and you ultimately need to do what makes you feel most comfortable. Most of your issues are software related and you know things can only get better with updates. Google has a lot riding on Honeycomb so I expect updates to come fast and often.
1) The Tegra Processor - Seems like your issue is not with the Tegra but with how the codecs handle Divx. Software update could fix this but also developers can do wonders.
2) The Browser - Software update again. The browser is a great starting point and, with some minor tweaks, will be fantastic.
3) Accessories - As more Xooms sell, more 3rd parties will have a business case to make accessories for it. I'm thinking that when the Xoom wifi and Xoom for Europe are released (indications say that will happen at the same time) then we'll see a flood of new 3rd party goodies.
4) eMail - Software update. ALTHOUGH, I'm not 100% sure this is a priority for Google. People complain that they wish the AOSP phones went a step further with their Exchange implementations. Still, the chances are you'll be ok moving forward.
5) Widgets - This is a microcosm of the entire app market right now for Honeycomb. Devs need to start updating their apps with Tablets in mind. Again, more people owning Honeycomb, more reasons for devs to get on it.
The point I'm trying to make is the only way for the Xoom to go is up. As more people buy, more attention the aftermarket will pay to it. If previous Android versions are any indication (and they are,) this is a snowball effect. It'll just get bigger and bigger.

As to the RDP: I use the XtraLogic Remote Desktop app and it works wonderfully, completed designed around the touch interface.
Between Remote Desktop and ConnectBot, I've found a million uses for this as a sysadmin. I don't know how you haven't found a single use for it.

Give me some reasons why I should get a Xoom and trade my iPad 2

I want to hear from Xoom users some advantages on getting the Xoom. I currently have an iPad 2 and it's cool but there is no JB for it yet. I saw some articles on Google IO today and was amazed at the USB host support which would make it awesome for emulators.
What are some advantages you guys think would be? I currently own an Evo so I'm familiar with Android. I'm more interested in knowing the cool things you can do with it. I found someone in CL who is interested in trading his Xoom for my iPad 2. Thanks.

Reason #1, it gets you away from Kool-Aide drinking mac-bots who think everything has to be white.

Anyone else have a constructive response?

gqstatus0685 said:
I want to hear from Xoom users some advantages on getting the Xoom. I currently have an iPad 2 and it's cool but there is no JB for it yet. I saw some articles on Google IO today and was amazed at the USB host support which would make it awesome for emulators.
What are some advantages you guys think would be? I currently own an Evo so I'm familiar with the Evo. I'm more interested in knowing the cool things you can do with it. I found someone in CL who is interested in trading his Xoom for my iPad 2. Thanks.
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Those of us who show our loyalty to google will be rewarded with land and women once the takeover is complete.
Additionally, flash is neat, USB hosting, I'm fairly siked about google music. Greater customization. I'd wait to see how 3.1 runs but it looks very promising in the dev notes.

you are not bound to itunes, you can customize your UI, your notifications wont interrupt you, its positioned to be compatible with a ****load of other devices, hdmi ready, amazon and sony love android

gqstatus0685 said:
Anyone else have a constructive response?
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How is that not contructive? Apple confines you to their standards. Time to open up and do what the user wants to do....Coca-cola taste a ton better than Kool-Aide

Best advice I can give you is just read the reviews and see if you like it. Seriously read up.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

Upcoming ice cream sandwich!
Sent from my Evo using XDA Premium App

http://cameradojo.com/2011/04/20/my-take-on-android-tablets-vs-ipad/

dunno why you need convincing ... just check out the features and play with one at a best buy.

Is Google Body available for the Xoom? I'm interested in that. I'll still have my 1st gen iPad so I don't mind trading it in. Are their any cool things you can do with it like connecting bluetooth devices, etc?
One thing I hate about the iPad 2 is the camera. I took a picture of my daughter up close and it was so blurry I thought she was a UFO. I think it's rated at under 1MP.

MitchRapp said:
dunno why you need convincing ... just check out the features and play with one at a best buy.
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I played with one at Best Buy but it was molested beyond recognition. There was so much stuff scattered all over the screen I didn't have the patience to look through it. I wanted input from someone who owns it and has played with it for over a month.
Are the apps catching up? What I mean by this is are there a lot of tablet apps out yet or just phone apps.

gqstatus0685 said:
Is Google Body available for the Xoom? I'm interested in that. I'll still have my 1st gen iPad so I don't mind trading it in. Are their any cool things you can do with it like connecting bluetooth devices, etc?
One thing I hate about the iPad 2 is the camera. I took a picture of my daughter up close and it was so blurry I thought she was a UFO. I think it's rated at under 1MP.
Click to expand...
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see, something you could have easily checked online Google Body is one of the "made for Honeycomb" apps. It was released along with the XOOM.

gqstatus0685 said:
I played with one at Best Buy but it was molested beyond recognition. There was so much stuff scattered all over the screen I didn't have the patience to look through it. I wanted input from someone who owns it and has played with it for over a month.
Are the apps catching up? What I mean by this is are there a lot of tablet apps out yet or just phone apps.
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Plenty of tablet apps and "tegra HD" apps available.
Also, pretty much every app I've tried that didn't specify Honeycomb support worked anyways. the "HD" games are spectacular (youtube "pinball HD honeycomb" ... it's 2.99 USD (2.84 CDN haha) and it rocks.

multitasking, much better webexperience than safari, flash support
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

Starting a thread like this is just to fan the flames of fanboyism. Don't come on this forum and try to stoke fires. Go try them out and make your own decisions.

I actually purchased the Ipad 2 and received it about 2 weeks ago. It took me less than a week to call Apple and request and return package. I then went into Best buy and purchased a Xoom.
Here are the reasons why:
- FLASH: I watch videos online all the time, and most of them are sites that use flash
- Being able to just download a mp3, an image, or even videos right from the browser and save it wherever I want to
- Being able to open the downloaded file with the app I want
- Being able to connect my Xoom to my PC at work and transfer whatever file I want
- Being able to customize my homescreen to my liking
- Notifications
- Widgets (I just hated that fact that I always had to go to the settings to activate bluetooth or wi-fi for example
- Now with Honeycomb 3.1 announced, I'm really not regretting buying the Xoom

h_zee13 said:
I actually purchased the Ipad 2 and received it about 2 weeks ago. It took me less than a week to call Apple and request and return package. I then went into Best buy and purchased a Xoom.
Here are the reasons why:
- FLASH: I watch videos online all the time, and most of them are sites that use flash
- Being able to just download a mp3, an image, or even videos right from the browser and save it wherever I want to
- Being able to open the downloaded file with the app I want
- Being able to connect my Xoom to my PC at work and transfer whatever file I want
- Being able to customize my homescreen to my liking
- Notifications
- Widgets (I just hated that fact that I always had to go to the settings to activate bluetooth or wi-fi for example
- Now with Honeycomb 3.1 announced, I'm really not regretting buying the Xoom
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I'm going to pull the trigger and do the trade. I still have an iPad 1st gen so I can fall back on the apps I love like Netflix. Hopefully they hack other OS's on the Xoom like Linux. Thanks for all the positive responses from the few of you who weren't just looking to increase your post count.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

In short, it's not quite a slick as the iPad 2 and there are nowhere near enough tablet specific apps, but imo the browser is better, it's more customizable, google maps is far better as is the multi-tasking. But you should know that HD videos will require re-encoding due to the Tegra2 chip and it's limitations.

I think the biggest reason you have already mentioned in your post.
Jail-break.
iPad2 is a Jail. It needs to be broken.
I used to be an iPhone user (3GS and 4G).
I am sick of being told you should do things this way and if you don't , you are screwed.
Xoom and all other android device brings me "freedom" in what I OWN.
Specifically in terms of functions
0. Flash
1. You get much better camera (5mp back, 2mp front facing)
2. You have the rights to root it, install customized roms/themes
3. You can install third party apps freely.
4. You can flash kernels to overclock your CPU to 1.5Ghz while iPad 2 is stuck at 1G max
5. You have strong Dev community to create stuff. as long as there is a need. Apparently it requires certain level of computer proficiency but from what you mentioned, you definitely have it.
6. You have google rolling out more and more exciting updates and with an open source concept, the market share of Android will bypass iOS by much and developer community will definitely notice this part of the market and create apps (commercial apps) around it.
7. many apps you know what is going on because you can see source code.
8. To someone who may worry that iPad apps are more than Honeycomb apps, I think at the current rate of brining new apps to platform, it wont be a problem a few months later at all.
9. Oh, you can install and dual boot Ubuntu in it.

[Q] Is the Nook the best choice for me?

Hey all I'm in the tablet market with about $300.. I'm trying to make sure the NC is the best choice for me before I go buy one.
I want to play Droid games, watch movies, read books and get good support for my device.
Is there any other tablets in my price range I should be considering other than the NC?
Also can a new NC be rooted and booted right off the showroom floor purchased new?
Thanks for the replies!

Well, yes, there are other tablets in the 250-350 range. Is your 300 a hard number? I flexed it up and down by 50 dollars.
NC can be rooted fairly quickly. I actually looked online here for a few days before I bought mine and knew what to do off the bat. I knew to buy a couple 4 gb disks, what I didn't realize is I needed sandisk branded ones.
So for what you're going to be doing get some sandisk 4 gb discs, prob 2, and get a larger one or two (16 or 32) for a alternate boot for cm7, sandisk of course.

Phatdawg said:
Well, yes, there are other tablets in the 250-350 range. Is your 300 a hard number? I flexed it up and down by 50 dollars.
NC can be rooted fairly quickly. I actually looked online here for a few days before I bought mine and knew what to do off the bat. I knew to buy a couple 4 gb disks, what I didn't realize is I needed sandisk branded ones.
So for what you're going to be doing get some sandisk 4 gb discs, prob 2, and get a larger one or two (16 or 32) for a alternate boot for cm7, sandisk of course.
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So in your opinion is there an easier device to use thats as supported? My $300 range isn't really a hard number.. I'd love a Transformer - but thats over doing it.
I've considered the Viewsonic Gtab cause a friend has one.. but not sure at this point which road to travel.

Easier to use?
I mean, if we're talking out of the box. Nook is the worst tablet out there because the e-reader and functionality sucks.
After getting CM7, it's pretty nice but that takes about an hour to do.

Once you root the Nook and put CM on it, it becomes golden.

Nook Color Gaming
There's gaming for you. For what you are looking for, you can't go wrong with the NC. It just depends on if you are willing to take the time to optimize it.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA Premium App

Granted that reminds me of the imei problem with nooks. I guess that's something else to consider. Re: gameloft stuff and a few other programs here and there.

,I agree with iammarino...the nookcolor is pretty sweet once you root it. Cm7... if u want to watch movies I have found the easiest and nicest way is to install Netflix...

Phatdawg said:
Granted that reminds me of the imei problem with nooks. I guess that's something else to consider. Re: gameloft stuff and a few other programs here and there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But with my IMEI Generator program... that becomes nothing to worry about.

DizzyDen said:
But with my IMEI Generator program... that becomes nothing to worry about.
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true and there are work arounds about other issues like setting model to htc/vision, probably could do htc/flyer and be a bit more accurate with another 7 inch table in regards to market.

talk2nate said:
Hey all I'm in the tablet market with about $300.. I'm trying to make sure the NC is the best choice for me before I go buy one.
I want to play Droid games, watch movies, read books and get good support for my device.
Is there any other tablets in my price range I should be considering other than the NC?
Also can a new NC be rooted and booted right off the showroom floor purchased new?
Thanks for the replies!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my NC. I'm running CM7 off an SD card, and I've used Dizzy's IMEI program so now I have that working too. There are a number of things you can do to make the NC experience very fulfilling. And at 250 new, ~200 refurb, that leaves you a bunch of extra dollars for playing and extra kit (sdcards, case, etc.)
Having said that though, it really depends on your personality and the amount of time you have to tweak the NC to fully bring out it's capabilities. You can now get a refurb Samsung Galaxy Tab (carrier version, not Wifi-only one) within your budget and have vendor supported Gingerbread out of the box, IMEI is solved due to being a carrier edition, slightly better stock hardware without needing to overclock, camera and GPS.
If I had to do it all over again, I would personally still pick the NC simply because I have the time and inclination to play and tweak. But do you?

[Q] Christmas Present for 5 boys?

I am looking for a tab(like) device for a christmas present for each of my boys. We travel a lot to family and they are used to playing their DSs and PSPs but would the KF be a solid replacement (emulators...)? Battery life/durability/price and fuctionality will be the deciding factor. They enjoy games (birds and such) on my phone and using my phone as a wifi HS in the car, it makes sence not to spend the extra money for a 3G tab.
If the KF is not the answer would a NC(rooted) be a more acceptable item?
Other ideas?
Thanks

Why would you want to replace the PSPs and DSs? Are the boys unhappy with them? Both devices have a solid backing.
In general, I think the Fire would probably work out ok, especially since you do a buy-once-share-to-all on apps, books, and music (I'm assuming each boy gets his own).

get them the new ps vita (new psp) that's coming out for the holidays.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium

Two use their DSi(s) and the PSP has gone by the wayside. I am pushing the tab issue due to is versitility (apps/learning/games/music/video). I dont feel they are ready for their own laptop. Ages are 12,11,10,9,7 .... 3 and 5 months but the later two are not considered in the equation, unless someone pops up with a water proof model.
I have been looking at the NC, I dont have an issue rooting it and making it more versitile.

The Fire wouldn't be a bad way to go for what you want, but myself, I would go ahead with the laptop instead. Snag a couple of older models for $100 or so off Craigslist, let them get the hang of things on before handing them something nicer.

Little812 said:
Two use their DSi(s) and the PSP has gone by the wayside. I am pushing the tab issue due to is versitility (apps/learning/games/music/video). I dont feel they are ready for their own laptop. Ages are 12,11,10,9,7 .... 3 and 5 months but the later two are not considered in the equation, unless someone pops up with a water proof model.
I have been looking at the NC, I dont have an issue rooting it and making it more versitile.
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My 2 year old daughter loves the Nook Color and iPad. On the iPad she can wake it, unlock it, swipe to the page she wants and launch apps. I suspect the fire will be just as easy. the Nook Color takes more work to make it toddler friendly. But your kids are old enough that either the NC or Fire would be easy to pick up. I personally would pick the Fire over the Color if I had to pick. The experience isn't as smooth as I hope it will be on the Fire. I would guess because it's essentially a hacked together piece of kit and a slower processor.

I think you'll have an easier time deciding when all the reviews come out.
But I can tell you that my nephews absolutely love the rooted nook color they have and the Kindle Fire will almost certainly be better.

For your kids? I'd wait and read User Reviews and not the Professionals once the device is out for a while.
A lot of semi-negative info is floating around on "scalability" and what it can or cannot do (the AF, that is).
Kids get bored quickly and a device (any device) that one cannot modify, add to or otherwise personalize may or may not be a good long term solution.

Thanks all around. The wife and I discussed it last night and we are going to wait before pre-ordering and look at some reviews.
Thank you all for your responses.

FYI: Nook Color refurb for $149 at Buy.com
They're not really refurb, they're new units with full 1-yr warranty from B&N. They're labeled that way presumably to clear inventory w/o impacting the official price.
I've gotten 3 refurbs from various discount vendors, and they've always been new. Since I open up my electronics to tinker, it's easy to tell when a device is new as vs been serviced.
http://www.buy.com/prod/nook-color-...ed/q/loc/111/221376447.html?sellerId=31227291
The good thing about the NC over the KF is that it's already supported by CM, and when ICS drops, it'll be one of the first to get it.

I just bought 3 of these (after buying one,) for my boys - 11, 9, and 8.
These are really ideal for kids, especially since you can easily limit their access to stuff if you choose to.
If you know how to hack these, then they are REALLY ideal. You can remove the Silk Browser (or, move it somewhere where it can't easily be found.)
They DO NOT have access to the Google Market - Good THING!
By disabling one-click, you can allow them to download free apps, but not spend any money - IDEAL.
You can setup e-mail on them pretty easily.
They can watch Netflix, Hulu (watch out for age appropriate content - Hulu doesn't limit this as yet,) or even certain shows on Amazon, if you have Prime.
They can read eBooks from the Amazon store, or check out eBooks from the local library.
Kids aren't usually as picky about interfaces. The Bookshelf Launcher is perfect for them.

Cheapy tablet wars, your opinion!

Looking for a tab for my wife. Not only does she get a gift, but I get something to tinker with =)
There's a nook tablet in the trunk of my car. The hardware specs were better, and with the nook color's history, well...I leaped before I looked. The bootloader lockdown makes me a sad panda.
See, I dont want a weaksauce e-reader. I want a tablet! So, with a KF, I can put CM 7 on it (is that a honeycomb build?) and I'll basically have an acceptable tablet experience.
Should I return the nook? Does CM7 run stably on this thing? Are the hardware limitations (esp the lack of sd card port) really that restricting? Should I perhaps buy an actual tablet like a galaxy tab or a xoom?
I appreciate your input!
Duely blundered from my thunderdolt

CM7 is not running with sound, if she can handle that....
This sounds like getting her a shirt in your size and style for Christmas, not much of a gift imo.
Get her something SHE wants, not something YOU want.
(that said, I really like my Kindle Fire. I have not rooted as I actually like the amazon interface and it does everything I want it to do by sideloading apps off of my phone through dropbox. Read all of the issues people are having after rooting or messing with this or that before you get crazy with her device)

Rooting itself is trivial...
I got one of these for my wife.... She had a real hard time using it, not because there was Any issues with the unit, actually it did everything she wanted... The trouble was when she wanted to use it, she had to pry it out of my hands.
I got my own.
While I didn't root her's before I did it on mine, that was more because she didn't need anything other than what it came with. And I wanted to make sure I was not going to mess something up.
So I did all the experimenting on mine, and after doing that, I had no issues with rooting hers to add some "extras". She just keeps it in unroot mode to do all her stuff and stays in the default UI that comes with the Kindle Fire.
At $199 (actually I got mine for $123), it is hard to justify not just getting your own and let her have the present you provided.
I think it is a way cool device... and play with (my own) all the time. She uses her's daily for ebooks, videos, netflix etc..

+1 don't buy her toys for yourself.
I got my wife a Nook Color a few months back that she uses daily. She'd call out a hit on me if I so much as thought of rooting it. I think it's still on 1.3 firmware, but I'm not going near it to find out.

Thanks for the input.
I see what you guys are saying, but it's not what you think. A lot of her family members have gotten ipads, and she wouldn't mind getting a tablet too. We mutually agreed that 500 was too much, and well, I dont subscribe to the maccult.
She always steals my phone to play games on. I have a thunderbolt, and she has an iphone 4. She once made mention that if she could get her favorite games from my phone on a tablet of her own...well, now that would be something.
Since an N64 emulator capable of playing Mario 64 (one of the allures of my phone for her) isn't included off the bat, I'm merely saying I'll enjoy doing the needed mods to this thing.
At 200 or 250 a pop, the price is right, no?
Duely blundered from my thunderdolt

Dannar said:
Thanks for the input.
I see what you guys are saying, but it's not what you think. A lot of her family members have gotten ipads, and she wouldn't mind getting a tablet too. We mutually agreed that 500 was too much, and well, I dont subscribe to the maccult.
She always steals my phone to play games on. I have a thunderbolt, and she has an iphone 4. She once made mention that if she could get her favorite games from my phone on a tablet of her own...well, now that would be something.
Since an N64 emulator capable of playing Mario 64 (one of the allures of my phone for her) isn't included off the bat, I'm merely saying I'll enjoy doing the needed mods to this thing.
At 200 or 250 a pop, the price is right, no?
Duely blundered from my thunderdolt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sideloading is enabled by default on the Fire, so you could load emulators and whatever off-market apps you like without much effort.

Definitely get the KF over the NT if you plan on toying around with it. The Fire's development has picked up in the past few days and I'm sure we'll see a fully working ROM (hopefully CM9) very soon.
I personally have an Acer A100, but got one of my less tech inclined friends to buy a Fire and let me tinker with it until I'm satisfied, then I'll turn it over. So I can definitely relate to the allure of toying around with someone else's devices.

Root it, install Go Launcher EX, install Android market, install Dolphin browser, install Swype, then unroot.
Configure go launcher ex to your taste, then make it the default desktop. Make Dolphin the default browser.
You now have a tablet with the best of both worlds, as you can access all of the Amazon content, including prime videos.

littleemp said:
Definitely get the KF over the NT if you plan on toying around with it. The Fire's development has picked up in the past few days and I'm sure we'll see a fully working ROM (hopefully CM9) very soon.
I personally have an Acer A100, but got one of my less tech inclined friends to buy a Fire and let me tinker with it until I'm satisfied, then I'll turn it over. So I can definitely relate to the allure of toying around with someone else's devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
As a previously very happy Nook Color owner, I was hoping that the NT would get hacked, but that effort seems to have stalled and all the devs are jumping on the NT bandwagon.
Even if the NT gets hacked in 1-2 months, all the devs seem to be getting Kindle Fires now ... and I know from experience that ROM development with only 1-2 devs is not pretty (especially if they eventually lose interest in your device).

I would also get a kindle fire over a nook just because there will be ;ore developpers dedicated to the device. Although, look around the web, HP is going to sell a few touchpads for 99$ on ebay Friday, so you might check it out.