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I used a Xoom! And...
- Thread starter Synthion
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If the rumors are true about only getting a speed increase to 1.2 and just a camera upgrade then not many people will be to excited..
I don't think apple is that dumb to go that route but we will see.
Apple will be hurting once the quad core tablets come out in late summer/earlyfall and Honeycomb is hitting it's stride.. and they still only have a single core ipad2..
A camera? The RAM it should have shipped with from the beginning? NOT A LAGGY POS ANYMORE?
Oh dear me welp the xoom and go kiss my ass now that this innovative revolutionary, yet magical device here came out
Not on these forums. Not on your life.
You'll also never hear about how cripple the Flashless browser is, how crippled the iPhone 4 antenna is, etc.
But 4.2.1 lagged the crap out of my iPad. Apps forcequitting ahoy. I'm sure the extra RAM will fix those issues, but whoever thought a device as big as an iPad should only ship with 256MB of RAM needs to get fired.
After playing with XOOM at Verizon store - my biggest gripe with it is the widescreen form factor. It just made me realize that the iPad 4x3 format is a lot more natural for a tablet.. especially in book-reading mode.
I have never even heard the "haters" say that the iPad is laggy. Maybe there is an issue with your iPad as I am running 4.2.1 and have no lag issues.
Regardless, I do not think more RAM would be bad and it should have shipped with more from the beginning.
I'm making my purchase in the next 2 weeks or so and will play with both in book reading mode as that will play an equal part in my purchase..
I wonder if you have a xoom can you just put black bars on the top and bottom to make it a more natural book reading experiance?
Hmm, I don't know. Maybe WP7 spoiled me for smoothness, but my iPad definitely felt a lot faster running 3.2.
Not sure, I haven't noticed any slowdowns on my iPad. I wish I could try WP7 but no devices are setup to actually try. I mean, who the hell buys a phone based on a hollow plastic mock up with a picture for the screen? Damn you Best Buy!
Hah, yeah. Saw my Samsung Focus at Future Shop on display. It looked like a crucification.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
My completely biased review of the Xoom (or mostly honeycomb)
Background: I have had an iPhone for 2.75 years. Never really messed too much with android. I loved the idea of the iPad and decided a year ago that I would wait a year to buy the iPad, mainly to wait for the software (both 3rd party and OS) to develop and of course let Apple get a 2nd gen hardware out there. I have been anxiously waiting for the past few months for the iPad 2, but have also been very closely watching the competition from android, webOS and RIM. Today I finally got the opportunity to play with a xoom for 15-20 minutes.
Overall. I wasn't impressed. I really appreciate a few nuances that the iPad is greatly lacking, and those are as follows: the notifications system, the easy access to many controls such as brightness, wifi, airplane mode, etc., the widget support... But overall I just didn't really like it.
Homescreens: The 5 home screens were kinda awkward to me. As far as I could tell there was no way to know which page you were on at any one time. All the homescreens seemed very cluttered with a lot of information. Kinda reminds me of how someone described the yahoo homescreen a few years ago "like the internet threw up all over it". I also REALLY didn't like not having the dedicated dock down at the bottom. There are some things (email, internet etc) that you want to have access to at an instant and not need to go hunting around. it all just seemed disorganized and confusing to me.
multitasking UI: I thought I would like this, honestly the way the iPad handles this is superior IMO. The Xoom displays the last 5 apps opened in a window-like view on the left. This offers no greater functionality than the iPad, in fact it limits to the last 5 apps. The iPad shows the order of every single app you have opened. The window-like view doesn't add any extra benefit, and the fact that they are on the left is more difficult for the right handed. Granted not a huge difficulty but it just doesn't seem right.
The screen was inferior to the iPad. Seemed much more dull.
The keyboard was small and difficult to type on.
I've already typed way more than I intended to write now, but basically to sum it up, I went over to an iPad immediately afterward and it felt like a breath of fresh air. haha. Again, yes I know I am biased because of my iphone, but I haven't owned an iPad. I'm just so much more excited about the iPad 2 tomorrow!
Background: I have had an iPhone for 2.75 years. Never really messed too much with android. I loved the idea of the iPad and decided a year ago that I would wait a year to buy the iPad, mainly to wait for the software (both 3rd party and OS) to develop and of course let Apple get a 2nd gen hardware out there. I have been anxiously waiting for the past few months for the iPad 2, but have also been very closely watching the competition from android, webOS and RIM. Today I finally got the opportunity to play with a xoom for 15-20 minutes.
Overall. I wasn't impressed. I really appreciate a few nuances that the iPad is greatly lacking, and those are as follows: the notifications system, the easy access to many controls such as brightness, wifi, airplane mode, etc., the widget support... But overall I just didn't really like it.
Homescreens: The 5 home screens were kinda awkward to me. As far as I could tell there was no way to know which page you were on at any one time. All the homescreens seemed very cluttered with a lot of information. Kinda reminds me of how someone described the yahoo homescreen a few years ago "like the internet threw up all over it". I also REALLY didn't like not having the dedicated dock down at the bottom. There are some things (email, internet etc) that you want to have access to at an instant and not need to go hunting around. it all just seemed disorganized and confusing to me.
multitasking UI: I thought I would like this, honestly the way the iPad handles this is superior IMO. The Xoom displays the last 5 apps opened in a window-like view on the left. This offers no greater functionality than the iPad, in fact it limits to the last 5 apps. The iPad shows the order of every single app you have opened. The window-like view doesn't add any extra benefit, and the fact that they are on the left is more difficult for the right handed. Granted not a huge difficulty but it just doesn't seem right.
The screen was inferior to the iPad. Seemed much more dull.
The keyboard was small and difficult to type on.
I've already typed way more than I intended to write now, but basically to sum it up, I went over to an iPad immediately afterward and it felt like a breath of fresh air. haha. Again, yes I know I am biased because of my iphone, but I haven't owned an iPad. I'm just so much more excited about the iPad 2 tomorrow!
The only major hardware complaint I keep reading is about the power button location and somewhat unfavorable form factor. By far most of the complaints were about the software.
I also remember reading that the models at CES weren't sporting a ready Android build. From the looks of it, Moto rushed the tablet to market when it wasn't quite ready yet. I was geared up to buy one this week, but the many reviews convinced me to wait.
That said, with most of the common issues being with the OS, hopefully Moto and the Android development team are working around the clock to fix things.
I think I'll hold off until after the first update is out, but by then there might be other serious Honeycomb contenders to consider.
I also remember reading that the models at CES weren't sporting a ready Android build. From the looks of it, Moto rushed the tablet to market when it wasn't quite ready yet. I was geared up to buy one this week, but the many reviews convinced me to wait.
That said, with most of the common issues being with the OS, hopefully Moto and the Android development team are working around the clock to fix things.
I think I'll hold off until after the first update is out, but by then there might be other serious Honeycomb contenders to consider.
It is funny that no matter how often this gets pointed out you just get told "shut up fanboi!" and ignored, but...
Rather a lot of us who have used the xoom find it to be very laggy, and the apps to be very crash prone. I have killed an app or two on my iPhone or iPad, but i have had the phone since the original. A few crashes? I expect that. I literally used the xoom for a time measured in minutes, and crashed 4-5 apps. Repeatedly.
It is slow, and input lag reminds me of my first gen iPhone running the last iOS update. (honestly it should never have been updated that far, it just slowed down too much) It feels like I am running it in syrup. It. Is. Just. Slow.
Guess that makes me a fanboi.
Rather a lot of us who have used the xoom find it to be very laggy, and the apps to be very crash prone. I have killed an app or two on my iPhone or iPad, but i have had the phone since the original. A few crashes? I expect that. I literally used the xoom for a time measured in minutes, and crashed 4-5 apps. Repeatedly.
It is slow, and input lag reminds me of my first gen iPhone running the last iOS update. (honestly it should never have been updated that far, it just slowed down too much) It feels like I am running it in syrup. It. Is. Just. Slow.
Guess that makes me a fanboi.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
Yeah, it's unthinkable a product would do that!
Are you trying to be an ass or do you actually not know where the sleep/wake button is on the xoom?
The button is actually on the back of the device few inches from the sides. It is kind of an unusual location, but I think after you get used to it it may not be too awful. I used it for like 15-20 minutes, but discovered that my finger could pretty easily learn to just fall there
Well, I just bought a Xoom tonight, and all I can say is WOW. You've got to go see one for yourself.
I've used my iPad a LOT since launch day, and loved it. But I got rid of my iPhone for a Droid because of the customizability.
The Xoom hardware is impressive. Seems smaller in my hands (I know the specs say otherwise) and I find it quite fluid. And seeing a Live Wallpaper on this screen is a sight to behold.
Appwise the iPad has a 12 month head start, and it shows. Just like when the iPad launched, apps are scarce, some of the phone apps work, others don't. Android has a loooong way to go to catch up.
I'm going to play with it some more before I decide to retire the iPad. I have a TON of apps and had a pretty good workflow. I won't be able to quit cold turkey, at least not until something like Good reader and To do come out for the Xoom. In the meantime I'll play with the widgets...
I've used my iPad a LOT since launch day, and loved it. But I got rid of my iPhone for a Droid because of the customizability.
The Xoom hardware is impressive. Seems smaller in my hands (I know the specs say otherwise) and I find it quite fluid. And seeing a Live Wallpaper on this screen is a sight to behold.
Appwise the iPad has a 12 month head start, and it shows. Just like when the iPad launched, apps are scarce, some of the phone apps work, others don't. Android has a loooong way to go to catch up.
I'm going to play with it some more before I decide to retire the iPad. I have a TON of apps and had a pretty good workflow. I won't be able to quit cold turkey, at least not until something like Good reader and To do come out for the Xoom. In the meantime I'll play with the widgets...
I quite well know where it is. My point is for the original poster (and anyone else) to post a review without taking some time to clarify his actual experience is about as disingenuous as the post I just made.
I can't take him seriously if he's going to be that sloppy with this description, then award the product an inexplicable C-.
I don't think I've read a single "glowing" review yet on the Xoom. I'm a tech geek, and I'll usually buy anything new and exciting just to play with it for a while and review it on my radio show....however, the Xoom is a skip purchase for me....I, too, had the chance to play with it for a half hour or so last Friday (I had a Motorola rep on the air with me)... And I'm pretty neutral, certainly not a FanBoy...I'm ambidextrous with use of Windows and OSX. However, in comparison between Xoom vs. iPad, to me...irrelevant, the apps available...the "plug n play" measure that one gets opening up the iPad box is not the case with Xoom. I'm a geek...I'm a tech nerd, I've got plenty of OS experience with Windows, Linux, Unix, OSX, et al...but to me, the apparent discombobulation of the Xoom's OS is evident. I agree with many of the reviews I've read, as well as the experiences echoed in this thread.... The Xoom seems rushed out the door.
My intention was to buy a Xoom now and wait out iPad 3... Not gonna happen, tomorrow I will be placing my ipad2 order
My intention was to buy a Xoom now and wait out iPad 3... Not gonna happen, tomorrow I will be placing my ipad2 order
played with the Xoom today. Its a very nice device, however I didn't feel that it did anything better than my current iPad. I use my iPad primarily for web browsing, reading and netflix. Xoom was not better than iPad at any of these tasks (it didn't have netflix). And I don't really care about cameras or dual core CPU (iPad's single core performs excellent at required tasks), or hardcore multi-tasking (i have a laptop for that).
I feel that on the phones, Android has a lot more to offer than iOS (i need tight google integration), however on tablets iOS is great.
As far as i am concerned now for communication purposes Android >>> iOS, but for content consumption iOS >>> Android. And I like variety in my mobile devices, so obviously no Xoom for me, but at the same time I don't really care about iPad2 either.
I feel that on the phones, Android has a lot more to offer than iOS (i need tight google integration), however on tablets iOS is great.
As far as i am concerned now for communication purposes Android >>> iOS, but for content consumption iOS >>> Android. And I like variety in my mobile devices, so obviously no Xoom for me, but at the same time I don't really care about iPad2 either.
On paradigms
On one hand this kind of "discussion" is getting a bit old.
But it also means that the competition is also seeing potential in a mobile platform with focus on the user experience. That is absolutely fantastic from where I'm standing, both for mobile computing and quite possibly for the future of computing in general.
Waiting a few seconds extra when all I want to do is to fill in a friend's personal details on a mobile device is pain. I could have produced a pen and a paper and gotten halfway through by the time the device is ready.
The hardware and software developers are finally doing something about this. It's not about the hardware itself but how it's utilized. The tablet is the software/GUI revolution. (Whether we will like it on a more traditional desktop UI remains to be seen, if that's even relevant to future devices)
Calling an interface anyone can learn in minutes (even if they haven't touched a computer in the last decade) "dumbed down" is so ignorant I don't even know where to begin. I'm not talking about the limitations of a given mobile OS but how man/machine interaction is finally starting to make sense from a user experience perspective.
This is possibly the closest we have gotten to a "natural" GUI, and we're just starting out! Because we didn't admit that there is incredible potential until just now, the end user mobile devices have historically been crappy, lag infested battery drainers. I remember making music on Griff on an old Win Mobile PDA and the OS was a dog in so many ways. A desktop OS shoe horned into a slow device with a small screen. Nested pop-up menus on a device with a 3.5" screen? Great idea!
The fact that the, uh... "non-geeks" are buying iPads is great news and shows what the platform can mean on a much bigger scale than "discussing" iOS vs Android vs webOS. It's just another Windows vs Mac OS "discussion". It's all down to preference anyway.
What's more, those iPad owning "non-geeks" I have actually met are not just using the device for Angry birds (which was my fear) during periods of "micro stress" but are actually being productive as well. Wait, that sounds like what most of us use a "computer" for in the the first place.
Bolting on feature after feature on our desktop environments is an evolution that is slowly stagnating. The current tablet GUI/UI development is the revolution needed to take the next step.
I'm stoked we can even debate this. It's like I'm experiencing the second coming of the computer. From seeing the computer getting into homes, to getting connected. From using the network designed for talking and use it for data, to combining it all into the devices that we are just realizing the potential of.
You know that picture of the evolution of man, depicting going from ape to man to ape chained to a desktop? Maybe we'll actually straighten our backs again, in the light of current development.
My only fear is that computing will get more disposable. Call Wall-E?
If you actually read this far, sorry for wasting your time. I'm waiting for my morning dose of caffeine to kick in.
On one hand this kind of "discussion" is getting a bit old.
But it also means that the competition is also seeing potential in a mobile platform with focus on the user experience. That is absolutely fantastic from where I'm standing, both for mobile computing and quite possibly for the future of computing in general.
Waiting a few seconds extra when all I want to do is to fill in a friend's personal details on a mobile device is pain. I could have produced a pen and a paper and gotten halfway through by the time the device is ready.
The hardware and software developers are finally doing something about this. It's not about the hardware itself but how it's utilized. The tablet is the software/GUI revolution. (Whether we will like it on a more traditional desktop UI remains to be seen, if that's even relevant to future devices)
Calling an interface anyone can learn in minutes (even if they haven't touched a computer in the last decade) "dumbed down" is so ignorant I don't even know where to begin. I'm not talking about the limitations of a given mobile OS but how man/machine interaction is finally starting to make sense from a user experience perspective.
This is possibly the closest we have gotten to a "natural" GUI, and we're just starting out! Because we didn't admit that there is incredible potential until just now, the end user mobile devices have historically been crappy, lag infested battery drainers. I remember making music on Griff on an old Win Mobile PDA and the OS was a dog in so many ways. A desktop OS shoe horned into a slow device with a small screen. Nested pop-up menus on a device with a 3.5" screen? Great idea!
The fact that the, uh... "non-geeks" are buying iPads is great news and shows what the platform can mean on a much bigger scale than "discussing" iOS vs Android vs webOS. It's just another Windows vs Mac OS "discussion". It's all down to preference anyway.
What's more, those iPad owning "non-geeks" I have actually met are not just using the device for Angry birds (which was my fear) during periods of "micro stress" but are actually being productive as well. Wait, that sounds like what most of us use a "computer" for in the the first place.
Bolting on feature after feature on our desktop environments is an evolution that is slowly stagnating. The current tablet GUI/UI development is the revolution needed to take the next step.
I'm stoked we can even debate this. It's like I'm experiencing the second coming of the computer. From seeing the computer getting into homes, to getting connected. From using the network designed for talking and use it for data, to combining it all into the devices that we are just realizing the potential of.
You know that picture of the evolution of man, depicting going from ape to man to ape chained to a desktop? Maybe we'll actually straighten our backs again, in the light of current development.
My only fear is that computing will get more disposable. Call Wall-E?
If you actually read this far, sorry for wasting your time. I'm waiting for my morning dose of caffeine to kick in.
I don't think I've read a single "glowing" review yet on the Xoom. I'm a tech geek, and I'll usually buy anything new and exciting just to play with it for a while and review it on my radio show....however, the Xoom is a skip purchase for me....I, too, had the chance to play with it for a half hour or so last Friday (I had a Motorola rep on the air with me)... And I'm pretty neutral, certainly not a FanBoy...I'm ambidextrous with use of Windows and OSX. However, in comparison between Xoom vs. iPad, to me...irrelevant, the apps available...the "plug n play" measure that one gets opening up the iPad box is not the case with Xoom. I'm a geek...I'm a tech nerd, I've got plenty of OS experience with Windows, Linux, Unix, OSX, et al...but to me, the apparent discombobulation of the Xoom's OS is evident. I agree with many of the reviews I've read, as well as the experiences echoed in this thread.... The Xoom seems rushed out the door.
My intention was to buy a Xoom now and wait out iPad 3... Not gonna happen, tomorrow I will be placing my ipad2 order
I agree with you. Especially loved the 'discombobulation' bit.