Related
I just called Viewsonic to ask if they were going to be releasing updates in the near future to fix the G-tab problems. The girl I talked to was very nice (and I'm not just saying that because she said they keep tabs on xda-developers.com!)...but she couldn't provide a timeline or details about upcoming fixes or software. Bummer.
She did, however, mention that they're aware of the problems with Tap'NTap and that they're looking at ways to improve performance. I hope that means they'll be updating the drivers to use the 2nd core of the Tegra 2. I'm happy with that answer because I just want to know that the company is supporting its products. I'm pretty satisfied with my G-tab currently, but I really want it to run at it's optimal performance.
Just thought I'd share what I heard.
LOL!! Bye bye tapntap!
lostpilot28 said:
I just called Viewsonic to ask if they were going to be releasing updates in the near future to fix the G-tab problems. The girl I talked to was very nice (and I'm not just saying that because she said they keep tabs on xda-developers.com!)...but she couldn't provide a timeline or details about upcoming fixes or software. Bummer.
She did, however, mention that they're aware of the problems with Tap'NTap and that they're looking at ways to improve performance. I hope that means they'll be updating the drivers to use the 2nd core of the Tegra 2. I'm happy with that answer because I just want to know that the company is supporting its products. I'm pretty satisfied with my G-tab currently, but I really want it to run at it's optimal performance.
Just thought I'd share what I heard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I spoke to Viewsonic Tech Support last night and, as usual, the guy was very eager to help, but didn't have a lot of answers. He did confirm that the 20 Dec release will update several things, like provide VTC software, keyboard update, TnT update, and a long list of other issues that appear to be repeat gripes from users...
Irish G said:
I spoke to Viewsonic Tech Support last night and, as usual, the guy was very eager to help, but didn't have a lot of answers. He did confirm that the 20 Dec release will update several things, like provide VTC software, keyboard update, TnT update, and a long list of other issues that appear to be repeat gripes from users...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too late to stem the tide of returns though. On a positive note, plenty of time for Roeby & Company to rest before the next source for a big update
Unless something comes by their paths earlier.....
Irish G said:
He did confirm that the 20 Dec release will update several things, like provide VTC software, keyboard update, TnT update, and a long list of other issues that appear to be repeat gripes from users...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is VTC software?
I think they just completely misjudged their market. They thought they could get away with a toy-like interface (clearly targeted toward Moms, with the "Grocery List" and "To-Do List" and photos front and center), but in this era when so many people have smartphones, the TNT stuff isn't going to cut it. Once you've seen an iPhone or Android 2.x in action, you're not going to want some sort of fake overlay. Especially when you KNOW that Android is running beneath it!
Lack of full Market and Angry Birds was also a killer error.
Now that I've got TNTLite, full Market, and Google apps syncing, this is exactly what I expected a tab to be--a big version of my phone. I knew that by getting one now I wouldn't get a fabulous *tab* experience (awaiting Honeycomb for that), but I did at least want the equivalent of my phone, on a bigger screen. Which I imagine is common.
XDA types and other folks in the know who see the specs on this thing and know that it has the potential to keep up with the first generation of Honeycomb tablets (and are willing to mod to make it useable) are the only thing coming close to preventing this from being a complete debacle for Viewsonic.
I wonder whether they'll truly get rid of TnT, though.
lostpilot28 said:
What is VTC software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
video teleconference - video chat software like Skype...
jacindc said:
I think they just completely misjudged their market. They thought they could get away with a toy-like interface (clearly targeted toward Moms, with the "Grocery List" and "To-Do List" and photos front and center), but in this era when so many people have smartphones, the TNT stuff isn't going to cut it. Once you've seen an iPhone or Android 2.x in action, you're not going to want some sort of fake overlay. Especially when you KNOW that Android is running beneath it!
Lack of full Market and Angry Birds was also a killer error.
Now that I've got TNTLite, full Market, and Google apps syncing, this is exactly what I expected a tab to be--a big version of my phone. I knew that by getting one now I wouldn't get a fabulous *tab* experience (awaiting Honeycomb for that), but I did at least want the equivalent of my phone, on a bigger screen. Which I imagine is common.
XDA types and other folks in the know who see the specs on this thing and know that it has the potential to keep up with the first generation of Honeycomb tablets (and are willing to mod to make it useable) are the only thing coming close to preventing this from being a complete debacle for Viewsonic.
I wonder whether they'll truly get rid of TnT, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could not have said it better myself.
I actually have a few people at work looking to buy these things as long as I can "fix" them.
Hilarious and sad at the same time that Viewsonic would release a product like they have.
I spoke to a sales rep at sears to see if they had any refurbs. She mentioned they still haven't sold one piece yet, and they've had stock a week prior to BF.
jacindc said:
I think they just completely misjudged their market. They thought they could get away with a toy-like interface (clearly targeted toward Moms, with the "Grocery List" and "To-Do List" and photos front and center), but in this era when so many people have smartphones, the TNT stuff isn't going to cut it. Once you've seen an iPhone or Android 2.x in action, you're not going to want some sort of fake overlay. Especially when you KNOW that Android is running beneath it!
Lack of full Market and Angry Birds was also a killer error.
Now that I've got TNTLite, full Market, and Google apps syncing, this is exactly what I expected a tab to be--a big version of my phone. I knew that by getting one now I wouldn't get a fabulous *tab* experience (awaiting Honeycomb for that), but I did at least want the equivalent of my phone, on a bigger screen. Which I imagine is common.
XDA types and other folks in the know who see the specs on this thing and know that it has the potential to keep up with the first generation of Honeycomb tablets (and are willing to mod to make it useable) are the only thing coming close to preventing this from being a complete debacle for Viewsonic.
I wonder whether they'll truly get rid of TnT, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to be a downer, but at the current return rates and no decent chance for a fix for the majority of people (non modders) until 12/20- The Gtablet may not be around very long. This product may be one of those firesale devices and then Viewsonic will flip the bill for that sale.
Not seeing how anymore than the current 60,000-ish will be produced. Not good business sense and would not be surprised to see the device rebranded, once a stable rom is made and shipped with the device (or a version of it).
No way anybody selling will be net positive for dollars with this device and Viewsonic had better have some cash accrued in their P&L for February. That will be the month of being accountable for this product. This will be in the seven figure zone for compensation. How can it not be?
This device shipped about two months too early. Still wild that the Advent Vega apparently does not have the problems out of box and also a Tegra 2. One month later release though.
added:
The mod community is the only reason return rates are probably not near parity with sales. My guess is the reason we have not seen more refurbs is a combination or presents wrapped up and shipments held from sale (either by not pushing sales or not releasing from warehouses).
It will take a firmware package miracle and good web page communication by Viewsonic to turn the sunami of returns away after Christmas.
Regardless, the Gtablet will be a legend for modders, but the net loss of margin for selling at discounts or refurbs will be rough for sellers. All 60,000 WILL sell, just not in the retail format as expected.
rushless said:
Not to be a downer, but at the current return rates and no decent chance for a fix for the majority of people (non modders) until 12/20- The Gtablet may not be around very long. This product may be one of those firesale devices and then Viewsonic will flip the bill for that sale.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree, but as long as we can keep Roebeet and Rothnic and a few others chained to their Gtabs, maybe we can get to Honeycomb. ;-)
If I have to buy a new tab next spring, it won't be the end of the world. I always looked at this as a toy to tide me over. But it might have the possibility of lasting a lot longer, at least in the XDA world. If not, I'll give it to Mom and Dad. In its TNTLite config, it'll work just fine for them.
rushless said:
This device shipped about two months too early. Still wild that the Advent Vega apparently does not have the problems out of box and also a Tegra 2. One month later release though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't necessarily agree with this. I don't think it's the timing of release compared to Android 3.0 that's the problem, or that it's the hardware. It just seems that Viewsonic COULD have offered better drivers and a lightly modified Froyo build right from the beginning. The G-Tab would work so much better if they had.
Hopefully, Viewsonic is listening and they release better drivers soon. I think the hardware is fantastic...it would be a shame to have to return this thing because they're too slow to fix the software issues.
I'm seriously crossing my fingers that the XDA rockstars get the Advent Vega MOD running. That would be fantastic.
I called around to my two local sears and asked if they had return units for sale. Both said no.
I, for one, want these to be succesful and to sell. Nothing worse than this whole thing being a flop and then Viewsonic dropping the product support for them. That means our chances of getting updated roms gets slimmer, especially stuff like honeycomb.
I don't think there's any doubt that some of the issues related to the tablet are due to its lack of hardware support from the actual mfrs, and Android. Some examples.. when this was launched, there wasn't even flash available (they had to wait on adobe for this). This can't be blamed on viewsonic, and it's unfortunate but ultimately they get the blame that it doesn't have flash. Why have they not included the "beta" plugin from Adobe? Perhaps because it's a beta version, and they're not allowed to package it in and release it.
We also have issues with the Tegra 2. Did Nvidia's QA dept or who knows what reason cause delays for the drivers to get to Viewsonic? Again, we don't know. I'm sure Viewsonic would've loved to package up the latest/best drivers, but the reality is that perhaps they weren't available.
Regarding Android, well, we all know some of the problems. Hardware acceleration for videos via Android and the Tegra 2 simply isn't there. The Tegra 2 does HW decoding of various formats, and it looks like it's not working. Again, is this android or perhaps Nvidia? Who knows really. We also have the issue with lack of dual core support in Android 2.2.
Anyway, point is, Viewsonic is certainly not the sole person to blame for a poor launch of this product and it being "incomplete." I'm sure the parties and circumstances caused a problem. I'm a dev myself, so I understand all the problems that could arise from a "new" device. I just figured I'd mention these things to highlight the possible problems that arise from such a device, for the non-techy folks. Perhaps they shouldn't have launched the devices until they were more functional, and yes that rests on Viewsonic.
Just my 2 cents.. I certainly understand people's frustration..
This is why everything else with Tegra is preorder. Waiting on flash, market, etc to become available first. Still I think Viewsonic would have cut their returns in half if they would have just left the overlay off.
My big worry is that roebeet and others are going to move (totally within their rights) on and we are going to be left with a device that Viewsonic is not going to improve through future updates due to poor sales.
Honestly, what roebeet and others have done is simply amazing and I am very appreciative for their work. However, Honeycomb is some time off and it is unknown whether DEVs will be around to keep the Gtab up to date.
Dan
Nvidia releasing a honeycomb build for developers is 90% of what we need. Like they did for Froyo. As long is Tegra2 is produced I'm not worrying.
lostpilot28 said:
I don't necessarily agree with this. I don't think it's the timing of release compared to Android 3.0 that's the problem, or that it's the hardware. It just seems that Viewsonic COULD have offered better drivers and a lightly modified Froyo build right from the beginning. The G-Tab would work so much better if they had.
Hopefully, Viewsonic is listening and they release better drivers soon. I think the hardware is fantastic...it would be a shame to have to return this thing because they're too slow to fix the software issues.
I'm seriously crossing my fingers that the XDA rockstars get the Advent Vega MOD running. That would be fantastic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with you- point is Viewsonic is nowhere near ready with an out of box firmware package and non-mod consumers will treat the device as defective. Considering it shipped late October and assuming the 12/20 FW release is solid, it would be two months- hence my two months too early assertion.
Even if 60,000 is all that is made (I hope it is not the case), that still means plenty of devices floating around
Who knows, maybe VS will release a near-miracle update and communicate on their support page the status and a roadmap to more improvements. Communication like that via a published format on their web page for the product would be HUGE for customer trust
Not dogging the device proper (I still own one at $402 total)- but am dogging the out of box state for most consumers.
rushless said:
Not to be a downer, but at the current return rates and no decent chance for a fix for the majority of people (non modders) until 12/20- The Gtablet may not be around very long. This product may be one of those firesale devices and then Viewsonic will flip the bill for that sale.
Not seeing how anymore than the current 60,000-ish will be produced. Not good business sense and would not be surprised to see the device rebranded, once a stable rom is made and shipped with the device (or a version of it).
No way anybody selling will be net positive for dollars with this device and Viewsonic had better have some cash accrued in their P&L for February. That will be the month of being accountable for this product. This will be in the seven figure zone for compensation. How can it not be?
This device shipped about two months too early. Still wild that the Advent Vega apparently does not have the problems out of box and also a Tegra 2. One month later release though.
added:
The mod community is the only reason return rates are probably not near parity with sales. My guess is the reason we have not seen more refurbs is a combination or presents wrapped up and shipments held from sale (either by not pushing sales or not releasing from warehouses).
It will take a firmware package miracle and good web page communication by Viewsonic to turn the sunami of returns away after Christmas.
Regardless, the Gtablet will be a legend for modders, but the net loss of margin for selling at discounts or refurbs will be rough for sellers. All 60,000 WILL sell, just not in the retail format as expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid of that possibility as well. What's really sad is that Viewsonic had the chance to become the "iPod" of Android Tablets, but they're seriously blowing it. A product that works as bad as this out of the box will seriously discourage repeat buyers. Repeat buyers drives iPod sales, this won't happen for Viewsonic if these issues aren't addressed.
The enhancements that have been made in just a few weeks by the efforts of Roebeet, Rothnic, Bekit and others show the great potential with the existing hardware they're selling. Any of these releases is more like what Viewsonic should have released in the first place. I just hope that the Malata does better in Asia, it sounds like they're being pretty progressive about getting patches out there. If Malata succeeds at least there's hope for future upgrades/enhancements.
Reading the NVidia Tegra Development Forums it sounds like they've got 1080P running on their Tegra 250 Dev Kit, on linux at least. Can anyone shed some light on why the development for the Android doesn't seem to be keeping up? Is the 2.2 Platform incapable of that level of performance or are they instead concentrating their efforts on Gingerbread or Honeycomb for that performance boost? It seems some of this failure of delivering a better performing product lies in NVidia's lap, Viewsonic's software is another story. Looking over the latest "Advent Performance Pack" that was recently released, these are the files from the image that was released in the Tegra Developer Forums on 11/11/10. The Tegra 2 was shown to developers in January(or earlier) and only now have they released code to provide better performance for the Tegra 2? It's like they're sabotaging themselves by not utilizing their hardware to the best of it's abilities.
I'm confused by all of this, wouldn't
make a good product = sell more = make more money = make more on repeat buyers(upgrading)
make sense versus
release an immature product = loss on returns = customers will never buy from again?
dkhilo said:
The Tegra 2 was shown to developers in January(or earlier) and only now have they released code to provide better performance for the Tegra 2? It's like they're sabotaging themselves by not utilizing their hardware to the best of it's abilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess the short answer is "things take time." The reality is that drivers do go through different iterations, and perhaps Tegra 2 (and possibly the drivers) would fare better in Android 2.3. Sometimes you just have to be patient, and rushing things can result in the Viewsonic tablet. I was trying to say that in my rather long winded post.
http://phandroid.com/2011/04/14/nvidia-clears-up-tegra-confusion-no-devices-left-behind-pr-blunders/
http://briefmobile.com/nvidia-to-continue-support-on-all-tegra-devices-until-oems-drop-support
It looks like we might have jumped the gun on assuming no more support from NVidia. They have since come back and basically said they are continuing to support the hardware as far as the Manufacturer wants to go. So now it's on Viewsonic to bring us that sweet honeycomb. Additionally they stated that they are going to be helping out the developer community!!! This great news! So we should be seeing some great stuff coming!
"Finally, while we cannot support or give out third party peripheral drivers or provide the Android 3.0 source before Google does, we do want to explore whether we can assist the open source ROM makers. We will be reaching out to them today." - From official statement from NVidia on 4/13/2011
I was reading the phandroid article while I was on the can today, and it was a relief, although I kind of figured that Nvidia wasn't going to entirely cut the plug on the harmony line. Hopefully one of the manufacturers opts to support the harmony line.
beebop483 said:
I was reading the phandroid article while I was on the can today, and it was a relief, although I kind of figured that Nvidia wasn't going to entirely cut the plug on the harmony line. Hopefully one of the manufacturers opts to support the harmony line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Double relief? Bonus!
when do we get the drivers for Gingerbread?
rob_z11 said:
when do we get the drivers for Gingerbread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who knows, the bigger question would be, "when is Google planning on releasing Honeycomb source code.. if ever"
pr0cs said:
Who knows, the bigger question would be, "when is Google planning on releasing Gingerbread source code.. if ever"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm, gingerbread source has been released for MONTHS now. I am guessing you mean Honeycomb?
pr0cs said:
Who knows, the bigger question would be, "when is Google planning on releasing Gingerbread source code.. if ever"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gingerbread has been released for months, but no driver for our chipset from Nvidia. I am worried bout getting Gingerbread fixed, and get them to agree on Honeycomb.
rob_z11 said:
gingerbread has been released for months, but no driver for our chipset from Nvidia. I am worried bout getting Gingerbread fixed, and get them to agree on Honeycomb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.. Lets try to get a fully stable gingerbread 2.3 OS and get everyone updated to 2.3 and then while we play with 2.3 the devs can play and get the honeycomb on the way.
Good news indeed. I just bought one and was facing a dismal reality of having bought something that was already obsolete.
Yet they are slashing prices like crazy eddie
They may be supporting it, but amazon.com just released the Gtab on sale for 300 and office depot....
If people keep buying them up, then i hope the love and support continues...
I love my gtab. and nook color
I love my droid1, which incidently is going to be retired for an LG Optimus V , but only bc I find i use my tablets way more now, so i dont feel the need for a 4 inch monster phone. and I am going to try and make it work with a $40 a month Virgin mobile 1200 minute plan...
Sam
It is all in Viewsonics hands now. As long as Viewsonic keeps developing releases for the G-tablet, Nvidia will make drivers for it.
I am still not very convinced that they are going to support it. I think they are just trying to quiet us down a little by making that statement.
sambo989 said:
They may be supporting it, but amazon.com just released the Gtab on sale for 300 and office depot....
If people keep buying them up, then i hope the love and support continues...
I love my gtab. and nook color
I love my droid1, which incidently is going to be retired for an LG Optimus V , but only bc I find i use my tablets way more now, so i dont feel the need for a 4 inch monster phone. and I am going to try and make it work with a $40 a month Virgin mobile 1200 minute plan...
Sam
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2 points for the Crazy Eddie reference.
Maybe people will see there is a market for a sub $300 tablet since these and the nook color's are flying off the virtual shelves.
I've debating going to tablet/dumb phone. I gave up on smart phones for a while and went PDA/dumb phone. But that ended when I got a Treo.
Maybe an LTE Xoom and a cheapo phone is a better idea in the long run, let me price that out...
Does anyone think that maybe this a little early to rejoice yet?
I've read the articles, and my interpretation is damage control.
Both companies (Viewsonic and Nvidia) are claiming to stand by their products with one side of the mouth while contridicting it with the other. Viewsonic said it would continue to support the G tab, but due to complication and other factors doesn't know for sure whether it can get get any more updates. Nvidia is claiming to still support harmony as well as manufaturers do, but Viewsonic (a manufaturer) is claiming it isn't getting any support from nvidia. Plus the fact that other then viewsonic's name it, they haven't had anything to do with development with the G tab to date. (Rebranded a Malata Z Pad and paid TNT to supply the OS).
I for one will be seriously suprised if we can get Gingerbread drivers and figure HC may get to to where Gingerbread is now (working, no hardware acceleration) once AOSP is released.
beebop483 said:
I was reading the phandroid article while I was on the can today, and it was a relief, although I kind of figured that Nvidia wasn't going to entirely cut the plug on the harmony line. Hopefully one of the manufacturers opts to support the harmony line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What was the relief? The article or the cannage?
I have a feeling at the end it will be a finger pointing situation, with both manufactures blaming each other on not producing a thing. We will be entirely forgotten as soon as the next generation is out.
Hmm... let's hope we can get 3.0 for sure.
rbansal2 said:
I am still not very convinced that they are going to support it. I think they are just trying to quiet us down a little by making that statement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.
The uproar brought by us (somewhat rabid) fans probably made the PR guys get a little quivery at the potential backlash being "hinted" at.
I'll believe this so-called continued support when I load it on my Gtab. I don't know of any real confirmation from Viewsonic that they are working on a Gingerbread release, let alone Honeycomb.
I'm sure there will be more than a few people here that will continue to talk to VS to make sure we are not forgotten. Props to tunnel visioned g tab lovers!
I'm still not sold on the whole "we must wait on Google..." excuse. That may wash for Honeycomb, but what about Gingerbread?
I have a wifi xoom and although it has some great features but the force closes and the non functioning sd card (from the factory) is very annoying. I thought Moto and google would have a fix by now. The force closes make me mad. I have 15 days left to return and will do so if there is not a major update before then. I should have know better than to expect Moto to do anything right.
Here is an quote from an article in the Wall Street Journal about xoom sales.
"Global Equities analyst Trip Chowdry estimates that Motorola Mobility has manufactured between 500,000 and 800,000 Xooms, but has sold only 5 to 15 percent of them.
Best case scenario then, according to Chowdry, is that Motorola has sold 120,000 Xooms; worse case scenario, it’s sold just 25,000. Now, admittedly, that’s a very large range, and one could argue that it makes Chowdry’s estimate largely meaningless. But remember that original forecasts suggested Motorola would sell between 3 and 5 million Xooms this year and earlier this month some analysts were calling for first quarter sales of 300,000.
In other words, even Chowdry’s best case scenario is a worst case scenario. It’s just a bit less ugly."
Personally, I could care less how many have been sold. I love my Xoom and maybe I'm lucky but I haven't faced many of the problems I read about here.
As for SD card support, I'm not bothered by that either. I have no need for a SD card at this time. 32GB is plenty of storage for me.
I'm treating Honeycomb the same way I did with android 1.0. Its basically a new platform and the apps and fixes will come as more tablets hit the market.
I heard all the same jargon in the media after I pre-ordered my G1. Well look at android now.
El Daddy said:
Personally, I could care less how many have been sold. I love my Xoom and maybe I'm lucky but I haven't faced many of the problems I read about here.
As for SD card support, I'm not bothered by that either. I have no need for a SD card at this time. 32GB is plenty of storage for me.
I'm treating Honeycomb the same way I did with android 1.0. Its basically a new platform and the apps and fixes will come as more tablets hit the market.
I heard all the same jargon in the media after I pre-ordered my G1. Well look at android now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the same way. No announcement was made as to when an update would come. I'm sure everyone knew the SD slot wasn't functioning way before they purchased the device.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
It will be DOA if we keep starting threads like "Is the XOOM DOA" and prospective customers see all these threads in search engines.
Then prospective customers start having unfounded doubts and the XOOM's demise becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
First of all, many of us knew that Xoom won't sell that well. This is because it's new, OS is new, hardware is new, everything about it is new and many people don't want to be lab rats. But with Moto rolling out Xoom on other networks in many countries will help sales. And we will have to wait till Thursday for Motorola to announce their earnings and see how many they sold.
Secondly, I understand the frustration of lacking SD support but I personally don't really care since I never really used my microSD on my N900.
And about force closes, like I said everything about Xoom is new and it was first to the punch. Other honeycomb tabs will have everything working, but Xoom was still first and that what counts.
I would never return mine, I would never even sell mine after Xoom2 arrives. Why? Because it is the first and maybe even one of the only "Pure Google Experience" devices that will be available.
Simple answer. No.
Sent from my Xoom the way it should be, rooted and with SD card.
Google needs to release a big Honeycomb update including one that enables the mircoSD card slot, Motorola needs to lower the price and release 16GB models and more manufactures need to release more tablets which will bring in more tablet apps. If you had your Xoom since day one like I have, you will already see the improvement in the selection of tablet apps. I hope that the microSD card slot is fixed soon though. Watching the new tablets come out with working slots is starting to make the Xoom look abandoned.
Despite this, I love my Xoom and it will get better with time. Who else has a working Barometer by the way? lol
i don't care about the sd card function cause i still have 32GB for my media. however, i have a terrible experience with my xoom's web browser ( even i tried another web browser apps like dophin...)Yes, surfing web is the main point for me to buy this tablet. Web browser is FC a lot (besides, it made my xoom rebooted once), stuck at loading pages (i have to go to app manager=> force close web browser..), Flash doesn't work properly. I never had this terrible experience with my android devices before. I understand that Honeycomb is a new OS, and it will be improved over by next updates but how can't google/motorola/ adobe make sure some basic functions work well before selling their products ?
What would have all the customers who went to buy an ipad2 have done when they got to the store and were told they would have to take a number and wait a month or more? BUY A XOOM!!! This was great timing for Moto to deliver the product but kinda sucks for the consumer at first. However, this is not the first time a company has done this. And as someone laready pointed out, if you have had the Xoom from day one you will have already seen the improvement in the app market. Also remember that the honeycomb source has not been released yet. When that happens you will see things explode here on XDA. So if you have filled up your 32g internal storage, and their just are not enough apps for you at this time and so on........return your Xoom and take a number for the ipad! (it has Netflix out of the box). If you are one of those people who just like to complain, well then I got nothing for you. Otherwise be patient and enjoy what you have. Good things WILL come to our Xoom's!!!
For the record: I have NEVER considered an ipad. And I am very happy with my Xoom!
I just don't get these type of posts. So because you hated the xoom or the wsj says it hasn't sold enough everyone else should go and return their xooms. What should I get an I pad 2? What if I want my websites to work with flash? What if I want actual multitasking? So get an I pad 2 that doesn't even have an SD slot forget when it will be activated.
Anyway, I have been happy with the xoom.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
tumbes20000 said:
I just don't get these type of posts. So because you hated the xoom or the wsj says it hasn't sold enough everyone else should go and return their xooms. What should I get an I pad 2? What if I want my websites to work with flash? What if I want actual multitasking? So get an I pad 2 that doesn't even have an SD slot forget when it will be activated.
Anyway, I have been happy with the xoom.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't want to get a lot of FC on my web browser. this is the only thing i complain.
I want the Xoom to work. I do not own a single Apple product. I am not patient enough to wait months for the Xoom and Honeycomb to work. I want to be able to root and load new themes and Myn's Warm Honeycomb but Google has already said they would not release the sources code anytime soon.
If no one is buying the Xoom, the developers will not develop apps and it may never reach the point where it is a commercial success. I will stick with the Xoom if a significant upgrade comes very soon.
Everywhere I go the xoom seems to be sold out and people are constantly asking for it. It may not have that "Apple" demand but people are interested, I love mine, cant wait for some more apps and updates to come out so it will be a beast!
this post is DOA
This is the beauty of Android, It doesn't matter about the Xoom Google will keep developing 3.0 and onward.
with Apple if interest in a new product dips it dies!
Thats why clean OS's like the xoom will always win the day and thats why extra software just slows down development!
there is more sense in nonsense
remember that!
We do need a way to release frustration and these blogs are it. This is a first honeycomb version, effectively a beta. On the other hand, I feel for Motorola, as when that update comes long, they will have to spend millions double handling the already sold Xoom.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Xoom, and I can see its potential.
I am sure one of the reasons people are not buying Xooms is that thay'd rather wait until it is finished, and some more of bugs are squashed (See googles bug tracket) the SD card is one of the lesser problems.
When that happens we will be riding a steeper adoption curve that will scare apple a little.
I found that every store in the st. Louis area that carries the xoom was sold out so I had to order mine from amazon (not a big fan). So its a bit shocking to hear that sales are bad. Maybe they just didn't make enough. Maybe its been selling fine for motorola and its the market that had unrealistic expectations.
In any case, I think as more manufactures produce more honeycomb tablets the momentum will pick up just like what happened with android phones. The g1 did not exactly fly off the self when it was introduced. Hell I didn't which from blackberry until recently.
Some of this is part of being an early adopter. I mine the ipad2 is simiply a scaled up iphone so no surprise that it works well the os has been out for some time. Honeycomb is a much bigger jump for android and therefore the problems
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The crazy amount of FUD surrounding the xoom makes me wonder if there's some propaganda machine in operation.
I don't even think that the problem is the software or bugs. I think the main thing that hurt the Xoom is price. After announcing the price Motorola did not listen to consumers and they stuck with their pricing, which ultimately hurt the success of the xoom. Prime example is the Asus Transformer, they are flying of shelves, not because of the dock as much as the price.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
tumbes20000 said:
I found that every store in the st. Louis area that carries the xoom was sold out so I had to order mine from amazon (not a big fan). So its a bit shocking to hear that sales are bad. Maybe they just didn't make enough. Maybe its been selling fine for motorola and its the market that had unrealistic expectations.
In any case, I think as more manufactures produce more honeycomb tablets the momentum will pick up just like what happened with android phones. The g1 did not exactly fly off the self when it was introduced. Hell I didn't which from blackberry until recently.
Some of this is part of being an early adopter. I mine the ipad2 is simiply a scaled up iphone so no surprise that it works well the os has been out for some time. Honeycomb is a much bigger jump for android and therefore the problems
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Click to collapse
HC is new, but overall it is still based on android. Why does it have a lot of bugs?
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From what I have seen so far ... stores are sold out, dont have accesories, (which means it is obviously selling out) and in best buy the tablets are with the computers (not with the tablets!), how are people/consumers supposed to know about it and that it is a tablet that is better than the pad when there is a big ipad2 display while the xoom is over by all the laptops and when you ask for it they take you to the zune stuff?
Oh well, and from what i have seen lately, displays are popping up, I have seen more commercials on tv, and now I hope store start stocking it to show it off.. that is the only way to sell it. I think the xoom will do just fine and as it was mentioned earlier in this thread, xoom will not die because android will not die, just wait and see
XOOM FTW!
Has the transformer received android 3.1 yet because it has become available for tablets like the motorola xoom
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No, not yet. 3.1 was just announced today and is only rolling out to Verizon Xooms. For the moment, no other tablet, including the Wifi Xoom, is getting the update.
Nope. It ain't that easy, unfortunately. Each hardware manufacturer has to fine tune their device to make it compatible with the upgrade, or better phrased, to take advantage of all new features. It's not all Steve Job's happy Apple world out there where one update is good for all devices, no matter if a small or big phone
funnycreature said:
It's not all Steve Job's happy Apple world out there where one update is good for all devices, no matter if a small or big phone
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Wrong ;P iPad/iPhone GSM/iPhone CDMA/iPod Touch use different firmwares.
We have no idea how long they've had access to the 3.1 code or what their process is for testing updates. If they (ASUS) are really proactive about updating, I would think that it would be at least 30 days until we see or hear about an update for the Transformer. If it's sooner, I'll be thrilled.
I highly doubt we'll be getting it this year even. Asus's main priority is (or should be) getting these devices stocked and sold as soon as possible because they'll be taking a huge hit once the Galaxy Tabs become available. They're not even thinking about fixing/upgrading the software.
Itaintrite said:
Wrong ;P iPad/iPhone GSM/iPhone CDMA/iPod Touch use different firmwares.
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See, not even THAT world is perfect LOL
akarol said:
I highly doubt we'll be getting it this year even. Asus's main priority is (or should be) getting these devices stocked and sold as soon as possible because they'll be taking a huge hit once the Galaxy Tabs become available. They're not even thinking about fixing/upgrading the software.
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I don't think they move the guys from software development to shipping/receiving depending on demand...
akarol said:
I highly doubt we'll be getting it this year even. Asus's main priority is (or should be) getting these devices stocked and sold as soon as possible because they'll be taking a huge hit once the Galaxy Tabs become available. They're not even thinking about fixing/upgrading the software.
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Software developement and production are handled by different groups. One wouldn't impact the other. They can work on getting software ready then deliver it via OTA update.
If Asus doesn't provide the update within a month, or announces soon that that they're working on it and it will be out soon, this will be going up for sale for either the Xoom (again) or the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Yep, same here. I'll wait for something else...
And they had better be working on updates, at least fixing the 60%+ of people who can't use their dock doorstops...
Bugs are part of computers, and we are early adopters but I am not very pleased about not being able to use it at all right now...
akashhhhh said:
I don't think they move the guys from software development to shipping/receiving depending on demand...
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LMAO, exactly what I was thinking. I don't give a crap what my marketing/production team is doing, I'm still a code-monkey and would want to be proactive to fix all the found bugs in my current software.
I think Asus will release Android 3.1 for the Transformer in the next 2 to 3 weeks. It would make sense that they have the code already as a manufacturer, and they would want to stay ahead of the Galaxy tab 10.1 which seems like will be realease with 3.1 installed.
Just my opinion,
rio
akashhhhh said:
I don't think they move the guys from software development to shipping/receiving depending on demand...
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Ha! Exactly.
WANTED: Android developer. Must also be able to lift heavy boxes for prolonged periods of time.
Wow. Android 3.1 was just announced this morning and already people are threatening to buy something else if Asus doesn't release the update. Yeesh.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Let them get the current bugs squashed, especially w/ the keyboard dock, then let's worry about getting 3.1.
Given the demand for the TF, I would think that they would have an interest in keeping it at the top of the heap for as long as possible - i.e. get it updated w/ the latest iteration of HC as quickly as possible.
Of COURSE they'll want to get updated as soon as possible. Why wouldn't they? I swear, people are getting more and more ridiculous every day. In every forum for every product, if a company doesn't announce something within 15 minutes of someone demanding it, people start pulling out the tar and feathers.
I mean, seriously, why WOULDN'T Asus update the Transformer? What reason do we have for believing they won't? The only examples we have of what Asus might do with this product has been provided by the two updates they've issued in about a month, the presence of Asus personnel on this very forum helping people out with an unfortunate glitch with the last update, issuing a fixed update for manual install on their Web site within days of the glitch being identified (which required working on it over the weekend), and in general communicating better than I've seen any other Android manufacturer communicate in recent memory.
I say, if we haven't heard about an update to 3.1 within 30 days of today, then we'd have some reason to complain and wonder when we'll get one. But a few hours after it was announced by Google? Seriously?
Ye gads, people, get lives, will you?
(Rant over.)
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Yes, because the same three guys that developed the Tablet are the same 3 guys that fullfill orders and then package them and ship them!
Why are people do so willing to (threaten to) sell their Transformer if there's no announcement? How long till the other tablets get 3.1. You know, the old Samsung Tab, the G-Slate, the Viewsonic GTablet, etc. Oh that's right... nobody knows.
akashhhhh said:
I don't think they move the guys from software development to shipping/receiving depending on demand...
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Click to collapse
LOL, didn't Amazon used to make it's upper level people work in any dept that needed extra manpower?
Yesterday I helped a friend install honeycomb on his Dell Streak7, which was a pain in my arse btw because their forums had no good instructions. It got me thinking hWHY does a 7 inch Dell Streak7 get HC with everything working and not the G tablet. WTF?? lol sorry i just don't get it. Did they just get lucky with video drivers and what not? Makes no sense to me. Then again i'm not a developer so maybe than it would make more sense. Thanks to those working on HC for Gtablet. Had to let that out. But with the question, does anyone know why a dell streak 7 ****ty tablet would have Honeycomb with everything working and the G-Tablet wouldn't?
Only a guess here, but perhaps the Dell Streak, being a crappy tablet, has a lot less hardware demand than the G-Tablet.
TJEvans said:
Only a guess here, but perhaps the Dell Streak, being a crappy tablet, has a lot less hardware demand than the G-Tablet.
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True, never thought about that....
I'm wondering if you can get Android Honeycomb on a Windows 7 Tablet and if it is difficult or not?
RedWolf023 said:
I'm wondering if you can get Android Honeycomb on a Windows 7 Tablet and if it is difficult or not?
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ya dude! totally possible. You just gotta rebuild the kernel from the ground up and figure out how to get android to run on an atom processor!
(gets on soapbox)
Why do we even need mods at all? (being serious here, not sarcastic) Some of the users here purchased their GTAB for $400, but even at $279 it's not chump change. Heck, you can buy an Xbox for that, a PS3 or a netbook.
So we get this device with really decent hardware specs (except the screen), but the software is AWFUL. So Google finally responds, months later, with Honeycomb. But...we're not allowed to have it. And Nvidia agrees as well - no hardware drivers for you!
This whole situation, when you look at it from the outside in, is really sad. We shouldn't have to do this at all - Google should be working with Nvidia and Malata to get HC out on these devices ASAP. It would be good for Google, good for the manufacturer, and good for the consumer. Everyone would win.
So, why hasn't that happened? This isn't a 100 dollar ChiPad that's disposable, it's a tablet from a well-known vendor. Honestly, it MS gets its act together and deploys Windows 8 on ARM, I might drop Android like a bad habit next year. We shouldn't have to play these games.
(ends rant)
[Initiating slow clap] Well spoken sir. I spent 400 for mine and in no way is this a throw away pad. Even at the prices today its no joke. Google, VS, and nvidia are all looking at Gtab like some sort of stillborn fetus. Just flush it and pretend it didn't happen.
If they wont listen I can at least speak my mind with my money. I just returned the nvidia SLI motherboard and the 2 blackhawk grafix cards I purchased for my next computer build project. In my email I told them I no longer trusted them to support their products and told them that when they stopped supporting 6 month old teck it left me no choice but to build using their competition.
Suck it nvidia.
If viewsonic chooses to release a 2.3 or 3.0 android version for the g tablet will nvidia release the drivers for hardware acceleration?
For our partners' Android devices, NVIDIA provides support until the hardware partner chooses to no longer support the device. So, for instance, NVIDIA will support the Xoom on all versions of Android Motorola requests until Motorola ceases to support the Xoom. The same goes for ViewSonic with the G-Tablet, Notion Ink with the Adam, Acer with the Iconia, LG with the Optimus 2X and so on.
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http://developer.nvidia.com/tegra/forum/honeycomb-harmony
Just words, as far as I'm concerned. Where's the Harmony build for Gingerbread, with hardware acceleration? We're still waiting on that. Should we blame Malata for not wanting Gingerbread or Honeycomb badly enough? I find that hard to believe. We know Notion Ink wants it.
Just words. Like Viewsonic telling us that they will continue to support the device and give us updates (and even, at one point, subtly allude to Honeycomb) and then not give us an updated ROM (that stuck) since January.
Again, let them prove me wrong. Let's see a GB ROM with full hardware acceleration, this month. Or let's see Viewsonic / Malata get us a HC ROM, this month. Shock me, I'd love it if they did that. But I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Isn't it obvious that google is beginning to act more like microsoft?
I honestly don't think viewsonic meant anything big out of the gtab. I'm thinking someone was drunk and decided to sign the papers agreeing to rebrand the gtab. The gtab's rise in popularity through the word of mouth took them by surprise and now they have no idea what to do next.
Viewsonic has instead decided to spend all their energy on pushing the viewpad 10 into the business world. So far, it's been a big failure. Not only that, they are coming out with the viewpad 10pro, which will be prised at around $800.
Sometimes, I don't understand why these mega corporations just let things slide like that.
roebeet said:
(gets on soapbox)
Honestly, it MS gets its act together and deploys Windows 8 on ARM, I might drop Android like a bad habit next year. We shouldn't have to play these games.
(ends rant)
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Agreed, the BS we have been feed has put me right off the whole lot of them. Id love to see a ARM version of windows on this thing, the idea of a OS that actually utilises the device correctly makes me smile Oh how great this thing would be with a OS that actually supported the device correctly.
TJEvans said:
Only a guess here, but perhaps the Dell Streak, being a crappy tablet, has a lot less hardware demand than the G-Tablet.
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Off topic I guess, but I played with a Dell Streak 7 for a couple of days while selling it for a friend. My god, what a terrible, terrible machine. The viewing angles are basically the same as the gTablet, but the resolution is so low it's comical for a 7" screen, and the battery life reminds me of my old MotoQ -- sucks the same amount of power awake as it does asleep.
The only pluses were that it was reasonably fast, and that the feel and heft of the tablet was good, would've made a nice eReader if the screen wasn't so bad.
dfin13 said:
Off topic I guess, but I played with a Dell Streak 7 for a couple of days while selling it for a friend. My god, what a terrible, terrible machine. The viewing angles are basically the same as the gTablet, but the resolution is so low it's comical for a 7" screen, and the battery life reminds me of my old MotoQ -- sucks the same amount of power awake as it does asleep.
The only pluses were that it was reasonably fast, and that the feel and heft of the tablet was good, would've made a nice eReader if the screen wasn't so bad.
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Ya i noticed those faults as well and still frustrated My friend has a Fully Working Verison of Honeycomb with Hardware accel, camera, flash, and opengl in browser. WIth honeycomb the tablet actually is pretty zippy.
Since Atom Ink wants GB/Honeycomb so bad. Why cant they request the hardware drivers from NVIDIA? Technically according to what the NVIDIA guy said, that is 100% possible.
RedWolf023 said:
I'm wondering if you can get Android Honeycomb on a Windows 7 Tablet and if it is difficult or not?
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The Android x86 project has made tremendous progress since the last time I looked. They don't have a Gingerbread-based distribution yet, but, they have fully working Froyo-based CDs which you can try out on your desktops, laptops and netbooks.
If you want to port any kind of Android to x86-based hardware this is where you'll have to start.
fosser2 said:
Since Atom Ink wants GB/Honeycomb so bad. Why cant they request the hardware drivers from NVIDIA? Technically according to what the NVIDIA guy said, that is 100% possible.
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That's my point - I suspect that they have. And yet it hasn't materialized. If I was Notion Ink, I'd be sending them emails daily asking for this - it's definitely in their best interest to have it. And Malata, as well.
Again, I think Nvidia is full of it.
roebeet said:
That's my point - I suspect that they have. And yet it hasn't materialized. If I was Notion Ink, I'd be sending them emails daily asking for this - it's definitely in their best interest to have it. And Malata, as well.
Again, I think Nvidia is full of it.
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I wonder if there's anyone that we could contact at Atom that would give us a straight answer about this question.
Just look at Notion Ink's blogs - I think it's fairly obvious what's going on. They had a GB port, but no hardware acceleration. Nvidia is either unwilling or unable to help them get their Adam device working on GB.
Granted, they have mentioned June 27th as the date to get the Adam devices HC. So maybe they did strike a deal with them. And if they did, where is Viewsonic? If the Adam gets HC on the 27th, I think everyone with a GTablet should be tweeting / emailing / calling Viewsonic that day saying "what about us?".
roebeet said:
Just look at Notion Ink's blogs - I think it's fairly obvious what's going on. They had a GB port, but no hardware acceleration. Nvidia is either unwilling or unable to help them get their Adam device working on GB.
Granted, they have mentioned June 27th as the date to get the Adam devices HC. So maybe they did strike a deal with them. And if they did, where is Viewsonic? If the Adam gets HC on the 27th, I think everyone with a GTablet should be tweeting / emailing / calling Viewsonic that day saying "what about us?".
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Unfortunately someone at viewsonic seems to think that your suggestion sounds a little too much like "work" and have abandoned us completely. I email and call VS almost daily but all I get are canned responses or detours to some tech number in a foreign country.
How can it be that simply ignoring a problem is actually a solution in this day and age?
roebeet said:
Just look at Notion Ink's blogs - I think it's fairly obvious what's going on. They had a GB port, but no hardware acceleration. Nvidia is either unwilling or unable to help them get their Adam device working on GB.
Granted, they have mentioned June 27th as the date to get the Adam devices HC. So maybe they did strike a deal with them. And if they did, where is Viewsonic? If the Adam gets HC on the 27th, I think everyone with a GTablet should be tweeting / emailing / calling Viewsonic that day saying "what about us?".
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how much was the NI Adam brand new at release? And comparitively how much was the G-Tablet brand new, at release? What's the price for continued support?