Hi,
I am in the market for a new android tablet at the moment.
Now I have narrowed it down to 2 choices, either 10.1 galaxy tab or a motorola xoom.
I can get a brand new xoom 3g for £400, however it seems to be more around the £550 mark for a galaxy.
Now the tablet does need to be 3g and run honeycomb.
I know there has been various problems with the xoom and lack of support for it, though it will be rooted.
The only thing that is putting me off the samsung is the price tag.
I already have a pc and a top of the range phone so it's not going to be used to replace either.
Tablet weight doesn't bother me at all, neither do camera's etc. Most important is honeycomb, along with good multimedia facilities as its primary use is movies / music aswell as the use of cloud based servers.
I would also consider the asus transformer 3g if that is released any time soon.
Any advice from owners of the xoom and what they think is the better tablet would be great. Any other suggestions of comments are much appreciated.
Thanks.
Jordan
Sent from my LG-P920 using XDA App
get the 10.1, the xoom's heavy as a brick, and can be buggy
I own a xoom, but I have had some experience with the galaxy tab, or at least have gotten a feel for it, so I will give my own personal review. The xoom is indeed heavier and thicker than the galaxy tab, but it is not like it is extremely heavy or anything, it still feels reasonably light. The galaxy tab feels cheaper as it is more plastic than the xoom. The xoom does have a real quality feel because of its heavier meatal frame. They both include the same processor, and feel very fast. I have no clue about what the developing community for the galaxy tab is like, but the xooms community is very good and has a lot of work going into it. The roms for both can not be full mods though because honey comb source has not been released. The xoom has 32 gigabytes of on board storage and can be doubled with a 32 gigabyte SD card. The galaxy comes in 16 and 32 gigabyte models but has no SD card slot making developing hard since the major custom recovery clockworkmod reads and writes to an sdcard. The screen on both are nice, but the galaxy tabs is more vibrant and less flushed out than the xooms. The xoom gets updates directly from Google so you will get updates faster on a xoom than a galaxy tab, and it will be a Google stock experience, were as the galaxy has been modded with touchwiz which is supposedly not bad.Also I have never noticed the xoom be buggy, the only real problem i have ever noticed is the browser will force close every now and then, but seems to be fixed in tiamats latest rom.Honestly both are great and you will be happy with either one.
Sent from my tiamat hammerhead xoom with tachi kernel at 1.7 ghz
Other Devices I have worked with:
Droid 2 global-cyanogenmod 7 nightly.
P.S. if this helped please press the the thanks button to show your appreciation.
The xoom for sure.
Because of about 10 different reasons,but the most important that the xoom is gonna get all Honeycomb updates from Google (like the Nexus one) and U won't even have to wait for the update,If there'll be Honeycomb 3.6,the xoom is sure to get it.
Ah, but the 10.1 is much newer, so its more likely to get future updates (eg 4.0 ICSW)
No, that is wrong. Neither the xoom,or the galaxy tab is the newer tablet. Rather they are competition that have a similar price range and similar over all software and hardware specs. The xoom is currently the only honeycomb tablet that Google uses for their development testing. Ice cream sandwich or android 4.0 will be developed on the xoom meaning it will get this update before the galaxy tab, and any update after that. Just wanted to throw that in.
I know 2 people who own moto xooms I would recommend the galaxy tab.
That said, from the sound of your post it is going to be a glorified ebook reader/angry birds player so I think you should go with the low price one.
I don't have personal experience with the galaxy tab 10.1 though.
so grain of salt and all that lol
Trust me d-..-b im from the webs
mtmerrick said:
Ah, but the 10.1 is much newer, so its more likely to get future updates (eg 4.0 ICSW)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh,really?
I didn't know that!!
Just tell me one thing.
Which one got more updates;the HTC desire (released feb 2010) or the Nexus one (released jan 1010)?
The answer (if u don't already know it) is the Nexus one,they could hardly deliver 2.3.3 to the desire.
I know that you're gonna say that was hardware issue,but actually no,the hardware on the Desire is the same on the Nexus one (the Desire even got more RAM and memory to it).
So the idea isn't if this certain device was released later or not,the idea is if google supports it big time or not.
And the xoom being google's center of development for Honeycomb it's sure to get all Honeycomb updates (Ice cream sandwich aside).
The Hongkong version of the XOOM MZ601 and ROOT after unlocking, the built-in memory into 4G, brush afresh other version of firmware, cannot solve.. Total memory should be 24G
rootfan said:
No, that is wrong. Neither the xoom,or the galaxy tab is the newer tablet. Rather they are competition that have a similar price range and similar over all software and hardware specs. The xoom is currently the only honeycomb tablet that Google uses for their development testing. Ice cream sandwich or android 4.0 will be developed on the xoom meaning it will get this update before the galaxy tab, and any update after that. Just wanted to throw that in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um, huh? the nexus prime is gonna be the ICSW development/flagship device.
I have the xoom. Love it. Wife loves playing angry birds on it too. IMO,build is nicer than the 10.1 and I don't think it's too heavy. I think the weight justifies its feel of sturdiness but I wouldn't mind it being lighter. If you care about modding, know that koush has a xoom. If you're fine with out of the box functionality and feel of the Tab, go with that and justify the added cost with the much nicer screen and lighter weight.
Just accept that whatever you buy now will feel inferior to tablets coming in the future but you get some insurance against obsolescence by going with the Google experience devices (currently xoom for honeycomb development) as you can expect to get updates earlier.
Then again, if you really hate Steve Jobs and company, give Sammy your support.
Sent from me, using this app on this thing.
Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thinner, lighter, faster...
mtmerrick said:
Um, huh? the nexus prime is gonna be the ICSW development/flagship device
You are right, icsw will not be directly developed on the xoom, but the xoom being a Google experience device means it will receive icsw pretty quickly, probably much faster than the galaxy 10.1,especially thanks to new tochwiz. Also to the reply above, the Gtab is both thinner and lighter, even if in my opinion it feels cheaper than the xoom, but it is by no means faster. Both devices contain the same gpu and CPU made by nvidia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks everyone for your replies.
Still difficult making my mind up by I am edging towards the xoom. It's going to be used as a multi media centre really (music films etc) so the cheaper one I could get will be better.
From what people are saying about the xoom and the high reviews for it it does seem like the right choice, especially being google derived for updates etc.
Thanks very much for the advice on the topic
Jordan
Sent from my LG-P920 using XDA App
jordanprudent said:
Thanks everyone for your replies.
Still difficult making my mind up by I am edging towards the xoom. It's going to be used as a multi media centre really (music films etc) so the cheaper one I could get will be better.
From what people are saying about the xoom and the high reviews for it it does seem like the right choice, especially being google derived for updates etc.
Thanks very much for the advice on the topic
Jordan
Sent from my LG-P920 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Jordan, just wondered if you got your XOOM in the end? My experience with the Samsung was unfortunately a poor one, as I fell victim to the famous lcd problem, and after three replacements I decided to cut it loose and go for the XOOM. Now I generally like Samsung products, but on this occasion I have to say that so far this seems just that little bit quicker and smoother than the sammy, and feels better built too. Ok it's a bit heavier, but reassuringly so! Plus the fact it just got a further price cut the other day (£329 now for wifi one) so it was a no brainer at that point!
I would get the Xoom on the idea it's Google's child, it'll always be in the loop for things.
I'd go for the Galaxy. The Xoom is just too heavy to be used comfortably for longer than like half an hour at a time. If you're planning to hold it for longer periods at a time, your arms will thank you for the close to 300 grams difference.
Also, the Xoom was just uncomfortable to hold with its sharp edges.
(This might just be me though)
And as for Google-relations, don't forget that Google also helped with the Galaxy. It was also the Galaxy that Google chose as a gift at the Google I/O earlier this year. And the Galaxy was first with a couple of updates earlier this year.
Related
I'm considering to buy a Motorola Xoom (which is quite expensive here in Brazil) and would like to know the opinion of you guys who already own one.
Is it ready for prime time? Should I wait for other tablets? What are the cons of the Xoom?
I read that the SD card slot is not working. Why release a product that doesn't work out of the box?
I own a Motorola Milestone and I'm a little disappointed with it (took Motorola lots of time to release Froyo for it and it is far slower than before). I had to install another rom to get it to work properly (not perfect, but better than the original). That is why I'm a little afraid from buying from them again.
Any opinion/suggestion/advice would be helpful
the xoom is guarnteed to get the updates faster....the closest thing to a nexus tablet. It got updates the day it came out. The Samsung tab 10.1 is also good
It depends on how bad you need one. Overall it's a good product. Even with 3.1 it's still pretty buggy and updates aren't coming as fast as I'd like. If you can wait, they'll just get cheaper and more reliable.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
What kinds of bugs there are? And what about the SD slot, is it working?
It is by far the best tablet out there. You should buy one, I have one and love it!
It really depends on you as a person. I love my xoom. But if you want something that isn't going to require a bit of work on your part, I doubt you should get an android tablet. Honeycomb is still new and really is an acquired feel. It's most certainly not for the average user. But out of all the honeycomb tablets the xoom will get more support as it's the first released. Samsung has little to no support for anything (look how long it took them to update an official 2.2 update for galaxy s phones. And the transform). Asus transformer is said to be a little unresponsive, not to mention hard to get. Acer iconia is said to be HEAVY. Xoom screen is a little washed out. Research and pick your poison.
Stealyourface said:
It really depends on you as a person. I love my xoom. But if you want something that isn't going to require a bit of work on your part, I doubt you should get an android tablet. Honeycomb is still new and really is an acquired feel. It's most certainly not for the average user. But out of all the honeycomb tablets the xoom will get more support as it's the first released. Samsung has little to no support for anything (look how long it took them to update an official 2.2 update for galaxy s phones. And the transform). Asus transformer is said to be a little unresponsive, not to mention hard to get. Acer iconia is said to be HEAVY. Xoom screen is a little washed out. Research and pick your poison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the things I get worried about are the updates, since it took Motorola a long time to release 2.2 to Milestone too. They only seem to care about the US market, because the Droid received the update long before and it is almost the same phone.
But it was said during this year's Google I/O that they will be working with some brands (including Motorola) to release updates quickly for many months after the launch of the products.
And what about the SD card slot? Is it working?
this is the flagship honeycomb so this will get the update assuming Google comes up with one.
re SD card, there is already a workaround. just requires a bit of tinkering on your part.
I love my xoom.
Sent from my mind using telepathy
I don't mind having to tinker with it to make it work, but seems strange that it does not work out of the box. Do you know if it is an Android limitation or if it is Motorola's fault?
Either the Xoom or Tab 10.1. The xoom gets updates faster, the tab is lighter/thinner.
rvr777 said:
I don't mind having to tinker with it to make it work, but seems strange that it does not work out of the box. Do you know if it is an Android limitation or if it is Motorola's fault?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Motorola and Google's fault. Acer iconia, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and Asus Transformer have working slots out the box (because they made their own drivers for it). Motorola/Google didn't make the SD slot drivers for the xoom yet.
Well if the rumor is true about the galaxy tab not having and SD card slot then I am going to buy the xoom. Its been out a while now anybody know where to find some good deals on it
Sent from my captivate BLAZING on firefly 3.0
so i got my mom an ipad 2 over the weekend. and seeing her use a tablet is making think that i should invest in a tablet.
haven't really played with a xoom before. but from the ipad, the ui is so smooth. i'm hoping that the xoom will be somewhat as smooth.
but functionality wise, i think the xoom is a better fit for my everyday needs. however, since the xoom is already a few months old, should i just wait for the new motorola tablet or bite the bullet and play the wait and see game?
+1 I too would like to know..
To wait for the Xoom 2? or get the Xoom?.
Will the current Xoom still be rolling with the big shots in 6 months time??
Knock Knock.... said:
+1 I too would like to know..
To wait for the Xoom 2? or get the Xoom?.
Will the current Xoom still be rolling with the big shots in 6 months time??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we all expect that the original Xoom will get Ice Cream Sandwich OTA pretty soon, or it will at least be ported as any number of roms from our fabulous development team. There's no way of knowing how good or how much better any near future tablet releases will be, and while the original Xoom is by no means a one-click root machine, it has an oem unlockable bootloader and it's really pretty fast and easy to root it if you follow instructions and don't "invent" your own methods...it's actually hard (though not impossible) to brick it; that said, there's no telling what future tablets will be like...will they be locked-down or unlockable like the current (oiginal) Xoom?
The original Xoom is a fantastic device: built like a tank, really good specs, and great performance, especially with some tweaks. Some people don't like the screen, but I love mine, so no complaint there. Actually, beween the great Moray 2.2.2 Rom, the overclocked gpu kernel, and the ADW EX Launcher, I can't really ask for too much more. The ICS specs look incrementally better than Honeycomb, and new hardware is usually faster and better than older hardware, but I'm not tempted by anything else I've seen so far.
Also, would you really rather wait two-three months for something unknown to materialize or get something great to use right now?
my rule of thumb for gadgets and whatnots is not to get the 1st gen of anything because there are always kinks and other things that need to be worked on.
i think i'm going to wait for the new xoom tablet. ICS looks amazing. and if moto comes out with a new xoom with better hardware backed up with a vanilla ICS, i think that would be a clear winner.
arcticreaver said:
my rule of thumb for gadgets and whatnots is not to get the 1st gen of anything because there are always kinks and other things that need to be worked on.
i think i'm going to wait for the new xoom tablet. ICS looks amazing. and if moto comes out with a new xoom with better hardware backed up with a vanilla ICS, i think that would be a clear winner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's your rule of thumb, then by all means "to thine own self be true."
I've read that the new xoom is still going to be running a dual core processor. Im not sure how much better in performance it is to the dual core processor in the current xoom, but considering the money you'll be spending maybe that factor should be thrown in too. Besides you can always overclock the original xoom for better performance.
Also Kal-el quad cores aren't too far off either. If you've got the patience of a saint you could save your money and get one of them
looks like the new asus transformer 2 might have that new nvidia chipset - tegra 3. seeing how asus have better price point for basically the same hardware, might just go with asus for my next tablet. hopefully they don't skin their own version of honeycomb or ics for the transformer 2.
Exactly ..if anyone has been following what i said way back months ago about Asus dropping their tablet in October.Now it makes perfect sense.Asus was waiting on ICS.Now they're about to release their tablet just in time with ICS on it.If they do it..it will bye bye Xoom.Motorola better step up to the plate!!!
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/19/asus-jonney-shih-unveils-transformer-2-at-asiad/
And there we go. Release details in November. Tho it doesn't seem it'll have ics at launch
the sleek design on the tablet with the fact that it has tegra 3 quad core processor with 14 hours of life makes this #1 on my tablet wishlist.
looks like it will be a good enough netbook as well. my 1st gen macbook pro with intel processor is super slow these days.
I'm getting one.Motorola looks like they're going to drop the ball with the new XOOM. So it will be bye bye Verizon.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
If the weight is not big to you, go ahead and get it. I have one and think it is great.
Please thank me if I helped.
For me the deciding factor for considering a Xoom 2 will be if hardware/firmware showcases the new ICS digital input API so apps for scribe, annotation, and pressure sensitive drawing. I have come to use my Tiamat Xoom WiFi as an "at home" device and MoDaCo/HC-leak HTC Flyer WiFi as my "at work" slate for the often used scribe tools. Though the HTC Sense is a well done UI, I prefer vanilla Android so an ICS port will turn the Flyer in to cool 7" showcase of new input API but the new mid screen size Xoom might fit my work needs perfectly.
...xoom posted...
just to let everyone know up front I am not considering any apple tablets, so please do not suggest them
I've been looking at the HTC Flyer, the Samsung Galaxy tab, but am not sure if there are any other decent tablets out there between 7'' - 12''
budgets is about 200-400 quid
I'm just having a hard time making a decision, I'm not bothered about 1080p playback 720p is fine with me, must have a decent processor/gpu as I like to play alot of games as well, must be android only
at least 5mp camera, preferable with the option of being able to root and ICS
do i get a 3g sim or non 3g? what the heck do i do?
hdmi out is a selling point, dual core is a selling point
I won't be making calls on it but I might want to use 3g+ on it if im out and about
rooting and customisation very important
any one got any decent suggestions,
EDIT:
GOT THE XOOM IN THE END, WHAT A TABLET!! its freaking amazing
I hear the Tab is quite good.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
mox123 said:
just to let everyone know up front I am not considering any apple tablets, so please do not suggest them
I've been looking at the HTC Flyer, the Samsung Galaxy tab, but am not sure if there are any other decent tablets out there between 7'' - 12''
budgets is about 200-400 quid
I'm just having a hard time making a decision, I'm not bothered about 1080p playback 720p is fine with me, must have a decent processor/gpu as I like to play alot of games as well, must be android only
at least 5mp camera, preferable with the option of being able to root and ICS
do i get a 3g sim or non 3g? what the heck do i do?
hdmi out is a selling point, dual core is a selling point
I won't be making calls on it but I might want to use 3g+ on it if im out and about
rooting and customisation very important
any one got any decent suggestions,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should help you choose lol
droidfather.com/VideoCategory/Android-Tablets
The Asus transformer series are really nice, I'm looking around to get a Samsung Galaxy Tab myself soon, it looks quiet promising.
I would recommend the Motorola Xoom. The development for the device has been stellar, the devs are awesome and has an unlockable bootloader. Cm9 and other wonderful custom roms like Team EOS nightly builds are solid, fast and will make others envious. The Xoom feels solid and is well built. The screen is not as nice as the ones found on the Asus transformer or Samsung Tab but it isn't bad either. Those other screens also have their cons due to the nature of their technology. There have also been a decent amount of complaints about Asus build quality and Samsung lack of timely updates. The Xoom was the first to get ICS, the first to get a cornerstone build, the first to be officially supported tab for Cm9 and continues to have the latest android enhancements via Team EOS roms. Also the proprietary charger charges the xoom pretty fast and the accessories are cheap now due to it being out for a while. Because it was the first to market, it doesn't mean the it is obsolete. I got a bit of a bad rep in the beginning due to screw ups on Motorola part but all is well now.
I have a 4g Xoom and use it every day. I run the Team EOS nightlys, with the device overlooked to 1.4 (i can get 1.6, but not needed) and undervolted to save juice. Feel free to check out the development thread to verify my claims. Cheers!
what about the xoom 2?
i actually like the look of the xoom 1 but the xoom 2 doesnt look great, whats your thoughts
mox123 said:
what about the xoom 2?
i actually like the look of the xoom 1 but the xoom 2 doesnt look great, whats your thoughts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't get the xoom 2. The bootloader is locked, there isn't nearly as much dev support, no custom roms, no micro sd card slot (deal breaker), more expensive and not all the much of an improvement. It also isn't a Google experience device.
Yea, this I will admit the the screen is better and the writing tech is nice. But you will kick yourself for not going with a better supported device. Before I purchase anything, I checked to see how the community support of the device is and recommend that others do the same. I don't want to solely rely on manufacturers for support.
To be honest I would wait for the Windows 8 tablets if you truly cannot buy an Apple device, as all of the Android tablets still suck(to put it mildly). The iPad is just in a whole another league right now, and ICS didn't make the situation any better. They all lag like crazy, even the 7.7 inch Exynos-equipped Tablet from Samsung. The tablet experience just isn't there yet for android.
What ever you do never get an LG V900 or V909, cant be rooted, or just shortly until you reboot.
Unless you like stock and no root.
Have a look to the Acer Iconia 501.
Toss3 said:
To be honest I would wait for the Windows 8 tablets if you truly cannot buy an Apple device, as all of the Android tablets still suck(to put it mildly). The iPad is just in a whole another league right now, and ICS didn't make the situation any better. They all lag like crazy, even the 7.7 inch Exynos-equipped Tablet from Samsung. The tablet experience just isn't there yet for android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow really? What tablets running ICS have you owned? My Xoom running Team EOS ICS 4.0.3 is smooth an rarely lags.
The ipad hardware is in another league but the software is still Crap. What good is having all of that power and design but only being able to do 1/4 of what an android tablet can do? Also you are limited to whatever apps Apple deems fit in their one appstore. The other other alternative is to jailbreak and uses cydia. Don't even get me started on having to rely on a pc or mac to back up apps and settings usin itunes. On android I just use titanium backup and clockwork recovery to make a full back up to my micro sd card. I have been through that Crap an will never go back. Have you?
I also like how people are assuming windows 8 is going to be the answer for everyone. It can't run your normal desktop apps, I will be more expensive, it will be locked down, possibly more vulnerable due to it being based of windows and missing so awesome features due to limited api access or something similar. Keep in mind the Android was never intended to take on desktop OSs and the ios doesn't come any closer to accomplishing that. ios is worst. I don't care if here are 200,000+ apps, how many fart emulators and angry birds clones do you need? I how many apps do people on average even bother downloading from the appstore? I can tell you it is not 200,000 or even 50.
I will admit that the stock rom may have its issues, the custom roms usually fixes and enhances the user experience. I have only used the Motorola Xoom and Asus Transformer. Both have Cm9 and Team EOS ICS 4.0.3 nightlys available for them that run like butter. I never use stock rom.
ICS is there in tablet experience and will be getting better with release of 4.0.5 and 4.0.4. I wish people wih limited hands on experience would stop making blanket general statements. Not having the opportunity to tinker wih various hardware and software is one thing, but being unsatisfied wih the out of he box experience is another. This is XDA, experiment, create and discover.
ASUS Transformer Series are good and popular
@runhopskipjump: Way to go turning this into an Apple vs Android thread. Read any reputable review site that actually have an objective viewpoint on the matter and you'll come to realize exactly what everyone else has(except for some die-hard android fans): the android experience does not translate well onto tablets yet.
I love android, and have been waiting on an android tablet that would match the iPad, like the SGS did with the iPhone, but alas no tablet has done so yet and with the new iPad, apple leapfrogged the android manufacturers by a year, again.
The only tablet I would even remotely consider is the updated Transformer Prime TF700, but that won't be out until June.
Windows 8 is going to bridge the gap between the PC and Tablet space, allowing tablets to run desktop apps and vice versa. I hate having to have two devices, when one should be enough. The battery life of the current crop of Windows 7 tablets just isn't quite there yet and is the only obstacle keeping me from buying one, and I am hoping that the arm version of Windows 8 is going to remedy that.
thats the problem alot of the hardware does suck, however with the tegra 3 having only 1 gpu core compared to a5x's 4 gpus,
i think apple did the right thing here but I can't support a company like apple
the transformer prime sucks and they have made a new model of the same prime tablet due to issues with the back aluminum and some slight enhancements,
so in a way there is a flaw with those tablets right there and to overcome those you need to purchase the even new model of the prime,
I don't want to be running around, I just want something that will work hardware wise, and the software I can work around with custom roms,
tab
i would chose the samsung galaxy tab
I really recommend you TAB from Samsung Galaxy family
.
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I'm very satisfied with my galaxy tab 10.1
Covers all my needs, has great ROMs - I've only tried overcome, but there are others - and is overclockable.
Now that I've found the switchme app - me, my wife and child all have our separate accounts on it.
Whatever you get, make sure you have enough internal space for such an app.
It's very convenient for more than one user to be able to have their own google account on a tablet, since they often are shared my more than one user.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using xda premium
its such a hard choice as they are all good but only one is going to be bought,
I wish I could make up my damn mind
mox123 said:
its such a hard choice as they are all good but only one is going to be bought,
I wish I could make up my damn mind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If money is no object, you have two choices. Either you want a tablet can double down as a netbook and you go for the upcoming ASUS Transformer tablet (skip the Prime, I've heard from several people that it has connectivity issues), or you're more into consuming media, in which case Samsung Galaxy Tab is really good.
At this point it slowly starts to become a matter of taste. The top competitors are pretty close to each other. I'm curious about the upcoming Google-branded tablet too - I kicked the HTC Sense to the curb after a mere 2 weeks and replaced it with AOSP, so I don't put great trust in third party shells.
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade.. and the hardware itself is getting old(while still running ICS thanks to our great community, it raises the question how much farther will the phone be able to be updated..)
a cheaper alternative maybe? or its just that good..
That's exactly what manufacturers wants to hear from consumers. Why buy phones that have lasting dollar values and gets frequent software updates when you can buy a new expensive one every year that doesn't have great built quality and with zero to almost no software update?
Android can use a bit cleaning up on the performance side, even the Galaxy Note stock rom have hiccups because of the bloatness, with quadcore phones they'll have more excuss to bloat and put animations in. Windows Phone 7 seems to do fine with single core. It's not like my Galaxy S is struggling with any of the new games at 800x480 resolution.
Well we already know Samsung said "Nope, ain't gonna happen" for ICS on the Captivate even in spite of builds being made available by the talented folk here at XDA and at other places online. The excuse that "the hardware isn't capable of running ICS adequately" is always a crock because I'm running Doc's Master v8 right now, ICS 4.0.3 based, and I get higher benchmarks with this ROM than the stock KK4 AT&T Gingerbread 2.3.5 ROM with:
- Quadrant
- Antutu
- Vellamo (with Vellamo I actually get slightly higher scores than a Galaxy Nexus, unbelievable)
and several others I've tried recently. So much for being "inadequate" or an underpowered device...
So, Samsung, stop whining and making excuses and just give us some ICS source so people can make a pure ROM I suppose.
Doc's v9 is nice since it's currently a beta and completely unthemed, but a lot of stuff won't install properly on it from Play (although I can install them from the APKs if I remember to manually save them in between ROM swaps).
It's a great phone, it has a beautiful design overall (one of my all time favorites, with the HD2 still being the king of all smartphones to me), USB and headphone connections on the top - I hate it when they're on the sides or bottom, and the main draw being the Super AMOLED display.
People still buy 'em, so Samsung keeps making 'em and AT&T keeps selling 'em.
Works for me.
Snow_fox said:
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade.. and the hardware itself is getting old(while still running ICS thanks to our great community, it raises the question how much farther will the phone be able to be updated..)
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The R&D and tooling have long been paid for and there are still people buying. It's practically free money for them. The longer they're made, the cheaper they can get. The cheaper they can get, the more they're sold.
I sought this phone out actively because I liked my Epic and knew how to root & fix it easily. I didn't want a contract and for $250 brand new vs $600 for a Note it was a no-brainer.
Snow_fox said:
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade..
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Simple, it sells. And with it running 2.3.5, it's very much up to date OS wise. It's not ICS, but at this point what is?
The early adopters are a rather small crowd of people that seems large to us because they are the tech obsesses folks that make xda what it is. They count for next to nothing compared to the "average user."
This phone is exactly what Samsung aimed for it to be, a Flagship. It was way a head of the curve when it first came out, and is still a great phone. It's been muddied by the early releases but, the fact that Samsung still won out (and is the top selling android manufacturer) means it really was an excellent device (and family of devices).
It's time is almost up though, because ICS really is beyond its abilities.
br0adband said:
The excuse that "the hardware isn't capable of running ICS adequately" is always a crock because I'm running Doc's Master v8 right now, ICS 4.0.3 based
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But it can't. We don't even have half the features, almost everything new to ICS has been stripped out because we don't have the hardware for it. Sure, the core OS can be made to run on our phone, but even at that we can't run it properly. The things your comparing against are to that of 2.2, ICS is not some dinky internal tweaks. It's a whole new OS, it's 4.0 not 2.4. Now I'll admit that most of the new parts to ICS are little more then shiny buttons that don't serve us much good. But it's rather easy to dismiss things you've never been able to do before. Once you get your hands on a phone actually built for ICS, that is then made future-proof like the ours was, you'll look back at the cappy and laugh at it.
DaNaRkI said:
Once you get your hands on a phone actually built for ICS, that is then made future-proof like the ours was, you'll look back at the cappy and laugh at it.
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Had a Galaxy Nexus - the flagship Android 4.0 device - and couldn't stand it so I returned it and decided to wait on something better. Then the Galaxy Note came out and I can't wait to see what ICS can really do on that device, but since I can't actually afford one I guess that won't matter anyway.
Found this Captivate on craigslist for $60 and it's been fantastic since the moment I bought it. I swear the SGS feels more responsive and stable running a "hack" ROM of the same OS than the Nexus did/does. Yes it could just be some placebo effect, I suppose. A benchmark using Vellamo puts this SGS running an ICS ROM (at 1.2 GHz) outpacing the Nexus, go figure - a single core device running an unofficial hack of an OS besting the dual core flagship device for that very OS... ain't it cool?
There may be some aspects of ICS that the SGS can't do (NFC, etc) but they just so happen to be features I don't give a damn about, either so... it all works out in the end.
phone is sold
as long as ppl buy it.
u can get iPhone3gs u know - @ great price.
br0adband said:
Had a Galaxy Nexus - the flagship Android 4.0 device - and couldn't stand it so I returned it and decided to wait on something better.
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The Galaxy Nexus is not a flagship, just like the Nexus S was not. It's a debut phone and like the other Nexus phones, a developers phone. It's mean to showcase the abilities of ICS, not push the limits of a phone. Our phone came out before the Nexus S, yet that phone has a lot of the exact same internals. Why? ours was made future-proofed, nothing better was needed for GB. The Galaxy Nexus was also not top of the line at it's release, just compare it to an SGS2. Future proof would have meant that LTE was designed into the phone at start, not added later.
But you do bring up a very good point that I already admitted to, most of the new abilities are rather unnecessary for a phone. But I don't doubt that once a good ICS phone comes out we'll find ways to work them into our daily life. Just like we have for all the unnecessary things that the Cappy can do now.
The Captivate is a pretty solid phone still. I still have mine kicking around that I use now for playing music since my Galaxy Nexus doesnt have external memory (and apps are getting bigger and bigger in size so I need all the space I can get) so this phone does quite well for that.
I think I would still be using this phone if it had a bigger screen (I got big hands) and if Samsung was continuing to update this.
i use my spare captivate as a skype phone (between rom tests).
and where is the phone still being sold?
Well, as much as I love my Tab 7 Plus I've just about had it with Samsung. I'm getting rid of it, selling it on ebay with the official book cover/case. The money I get for it will go towards the new Google Nexus tablet due out at the end of this month.
For what it's worth, I've learnt a lot about tablets and Android from some very clever people on this part of the XDA forum and I'd like to thank them for the help...
Maybe I'll bump into some of you guys on another part of this forum in the future
I can't say I blame you...
BTW, as much as I do/did like the official book cover case, mine is beginning to fall apart at the corners (of the flap that covers the screen). I haven't been very hard on it, it mostly stays at home. It just turned out lower quality/less durable than it appears.
Mine is going on EBAY today aswell - my Sony Tablet S is a much better bit of kit.
Bye bye Samsung.
Can't say I blame you. I bought the tablet with the ICS update in mind, but Samsung has really been disappointing. Thinking about selling mine too...
I've just installed AOKP on my little girls (my old) P1000. With it running ICS 4.0.4 it seems to be so responsive compared to gingerbread that was on it. It feels like a completely new device. A lot if things (UI responsiveness, task switching, etc) seem to be on par (and in some cases surpass) with my P6200 now. It's actually a joy to use again and it's also a constant reminder of what I'm missing out on.
Not that I am pro Apple or IOS, but this graphic from the recent WWDC 12 keynote tells the overall story pretty well.
I am very disappointed in Samsung and most other tablet and handset brands upgrade schedules as well. They'd rather you purchase a new product rather than support the one, in some cases, you just bought.
I am pretty certain I won't bother to purchase another Samsung product
My GT-6210 is now on Ebay, selling with root and my own personal optimisations.
Huh? what's so bad about the tab? It runs just fine with honeycomb once you get rid of default launcher
I did the same thing 7 months ago. I had a acer a100 and I sold it on Ebay because of the locked bootloader. I month later they found a workaround to the bootloader issue and now have CM9 on it.
With the money I sold the A100 I bought the p6210 and figured the Samsung would be not far behind with the ICS update. Now I am still waiting for ICS on the Samsung and Acer has released ICS on the A100 months ago. I am afraid that if I sell the Samsung that they will release the update, so I am sticking it out.
Like I did with my phone two versions ago I will only buy Nexus devices. If google releases a Nexus tablet that is Wifi only I will get it and not worry about future updates.
VitaZora said:
...this graphic from the recent WWDC 12 keynote tells the overall story pretty well.
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I'm not thrilled about the delay either, but this graphic does *not* tell the entire story. See, for example, here: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/12/psa-which-ios-6-features-can-my-device-run/
Sure, almost all devices receive the new version of iOS... but none besides the newest hardware *really* get it.
CrisisCorE said:
Huh? what's so bad about the tab? It runs just fine with honeycomb once you get rid of default launcher
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Who said there was anything wrong with the Tab? It's a great piece of kit.
It's Samsung themselves who are the problem.
bittersound said:
Who said there was anything wrong with the Tab? It's a great piece of kit.
It's Samsung themselves who are the problem.
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This is not the answer. Why do you want ICS so badly? Is it something essential for your tablet? Honeycomb+TZ and ICS+TZ really look the same. So no visual differences. Why do you need ICS? Because of face unlock? Because of an ability to swipe apps from multitasking menu? Why?
Everything ICS offers is already in HC, or it's just not important.
The only thing that is reasonable to desire - more battery life and more speed. Both are already very nice in HC. My 6201 can stand for 7 hours with 3G on + GPS + Games + Movies + Internet surfing. And it's very, very fast, faster than my 3VO on ICS with overclock (2 cores @ 1.7ghz).
So can anybody tell me just one reason, besides the reason above, why would you really need ICS? I dare you.
So just calm down, stop this crap and do like me: just be happy using your gt7+ with HC, not thinking about ICS. Android 4.0 will eventually come to our device, and before it happened, let's forget about it.
Adiost said:
This is not the answer. Why do you want ICS so badly? Is it something essential for your tablet? Honeycomb+TZ and ICS+TZ really look the same. So no visual differences. Why do you need ICS? Because of face unlock? Because of an ability to swipe apps from multitasking menu? Why?
Everything ICS offers is already in HC, or it's just not important.
The only thing that is reasonable to desire - more battery life and more speed. Both are already very nice in HC. My 6201 can stand for 7 hours with 3G on + GPS + Games + Movies + Internet surfing. And it's very, very fast, faster than my 3VO on ICS with overclock (2 cores @ 1.7ghz).
So can anybody tell me just one reason, besides the reason above, why would you really need ICS? I dare you.
So just calm down, stop this crap and do like me: just be happy using your gt7+ with HC, not thinking about ICS. Android 4.0 will eventually come to our device, and before it happened, let's forget about it.
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You are very rude and aggressive, there is no call for it.
I didn't say I wanted ICS "so badly" either? Are you the type who just likes to get cross about things?
I'll say (for the last time) in plain English... I am frustrated with Samsung's perceived attitude and stonewalling when it comes to sharing information and basic after-sale care.
Now, I cannot speak for anyone else on this forum but for me if I get dissatisfied with a company then I take my customer elsewhere, and in this instance this manifests itself with me selling my current tablet to purchase one from another manufacturer.
That is all. If you can keep the dialog friendly I'd be grateful.
Best regards
I'm not going as far as selling my 7.0 Tab - I know Ics will come to it eventually. But once the 7 inch Nexus tab hits, I'll be using that as my daily use tab, and the Galaxy will be demoted, like the red headed stepchild it is, to a universal remote and little childs plaything until one of my kids runs over it with a bicycle or something.
Hardware is only compelling up to a certain point.
@bittersound
I couldn't agree with what you've said more.
I bought this device expecting it to be lagfree, or at least given the system spec and the price, even when the default launcher is removed, rooted and tweaks, it's still bad.
My Sony Tablet S is a better device, and for the same price it came with the IR Blaster, better gaming performance with a Tegra 2 CPU, Play Station certification, it too has the small apps bar and includes the mini browser, calculator and remote control.
It's ICS, I can swipe to close apps, force GPU rendering, the web browsing is smoother and the camera is alot sharper and a higher quality.
I bought the Samsung as I bricked my Sony - but when ICS came out I was able to un-brick it, so my Samsung is now on Ebay, I will not be buying another one tablet from them.
Adiost said:
This is not the answer. Why do you want ICS so badly? Is it something essential for your tablet? Honeycomb+TZ and ICS+TZ really look the same. So no visual differences. Why do you need ICS? Because of face unlock? Because of an ability to swipe apps from multitasking menu? Why?
Everything ICS offers is already in HC, or it's just not important.
The only thing that is reasonable to desire - more battery life and more speed. Both are already very nice in HC. My 6201 can stand for 7 hours with 3G on + GPS + Games + Movies + Internet surfing. And it's very, very fast, faster than my 3VO on ICS with overclock (2 cores @ 1.7ghz).
So can anybody tell me just one reason, besides the reason above, why would you really need ICS? I dare you.
So just calm down, stop this crap and do like me: just be happy using your gt7+ with HC, not thinking about ICS. Android 4.0 will eventually come to our device, and before it happened, let's forget about it.
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I want my damn lockscreen music player for Google Music.
i won't satisfy with u~~~
Adiost said:
This is not the answer. Why do you want ICS so badly? Is it something essential for your tablet? Honeycomb+TZ and ICS+TZ really look the same. So no visual differences. Why do you need ICS? Because of face unlock? Because of an ability to swipe apps from multitasking menu? Why?
Everything ICS offers is already in HC, or it's just not important.
The only thing that is reasonable to desire - more battery life and more speed. Both are already very nice in HC. My 6201 can stand for 7 hours with 3G on + GPS + Games + Movies + Internet surfing. And it's very, very fast, faster than my 3VO on ICS with overclock (2 cores @ 1.7ghz).
So can anybody tell me just one reason, besides the reason above, why would you really need ICS? I dare you.
So just calm down, stop this crap and do like me: just be happy using your gt7+ with HC, not thinking about ICS. Android 4.0 will eventually come to our device, and before it happened, let's forget about it.
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if HC compare with ICS nothing diff., why release a new ICS???
btw, sure now we hv a good tablet, but not every one will be satisfy the best
tablet now we hv, right?
when samsung update ICS for Our Tab+(but asus TF101 already hv), I THINK a new Jelly Bean 5 its time to release... (i,m fell like a donkey)
say truth, i hv no choice to choose other tablet with phone in 7", if "have" i never buy samsung again~~~
i'll stay for next tablet nexus 7" by asus.
I'm sure ICS would be somewhat better, and yes it sucks that samsung hasn't released it yet, but I'm already happy with my 7+ so I'm not exactly in a rush either.
Adiost said:
So can anybody tell me just one reason, besides the reason above, why would you really need ICS? I dare you.
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Because some people are never happy with what they have. In a few months after ICS drops they'll be *****ing because Jellybean isn't being developed for this tab. My philosophy has always been if you don't like it learn how to fix it yourself, its not all that difficult if you really want to learn. I'm perfectly happy with this as it is, it does everything I want it to do. If your not happy with it sell it, get something you like, and move on. I should add that HTC, Motorolla and the rest of the manufacturers aren't any better than Samsung in fact some are far worse with locked devices and not releasing code.
i sold my HTC Wildfire S last December 2011 because HTC doesnt want to unlock our bootloader.. Few days after I sold my Wildfire S and got this tab they unlocked the bootloader.. anyway I'll try to stick with this tab for the meantime.. I'm really not in the hurry to get ICS. I'm not gonna let go of this tab easily. So far it works well for me..