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I want one of these and I can go get one from my local staples. Is this tablet worth it?
I know we have root and such but is the tablet going to be fast enough to support 2.3 or 3.0 when it launches. I know its the dual core tegra but all the reviews say this thing is slow.
Feedback ?
its slow with the stock interface. once you root and replace that with zpad, its pretty zippy. ive got no regrets yet, and i almost constantly have regrets after spending a little cash on electronics.
I'm in the same boat... I've been looking for a tablet, non iPad, and saw this in the black friday ads for Staples. Just noticed that there is no price difference between now and those ads. $400. So I'm tempted to pick one up. I have a Epic 4g and enjoy how android 2.1 works so far. I think the hardware sounds good just hesitant because of software issues... but as much as I know those will be ironed out by the smart people on these forums. I may just pick one up tonight.
bmasephol said:
I'm in the same boat... I've been looking for a tablet, non iPad, and saw this in the black friday ads for Staples. Just noticed that there is no price difference between now and those ads. $400. So I'm tempted to pick one up. I have a Epic 4g and enjoy how android 2.1 works so far. I think the hardware sounds good just hesitant because of software issues... but as much as I know those will be ironed out by the smart people on these forums. I may just pick one up tonight.
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Click to collapse
379 sears (thanksgiving, not black friday 7am-9am) source bfads.net, with 2 micro SD cards and a case.
I added a general FAQ here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=842899
I tried to lay out some of the current pros and cons, so feel free to look it over. Everyone's needs are different. I happen to like mine and plan on keeping it.
i originally purchased one, then i was lucky to grab 2 more that were refurbs, and i have been using all the builds here plus ones i have been trying to get stable of my own, only to find that it is nearly impossible to truelly screw this thing up beyond repair, not saying it isnt possible, just saying it is hard to do it.
i like the rothnic builds as the zpad builds are based on hardware that is identical to the gtab, but sold under another name malata i think. that is not to say that all the hard work robeet has done is not great as his builds are highly stable as well. Great job to both guys.
i currently have 7 builds of my own. the first two are not based on zpad, which are the ones i am having a major issue in figuring out what i am screwing up. on the 5 other builds, i am using zpad as my base and adding a very trimmed version of andriod 2.2. i am trying to keep everything to only what works all the time everytime in my zpad builds, where the two non zpad builds are based on my own version of the kernal, could be my whole problem, but neither are stable yet. for me to release my 5 versions, small differences with how games load, flash, utube, and some office stuff...apks...would not help anyone as rothnics builds and those who helped him are superior to mine as of today. hopefully, i will figure out my culprit that is causing my issues within the builds.
i will only release what will work 100% of the time that i create, otherwise, i am only congesting the forum with useless crap and not actually helping anyone...
akodoreign said:
379 sears (thanksgiving, not black friday 7am-9am) source bfads.net, with 2 micro SD cards and a case.
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Click to collapse
The nearest sears that will probably carry it on thanksgiving is about 100 miles away... so I might just bite the $20 bullet and freebie SD cards and case and pick one up tonight.
If I ever get free time I'd love to get involved with the development... just always busy with other stuff.
The core of the tablet is a dual core 1Ghz Tegra 2 w/ 512 mb of ram. Its very close to the fastest ARM hardware running Android atm so 2.3 will be no problem. Nobody can tell whether 3.0 will require dramatically more powerful hardware but its doubtful considering 600mhz Droid 1s are running 2.2 just fine.
That said, the ability to support isn't the issue here. The problem is with official support from Viewsonic. They need to release their source for any devs to be able to get deep enough to upgrade to a new build (correct me if I'm wrong here). Barring that they would have to release their own version of updated Android. Considering the condition of the initial build I am not hopeful Viewsonic or the OEM will supply this support so long after purchase.
While not having the latest Android version is going to suck, its not going to reduce the functionality of the device. I think this hits a sweet spot atm. Its not nearly as expensive as the Galaxy Tab but it gives you something to mess around with until the real Tier 1 tablets come out next year. The Galaxy Tab is still build on the same non-tablet OS so investing $600 at this time doesn't seem wise. In addition, the powerful hardware keeps hope alive that this tablet can be brought up to snuff even in a year when we'll likely have 1.2 dual core 1gb tablets.
i do not think they will support it, or only for a very short duration, which is why i am trying to develop something.
according to a customer service person, it is cosmetic issues nothing highly important, which leaves me unsettled.
picked mine up today, with high hopes for this tegra chip... but so far viewsonic has managed to destroy what could and should be a sweet set up... havent been able to push a rom onto it yet, still looking to root but even still my EVO blows this thing out of the ocean, lets be honest here... did they pull this screen from some speak and spell from the 80's?
and you with guys with the epics are going to laugh when a movies playing on it
its late, so in the morning i'll get back with how it fairs with a root and rom dosage
ohh ya... whats with the constant wifi error? out of the box a wifi device should at least connect to WIFI, unless viewsonic was going for a true 80's speak and spell
Stopped at staples last night and grabbed one. I'm looking for an instant on web browser/video player. Coming from my epic the screen sucks but nothing I've seen compares to my epics screen. The stock device is pretty laggy but I'm about to flash a custom rom and try that out. I have 14 days to return and staples said they would take it back no questions asked. Ill post more later.
I think with the upgraded rom with the dell home and flash is great, and now that we have the full market I can't bring my self to return it. .. lol
Sent from my UPC300-2.2 using Tapatalk
rodzero said:
its slow with the stock interface. once you root and replace that with zpad, its pretty zippy. ive got no regrets yet, and i almost constantly have regrets after spending a little cash on electronics.
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Click to collapse
+1.
Get it at Sears for $340 with a $50 replacement plan. Can't go wrong there if you flash it and break it... No regrets here either. If you are like most of us cruising this forums for cool stuff, you will love.
Can't see myself owning and iPad and be just like everyone else. I have yet to see to Android devices (from Android fans) that look the same....
If you install all the fixs here this thing rocks.
mopar said:
If you install all the fixs here this thing rocks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Returned 1st one after 2 days due to constant loops (wanted to exchange but no stock).
Lots of force closes with stock firmware + external sdcard / usb stick unrecognized.
- Picked up 2nd one and replaced with Zpad 1106 firmware:
* Very Zippy, have not experienced FC's so far.
* External sdcard / usb thumbdrive work fine.
- Now my son can have my old 12" Dell XT!
Hi everyone. I have a 4 year old who keeps taking my phone and my kids (his older brother and sister) ipod touches. He uses them to play games and go on youtube. I've been looking online for a cheap tablet for him to have and on craigslist there are a few for sale in my area for anywhere from $75-$100. I want to know if anyone has any experience with these cheaper android tabs. There's one by Sylvania and some others that just say ePad.
Does anyone have any experience with these and if so, do you think it will be ok for a 4 year old? Keep in mind, it doesn't have to be anything special. Just something that can play youtube and games like angry birds.
Any information is appreciated.
Sent from my MB860
Well you'd probably be best googling the models and seeing if they are real. I had a friend who got a fake off ebay. They work alright. Not great for myself. But if they are a proper tablet I don't see you having any problem as long as its not a scam haha
Sent from my Galaxy S running Galnet's MIUI v2.2 @ 1.3ghz!
Hmm just had a quick Google of the sylviana branded tablet you mentioned and from what I read it seems to function alright. Some are having problems but seems to be functional haha. Sorry if its what you already know
Sent from my Galaxy S running Galnet's MIUI v2.2 @ 1.3ghz!
A scam on craigslist? Never.
Being serious though, I did do some searching on google and with the information I got it figured it would be better to come ask the experts. I really dont care about the software that's installed on these tabs as long as they can be rooted and/or have access to the android market. Its just more important to me that they run decently. They are not very expensive but it's still money and I would like to know what I'm getting into.
Sent from my MB860
Hey,
I was recently setting up a home network for a co-worker and she "paid" me by giving me a White 7" Pandigital Novel "eReader". Its android based and from what I can tell it can be rooted and used as a low cost alternative to an Android tablet. They sell for as low as $100. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with my own since I just got a HTC Inspire 4G...
Guess I can try and hack it. I can let you know how well it takes being rooted.
Please do let me know. I would really appreciate it.
Sent from my MB860
Hey,
Sorry for the delay but I got a little busy with school. I was able to sit down for a bit with the White Pan digital Novel and I must say I was impressed. Due to the extremely low cost and decent spec of this machine it has gotten a lot of love from developers. Its extremely easy to flash ROM's for root access (just place .ZIP on SDCARD, remove internal SD, boot to recovery, and flash it). The guys over at Slatedroid even put Cyanogenmod 6.x on it.
I tested a number of ROM's but most had weird issues. The Slatedriod Cyanogenmod 6.x ROM actually only ran crisp (for now) in landscape mode. Its a bit too weak to play games from Android Market and that's assuming the the ROM you choose has a working Market (most don't by default). They used a mod called the non-ugly hack to fix this I think. Another issue with a lot of these ROM's involved the wifi going into a infinite loop, repeatedly turning itself on and off. Despite the fact that I love Cyanogenmon on my Optimus V, I had to find another full time ROM.
That's when I stumbled across an Eclair-based ROM ported from teh popular Cruz Reader. It was awesome. Smooth in all view modes and even video ran great on the thing. I haven't attempted to OC the device yet, but I would assume it would only make it better. This ROM is rooted of course, and had a working Android Market (and Cruz Market) installed from the start. With this ROM the device becomes a comparable tablet, far exceeding the value placed on its tag. Just use regular apps to manage the power usage and overclock it with Set CPU or something and you'll have quite a machine for $50 something .
A big downside is that for an "eReader" the battery life was horrid, a little better than an android phone (and that's even with the stock ROM). You are going to have to hack this thing to get any decent performance out of it as the stock ROM is laggy. The rooting worked for fixing a lot of these issues.
Em still a bit unfamiliar with the rules on posting links to other forums here, so I wont. Let me know if you have any questions on need the links and we'll set up some sort of arrangement.
Thanks for that info. Gives me a lot to consider. I may end up getting one of those units.
Sent from my MB860
Makes me want to check one out too
Sent from my PG86100-EVO3D-using Tapatalk
hello,
first of all, i love follwing the tech and seeing present devices getting better with better softwares.. i own a xoom for 2 months and i really love it.. but -like most of the people here, probably- i believe the software is not fully optimized for the hardware.. in my computers i always used nvidia products, because i believe it did its job very good even when the ati competitors were better on the paper.. so here i am with a tegra 2 SoC and i cant find any game as smooth as ipad games..
now -in addition to my xoom- i was planning to buy a samsung galaxy tab 10.1 (one is for my girlfriend, one is for me but mostly to be used together) but when i was making some research, last night i found nvidia ULP and ipad 2 comparisons and could not believe the results.. ipad 2 was 2-6 times faster/better than the motorola xoom.. imeedieatly i downloaded the same tests and i ran them too and ended up with same results unfortunately.. and then i downloaded lots of high quality games and every time i ended between 20-25 FPS.. i think it is not satisfying..
i dont believe apple has the alien technology, i think the software makes the difference.. so i asked myself to questions;
"what do i plan to use my tablet for" and
"what is going to happen when iOS5 and ICS comes"???
my expectations from ISC is to bring more optimisation to our devices, i cant say no to new cool feautures but first i want my existing ones to be perfect...
to be honest, i can not answer both questions... i can only answer what i want from a tablet.. and again to be honest i guess i am hungry for performance, even though i do not need it. so in every tests tegra 2 cpu beats a5, and the web pages (the first thing i want my tablet to do professionally) are super faster loading then the ipad2 ... besides i love customizable home screen definition, i love being easy to carry my media from the computer or to the computer with one cable without any software.. and i love being able to connect my hard drive so that i can give up from my laptop once i buy a bluetooth keyboard..
but my second question; what is going to happen when iOS5 and ICS here? will iOS5 catch up with android by beating it in CPU and usefullness tests too or will ICS cacth up with the smoothnes and games performance and the promises they gave?
in my country asus transformer, acer iconia a500, ipad 2 16gb, motorola xoom are same prices and samsung galaxy tab is about 40 dollars more expencive in second hands or abroad products.. so i dont care about the price here.. what i am asking is which one is going to better according to your opinion between all these devices? and which one is going to give me more development and more increase in perfection?
i am so confused and every opinion is wellcomed.. i am planning to use it mostly for web browsing as a laptop replecement, gaming, photo and video making/editing/storing and -if possible- using engineering programs like the icircuit in ipad or the autocad in galaxy s (i have it on my galaxy s but i could not run it in tablet)..
so please share) thanks..
okay...
as you are FULLY aware... we are talking apples and oranges here
1. iOS is for people who want something out of the box.. not worried about setting much up and have a billion games... for now atleast (something my grandma would like to be honest)
2. Android OS is far superior with whats under the hood and the customizations and endless tweeking...
my simple answer is... do you want something the same as every other...er... individual (*snickers* - as the ad's would have you believe).. or something that is truly your OWN device
i bet 9 out of 10 people in the xoom forum has something that is entirely unique to the next... i love this aspect... i like having something a little different.. i like to tweek untill i break it or have the best device out there.. 3/4 of the time if there is an app for the iOS there is a better app for android.. for example.. there is only crap remote mouse apps for iOS and yet i have unified remote full for android a masterpiece and i can control nearly every aspect of my computer via a remote with my android devices (yes there is splashtop HD for iOS and android but this is not always a viable solution and trust me i have both)... this is just one example as i cbf putting down the many apps i have that are better (foto tile slideshow - the live wallpaper is another AWESOME app that comes to mind)
last and not least... lets remember software for both devices are going crazy.. however now the tables have turned with android leading the way and iOS playing catch up and ice cream is going to be one hell of an update to which im pretty sure xoom will be compatible =]
i know i may have not 100% been to topic but had to express something (you did say all views were welcome lol)
I agree with the above poster...and will add that no matter what we wish, we will never have the very best, fastest,most bleeding-edge device because once we buy, there will always be something newer, faster, better, etc. IOS gives you what it wants you to have. Android lets you have (or create) what you want.
If you are rooted, with Tiamat Hammerhead Rom and the Tachi oc gpu kernel, and a launcher like ADW Ex, could the Xoom be any smoother?
It does make a difference how hands-on you want to be.
thanks for it.. you have made very good points..
i guess i am trying to look at it as computers.. when i had my desktop it was not a big deal when one of the parts was getting old/slower becuase i was able to change only that one without spending big money... but once that world (both hardware and games) got larger it got harder to follow and find the best one.. so i felt like i was lost between nvidia and ati products.. then i switched to laptops when i became more mobile in daily life and when laptops offered more graphic power.. and i always thought GPU first and the ram 2nd, and the HDD 3rd.. CPU was ok to wait.. because CPU tech is already a lot higher than todays daily process needings..
so with the same feeling i have the same reflex to go for the better GPU one.. i feel like the weaker GPU one is going to get old faster/earlier.. this scares me..
and there is also the untidyness in the android world.. there are hundreds of phones with different specs and only a few of them has the full control of every feauture android can give you.. so when you buy a cheap android phone you are not only lacking some hardware, but also being some short on the software too.. they solved this mostly by making the tegra 2 the center of the tablets and i believe ICS will bring even more tidyness to the world just like apple world.. but i still have my suspicious with ICS, because i have read an opinion here in xda, he says ; ICS is a big development for 2.3 devices not for the 3.x devices.. but i want to believe better drivers will come and help us benefit from our hardware better.. nvidia has done that before when the game crysis was out, they increased the overall performance by %10 for every 8xxx card with a new firmware..
besides i made some research and some experiments; apperiantly this ULP is first defining the need of the FPS and then setting it as a limit to keep the power comsumption low.. so even though it can go faster or produce more FPS it stays in the limit of 28 especially in the desktop while ipad can go with 60 FPS.. i guess this is excatly what makes me jealous.. because i feel like my tablet does not have power to do that...
so basicly, i do not like apple anymore after they sue everyone they see as a thread... but i also believe the complains i made (the belief of the GPU being much more worse than the ipad 2 GPU) scares me.. i put my faith on the new software before, to nokia.. and every time they have given a new software to their "smartphones" they ruined it even more.. so far, in android, everything is just going good.. every new version came with better optimizations and i want to believe it is going to be like this in the future..
i guess my opinions and fears are mostly emotional and coming from my unfortunate experiences.. but i get attached to every device of mine and i want them to be good enough and last long enough .. so i do not want to feel like i am buying something to be old so quick under the shadow of new coming kal-el and already existing apple ipad 2..
Buy a xoom and root it! You have the use of SD card, flash drives, and USB hdd's. My wife looked at the options and realized she takes photos and needs access to her camera and to her hdd she uses to store those photos. Not one other tablet can do what the xoom can do! Sure it has some flaws, but at the same time it has less of those flaws than any tablet I have tested so far. My Logitech wireless mouse works, and every other device I have at my house. One cable to do it all, not several diff things like the tab 10.1. You want a custom PC, then here it is!
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Maybe you should just be prepared to buy and sell whatever you no longer want so you can buy something new.Unfortunately none of us, except e.mote can tell the future.
I guess your points are valid considering alot if the economic uncertainty.. However one must argue that the ipad in all its glory is not a technological advancement.. Think about it.. U can do some neat things yet you cant replace a desktop with it.. Yet the Android comes so close it can almost blur the line entirely.. You can also try and get a windows 7 tab for cheaper as i was looking at these but i weighed up the usefulness and the tech side in me and now people watch me screw around with the xoom on the train and how individualistic it is and then my phone is a new avenue for full customization.. Sure they are not for all and its funny to watch the smartest people i know fumble with such a device and stick to apple babble like its the be all and get slugged a premium its great to see the sheep follow =]
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App
Yesterday i found an ipad2 from a friend and put the xoom and the ipad on the table together and decided to make both devices very tired with my expectations.. I wanted to see which one was going to give up first (or which one i was foing to give up first ) i jailbreaked the ipad and have already rooted my xoom.. First did web experience, turned flash off and let them race .. Xoom was showing off in the beginning.. But once the tabs were more than 6 it started to slow down, on the other hand ipads slowing down was like this; wheb i cliked on a tab my waiting time extended lineerly with the quantity of tabs.. Then i looked at the photos and videos but apperiantlly itunes is tuning photos to a lower size when sending them to ipad.. So i did not like this.. Because i like to carry my stuff.. What if i wanted to carry the original sized photos to another device? Ipad failed here.. But then i nova2 in xoom, and it felt so bad.. Like 15-25 fps.. Dungeon defenders is not so different either.. But i kept testing and ipad kept failing.. Espesially in file management and easy file transferring and independence lets xoom to be the leader.. But then i learned google bought moto.. And ICS is planning for new quad core tegra3 platform or some other quad core platform with so much more powerfull gpu s.. I felt like ourtablets have been sold us ust to be temprorary leaders of the leaders.. I mean i paid this money to this tablet to have the dominant of the market when ICS is out.. But apperiantly ICS will come with new dominants.. So i will feel like i paid not only for a temprory OS but also a temprorary hardware.. I know , no hardware ia immortal but i am afraid i wont be able to have benefit of android world once the quad cores are out.. I know this hecause when i had galqxy s i was able to do anything in android world but now i have galaxy ace qnd i hardly cqn listen to rqdio akd write this at the same time.. It is lqgging as hell.. So this fear of being outdated in the very early future is taking over me.. I now understand why all the idevice owners are so cool about anything because they dont have to think about being outdated anytime.. But i have to think about overxloxking my device to play a game my galaxy s or iphone 3gs is already capqble of playing out of the box..
I love android world and i really want it to be better and i have read it was going to be 1.8 times faster and better when the ICS is out.. I want to bwlieve this but i qlso do not want my device outdated before at least, one year..
_delice_doluca_ said:
Yesterday i found an ipad2 from a friend and put the xoom and the ipad on the table together and decided to make both devices very tired with my expectations.. I wanted to see which one was going to give up first (or which one i was foing to give up first ) i jailbreaked the ipad and have already rooted my xoom.. First did web experience, turned flash off and let them race .. Xoom was showing off in the beginning.. But once the tabs were more than 6 it started to slow down, on the other hand ipads slowing down was like this; wheb i cliked on a tab my waiting time extended lineerly with the quantity of tabs.. Then i looked at the photos and videos but apperiantlly itunes is tuning photos to a lower size when sending them to ipad.. So i did not like this.. Because i like to carry my stuff.. What if i wanted to carry the original sized photos to another device? Ipad failed here.. But then i nova2 in xoom, and it felt so bad.. Like 15-25 fps.. Dungeon defenders is not so different either.. But i kept testing and ipad kept failing.. Espesially in file management and easy file transferring and independence lets xoom to be the leader.. But then i learned google bought moto.. And ICS is planning for new quad core tegra3 platform or some other quad core platform with so much more powerfull gpu s.. I felt like ourtablets have been sold us ust to be temprorary leaders of the leaders.. I mean i paid this money to this tablet to have the dominant of the market when ICS is out.. But apperiantly ICS will come with new dominants.. So i will feel like i paid not only for a temprory OS but also a temprorary hardware.. I know , no hardware ia immortal but i am afraid i wont be able to have benefit of android world once the quad cores are out.. I know this hecause when i had galqxy s i was able to do anything in android world but now i have galaxy ace qnd i hardly cqn listen to rqdio akd write this at the same time.. It is lqgging as hell.. So this fear of being outdated in the very early future is taking over me.. I now understand why all the idevice owners are so cool about anything because they dont have to think about being outdated anytime.. But i have to think about overxloxking my device to play a game my galaxy s or iphone 3gs is already capqble of playing out of the box..
I love android world and i really want it to be better and i have read it was going to be 1.8 times faster and better when the ICS is out.. I want to bwlieve this but i qlso do not want my device outdated before at least, one year..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
essentially... when do u want a device... NOW or NEVER?.. there is always going to be a newer better device in the future... why did you buy your phone when u did when there are better phones out now or the future... same with your computer... same crap... if you wait for the next one you will never have anything and never enjoy the benefits of such a device... personally im happy to have a device for 12 months maybe less and grab the next newest bit... because someone else in my family will benefit form the older software and i continue with the newest gadget
This is my sentiment exactly. You sound like a mouse who is caught running on a treadmill. Get off and relax a bit. Enjoy your Xoom or give it to your lucky girlfriend and get something else. Personally, I've gone thru three Android tablets just since November, and I'll be keeping my Xoom for a while...there's still so much app development that needs to happen to catch up to the tablet form-factor/resolution, and to exploit tegra 2 ---it will be a while until quad cores are fully exploited, I'm sure.
okantomi said:
This is my sentiment exactly. You sound like a mouse who is caught running on a treadmill. Get off and relax a bit. Enjoy your Xoom or give it to your lucky girlfriend and get something else. Personally, I've gone thru three Android tablets just since November, and I'll be keeping my Xoom for a while...there's still so much app development that needs to happen to catch up to the tablet form-factor/resolution, and to exploit tegra 2 ---it will be a while until quad cores are fully exploited, I'm sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^ exactly... this is my second tablet in less than a year and just the difference between froyo and honeycomb is astounding... i did my research before buying this tab.. in fact from my first experience i didn't want another tab at all... i despise apple products on general principle (not relevant but yeh) so it took alot of research and convincing about another tab.... i was going to buy a galaxy tab 10.1 yet upon buying it at auction i came across the xoom.. and viewed the true capabilities and noted that the galaxy tab is just a android iOS device and the xoom is a true android device and something that can fulfill my experimental side..
Just buy the iPad 2.
2 great tablets, no one needs to persuade you to use android.
Why do apple fans come into the android forums? Cuz they want more than their little crapple can do!
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
hammer4203 said:
Why do apple fans come into the android forums? Cuz they want more than their little crapple can do!
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
huh, why would anyone who doesn't own any android products would even register on this site in the first place?
hammer4203 said:
Why do apple fans come into the android forums? Cuz they want more than their little crapple can do!
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am only fan of people who develope, share, help and moreover ask to themselves and try to answer what they are doing with their devices and what they are planning to add to this in the future.. i am not fan of companies..
i know myself, i did this mistake before; i saw the 60 FPS shiny world of the iphone and when i was most bored with my lag-crazy nokia i swicthed to it (3gs) and found myself trying to buy a perfect book page by page and i was not able to choose the chapters..
when i had iphone i tried to customize the hardware limitations, unfortunately it was impossible.. then i tried to make things easier (like tried to get rid of itunes) that failed too.. and after 2 months i realised my little shiny and so called super optimized phone was lagging, this was when i learned iOS was able to lag too..
then after another failing nokia symbian update experience i tried android with galaxy s.. and that world my friend, became my addiction..
however; when i was making surfing throuh other forum sites i ran into some opinions and fears. they have become my fears too.. now i am making a summary of them in very short sentences, so i believe i will make myself more clear;
first thing like i said i always believed in every mobile device the GPU gets older first.. so, especially in my laptops i always tried to choose the better GPU over te CPU or the other specs.. and one day i was reading reviews about tegra 2 potential but then i saw ipad 2 was -sometimes- up to 5 times faster than it in graphic tests... that made me scared..
the second thing; i am fully aware of that our hardware is as valuable as its software and nokia failed me about it again and again.. one day, i found an web page which says ICS will make the performance 1.8 times better.. i assume (i want to assume) this is mostly graphic performance because CPU performance is already the best but i thing nvidia drivers needs to be optimized.. so the best thing is to wait for ICS and then decide about how android-tablet worlds growing bigger and success.. but, on the other hand, we are waiting for the tomorrows technology with yesterdays device.. this is my second fear, because i heard the quad core products are being released in this fall.. i am scared of being outdated even before i can enjoy the full performance of my xoom..
i have just shared these two fears and then realised apple owners did not have them.. so i asked here if apple is better at them.. it was not an "should i buy apple or android" topic.. but if people said "tegra 2 and honeycomb are temprory and will be history together soon and the real devices are the quad-core ones" i would go for an ipad 2 (maybe) for 6-9 months and then go back to android..
and not to forget; in my years, i have forgatten lots of device i used with their good or bad sides but i have never forgatten the people i shared knowledge and experience with.. and i am a fan of them..
I do see your point to the temp issues with tegra 2, but at the same time the I pad can't do flash. There is only one thing that has failed to stop the use of my $3500 alienware laptop that is 4yrs old. It burns discs and I am in sure the xoom can use a USB DVD burner. So can the ipad2 support an external USB hdd? Can you use all of Facebook in the browser on the ipad2? Can you push the ipad2 beyond what the box says? NO! That is why I did not even look at apple. My wife does photography and apple could not supply what she demanded it to do, so I bought her a xoom too. So far I have not seen one other tablet come close to it. I took into account something new will come out later, but at the same time it will be an infant in it's release as well. Not much using dual core anyway. Apple is for the kids that can't jump off the cliff into the water. Android is for those wanting to live on the edge and beyond. I can work, play, relax, and tinker with my xoom. Ipad2 can't deliver for me at all. I really think you have to ask yourself what do you want your tablet to do?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
hammer4203 said:
I do see your point to the temp issues with tegra 2, but at the same time the I pad can't do flash. There is only one thing that has failed to stop the use of my $3500 alienware laptop that is 4yrs old. It burns discs and I am in sure the xoom can use a USB DVD burner. So can the ipad2 support an external USB hdd? Can you use all of Facebook in the browser on the ipad2? Can you push the ipad2 beyond what the box says? NO! That is why I did not even look at apple. My wife does photography and apple could not supply what she demanded it to do, so I bought her a xoom too. So far I have not seen one other tablet come close to it. I took into account something new will come out later, but at the same time it will be an infant in it's release as well. Not much using dual core anyway. Apple is for the kids that can't jump off the cliff into the water. Android is for those wanting to live on the edge and beyond. I can work, play, relax, and tinker with my xoom. Ipad2 can't deliver for me at all. I really think you have to ask yourself what do you want your tablet to do?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
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thank you.. i have narrowed down the equation to samsung tab 10.1 vs xoom .. i am trying to choose between them now.. i saw samurai 2 vengence and some other games and know i am so sure it is good enough as a toy too..
None of the tegra games seem to work right on honeycomb. I do like scrabble from ea. And cordy is kinda fun. Played one of the sniper games and it wasn't bad at all. Most of the games you have to buy and I just haven't found a good one I like. I wish halo reach could be done. Then I would be set!
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I bought my Xoom for a very specific reason. At the time, it was the only device running Honeycomb, and the only (major) tablet with an OS specifically designed for tablets. The iPad is great and all, but, at the end of the day, it's just a really big iPhone. I already have an iPhone, and I don't need two. The apps are better on iOS for stuff like games and cutesy programs, but better on Android for stuff like tweaking programs or developer programs.
Really, the decision comes down to whether you're going to use the device like a "normal" user or a "power" user. If all you're going to do is browse the net and check email (and play games), get the iPad. If you want some power user features (better desktop remote control, better ssh, better customization, nonstandard kernels, rooting that does a lot more, etc), then grab the Xoom.
Generally speaking, Apple's products cater to the non-tech-savvy, which sometimes annoy those of us that are tech savvy. Android, though, caters to the more tech savvy. This is why Android is more complicated to use and it also explains the app selections.
As the commercial goes, "it just works". This is true. Apple's devices just work. They stay in control of your device in an attempt to make your life easier and the device easier to use. Android doesn't do this, but it also has a lot more bugs and such (hence better for tech savvy people).
So, to sum everything up, if you're going to use it for just normal stuff (browsing, email, games) and you're not overly tech savvy, get the iPad. If you're tech savvy and plan to remote control computers or other such advanced features, get the Xoom.
Athenon87 said:
I bought my Xoom for a very specific reason. At the time, it was the only device running Honeycomb, and the only (major) tablet with an OS specifically designed for tablets. The iPad is great and all, but, at the end of the day, it's just a really big iPhone. I already have an iPhone, and I don't need two. The apps are better on iOS for stuff like games and cutesy programs, but better on Android for stuff like tweaking programs or developer programs.
Really, the decision comes down to whether you're going to use the device like a "normal" user or a "power" user. If all you're going to do is browse the net and check email (and play games), get the iPad. If you want some power user features (better desktop remote control, better ssh, better customization, nonstandard kernels, rooting that does a lot more, etc), then grab the Xoom.
Generally speaking, Apple's products cater to the non-tech-savvy, which sometimes annoy those of us that are tech savvy. Android, though, caters to the more tech savvy. This is why Android is more complicated to use and it also explains the app selections.
As the commercial goes, "it just works". This is true. Apple's devices just work. They stay in control of your device in an attempt to make your life easier and the device easier to use. Android doesn't do this, but it also has a lot more bugs and such (hence better for tech savvy people).
So, to sum everything up, if you're going to use it for just normal stuff (browsing, email, games) and you're not overly tech savvy, get the iPad. If you're tech savvy and plan to remote control computers or other such advanced features, get the Xoom.
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Click to collapse
Very well said--great points.
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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..
Hey guys,
I'm looking to get an Android tablet for my girlfriend- she's no gamer or hacker, so doesn't have huge requirements. The one important one is being able to play Flash video well (she watches TV shows online). I've been shopping around, and it looks like I can get the original Transformer TF101 plus keyboard dock for the same price as the TF300 *without* dock.
How is the OG Transformer holding up these days? Is it still working fast enough to use as a daily browser, music listener and flash-player? Or would you recommend I skip up to the TF300, even though it means no keyboard?
Id go with the 300 the reboot issues that plauges the 101 would be infuriating for any one who isnt tech savy
mrevankyle said:
Id go with the 300 the reboot issues that plauges the 101 would be infuriating for any one who isnt tech savy
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Since when reboot issue's? Only i had is some times app crash but that's it
anyways 300 or 700.
Ive had my TF101 since last year, and bought my dad a TF300 about 2 months ago.
The TF300 is incredible. Even without keyboard (unless she'd want to do some work on it). Get it.
Oh, and TF300 is upgradable to JB straight out of the box.
I am working with my TF101 since February this year. I have JB on it using CM10 nightlies. The only issue is that flash player cannot be installed at this current time. However, netflix, crackle, and youtube work. I have not tried hulu or other video services because I have not paid for them. With the update to JB it had felt like a new device. So, for price, the TF101 with dock would be great if she decides to be on the move for over eight hours.
But on the flip side, the 300 or even the 700 would be a better buy. Since JB is an update right out of the box for the 300, you can rest assured that your device will stay current for at least that update. Plus, the way these dev forums go, you may even be able to upgrade past its life. As for the dock, I find it a blessing when I want to type a lot or enter complex passwords. Just the tab with a good case may be well enough.
Hope that helps and happy shopping.
*EDIT*
I have had no random reboots with the TF101 since I installed CM10 nightlies on it.
I'm still using my TF101 after all this time. Granted its rooted and flashed but I've had no problems with it. With Flash outside apps you could use a Browser like Maxthon which still has the option for working with Flash, then side loading the apk for her. Never had the random reboots with mine.
Then again out of the box maybe 300 is just easier to get going. /shrug
Sent from my Transformer using xda premium
IMO this device wouldn't serve well for someone non-technical, and it's not the fastest device. The biggest pros are the great battery life with the dock and the developer-friendliness.
i think its still worth it. i just got this one from a friend.
Honestly, at this point in time, I'd go for a Nexus 7..
(I actually jumped to the Note 10.1 but it sounds like your gf might enjoy the Nexus 7 more because it's a media, read/watch stuff kind of tablet.)
Never had issues with mine tf101 (rooted) and also dont remember ever having lack of performance. All games i tried work perfect (THD versions), xept that online shadowgun wich just says it only work on tegra3(as expected).
As you say she is not hacker, so most likely you will have to manually install flash (its not supported anymore, boo). It works quite well on mine, even to play flash games where you need to click on things, tho its hard to hit small ones. Flash video works fine (twitch.tv and youtube).
Overall you probably should get tf300, as it is more powerful and can be updated to JellyBean from stock. There is some guides how to install flash to JB.
I got 101 because it have 2 USB in dock and that distinctive look - i mean that textured back and goldy border, it does not look like other tablets or netbooks. I just fell in love with it
One thing that you might look upon - i weights more than 600grams that may be little heavy for woman. My sis hands get tired after playing for some time (tho she plays that gyroscope games where you need to dance shamanic rituals with the tab, so)