How is the xoom compared to a desktop or laptop?

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I am thinking about getting a new computer for school but I also want to get the xoom, and I am wondering if that would be redundant purchases? What I'm looking for is a tool to write essays, web browse, and play games on.

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There are simply things that a PC can do that a Tablet can't. If you want to play the really intense PC games, obviously a tablet won't cut it. If you plan on using programs that really require a mouse, a tablet probably won't work well for you either. If you plan on creating, editing PDFs, Excel (you can make Excel sheets on the Xoom, but it is cumbersome), Powerpoints (also cumbersome on the Xoom) you would want a PC.

In short, a tablet can't replace a PC yet. That being said, having a tablet is extremely mobile and does replace a lot of things that I would normally use a PC for. The mobility is the biggest attraction for me because even though I have a 4-5lb Tablet PC laptop, it is still heavy enough that I end up not taking it to class after awhile. And the battery life of most tablets blows most laptops out of the water. So I can carry only the Xoom around and be able to use it for the whole day, but have to carry the charger cable with me if I am using my laptop for anything over 2 hours.

But in the end, I don't think a tablet will suffice as your only option for school. I'd get an inexpensive Netbook (as long as you aren't a hardcore gamer) for things you simply need a PC for and a tablet (if you have money left over) for everything else. Truthfully, a tablet is luxury item. It can be a very useful luxury item, but for the same price you can get something that does more than a tablet.

I have an HP,mini and a xoom perfect combo also in college. I may write my papers on my net book but edit in class on my xoom. Either way you can type on xoom. More practice the faster. Plus you can have a keyboard

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I have actually replaced my 'desktop replacement' laptop with my Xoom.
Haven't touched it since I bought the Xoom.

I am a content creator and consumer. I still have the laptop, but haven't had to do any development work at home since I got this. I guess that would be the only time I really need to.

You can buy the bluetooth or a bluetooth keyboard for it if you are looking to type essays and stuff, but I find the onscreen keyboard in landscape very friendly to someone who can actually type correctly.

If they could get a Java IDE working on Android I would never touch another machine again.

Would there be an app that plays mp4 videos @ variable speeds?

I use the xoom all the time for excel and word documents for work, but I always pull them up on a computer before they're finalized because a) I cant insert an image into a spreadsheet, and I have a specialized header and b) the formatting often doesnt look right on a computer when its been created on a xoom. Finishing touches take like 5 minutes, but the software just isnt there yet for it to be a total replacement for documents. And I really doubt I'll see a Publisher port anytime soon but that would just make my year.

edit: just to clarify, I was in a similar position when I bought the xoom, but what I did was get the xoom for everyday use, and I went to best buy and paid $400 for a cheap laptop (which is still 2.3ghz, 3gb ram) for all my "extra" needs. My company said they'd pay for it as long as I kept it cheap as possible (their M.O.), so it worked out pretty well.

I use my Xoom for everything...if it cannot do it, I just remote into my desktop and do it that way.
Makes it awesome for college classes as I don't have to carry as much bulk of a laptop...if they only provided their books in a digital form, I would be in HEAVEN!

I have made the switch to the Xoom for my home computing. My computing habits at home have been browsing the internet, watching videos on youtube, and Netflix queue management for now

The default browser is awesome. I love Honeycomb's tabbed browsing, the only drawback is the keyboard. If you're going to write papers for class, I suggest you get a bluetooth keyboard.

To answer your question, I see the tablet a perfect fit class: taking notes in Evernote, using Quickoffice Pro to write class papers, and browsing the internet effortlessly with the default browser. And, it's easy to carry.

dont forget playing HD games when class gets boring

I've been hearing things about the Asus Eee Pad Transformer it looks like what I'm looking for. Any thoughts?

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