Join the xoom family..?

[nikolasr200]

hi guys..

i m thinking of potentially buying my first tablet..
the reasonable cost was the main issue and the main barrier..so at the begining i was looking at the chinese tablets that have been out.. (yandao, cube etc..)

on the other hand i was seeing the specs of samsung galaxy note, or asus transformer but these were far way expensive to afford..

the past few days i have focused on motorola xoom 2 but i guess i could need some view of current owners..

to start with.. xoom? or xoom 2? why? or why not?
the media version is out of question due to smaller screen..

regarding the xoom 2 one, does it or does it not support microsd? i have read quite contrary views on this..

and finally any place to recommend to buy from? preferably from europe to avoid custom taxes.., although if cost is considerably low, i could do with overseas purchase as well..

 

[Cubanluke88]

hi guys..

i m thinking of potentially buying my first tablet..
the reasonable cost was the main issue and the main barrier..so at the begining i was looking at the chinese tablets that have been out.. (yandao, cube etc..)

on the other hand i was seeing the specs of samsung galaxy note, or asus transformer but these were far way expensive to afford..

the past few days i have focused on motorola xoom 2 but i guess i could need some view of current owners..

to start with.. xoom? or xoom 2? why? or why not?
the media version is out of question due to smaller screen..

regarding the xoom 2 one, does it or does it not support microsd? i have read quite contrary views on this..

and finally any place to recommend to buy from? preferably from europe to avoid custom taxes.., although if cost is considerably low, i could do with overseas purchase as well..

Don't buy a Xoom 2/Xyboard or Xoom FE.

 

[nikolasr200]

hi, thank you for your response.. could you please tell me why not? do you have any alternative recommendation?
shall i guess that you are not pleased?

do you have any alternative recommendation?

 

[guitmz]

hi, thank you for your response.. could you please tell me why not? do you have any alternative recommendation?
shall i guess that you are not pleased?

do you have any alternative recommendation?

Get the MZ604 (wifi only). Its the best for updating, etc (its on JB). I had the same doubt last week and got the MZ604 and couldnt be happier! xoom 2 is not a google device so the updates comes from motorola itself and they dont seem to care much about it

 

[nikolasr200]

wow!! i didn't know that mz604 was had officially jb!

i thought that motorola was a google company whatsoever, so i would expect to update all of the series..!!!

 

[Cubanluke88]

wow!! i didn't know that mz604 was had officially jb!

i thought that motorola was a google company whatsoever, so i would expect to update all of the series..!!!

Motorola Mobility has been acquired by Google. However, Google has stated that they will be operating with a hands-off approach. We'll see if that changes in the future.

However, the original US wifi Xoom is a GED, Google Experience Device. This means it gets its updates directly from Google. The other original xooms can be unlocked via the same method as the US wifi xoom, but they do not get updates in the same manner.

The Xoom FE and the Xoom 2/Xyboards are 100% Motorola atrocities. They have locked bootloaders and [should] receive updates from Motorola/Verizon. Good luck getting updates though.

If you are considering a Xoom, get the original Xoom. Otherwise, either wait for a 10" Nexus tablet if you want a 10", or grab a Transformer series tablet or the Acer A200. If you're okay with 7", then get the Nexus 7; it reigns supreme in the 7" department.

 

[nikolasr200]

quite informative post mate...that's why i can see that still the xooms sell at near the same price as xooms 2..

 

[guitmz]

quite informative post mate...that's why i can see that still the xooms sell at near the same price as xooms 2..

well.. its 99% the same hardware! and the xoom front camera is better than xoom 2 (2MP vs 1.3MP).. so I dont see why getting a xoom2. Some may find it prettier but in the end this doesnt even matter

 

[Cubanluke88]

well.. its 99% the same hardware!

Not at all. The hardware is actually what is so different about the two devices.

Processor: Tegra 2 vs OMAP 4 (Xoom 2 wins)

Display: Boring LCD vs IPS (Xoom 2 wins)

Battery: 6500 mAh vs 7000 mAh (Xoom 2 wins)

Weight: 708g vs 599g (Xoom 2 wins)

Thickness: 12.9mm vs 8.8mm (Xoom 2 wins)

The cameras are mildy different sure, but the Xoom 2 is better in almost every way in terms of hardware. This should be no surprise, as Motorola products are usually of great build quality; their hardware is usually quite good. Unfortunately, the Xoom 2 was not a flagship or GED and thus it was given the locked bootloader treatment Motorola devices typically enjoy and also filled with delightful software enhancements in the form of Motoblur and various Motorola apps.

 

[guitmz]

Processor: Tegra 2 vs OMAP 4 (Xoom 2 wins)

Display: Boring LCD vs IPS (Xoom 2 wins)

Battery: 6500 mAh vs 7000 mAh (Xoom 2 wins)

Weight: 708g vs 599g (Xoom 2 wins)

Thickness: 12.9mm vs 8.8mm (Xoom 2 wins)

Didnt knew about that!

Processor: Many, many similarities so I call this almost a tie (OMAP simplifies some stuffs) -> http://www.extremetech.com/computin...s-ti-omap-4-or-why-the-droid-bionic-uses-omap

Display: Agreed, IPS is better but hey, side-to-side my Xoom and my Nexus S (AMOLED), I find Xoom screen REALLY nice, no downsides at all

Battery: 500mAh doesnt seems to make a huge difference for me, my Xoom battery takes LONG to dry out (even with wifi + torrent downloads the whole night I can still use it the whole day)

Weight: Xoom does seem a bit heavy sometimes but again, not a big deal even carring it with me everywhere

Thickness: Xoom 2 has a smaller screen and etc but the mm difference does not stands out that much

This is just my personal opinion [technically, xoom 2 is "better" but the changes are not that meaningful]

 

[Cubanluke88]

Didnt knew about that!

Processor: Many, many similarities so I call this almost a tie (OMAP simplifies some stuffs) -> http://www.extremetech.com/computin...s-ti-omap-4-or-why-the-droid-bionic-uses-omap

Display: Agreed, IPS is better but hey, side-to-side my Xoom and my Nexus S (AMOLED), I find Xoom screen REALLY nice, no downsides at all

Battery: 500mAh doesnt seems to make a huge difference for me, my Xoom battery takes LONG to dry out (even with wifi + torrent downloads the whole night I can still use it the whole day)

Weight: Xoom does seem a bit heavy sometimes but again, not a big deal even carring it with me everywhere

Thickness: Xoom 2 has a smaller screen and etc but the mm difference does not stands out that much

This is just my personal opinion [technically, xoom 2 is "better" but the changes are not that meaningful]

I sense a bit of bias in your post.

In regards to processors, even if performance is deemed "similar," the fact is that their architecture is ridiculously different and this plays a large role in software development. Nvidia is also usually extremely tight about their processors whereas OMAP chips are pretty open, making development a bit easier. Regardless, the processor is a key component to the device and the fact that they are different directly refutes the idea that the two devices have "99% same hardware."

On to some other hardware differences. The Xoom 2 screen (or any IPS display) is infinitely better than the original Xoom's screen. I'll agree that the marginal battery size difference isn't that big a deal, but its still a hardware improvement and difference. As for size, the Xoom 2 comes in two variants, 10.1" and 8.9" so...its not smaller, it just has an alternate smaller model as well. And weight? Yeah sure I don't mind carrying my Xoom around and laying around with it propped up in my lap. But I remember when the Xoom 2 first came out. There is a notable weight difference between the two devices and the Xoom 2's form factor is much, much more comfortable.

Back to the original point though, stating that their hardware is 99% similar is just silly. You may prefer the Xoom's hardware/think some parts are better/too similar to tell (and I would agree with you in some regards) but the fact is that the hardware between the two is extremely different. You can't exactly say they're 99% the same when they use different processors, different screens, and different builds resulting in different size/weight. If the Xoom 2 had been a GED or at least have been unlocked (and had an sd slot), I might have upgraded for the hardware improvements that were made, as they addressed all of the hardware disadvantages the Xoom faced on launch.

 

[jlvlawrence]

Original Xoom or the Nexus 7. I've thought about selling my Xoom and getting a nexus 7, but I don't think I could go back to a nexus 7. Currently running CM 10 on my Xoom and loving it.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

 

[thr0tt]

Never a moto product again unless i move to the states but even then it would not be first choice.

 

[Cubanluke88]

Never a moto product again unless i move to the states but even then it would not be first choice.

Why?

 

[ROCKSTAR XS]

So if I have a 32gb 3g/wifi Verizon version its not a GED? I have to get my updates through Verizon or Motorola?

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium

 

[thr0tt]

Why?

Support outside the usa is the worst i have seen for any product, updates have been few and far between, just look at the official moto euro forums and see the dissatisfied customers and this being my first i wont get stung again. Many on theirnhave have moto phone and had the same poor update and service yet went for a moto tablet thinking it will be different, which it isnt/wasnt.

Thats it really, hardware wise is ok but i am worried should anything fail as i know it would be extremely hard to replace or fjnd spares.

 

[Cubanluke88]

So if I have a 32gb 3g/wifi Verizon version its not a GED? I have to get my updates through Verizon or Motorola?

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium

Thats correct. Thats why Verizon versions get updates after the US Wifi versions. If they had chosen a GSM carrier, it might have been a different story (similar to how unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus is a true Nexus - gets its updates from Google). So yeah, blame Verizon.

---------- Post added at 11:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 AM ----------

Support outside the usa is the worst i have seen for any product, updates have been few and far between, just look at the official moto euro forums and see the dissatisfied customers and this being my first i wont get stung again. Many on theirnhave have moto phone and had the same poor update and service yet went for a moto tablet thinking it will be different, which it isnt/wasnt.

Thats it really, hardware wise is ok but i am worried should anything fail as i know it would be extremely hard to replace or fjnd spares.

Eh, as far as I'm concerned, the only OEM that gives timely updates is Asus. All the others are complete garbage, not just Motorola specifically.

Really though, in regards to Android devices, if you're willing to unlock the bootloader/flash custom roms, Nexus/GED is the way to go, every time.