Very true. I tether a heck of a lot from my Gnex to the Xoom but when I'm randomly just wanting to check something it is very nice to have a strong 4G signal shooting into my Xoom w/ out having to whip out my Gnex to get the tethering app going.
refinement with xoom
My friend has a Tablet S ,It UI optimizes very good,the same apps in Tablet S is more Smooth, remote control is very useful.
Book design,Good or bad to see individuals
My friend has a Tablet S ,It UI optimizes very good,the same apps in Tablet S is more Smooth, remote control is very useful.
Book design,Good or bad to see individuals
I had a Xoom for 7 months. My sister has a Galaxy Tab 10.1v.
I was trying the Xoom before I bought it and after being used to the Galaxy Tab I was surprised on the higher weight. I thought it would not bother me as I hav big hands and am not that weak
But after a usage experience and not only quick tests I can say that the Xoom is too heavy. It is just not as handy as it should be for mobile usage.
That's not the reason why I sold it. I guess I could have lived with that but for that reason I would today think twice about purchasing a new one.
Altogether the Xoom is a great device. It has a lot of interfaces, high compatibility with apps that cause problems on many devices and it's not too expensive. The Galaxy Tab 10.1v does not have an sd-card reader which is a no-go.
So there are pros and cons and everyone has to decide himself. But the weight should be considered - it really is a con.
I was trying the Xoom before I bought it and after being used to the Galaxy Tab I was surprised on the higher weight. I thought it would not bother me as I hav big hands and am not that weak
But after a usage experience and not only quick tests I can say that the Xoom is too heavy. It is just not as handy as it should be for mobile usage.
That's not the reason why I sold it. I guess I could have lived with that but for that reason I would today think twice about purchasing a new one.
Altogether the Xoom is a great device. It has a lot of interfaces, high compatibility with apps that cause problems on many devices and it's not too expensive. The Galaxy Tab 10.1v does not have an sd-card reader which is a no-go.
So there are pros and cons and everyone has to decide himself. But the weight should be considered - it really is a con.
I've been using Xoom 2 since May now and all I can say is: it sucks.
Despite being the king on hw side (I got 10.1 32gb w/ 3G... mz616), its stock android release (3.2.2) is sooooo bad it angers me big time.
Do not buy Xoom2, definitely.
Despite being the king on hw side (I got 10.1 32gb w/ 3G... mz616), its stock android release (3.2.2) is sooooo bad it angers me big time.
Do not buy Xoom2, definitely.
Same here, I admit my xoom was neglected for a little while after ICS came out, then once JB was avl for xoom (thanks EOS) , I am pretty much connected at the hip with this device. Its smooth, responsive, fast, just a great experience. I love my xoom and I am super happy with my preorder back when this was first announced and feel like I have continuously rewarded for buying into the flagship device.
xoom is Great
What to me adds to the enjoyment of the Xoom compared to others is the impressive hardware options - hdmi out, sdcard slot for additional memory with read and write access as implemented in custom roms, a usb port - where you can attach a considerable amount of hardware including an extenal hard drive, two cameras, and 32 g's onboard memory. In order to sell a tablet for 200.00 or so - much of these features have to be left off or reduced. The Xoom has it all.
Would I be happier with a faster 10 inch tablet with some of the features - likely not. I might if they could bring in a 10 inch with quad core and the rest of the features for that cost. I might buy it then. Otherwise the Xoom stays.
Well other hardware can claim a better screen and screaming fast processors. The Xoom chugs along with a 10 inch screen and slower processors. Now having said that unlocking and rooting gives you so many additional options - overclocking to 1.5ghz - big speed improvements there - installing custom roms. I have installed Team Rouge and Team Eos Roms - currently 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. No other tablet with the exception of the Nexus 7 is as well supported by Google and the Development Teams. Really great work.
What to me adds to the enjoyment of the Xoom compared to others is the impressive hardware options - hdmi out, sdcard slot for additional memory with read and write access as implemented in custom roms, a usb port - where you can attach a considerable amount of hardware including an extenal hard drive, two cameras, and 32 g's onboard memory. In order to sell a tablet for 200.00 or so - much of these features have to be left off or reduced. The Xoom has it all.
Would I be happier with a faster 10 inch tablet with some of the features - likely not. I might if they could bring in a 10 inch with quad core and the rest of the features for that cost. I might buy it then. Otherwise the Xoom stays.
Yep that's exactly how I feel I have had my xoom for just about 2 years now and I keep waiting for something new but the xoom just rocks 32gig card plus 32 onboard=soo much delicious data
I 100% agree. Other than a chipset refresh after nearly two years there is almost nothing that I would change about my 4G Xoom. A better screen would be about the only thing that I can come up with, and that's really only if you are forcing me to be picky. I will admit that the original Honeycomb OS left a lot to be desired. But nearly two years later Team EOS continues to makes it seem like I have a new device nightly. There is not better investment in the tablet world than a Xoom running EOS3! I don't see anything new coming my way until Google shows up with a Nexus 10 tablet, and even then it might take some convincing. It never gets old, look at what my iPad can do -- Oh yeah, you haven't seen anything!
Hopefully the nexus 10 wont have the downfalls the 7 has though, I bought one for my girlfriend and even though it is very snappy and nice to play with, the lack of removable SD and hdmi out and a rear facing camera still makes the xoom a winner in my mind. If the 10 does come with those options then I may be interested.I 100% agree. Other than a chipset refresh after nearly two years there is almost nothing that I would change about my 4G Xoom. A better screen would be about the only thing that I can come up with, and that's really only if you are forcing me to be picky. I will admit that the original Honeycomb OS left a lot to be desired. But nearly two years later Team EOS continues to makes it seem like I have a new device nightly. There is not better investment in the tablet world than a Xoom running EOS3! I don't see anything new coming my way until Google shows up with a Nexus 10 tablet, and even then it might take some convincing. It never gets old, look at what my iPad can do -- Oh yeah, you haven't seen anything!
I have my Xoom MZ601 since February. I'm absolutely in love with it. I agree, it's little too heavy, especially for a girl. When I have it in my bag and I bend over, it tends to hit stuff around like a hammer, lol. But I wouldn't call it too heavy, unless you use it as an eReader. It could be a little lighter, though.
So here are my observations:
1. The frame is very tough. And I mean VERY! My Xoom got dropped from my mom's lap on the dirty and wet road on exiting the car on the second day I had it. One of its corners is hit and it's little bit deformed. I think it got dropped like 10 times already on different surfaces - it's perfectly fine so far. Ok, I never dropped it from big height, but I'm surprised it survived my ownership for so long. Note, I'm not just trashing it, since it was brand new and expensive at the time, it's just that I use it a lot, carry it around with me all the time and consequently, it tends to fall or hit stuff. Also it tends to get little wet, but I still have my upper protective sheet on, since I have keys and sharp stuff in my bag where it resides.
2. The Android works awesome on it. I was with 3.1, recently it got updated to 4.0.4, everything works great. The 3G signal is very good, the only problem I had with it was Opera now always knowing there's available connection when on 3G, so sometimes I had to reload pages on Unlocking. The WiFi is awesome. I kind of thought there is some internal limit on the download speed, but with tTorrent, I managed to reach 3MB/s so obviously that assumption was wrong.
3. The screen is very responsive, and everything starts swiftly.
4. The touch-capability is also very good. I use it to make notes (among other stuff) and using a self-made stylos, I managed to write almost like on a notebook. The only problem is with the palms touching the screen, but with time one gets used to it. I have pages of notes (on SuperNote) and I'm very happy with them.
5. It's a great tool for reading textbooks - pdf and djvu, but that's pretty obvious.
6. Also, it has a quite good battery (well, I suppose it's worst than the Galaxy, but then, they have different displays). When not under super- heavy use, I charge it every two or three days. I was super surprised, when I first got it on a plane, that I could watch a movie during the whole flight (3 hours) and afterwards, I still had plenty of battery (I compare it with my netbook, which barely keeps on for the flight).
7. It had quite powerful sound, movies also play normally, subtitles work fine, the HDMI cable does what it is supposed to do. The only setback on a non-rooted device is that the screen doesn't turn off when connected to the TV.
8. Now that it is rooted, I love it even more, since I can use it almost as my computer.
Negative sides:
1. The software keyboard coming with the Android seriously sucks. I got it upgraded with a Bulgarian one and now the look is much better, the keys are smaller and everything looks a bit more natural.
2. The Vol Up and Vol Down keys are too difficult for pressing, especially if you have to restart couple of times.
3. There is no way to hard turn off the device while stuck on bootload loop, so the only way to shut it down is to wait for the battery to die.
4. There is no USB-port. Ok, I know there are options, but seriously, USBs are so useful. Also, mine came without a MicroSD card.
5. Absurdly expensive accessories. For example, I still don't have a physical keyboard and stuff. Never tried whether it would work with a normal blutooth keyboard, but I wish I had a small cute keyboard.
6. The internal camera software sucks big time. Also, I miss the camera button.
7. Also I don't like how it cannot charge when connected to the PC.
8. I absolutely hate Google and their apps and obsession with monitoring everything. It's great that there are ways to avoid that.
9. What I really don't like is how the warranty of a hardware device is connected with the software on it. This is deeply wrong, I think the policy with respect to tablets should be the same as with laptops - if it breaks under the warranty terms, they fix it, no matter what OS you decided to use.
Well, these are my thought on the Xoom. As a whole, I'm very positive about it, because it fits most of my expectations and needs. I'm sure there are better options, especially now, but when I was choosing it, there weren't so many and I think it was a great choice. I always wanted to have a Galaxy Tab, but the price was way too high at the time. But I'm quite happy with my Xoom!
So here are my observations:
1. The frame is very tough. And I mean VERY! My Xoom got dropped from my mom's lap on the dirty and wet road on exiting the car on the second day I had it. One of its corners is hit and it's little bit deformed. I think it got dropped like 10 times already on different surfaces - it's perfectly fine so far. Ok, I never dropped it from big height, but I'm surprised it survived my ownership for so long. Note, I'm not just trashing it, since it was brand new and expensive at the time, it's just that I use it a lot, carry it around with me all the time and consequently, it tends to fall or hit stuff. Also it tends to get little wet, but I still have my upper protective sheet on, since I have keys and sharp stuff in my bag where it resides.
2. The Android works awesome on it. I was with 3.1, recently it got updated to 4.0.4, everything works great. The 3G signal is very good, the only problem I had with it was Opera now always knowing there's available connection when on 3G, so sometimes I had to reload pages on Unlocking. The WiFi is awesome. I kind of thought there is some internal limit on the download speed, but with tTorrent, I managed to reach 3MB/s so obviously that assumption was wrong.
3. The screen is very responsive, and everything starts swiftly.
4. The touch-capability is also very good. I use it to make notes (among other stuff) and using a self-made stylos, I managed to write almost like on a notebook. The only problem is with the palms touching the screen, but with time one gets used to it. I have pages of notes (on SuperNote) and I'm very happy with them.
5. It's a great tool for reading textbooks - pdf and djvu, but that's pretty obvious.
6. Also, it has a quite good battery (well, I suppose it's worst than the Galaxy, but then, they have different displays). When not under super- heavy use, I charge it every two or three days. I was super surprised, when I first got it on a plane, that I could watch a movie during the whole flight (3 hours) and afterwards, I still had plenty of battery (I compare it with my netbook, which barely keeps on for the flight).
7. It had quite powerful sound, movies also play normally, subtitles work fine, the HDMI cable does what it is supposed to do. The only setback on a non-rooted device is that the screen doesn't turn off when connected to the TV.
8. Now that it is rooted, I love it even more, since I can use it almost as my computer.
Negative sides:
1. The software keyboard coming with the Android seriously sucks. I got it upgraded with a Bulgarian one and now the look is much better, the keys are smaller and everything looks a bit more natural.
2. The Vol Up and Vol Down keys are too difficult for pressing, especially if you have to restart couple of times.
3. There is no way to hard turn off the device while stuck on bootload loop, so the only way to shut it down is to wait for the battery to die.
4. There is no USB-port. Ok, I know there are options, but seriously, USBs are so useful. Also, mine came without a MicroSD card.
5. Absurdly expensive accessories. For example, I still don't have a physical keyboard and stuff. Never tried whether it would work with a normal blutooth keyboard, but I wish I had a small cute keyboard.
6. The internal camera software sucks big time. Also, I miss the camera button.
7. Also I don't like how it cannot charge when connected to the PC.
8. I absolutely hate Google and their apps and obsession with monitoring everything. It's great that there are ways to avoid that.
9. What I really don't like is how the warranty of a hardware device is connected with the software on it. This is deeply wrong, I think the policy with respect to tablets should be the same as with laptops - if it breaks under the warranty terms, they fix it, no matter what OS you decided to use.
Well, these are my thought on the Xoom. As a whole, I'm very positive about it, because it fits most of my expectations and needs. I'm sure there are better options, especially now, but when I was choosing it, there weren't so many and I think it was a great choice. I always wanted to have a Galaxy Tab, but the price was way too high at the time. But I'm quite happy with my Xoom!
im gonna say a few things about your negative points. i have had my Xoom for just under two months and it is awesome, yeah its a bit on the heavy side, but its good for me
3. if the Xoom wont boot or is stuck, hold down the Vol up key and press the power button, it will shut down and reboot. no need to wait for the battery to die
4. if you mean a host USB port like where you can plug in a mouse or thumb drive, yes it is missing that feature, but it does have a micro usb port where you can plug in an OTG (on the go) cable where you can plug in a thumb drive or other usb device
5. yes it will work with a bluetooth keyboard, there are plenty of small BT keyboards on Amazon
7. that is because the Xoom requires more wattage to charge the battery than a USB connection can provide. it would take days to charge it via USB
8. dont take that out on the Xoom and Google isn't "monitoring" you, just scouring your email so they can show you ads
9. i agree with this one, but when you unlock the bootloader and put a custom rom on your tablet, that might break something that you would want them to fix, but since it wasnt the official software that they put on it, they cant support it or fix it, pretty simple when you think of it that way
anyway, thanks for your review and your positive points. you're right about it being solid. i havent dropped mine yet but the feel of it makes me confident it will be alright if i do
and why havent you bought a case for it yet? if you keep dropping it, get a case!
Hehe, you're welcome. I seriously love my Xoom, but I had to put my negative thoughts on it as well. To be fair.
And I disagree on the warranty stuff - if you think about it, the same points go for a laptop or a netbook, if their warranty doesn't depend on the OS, then there's no reason for Xoom's warranty to depend on it. Hardware is hardware and it can malfunction no matter the OS or the ROM. So my humble opinion is that they should stop considering everything that runs Android as a phone and consider it as a PC. Warranty shouldn't be limited to flashing the Android to stock or eventually replacing the device. So they should educate their technicians how to manage custom ROMs and put the device back to stock and check for a hardware defect and to replace it if needed. Just as with a normal PC.
As for 3. - Yeah, Vol Up + Power would reboot, but I wanted it Off and not Rebooted since it kept on rebooting forever.
As for the case - if I put it in a case, I won't be able to put it in my bag. It barely enters as it is. It's a small lady's bag after all. Ok, not small small, but it's small. I'm thinking of some silicon casing, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to make notes on it easily, so I'm still thinking about it. And anyway, right now I'm very out of money, so this will have to wait.
And I'm totally not dropping it, it's not my fault it keeps on falling and hitting stuff.
Thanks for clarifying on the keyboard and other stuff. I probably want too much, but having a MicroSd card, a docking station and a small bluetooth keyboard and a USB connector in the package would have made me so happy. :silly: And a cup of hot chocolate...
And I disagree on the warranty stuff - if you think about it, the same points go for a laptop or a netbook, if their warranty doesn't depend on the OS, then there's no reason for Xoom's warranty to depend on it. Hardware is hardware and it can malfunction no matter the OS or the ROM. So my humble opinion is that they should stop considering everything that runs Android as a phone and consider it as a PC. Warranty shouldn't be limited to flashing the Android to stock or eventually replacing the device. So they should educate their technicians how to manage custom ROMs and put the device back to stock and check for a hardware defect and to replace it if needed. Just as with a normal PC.
As for 3. - Yeah, Vol Up + Power would reboot, but I wanted it Off and not Rebooted since it kept on rebooting forever.
As for the case - if I put it in a case, I won't be able to put it in my bag. It barely enters as it is. It's a small lady's bag after all. Ok, not small small, but it's small. I'm thinking of some silicon casing, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to make notes on it easily, so I'm still thinking about it. And anyway, right now I'm very out of money, so this will have to wait.
And I'm totally not dropping it, it's not my fault it keeps on falling and hitting stuff.
Thanks for clarifying on the keyboard and other stuff. I probably want too much, but having a MicroSd card, a docking station and a small bluetooth keyboard and a USB connector in the package would have made me so happy. :silly: And a cup of hot chocolate...
im gonna say a few things about your negative points. i have had my Xoom for just under two months and it is awesome, yeah its a bit on the heavy side, but its good for me
3. if the Xoom wont boot or is stuck, hold down the Vol up key and press the power button, it will shut down and reboot. no need to wait for the battery to die
4. if you mean a host USB port like where you can plug in a mouse or thumb drive, yes it is missing that feature, but it does have a micro usb port where you can plug in an OTG (on the go) cable where you can plug in a thumb drive or other usb device
5. yes it will work with a bluetooth keyboard, there are plenty of small BT keyboards on Amazon
7. that is because the Xoom requires more wattage to charge the battery than a USB connection can provide. it would take days to charge it via USB
8. dont take that out on the Xoom and Google isn't "monitoring" you, just scouring your email so they can show you ads
9. i agree with this one, but when you unlock the bootloader and put a custom rom on your tablet, that might break something that you would want them to fix, but since it wasnt the official software that they put on it, they cant support it or fix it, pretty simple when you think of it that way
anyway, thanks for your review and your positive points. you're right about it being solid. i havent dropped mine yet but the feel of it makes me confident it will be alright if i do
and why havent you bought a case for it yet? if you keep dropping it, get a case!
I have my Xoom for more than a year. I've rooted it and some times I overclock it to 1.2 or 1.4 GHz but still feel laggy. So, I was wondering if , say in a year time, can I be able to upgrade the CPU by myself instead of buying a new tablet?
i doubt thats even possible, its hardwired in, soldered. nothing to change out
the new 7in Acer a110 seems extremely promising and may potentially out do the nexus 7 as it has micro SD and micro hdmi ports. This has kept me from getting a nexus 7 as I use my hdmi in my xoom every now and then and I also like having the extra storage space for movies on the micro sd. They claim in the reviews that it's easy to use in one hand as well.
I have both a Xoom & a Nexus 7. Both have their place. I love the portability of the 7" Nexus. It is definitely faster than the Xoom. I use my Xoom as a comic reader & multimedia device still.
As far as gaming & news I prefer the N7. I can take my N7 to the gym & use it as media & for tracking my progress with my workout.
is the N7 much better? i´m not sure if i should buy one or not
N7 is deff faster CPU wise and should be smoother than even an over clocked Xoom. But like others have stated it lacks HDMI out and a few other perks of a fully featured tablet. I'd say if u have a Xoom already there is no need to upgrade but if u don't nexus 7 or another newer tab is the way to go.
I love my OG XOOM with the EOS JB Nightly. Nice screen, fast and smooth, great for watching movies and reading on. The only negative thing that people should think about before buying it, it's a bit heavy and a bit bulky, compared to the Nexus 7 which would be better suited to reading and lighter, but the xoom does have a bigger screen so it balances out.
Well thier Warranty does rely on the BIOS which for all intents and purposes is the Kernel of a Laptop/Desktop.Hehe, you're welcome. I seriously love my Xoom, but I had to put my negative thoughts on it as well. To be fair.
And I disagree on the warranty stuff - if you think about it, the same points go for a laptop or a netbook, if their warranty doesn't depend on the OS, then there's no reason for Xoom's warranty to depend on it. Hardware is hardware and it can malfunction no matter the OS or the ROM. So my humble opinion is that they should stop considering everything that runs Android as a phone and consider it as a PC. Warranty shouldn't be limited to flashing the Android to stock or eventually replacing the device. So they should educate their technicians how to manage custom ROMs and put the device back to stock and check for a hardware defect and to replace it if needed. Just as with a normal PC.
A Badly written and flashed kernel/BIOS could cause the unit to use wrong voltages or clock settings and burn something out.
It's not the OS that voids the Warranty it is the unlocking of the bootloader that allows you to flash something that can hurt the unit.
As for the comparisons between Nexus7 and Xoom, Yes the Nexus7 is a full powered unit with the latest and faster procs available but you lose a LOT of features in the proccess. No Camera, HDMI port among others. They were lost in the attempt to keep the unit under $200 and while it's a very good unit you have to think of it as the Google Experience Fire/Nook equivilent (low end) device.
The higher end of these units would belong to Asus in it's Transformer series of tablets. Unfortunatly ASUS has yet to release a Google Experience High end device (neither has anyone else either) that would truly be an equivilent to the Xoom.
Until they do I will stick with my Xoom. TeamEOS has a very fine ROM featuring Jelly Bean that really shows how much the HC and ICS were holding that unit back despite it's 1st Gen Tablet specs.
Thats said if Asus or Moto came out with a 7 or 10 inch tab that was full Google Experience and had all the port and feature support of the Xoom I would probably kiss my Xoom goodbye!
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