Reviews/impressions about the Moto Xoom.

[whs37]

Fortran or COBOL?

Fortran and Cobol were not around then. It was basic assembler all the way. But I did participate in the development of a Cobol compiler in 1965. My part was to put the ISAM access method in.

I am waiting for a nice 7" device. At the time when I setup my profile, I thought an updated Galaxy would fit the bill. Now I am not so convinced any more (besides the point that there will probably not be one). And I am also less enthusiastic regarding Android now. I will look at Web-OS and QNX - and then there is always Windows8 waiting in the wings. But I am in no hurry. For me it is just a toy. My 6 PCs do the work - no Macs.

 

[kennychaffin]

Now you are getting personal. I have developed operating systems when you were not even born - like in 1961. I can tell a good OS from one that is not ready for the market - and the apps are part of the bundle.

I will definitely not buy an iPad, but there are other options. Just wait another few months.

Hmmm, yet you confuse O/S Crashing with apps crashing.....

 

[kennychaffin]

Okay, so I've had my Xoom a bit over 2 weeks now. It has Flash now (I wish the SD slot were working but I'm not really missing it). There are really only two things that are minor annoyances ... otherwise I love it.

1. - the rear speakers kinda suck, they'd be much better on the front or sides or something.

2. - the fact that it will not charge from usb is another annoyance but not a huge issue.

 

[TPadden]

And why are you waiting to buy a device with an operating system that is not ready?

I am not getting personal just tired of BS.

... and I'm getting tired of the hostility . His complaints and posts were both valid and civil. Your's weren't.

 

[Stone]

I understand the difference between force closes and core OS functionality and I hope this thread doesn't continue to devolve. The fact is Android does allow more flexibility than anything else out there, but Honeycomb just like every Android version before it, feels a bit incomplete in some ways.

I think it's a poor argument to say that because Android is more open, it can't perform with the fluidity and stability of an iOS or WP7. We should not give google a pass here, Android could be ALOT more stable than it is. Having said all of that, it's still my platform of choice, at least for now...

 

[rjoudrey]

I don't understand how you control what people put on an open platform. There is always the potential on an open OS that a particular app can muddy up the works.

 

[TPadden]

I don't understand how you control what people put on an open platform. There is always the potential on an open OS that a particular app can muddy up the works.

Open doesn't necessarily mean buggy or totally uncontrolled. Linux and Ubuntu are pretty good examples of what evolved open systems can do......

 

[rjoudrey]

Fortran and Cobol were not around then.

For the sake of teaching some computer history:

1954 - The first version of FORTRAN (formula translator) is published by IBM.

1960 - The Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) programming language is invented.

1961 - The programming language FORTRAN IV is created.

I didn't realize it was that long ago.

 

[rjoudrey]

This is very cool information. Especially where it cites about some of the founding fathers.

Computer History for 1940 - 1960

 

[Stone]

I don't understand how you control what people put on an open platform. There is always the potential on an open OS that a particular app can muddy up the works.

This is true, but my argument is the stability of the supposedly hardware-accelerated core OS. Not what happens when another variable is added.

Google exposes core functionality via their APIs and a developer can do what he wishes, I understand that completely. However, what those APIs do to the stability of the core OS rests strictly in the hands of google engineers.

This is I think my 6th android device in as many years & whether it be vanilla Android or some skinned version of it, they all at times lag menus, have visible redraw, and random freezes. These things of course vary be device but are always present. Honeycomb & my Xoom are no exception.

 

[rjoudrey]

This is true, but my argument is the stability of the supposedly hardware-accelerated core OS. Not what happens when another variable is added.

Google exposes core functionality via their APIs and a developer can do what he wishes, I understand that completely. However, what those APIs do to the stability of the core OS rests strictly in the hands of google engineers.

This is I think my 6th android device in as many years & whether it be vanilla Android or some skinned version of it, they all at times lag menus, have visible redraw, and random freezes. These things of course vary be device but are always present. Honeycomb & my Xoom are no exception.

Thanks for the clarification. You are truly knowledgeable.

 

[whs37]

For the sake of teaching some computer history:

1954 - The first version of FORTRAN (formula translator) is published by IBM.

1960 - The Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) programming language is invented.

1961 - The programming language FORTRAN IV is created.

I didn't realize it was that long ago.

True, but it did not run on the machines I worked on. And neither Cobol nor Fortran lend themselves for operating system type programming. Assembler was the language of choice.

And in your history page, look up Zuse. In 1958 I worked on a Zuse 11 at university. Nice machine.

 

[rjoudrey]

True, but it did not run on the machines I worked on. And neither Cobol nor Fortran lend themselves for operating system type programming. Assembler was the language of choice.

And in your history page, look up Zuse. In 1958 I worked on a Zuse 11 at university. Nice machine.

Nice looking monitor!

 

[jwwill0]

I an interested in the Xoom and would like to describe what I am looking for in a device and get info on how well the Xoom can handle this.

First, I have multiple Google Apps accounts, so there is an obvious benefit to the Xoom. I work in an office environment, but have very limited internet access for personal use due to recent company policies to prevent the spread of viruses. This leaves me needing some sort of 3G device (integrated or external, i.e. mifi). While a laptop is a good option, 90% of what I need to handle while there, or anywhere besides home, is web, email, and occasional document edits.

I do have an iPhone 3Gs. I like the phone, but obviously there are trade-offs. I have never been a huge fan of Apple, but the phone is easy to use. I am looking for a tablet to be the portable device with more functionality. I would prefer to have a device that can easily handle the email and web browsing, allow for file storage and edits (Word or Excel documents mostly), and attaching or saving those from email. It would also be great if I could use the device to connect to a projector for business presentations.

I have compared the Xoom and iPad. From having an iPhone, I pretty much know what to expect there. I also know I can get a vga adapter for the iPad for the business presentations, but have not found any information on this or any other connectivity options on the Xoom.

What tips do you all with Xoom/Android experience have for this type of use? I know I can accomplish 'most' of this with the iPad, but am very interested in what the Xoom has to offer in this area that the iPad can't. It also needs to be fairly easy to manage (sync and transfers with the pc, etc). It's a big chunk of change to get the Xoom, and if I go the Verizon contract route, I'm stuck with a 2 year deal. If I go without a contract, then I will still need to pickup a 3g hotspot.

Thank you for any tips.

 

[FragDroidX]

I don't see any reason why the Xoom wouldn't fill all of your needs. In my opinion the Xoom does web browsing and email better than the I pad and it also has full flash capability now. I would recommend Quick Office Pro for your document and excel editing needs and it is currently on sale for $7.99 which is 60% off its normal price. As far as presentations go the Xoom has hdmi version 1.4 out and it does full mirroring of the device. If you don't have hdmi on what you are using for presentations you can always get an hdmi to VGA connector. If your going to need 3G you might as well get the Xoom on contract to save yourself $200 and will also have an upgrade path to 4G if it becomes available in your area. Also after a software update you will have the option of doubling your storage with a 32 GB SD card for your file storing needs. So really after writing all that it seems to me that the Xoom is the best possible choice for what your are looking for.

 

[whs37]

That's not a monitor. It is a control panel.

 

[El Blacksheep]

Internet Access
You can choose to pay VZW for a 3G (later on 4G) data plan for your Xoom if you want, or you can do what I do and tether your Xoom to your phone's 3G. WiFi tethering requires no cables

Web, Email, Document Edits
The web browser on the Xoom is very nice, same with the email and gmail clients. The Xoom comes with a "hidden" Quickoffice which allows you to open and edit word, excel and powerpoint documents, but if you want to create new ones from your tablet you'll need to find a different version (there may be one floating around on xda's forums) or get a different app, like documents to go. Both apps also allow you to view PDFs.

File Storage
The Xoom has 32GB, and while the microsd card slot does not currently do anything there will eventually be an update that enables it... whenever that is. The way Motorola pushed out updates for the original Droid (their flagship phone) I'd assume the Xoom (their flagship tablet) will get similar treatment.

Projector
The micro-HDMI port on the Xoom will connect to any HDMI projector, but you will have problems with older VGA projectors. The HDMI signal is digital, and VGA is analog, so a simple adapter wont work; you need an active converter. Which requires it's own power supply. There's a topic about this somewhere on motorola's forums (I was looking for this same info last Friday lol). Apple's $40 adapter has the upper hand here, and it's one of the ONLY things the iPad does better than the Xoom.

For small meetings, the Xoom's display itself works fine. I used it in a product development meeting last week.

Other
Since you mentioned business use, I'll describe what happened to me last wednesday. I'm sitting at my desk preparing for my product development meeting, and I've got a couple pictures on my camera I want to show everyone. The printer is down so I can't print them. I plug in my Xoom, but of course the POS computer I'm on can't connect to it. So I go to download motorola's drivers (which work btw) but our internet connection is so slow that it will make me late for my meeting, which is less than 1 minute away now.

So, I upload the pics to my Dropbox account, and go to my meeting. I open the Dropbox app on my tablet, and my pics are there freshly uploaded.

Flash
Now for personal use... flash on the Xoom is outstanding. When you want it, it works brilliantly. I mostly use it to watch streaming vids from ustream, justin.tv, livestream, and plenty other streaming services. It works far better than flash ever did on my phone.

Now, when you DON'T want it, all those flash ads on every website will really slow down your otherwise fast browser. Luckily, you can go into your browser settings and change Plugins from always on to "on demand." Then, whenever you want to view flash content, you just tap on it.

 

[mowrangler]

After owning one of the Galaxy tabs since December, I decided to take a stab at the Xoom. I thought I might like Honeycomb and the quality of build Motorola puts out. As someone who has owned both, I thought I'd throw out my opinion for others in the same position.

Comparable features - both tablets seem to have great battery life and do what I need them to do. I use them to watch movies, listen to music, e-reader, email, and internet browsing.

Shared deficiencies - I am still really disappointed about the overall bluetooth support in Android. It appears by the Xoom keyboard that either Motorola or Google is moving in the right direction with bluetooth drivers, but at the end of the day I couldn't get my bluetooth keyboard or mouse to connect. If they did, the Xoom would have real potential as a laptop replacement.

The things I like about the Xoom- The screen resolution is great and audio quality is really good when I am not using headphones, the dual core processor handles anything I can throw at it, and there are some security features (specifically encryption) that are great from a corporate adoption standpoint.

The things I don't like - Size. I am rapidly becoming one of the people who thinks the 7" size is optimal. If I were just using it at home, 10" would probably be great but on a plane 7" is small enough that it is a really small portfolio sized package, whereas the Xoom was kind of awkward for one handed use. Also, after an hour of using it as an e-reader, it gets a bit on the heavy side. The fact that the microSD is not enabled right now is also a big PITA, as I like to carry them for music and movies. The other complaints I have are due to the newness of Honeycomb, but I'm sure the next service pack will contain a lot of fixes.

All in all, if size weren't a factor I would keep the Xoom hands down, but as it stands now there will be a Xoom being returned when I get back home Friday. I really hope that one of the 7" tablets comes out with a dual-core processor, or I might consider the 8.9" tab as well when it is out.

 

[sabres fan]

I tried to hold out until all on the Xoom was working but I am a nerd and couldn't wait any longer.

I was originally talked into the Verizon 1G plan even though everyone on the site said not to do it. I took it home with the 14 days in mind and used it as much as possible. Within minutes of getting it out of the box, my slingbox was working [this was pre-Flash]. I also managed to convert several videos and load them without any problem.

To be honest, there are apps that I would like to use [Sirius XM, etc] that still have yet to be updated for the tablet, but they will come.

After a week, I realized I NEVER turned the 3 g on. So I went to Verizon and canceled my service. I had to pay the extra $200, but in the long run it saved about $300 because I don't have to pay the $20/month.

I LOVE my Xoom. Although, I also agree with everyone about the price, I am glad I took the plunge. Also, I am among the others who say that the 7-8 in. tablet would be the best.

In order to get around the keyboard I downloaded Thumb/Keyboard. This makes typing a lot better. There are also ways to connect to a phone without having to root.

There are things that I don't like with the Xoom:

1. The SD slot isn't working!!!!!
2. When you have your xoom in a sleeve portfolio you can't plug the power in at the same time.
3. I have not found a gel sleeve that makes me confident in protecting it.
4. The sound isn't that great. I plug in external speakers


The nice thing is that right now everyone who is developing apps is doing it with the tablet and honeycomb in mind!

Hope this helps.

 

[kennychaffin]

I tried to hold out until all on the Xoom was working but I am a nerd and couldn't wait any longer.
.

Praise be geekiness!

Oh and congrats!

 

[whs37]

Good report Sabres Fan - thank you. I admire everybody who sinks a week's worth of pay into a product that does not even have some basic functions working (SD card reader). You convinced me to wait until these devices are ready for prime time. No wonder the iPad is so successful, but that is not for me.

 

[ghdeen]

As another data point, I have had my zoom for a month this Saturday. Aside from an earthquake tracking app that seems unstable, I can count the forced closes on one hand. Seems pretty stable to me.....

One can find a reason not to buy any of the tablets out there. If you prefer to focus on what it doesn't have yet, that is your right as a consumer. I bought it for what it does have, and the future holds much much more. Really pleased with my purchase.

 

[llescaflownell]

As another data point, I have had my zoom for a month this Saturday. Aside from an earthquake tracking app that seems unstable, I can count the forced closes on one hand. Seems pretty stable to me.....

One can find a reason not to buy any of the tablets out there. If you prefer to focus on what it doesn't have yet, that is your right as a consumer. I bought it for what it does have, and the future holds much much more. Really pleased with my purchase.

Very true, we can't have it all people. And believe it or not, even the iPad doesn't have it all.

 

[frenzy757]

iPad apps crash..anyone who says they dont either 1...dont use it or 2. dont have it.

Browser? Crashes too....Words with friends, crashed EVERY time i opened it for the first time in a while...had to reload it. EVERY TIME.

I think people put more emphasis on Xoom/android crashes is because it called it out..."blah blah blah force close"....iOS just closes the app it seems

 

[kennychaffin]

Very true, we can't have it all people. And believe it or not, even the iPad doesn't have it all.

Blasphemy!!!!