My thoughts about the Motorola Xoom, IPad, and other Tablets

[snapdragon0503]

The way I see it is that if you have an Android phone, why would you get an Android tablet. You should get an iPad or any other tablet with similar hardware but different OS. People like/desire change so why buy 2 tablets that are the same on the inside. It's like going out with twins. They both have the same face body ect but each has their own personality so you don't get bored that fast. You want to buy something and say, "I wonder how this is going to be like." With regards to the original post, for the most part I agree. Why should we get a tablet when laptops are just as portable. But then ask yourself, how long does it take you to do something like going to the new york times website on a tablet as compared to a laptop. On a laptop you would have to turn it on if its off then wait for it to load then finally go to the website. On a tablet you turn on the screen and boom click on nyt bookmark. A laptop is definitely more of a sit down thing. this is all my opinion of course. Critic at will!

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

The way I see it is that if you have an Android phone, why would you get an Android tablet. You should get an iPad or any other tablet with similar hardware but different OS. People like/desire change so why buy 2 tablets that are the same on the inside. It's like going out with twins. They both have the same face body ect but each has their own personality so you don't get bored that fast. You want to buy something and say, "I wonder how this is going to be like." With regards to the original post, for the most part I agree. Why should we get a tablet when laptops are just as portable. But then ask yourself, how long does it take you to do something like going to the new york times website on a tablet as compared to a laptop. On a laptop you would have to turn it on if its off then wait for it to load then finally go to the website. On a tablet you turn on the screen and boom click on nyt bookmark. A laptop is definitely more of a sit down thing. this is all my opinion of course. Critic at will!

While I totally see your point, I think it might fail to address the fact that a lot of people like familiarity, myself included. If I'm familiar with the Android platform, it's apps, and how it runs, then an Android tablet allows me to get into that field with a little bit more ease. Granted, Honeycomb is a huge leap in the Android experience we're all used to, as well.

 

[akronevan2]

I looked at the Ipad about two weeks ago and I really wanted one. I went into the Apple Store and began to ask questions. I told them that I wanted to use it for school (college) and asked what the functionality was. They told me that it could do everything that I needed for school. They said, however, that I would need to get a new printer that the Ipad can communicate with. I thought very hard about that. Then they mentioned that, oh yeah it doesn't play Flash. I walked a few minutes later. I went home looked online for a new laptop and settled on one with 4GB Ram, a 750GB hard drive and is an HP DV6. I paid the same price for the laptop as a low-end Ipad.
I love new gadgets but cannot justify purchasing an Ipad or any other tablet over a laptop, just because the tablets are portable and cool. I hope one day to get a tablet that has the same functionality as a lap-top (even if it weighs the same as one). IMO*

 

[phuthanvinh]

Ios = games, graphic, media, hardware design, great apps, no update fragmentation. <<< so a bigger device with bigger screen would play nice with the IOS characteristics such playing games, reading book, etc.

Android os = customization, great varity of hardwares from diver manufacturers, open platform, flash. <<<< those will be great in a phone such widgets, tethering, play flash, google acct syns constantly.

So i want to have a best of both world an android phone and an ipad.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[tjhop4292]

The original concept here, that tablets are giant expensive toys, is really the true idea here. They are near worthless unless used to show off/fit in or to simply have the newest and best toy.

As much as I love technology and am fascinated by it (obviously right, on a site like this?), tablets have no REAL benefit to the end consumer. When i bought my phone (droid x back in the middle of august) i made sure that i was getting a top of the line phone, so that even when newer ones replace it, i would not be 'left behind'. My laptop was paid for by my college and is literally worth ~$8000 because its hardware is SO new and the amount of software on it.

That being said, literally every computing need i have is more than capable of being handled on one or the other, and a tablet is just a cool way to lessen the gap between the two. It is a giant phone, and a (relatively) small, less powerful, touchscreen laptop.

I will however commend apple for being the innovator and the marketing genius in this situation. their mobile division has 1 product, and thats the iphone. as popular as that is, obviously their sales would be boosted by the addition of another 'new' product. all they had to do was stamp the apple on it and advertise it, and apple makes millions, probably billions. and just as phone manufacturers did with touch screen phones, they recognize this as an opportunity to make money and suddenly decide they wanna play that game too. as cool as some of these concepts and tablets are (i personally think the xoom looks pretty cool), i do still believe that they are a waste of materials and are a niche product, being bought only by the idiots who buy into the superfluous craze, or the tech people like us who just want to own a piece of this technology history.

you can bet that if someone came up to me tomorrow and handed me a xoom or ipad i would take it. but do i need it? not in the slightest. i would like to have it to work on my programming developments, and to play with. thats it. it wouldnt really serve much of a purpose to anyone who knows even a little bit about technology.

ps. sorry for the long ass reply. just thought i would be fair and voice my honest opinion as well. peace

 

[Icon]

The original concept here, that tablets are giant expensive toys, is really the true idea here. They are near worthless unless used to show off/fit in or to simply have the newest and best toy.

As much as I love technology and am fascinated by it (obviously right, on a site like this?), tablets have no REAL benefit to the end consumer. When i bought my phone (droid x back in the middle of august) i made sure that i was getting a top of the line phone, so that even when newer ones replace it, i would not be 'left behind'. My laptop was paid for by my college and is literally worth ~$8000 because its hardware is SO new and the amount of software on it.

That being said, literally every computing need i have is more than capable of being handled on one or the other, and a tablet is just a cool way to lessen the gap between the two. It is a giant phone, and a (relatively) small, less powerful, touchscreen laptop.

I will however commend apple for being the innovator and the marketing genius in this situation. their mobile division has 1 product, and thats the iphone. as popular as that is, obviously their sales would be boosted by the addition of another 'new' product. all they had to do was stamp the apple on it and advertise it, and apple makes millions, probably billions. and just as phone manufacturers did with touch screen phones, they recognize this as an opportunity to make money and suddenly decide they wanna play that game too. as cool as some of these concepts and tablets are (i personally think the xoom looks pretty cool), i do still believe that they are a waste of materials and are a niche product, being bought only by the idiots who buy into the superfluous craze, or the tech people like us who just want to own a piece of this technology history.

you can bet that if someone came up to me tomorrow and handed me a xoom or ipad i would take it. but do i need it? not in the slightest. i would like to have it to work on my programming developments, and to play with. thats it. it wouldnt really serve much of a purpose to anyone who knows even a little bit about technology.

ps. sorry for the long ass reply. just thought i would be fair and voice my honest opinion as well. peace

While I agree with most of the posts on here, there are some issues I have. People saying "tablets have no real use for consumers" should just keep that to yourself. Who are you to say that I have no need for a tablet. This industry is about personal preference, you have yours and I have mine. Just because you don't have a need for a tablet, doesn't mean the rest of the world doesn't either. This world and industry does not revolve around you, or me, or phil. Your opinion is what it is, and your allowed to have it, but stop passing judgement on people and assuming everybody has the same needs as you. I will buy the Xoom when it comes out, cause I HAVE A NEED FOR IT, and you nor anybody else will tell me otherwise.

 

[whippingboy]

Personally, I loved the concept of the ADAM PixelQi tablet. All the battery saving benefits of a Kindle, all the ports and options one desires from a laptop. Unfortunately, the thing is BIG- and there sounds like some seriously questionable quality issues with the device/software.

I don't know about you- but I have a problem with the SIZE of all of these things. ipad is NOT 16:9 so it's close to a 10" screen but almost square- where the xoom is 16:9 (or close to it) so it's narrower but much taller. The 7" 16:9 android tablets are too small- I'd love an 8 or 8.5" to split the difference. Nook color I like for it's thin design- Samsung Tab for it's out of the box functionality but both need to be slightly bigger screen wise to differentiate from the 4" phones, and I'd still love a Pixel Qi option for long reading sessions...

Question is am I really the only one looking for this? Will anyone make it?

 

[techiechick]

I, for one, have been struggling with the same concepts... I love the idea of the Galaxy Tab - but there isn't a single thing it will do that my Epic won't. So it's a little hard to justify $1,020!! ($300+2 yrs@$30month) I've been waiting for a wifi only option, but even then at $500? it's still a hard sell when I have a device on my hip with more computing power than what was once used to land the space shuttle!!

Having said all that, there's one more thing to consider - techno-lust!! ;-)
Sometimes you just gotta have one!!
Which is why I'm using a rooted Nook Color! Does everything I wanted in a wifi tablet, half the price of anything else out there.
Go XDA!!!

 

[HalM]

vanlanjl, we sound a lot alike except I am a "few" years older. We own and love a Galaxy Tab (T-Mobile), Captivate (wife's) and Aria (mine). Actually, I screwed up when I bought the Aria, is too small for serious email replies so I flip-flop with a Samsung Focus with WP7 when on the road.

Here is my take on tablets as they now exist. They are "family room" devices. Better than a phone for surfing and business email triage but not ready to compete with laptops, especially in the enterprise.

IMO two things are holding it back. First is the lack of a keyboard. Yes, we could get a docking station, but then why not use the more powerful / useful laptop. Second is software. For some reason, developers have no problem writing small, tight gaming code for a phone or tablet. So what is the issue that prevents porting some mission critical app such as the MS RDP client? Maybe it is out there, but I haven't found it.

Personally, I see the tablet fading away and being replaced by a phone, probably the approximate size of a HD2 / HD7 and a docking station.

 

[thekarens]

I really don't think tablets are meant to replace desktops/laptops. Yes, they can to a lot of things that laptops can do, but not everything. I have a gaming pc and Evo and a CR-48. My partner has a 17 inch Toshiba laptop and Epic so we have plenty of computing devices in the house.

I really wanted a tablet. I thought long and hard about what I'd do with it and then compared what's out there and what should be out soon and in the end I went with a 32gb iPad wifi only. Got it from the Apple store for $500 plus tax.

What I do on my laptop (when I had one) and my CR-48 is surf the web and play games and watch media. I think I'll be much happier doing those things on an ipad with a lot more options. That and the accessory options on the ipad can't be beat.

If I need to do real computing or work I use the desktop.

 

[jcgso]

I am in the same boat as the original poster. I want a tablet, but can't justify the high price. Hopefully competition from all the tablets coming out soon will quickly bring prices down.
I have a laptop and an Android phone with a 3" screen. I need them both and each serve their purpose. I will likely upgrade to a 4G 4"-4.3" Android phone in a few months.
For me, carrying around a laptop for work isn't practical. I need something lighter, with better battery life and with almost instant acess to apps and the internet. Also, video conferencing would be great.
I'm in real estate and need the ability to pull up listing info, pictures and videos, graphs and charts wherever I am. My phone and even a larger screen phone is too small to be showing to clients.
I'd love to get a Xoom or maybe even an ipad2, but prices will have to be under $400, before I will pull the trigger.

 

[techiechick]

I am in the same boat as the original poster. I want a tablet, but can't justify the high price. Hopefully competition from all the tablets coming out soon will quickly bring prices down.
I have a laptop and an Android phone with a 3" screen. I need them both and each serve their purpose. I will likely upgrade to a 4G 4"-4.3" Android phone in a few months.
For me, carrying around a laptop for work isn't practical. I need something lighter, with better battery life and with almost instant acess to apps and the internet. Also, video conferencing would be great.
I'm in real estate and need the ability to pull up listing info, pictures and videos, graphs and charts wherever I am. My phone and even a larger screen phone is too small to be showing to clients.
I'd love to get a Xoom or maybe even an ipad2, but prices will have to be under $400, before I will pull the trigger.

I've been a Real Estate Broker since 97. I've been doing my business on a tablet since 2005. (XP Tablet Edition - MotionComputing)
I can say first hand it is absolutely the BEST way to conduct a successful Real Estate business. And the client wow-factor can't be beat!!!!
If you can tether or if you have a mifi, a wifi only tablet is a good option. The Nook Color is an inexpensive way to get started.. why spend a lot until you're sure it will fit into your business model, right? Besides, you can always write it off..
Of course, with a Windows based tablet you can show properties, use MLS and the internet (Property appraiser's site, etc.) AND prepare and even have the clients sign the contracts on your tablet... but that's for another forum..

 

[Cyber Warrior]

For the price and the possibility that it will be running honeycomb soon, the NookColor is starting to get my attention. Its also a decent size. Not too large to where you feel like you're carrying a laptop and not too small to where you would rather just use your phone.

 

[dcviperboy]

To be clear here, the great thing about Android is its flexibility. I personally wanted a larger tablet. I currently have the Evo and the iPad. When playing with the Galaxy Tab, it was just too close to the size of my phone to make it useful. The iPad (10 inch) still wasnt as invasive as my 14 inch laptop - size OR weight.

That being said, these devices are NOT laptop replacements. It would take me (personally, idk about you) much longer to type a paper, create a powerpoint, edit photos, etc. If you are a business user who needs to do these items, a tablet will not work.

A tablet is GREAT (again, imo) for consuming media; videos, games, web browsing, forum reading, etc. For the "casual" user who uses a laptop for email and surfing, these tablets absolutely WILL replace their laptop.

For my personal experience, I plan to keep my Evo, replace the iPad with the Xoom, and replace my desktop with my laptop. I can still do my online banking, document editing (etc) on the laptop, web browsing on the tablet, and anything you can do on an Evo, on my Evo.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

To be clear here, the great thing about Android is its flexibility. I personally wanted a larger tablet. I currently have the Evo and the iPad. When playing with the Galaxy Tab, it was just too close to the size of my phone to make it useful. The iPad (10 inch) still wasnt as invasive as my 14 inch laptop - size OR weight.

That being said, these devices are NOT laptop replacements. It would take me (personally, idk about you) much longer to type a paper, create a powerpoint, edit photos, etc. If you are a business user who needs to do these items, a tablet will not work.

A tablet is GREAT (again, imo) for consuming media; videos, games, web browsing, forum reading, etc. For the "casual" user who uses a laptop for email and surfing, these tablets absolutely WILL replace their laptop.

For my personal experience, I plan to keep my Evo, replace the iPad with the Xoom, and replace my desktop with my laptop. I can still do my online banking, document editing (etc) on the laptop, web browsing on the tablet, and anything you can do on an Evo, on my Evo.

I agree with this 100%. I don't see Tablets replacing my laptop anytime soon, but that's not to say I don't have use for them in my every day life. For me, a Tablet is perfect when I'm going somewhere and I may want full access to the web (sorry, I still don't count my phone as "full" just yet) but don't need to do anything intensive that would require a laptop.

And I don't think I've used a desktop at home since like 2007 lol.

 

[Ronindan]

Completly agreed on this. Laptops are not going to be replaced by tablets anytime soon. Netbooks on the other hand are an endangered species.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Netbooks were always a strange breed to me, if I can be honest. I'm not sure if they ever truly had a solid future.

 

[Ronindan]

Netbooks were always a strange breed to me, if I can be honest. I'm not sure if they ever truly had a solid future.

Yeah I know what you mean. Net books never really defined their niche in the mobile computing space. Heck Apple took a decent swing at making netbooks (McAir??? Not sure what they are called) and their stuff did not exactly fly off the shelves.

I know people are going to jump on me for this, but if tablet manufacturers do not defined the purpose of tablets, then tablets will just end up as a fad.

 

[Balthazar B]

Mark my words: the first manufacturer that comes out with an Atrix-like ecosystem, but provides a tablet shell into which a smartphone plugs in will have a compelling product line (personally, I think it will be Samsung, though Moto could do it easily). The shell will need to be light and supply its own power and a few other niceties, and it would provide the large-screen experience that's critical for some uses. And I could easily see the design of Honeycomb making this a natural.

 

[Beagles Rule]

WOW lots of good stuff in this thread!! I wanted and yes it was truly a want not a need a new tablet. I justify my purchase with the fact that I work very hard all year and if I do well I get a yearly bonus based off of performance. I used that to justify my tablet purchase. I work hard for a year and I will blow some of my bonus on a toy to make myself happy and not feel so bad about 55-60 work weeks LOL

I really looked at what I would use the tablet for and then set out to do my research. I am by no means a tech expert nor do I know a lot about the technical aspect of these devices. I look at them from user perspective and how they will function and features that relate to me. I converted from blackberry to android over a year ago and have been completely satisfied if not impressed with the platform. For this reason the android platform was definitely on the short list of candidates. I compared the windows and ipad platforms as well.

The Ipad was just a bit too big for how I would be using my tablet but I still kept it in the running. It does seem to operate smoothly with little software issues and glitches. However some of the drawbacks to the platform were the locked down memory sizes available. Basically you would have to get the size you could afford or thought you would need and hope that you don't outgrow it otherwise it becomes useless to you and you have to replace it. The other big factor in my decision process was the camera or lack thereof. I didn't know how often I would use the camera but it's a sure answer if there is no camera.

I wasn't really impressed with the windows tablet from the start so I ruled it out almost immediately. I've had windows based phones and wasn't impressed with them either. I know it's strictly my opinion so don't hate on me for it

Then I looked at the Samsung Galaxy Tab or the android option (one of them anyway) and it seemed to fit my life and how I was going to use a tablet. I really liked the size as it would fit into my briefcase without much issue of space. It also had a camera in case I wanted to use it. It also had a front facing camera as well so I could Skype or video chat. (Now I have yet to use Skype or video chat because nobody I know has this capability yet but I'm ready whenever my first friend or family member wants to video chat or Skype me) It also had expandable memory wich meant it wasn't going to become useless if space became an issue. I also really like the android platoform so that's a plus.

So ultimately I bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab about a month ago and it has been a great choice for my use. I can slip it into my bag and it goes to work with me and I can do pretty much anything I want with it. My original droid phone has a great screen but sometimes the larger screen makes a big difference especially as I've enetered into the bifocal stage of life The uses I've found myself settling into are Twitter and Facebook also use a lot of Youtube on it. The size also makes it great for on the spot web searching like while you're around the house or watching tv etc. It's also easier to carry to social events or elsewhere that you don't want to drag your laptop but may have some "computing" opportunities. Overall it was a great selection for my needs but it will never replace my laptop or my desktop for that matter.