[Reviews] Motorola Xoom First Impressions & Reviews

[Menno]

I like it very much so far, it's everything I thought it woud be. The only negative - if you can call it that - is it's not as user friendly as the Ipad. It takes a lot of configuring and learning on your own, which I don't mind, I'm not sure how regular users will like that though.

I'm excited and, still in the middle of tinkering/playing with it.

Eh, the "ease of use" think with iOS is a bit overstated imo. If someone is used to it, then of course it will be simpler. But I taught my grandmother to use my Droid faster than she ever picked up on how to use my ipad touch.

 

[Live2ride883]

Although I haven't spent much time on tablet so far today my only issue so far is the rediculously small tip on the dharger.

Other than that I am very satisfied with the purchase.

 

[anon(52425)]

I thought that circle at the bottom above the hdmi port was the light sensor.

And obviously, no light for me.

 

[pandersonx]

Definitely not very intuitive.

 

[frenzy757]

I love it....

It takes a bit getting used to it, but its for the better.

GOt it from Costco...so rebate, and if they lower the price in 90 days, I get money back...if something comes out in 90 days that beats the pants off this xoom, I can return it.

THIS is a fun tablet to play with unlike my Ipad

 

[mfriedman79]

Charging Light

Not sure if its been posted yet, but it appears the charging light only works when the Xoom is powered down. As soon as I shut it down the light came on while it was plugged in. My best guess is they figure if its on you cna just look at the screen to see its charge versus having to power it up and verify.

 

[epik151]

Browser, top right button, settings, labs, quick controls.

Increases usability greatly.

 

[sjenkins1009]

Steves Review:
First day of Owning:
I bought it from VZW last night right after work, traded in my two day old tab for it because I figured A) The OG tab would never see Gingerbread let alone anything after honeycomb and B) Motorola has a decent upgrade history. Plus the 10” screen looked sweet. After having some minor shocks and disappointing news about needing to be on Contract to get the “Free 4G upgrade” they are advertising, (I still want to try and get Motorola CS on webchat to confirm, anyone do this?), I went ahead and got the Xoom for $600 and a two year contract. My plans with that are to pay for it till they release the 4G chip, then take the ETF which according to my receipt is only $175.
OS is extremely snappy and fast. I use it mainly right now for ebooks and a few applications, but as I am getting my IT business off the ground in the upcoming months I plan to use it to keep track of my company files as well as providing remote support from it as needed.
Works we with most older apps, but some like Pocket God, it opens then just closes. I geuss the creators need to update the app, hoping they do. The enhanced screen makes it really nice to read the new on in the morning and, and the camera takes some pretty decent pictures.
As for Honeycomb, it is going to take me a little while to get use to the new OS as there are quite a few feel changes, but overall I think the phone was worth the money I paid for it.
Any questions let me know.

 

[voiceonly]

4. Charging indicator light isn't working. Not sure if this is a device flaw or software setting. Still learning...

My light came on, but then went off pretty quickly, as the device was close to fully charged when I got it. I believe, and I could be wrong, but the light goes off when charged above 95% if I read the manual (haha, I read those things once in a while)... check to see what your charge is and if over 95%, I think that's why it's off.

 

[david6785]

im really digging the xoom but theres lots bugs. the android apps not designed for the tablet are crashing on me left and right. the xoom goes from silky smooth to really slowing down. i know im an early adopter and hope they have some quick fixes to the situation. i know i sound kind of negative but im really digging honeycomb and the build quality way better then the ipad

 

[bestbuystinks]

Remote Desktop Apps

Bump

 

[kinster02]

I just got through playing with one at bestbuy for 2 hrs and the only complaint I had was that it was too loud even at the lowest setting. I found myself constantly trying to turn the volume down although it was at one, I had to cover the speakers to get the volume to a normal level...this is in a somewhat noisy place I couldn't imagine how it would be at home. Hopefully it was only that one device because the volume was at one but sounded like four or five. Other than that it was a nice first tablet for Motorola but not for $800. I would just wait until the price drops like the g tabs if I was in the market.

 

[DrWu]

I just got through playing with one at bestbuy for 2 hrs and the only complaint I had was that it was too loud even at the lowest setting. I found myself constantly trying to turn the volume down although it was at one, I had to cover the speakers to get the volume to a normal level...this is in a somewhat noisy place I couldn't imagine how it would be at home. Hopefully it was only that one device because the volume was at one but sounded like four or five. Other than that it was a nice first tablet for Motorola but not for $800. I would just wait until the price drops like the g tabs if I was in the market.

I do not have an issue with the volume. I was using it in my cube at work - I work in a very quiet environment, I found that I could play videos and music at between 3 and 4 without anyone hearing it but me. Maybe they crank up the demo units at best buy because its so loud in there or something.

 

[anon(42011)]

My volume is fine as well, no issues here. I'm loving it!

 

[kerwink040]

I love it....

It takes a bit getting used to it, but its for the better.

GOt it from Costco...so rebate, and if they lower the price in 90 days, I get money back...if something comes out in 90 days that beats the pants off this xoom, I can return it.

THIS is a fun tablet to play with unlike my Ipad

@frenzy757
I agree with your response. No need for me to post my own. You said it for me. Thanks.

 

[voghan]

Just bought mine about two hours ago at best buy. So far I am really impressed. I thought it would be much larger. I'm not thrilled with the glare on the screen but can live with this. I'm surprised it downloaded all my apps after activation. I'll post more once I've spent a little more time using the device.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Must say, the Facebook app is pretty fugly on the stretched out screen.

 

[gravage]

I spent some quality time with one today. I actually called stores until I found one in stock because I intended to purchase one if I was adequately impressed. The bottom line is: I wasn't.

I currently own both an iPad and a Galaxy Tab. The iPad has always felt like a big iPod Touch to me and iOS is just too simple. I hate having to launch an app for everything. There's no integration at all (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) native to the OS. The Galaxy Tab is kind of a big Android phone. The big benefit to it is that I can pretty much put it in my pocket and carry it with me.

I was hoping the Xoom could replace both. I was intrigued by Honeycomb and I wanted a Tablet experience that was more like a laptop. The iPad is good for games and entertainment, but not so spectacular at productivity.

I came away from my time with the Xoom with the following impressions:

• The screen was dull. I had read about this in some reviews, but I wanted to see for myself. The colors were bland and the brightness on max seemed to be just barely adequate. Not that I'm looking to burn out my retinas, but I was hoping for more. I'm not sure how it would even be usable outdoors on a sunny day. Colors were nowhere near as vibrant as I would have liked. Motorola genuinely builds great hardware, so I was not expecting to have any issues with the hardware. Still, the screen is the most important part of a tablet and I feel like Moto fell short on this one.
  
• I experienced several force closes while using the device. I tried to launch Gun Brothers to see how it fit the screen and it just opened a blank screen and did nothing. Other apps worked, but they didn't launch as fast as I would have expected, given the specs.
  
• The Xoom lagged several times while I was using it. There's simply no excuse for this with a dual core processor and a gig of RAM. I'm not sure if Honeycomb needs to be optimized more or what, but it was unacceptable. Screen transitions (such as portrait to landscape and vice versa) were also slow.
  
• The overall build quality (with the exception of the screen) was good. It felt good in the hand and solid. I expect no less from Motorola. I actually like the power button. It seems like it would be harder to press on accident.
  
• It felt a lot like Android. Despite the differences in the UI, Android is definitely there. This is not a bad thing. I'm merely pointing out that if you have any familiarity at all with Android, this device will be easy to get used to. That being said, I think it will prove challenging to users who are not familiar with Android. This is not a tablet for your grandmother or your child to play with.
  
• The Xoom couldn't get a GPS lock inside the store. My HTC Inspire could in the same spot, as could an iPad (or at least an approximate location). Even with Wifi on, the Xoom simply refused to locate me. This is worrisome to me.
  
• The browser would be awesome if it didn't load the mobile version of sites by default. There is also no option to change that in the settings, as you can on many Android phone. This is a huge oversight in my opinion. What's the point of loading mobile sites by default on a tablet?
  
• Verizon's $35 activation fee is ridiculous. As far as I can tell, you have to pay it every time you activate data. On an iPad, you can activate and deactivate the data any time you want with no fee. This is a poor business decision on Verizon's part. I'm also not thrilled with the idea of having to send the device away for an LTE upgrade. A lot can go wrong with that process.

At the end of the day, I didn't feel like this was a device worth purchasing at the current price point. I wish it was. iPad 2 will no doubt be a very slight upgrade over the current iPad and I don't see iOS changing much. I'm bored with iOS. It has lots of great apps and they work well, but having to launch an app for everything gets old. My Galaxy Tab is nice, but I have an Android phone now and it makes the Tab feel more like a large phone when I use it. The HP Touchpad will be somewhat intriguing, but it's still WebOS, which means it will feel like I'm using a Pre. Honeycomb had the most potential to me because it was new and different and I felt like it was powerful enough to replace a laptop. At this point, I feel like it has a ways to go, stability being the primary concern.

 

[bestbuystinks]

I spent some quality time with one today. I actually called stores until I found one in stock because I intended to purchase one if I was adequately impressed. The bottom line is: I wasn't.

I currently own both an iPad and a Galaxy Tab. The iPad has always felt like a big iPod Touch to me and iOS is just too simple. I hate having to launch an app for everything. There's no integration at all (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) native to the OS. The Galaxy Tab is kind of a big Android phone. The big benefit to it is that I can pretty much put it in my pocket and carry it with me.

I was hoping the Xoom could replace both. I was intrigued by Honeycomb and I wanted a Tablet experience that was more like a laptop. The iPad is good for games and entertainment, but not so spectacular at productivity.

I came away from my time with the Xoom with the following impressions:

• The screen was dull. I had read about this in some reviews, but I wanted to see for myself. The colors were bland and the brightness on max seemed to be just barely adequate. Not that I'm looking to burn out my retinas, but I was hoping for more. I'm not sure how it would even be usable outdoors on a sunny day. Colors were nowhere near as vibrant as I would have liked. Motorola genuinely builds great hardware, so I was not expecting to have any issues with the hardware. Still, the screen is the most important part of a tablet and I feel like Moto fell short on this one.
  
• I experienced several force closes while using the device. I tried to launch Gun Brothers to see how it fit the screen and it just opened a blank screen and did nothing. Other apps worked, but they didn't launch as fast as I would have expected, given the specs.
  
• The Xoom lagged several times while I was using it. There's simply no excuse for this with a dual core processor and a gig of RAM. I'm not sure if Honeycomb needs to be optimized more or what, but it was unacceptable. Screen transitions (such as portrait to landscape and vice versa) were also slow.
  
• The overall build quality (with the exception of the screen) was good. It felt good in the hand and solid. I expect no less from Motorola. I actually like the power button. It seems like it would be harder to press on accident.
  
• It felt a lot like Android. Despite the differences in the UI, Android is definitely there. This is not a bad thing. I'm merely pointing out that if you have any familiarity at all with Android, this device will be easy to get used to. That being said, I think it will prove challenging to users who are not familiar with Android. This is not a tablet for your grandmother or your child to play with.
  
• The Xoom couldn't get a GPS lock inside the store. My HTC Inspire could in the same spot, as could an iPad (or at least an approximate location). Even with Wifi on, the Xoom simply refused to locate me. This is worrisome to me.
  
• The browser would be awesome if it didn't load the mobile version of sites by default. There is also no option to change that in the settings, as you can on many Android phone. This is a huge oversight in my opinion. What's the point of loading mobile sites by default on a tablet?
  
• Verizon's $35 activation fee is ridiculous. As far as I can tell, you have to pay it every time you activate data. On an iPad, you can activate and deactivate the data any time you want with no fee. This is a poor business decision on Verizon's part. I'm also not thrilled with the idea of having to send the device away for an LTE upgrade. A lot can go wrong with that process.

At the end of the day, I didn't feel like this was a device worth purchasing at the current price point. I wish it was. iPad 2 will no doubt be a very slight upgrade over the current iPad and I don't see iOS changing much. I'm bored with iOS. It has lots of great apps and they work well, but having to launch an app for everything gets old. My Galaxy Tab is nice, but I have an Android phone now and it makes the Tab feel more like a large phone when I use it. The HP Touchpad will be somewhat intriguing, but it's still WebOS, which means it will feel like I'm using a Pre. Honeycomb had the most potential to me because it was new and different and I felt like it was powerful enough to replace a laptop. At this point, I feel like it has a ways to go, stability being the primary concern.

1. I agree that the Xoom screeen is not as good as the iPad. However, I would rate the Xoom good and the iPad great. The screen is not a deal breaker imho.

2. Sounds like the lag and app crashing were either due to a defective unit or a unit that needed to be rebooted. Honeycomb hasn't crashed on me in the 2 days I've owned the Xoom. Youtube has crashed once and the App Market has crashed once. My iPad experiences app crashes at least 3 to 4 times per week.

 

[voghan]

Must say, the Facebook app is pretty fugly on the stretched out screen.

The full Facebook site is works pretty good. Twitter app doesn't look good either. Might just use the sites instead of the apps.


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