The Xoom Thread

[wildo2ne]

So I got a Xoom on Friday (Wifi Version) and so far I have to say I am really enjoying it. The price is a little higher then what I think it should go for (personally I think it should fall in the $400 range)


PROS:

Tegra 2 Dual Core Technology
Gps
Honeycomb (this is in the pros as it is written for tabs instead of Android 2.2 or 2.3)
Beautiful Screen
Awesome Sound
Easy to Root
Mini Hdmi

CONS:

Price (but what are you gonna do)
Weight (it clocks in at about 1.5 pounds which does not sound like much but if you are doing the one hand hold it starts to put a strain on the wrist)
SD Slot not yet functional (but will be enabled in future update - supposedly when the push out updates for the 4G)
Docks for it are expensive
No Usb Charging


The OS I have read that people feel it is a unfinished product but I have not had any problems as far as lock ups or crashes, there are a few elements that could use a little more polish but the updates to some of the software such as the Gmail and the Mail apps are much more intuitive then on the phones. As far as new software I have only played with the Movie Editor and although it feels like it is stripped to bare essentials it gets the job done. The on screen keyboard on it is really well thought out (I have owned a G1, Mytouch 3G, and a Nexus S and with the exception of the G1 with its hardware keyboard I have had a hard time typing on the on-screens but with the Xoom I can almost type like I would on a computer keyboard)

Currently I have unlocked the Xoom and have run it over clocked at 1.4ghz which net me a Quadrant score of 2500. After running the test I backed it down and now have it varying between 800mhz and 1.2ghz and that seems fine for what I do but its good to know I have the extra power if I need it. Speaking of power after a full charge I have had this thing off of the charger for 2 days now with off and on use and it is at 55% left so I would have to rate the power management at excellent.

Gaming on the device is top notch, I have played Breakers, Vendetta, Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, Dungeon Defenders, and Solitaire with no crashing and all running at full frame rate. I have played all of these games except Breakers and Vendetta on my Nexus S and with the exception of Dungeon Defenders they all pretty much play the same. With Dungeon Defenders everything just felt smoother when it came to the game play and the frame rates although it does take some time to get used to playing on a larger screen.

Breakers is a running back challenge game which is fun (I mostly downloaded it for my brother as he is a huge Madden fan) The graphics on it are stunning and I would rate them with PS2 Graphics (I will try to get some videos up soon of the games in action)

Vendetta is a cross platform space game similar to Wing Commander Privateer in the aspect that you are a privateer collecting resources and fighting other players for their resources and ships (currently this is a Xoom only game android wise, it cannot load on anything less then a Tegra 2). The graphics are absolutely awesome and really show case what the Tegra can do although I would rate it hard to play as it is a PC port and as such the controls don't fully translate to a touch screen interface (for instance it is very hard to do a barrel roll) Overall it is a fun but frustrating game to play until you can get a hang of the controls.

Graphics - 5
Processing - 5
Power Management - 5
User Experience - 4
Honeycomb - 4

Gaming - 5
Productivity - 4
Entertainment - 5

Overall I would say that the Xoom is worth the investment if you are a hardcore Android user, want a tablet that is not a AppleTab, or are looking for something that can do your day to day web surfing, document editing, emailing, and youtubing but which also has the extra umph of the Tegra 2 when you need the extra power.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Thanks for that!

[wildo2ne]

A little Update...Drocap2 does not work on the Xoom, It loads and takes a picture but the picture cannot load in gallery either jpg or png. Still trying to find a screen capture and a vid capture program that will work ok on it

[WorknMan]

Here's a nearly 8 minute video review on tested.com:
http://www.tested.com/motorola-xoom-review/47-339

Final verdict - good first effort, but if you absolutely want/need an Android tablet, you should probably wait.