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Well, with my laptop in the pit, I have been thinking about alternatives, and then today I saw Steve Jobes speaking about the new Ipad. $499 opened my ears a little. It'll have Wifi and Cell Network internet available. So, completely ignoring the fact that the release date is the 11th I went looking for one to ask questions. Did you know that Verizon is selling the Ipad? Well, I went into the store and started asking all sorts of laptop questions, and then the people there said, "Let's talk about the XOOM?"
Oh yeah baby!!!! Wallah !!!!! I am in love, nice screen, can use wifi keyboard, can use external monitor, can be on Wife and wireless internet, and a whole bunch more. I really like the way that google maps zooms in AND!!!! I really like the fact that you can read books on it like a Kindle does.
OK, so now that I am in love, does someone want to pop my little bubble of pre orgasimic delight?
K
Comments
How are you planning to do
How are you planning to do your writing with it?
Does it have software? Or are you planning to use Google's web based tools?
Remember, it's not windows-based, so if you're not planning on sharing your files with a windows machine, best be sure you can do everything you take for granted with windows.
The tablets ARE pretty cool, though!
Xoom
From what I could tell, it mimics PC's (Non Apple) pretty well and there is an ap that uses word for writing. I could email files back and forth to my desk top. For now, I'd do most of my writing on my desk top, but in the near future, I want to be really mobile and I am thinking that the xoom would be pretty good. It is about $200 more than the Apple Ipad, but I am feeling cranky and rebelious about Apple's business practices and their snob nosed proprietary policies. And with two other apple people in the house, it just makes me peevish at how they say, "Apples are for the serious professional" . Gosh, what a load of the stuff that is brown. Grrrrr
K
Software
The Xoom uses Android, which is a free open-source operating system that was originally developed by Google. If you look at smart phones, tablets, e-readers, and the like, you'll find that most of them use Android. Apple has its own, of course. Microsoft has Windows CE, but it seems to be much in the minority.
As for software... well, there is a bunch, and most of it is free. A whole lot of the standard open source software either has been, or can be ported to Android. Since Android is based on the Linux kernel, there is a huge community of people -- more than any single company can devote to the task -- developing software for Android
I'm very encouraged by Android. Microsoft and, to a lesser extent, apple, has had a strangle hold on the software market for a long time. They will probably be huge contenders in the desktop market for a long time to come. Android, on the other hand, has gotten in on the ground floor, and seems to be the OS of choice.
Have you ever heard of the practice of 'unlocking' an iPhone or iPad? Apple likes to make it difficult to do anything with their systems unless you do it the Apple way. Geeks being geeks, however, find ways around their restrictions.
Well, that isn't at all necessary with Android. The Android OS is completely open. If you want, you can download the complete source code, poke through it, modify it to your heart's content, and load it.
If I recall
The Xoom uses a version of the Android operating system, an OS built for smart phones and such. While nice and well-featured for portable devices, I wouldn't expect it to be nearly as full-featured as even a netbook running Windows. So, if you're comfortable with the way Windows works and don't feel like learning another OS, I would reconsider. Most of the features you were just looking for are just as readily available in a cheap laptop/netbook, and for only a portion of the price that Xooms are to run at.
Melanie E.
Android
The Android OS is based on Linux, and will end up doing everything that any motivated person in the Linux development community want it to do. There are already literally thousands of apps available for free download. I don't have an Android, but I have been researching it. I really doubt if Windows will do anything that Android will not -- with the exception of some rarer or more specialized applications. For general internet/entertainment/communications applications, I expect it to be strong right out of the box.
Xoom vs iPad
Do more research.
The iPad2 is $500 ($400 for the iPad1) for the low end version but an extra $130 for the cell network feature. The Xoom is $800 for the low end version. The Xoom has a faster processor than the iPad1 but the iPad2 is faster than that. Extra memory costs more in all cases.
The iPad has been around for a year, known problems can be researched. The Xoom is new, though it is using an established OS but really needs and OS optimized for itself.
Most of the things you like about Xoom are also true of the iPad. The iPad has a bit better screen. Both can read books using a variety of applications. The iPad has a huge library of apps ready to install, many of them free, all of them available via download. The Xoom, not so much, it's too new and there is no Apple-equivalent to orchestrate an online store. Amazon or someone needs to step up and fill that niche.
Keep thinking and don't jump into things to quickly. Remember that there are other tablets being planned by other manufacturers.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
My roomates said that I was thinking with my heart.
Thank you all for the advice. I guess I will just sit on it a while, though I very much do like the idea.
Much peace
Khadijah
Android 3.0
The Xoom uses the new Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) that is optimized for tablet computers. But the app situation is liable to be slim for awhile. In any case buying a first generation anything is not a good move. Apple is just now releasing the version they should have started with, I feel sorry for all those people who payed big money for the privileged of beta-testing the iPad.
Karen J.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Actually...
Android isn't all that new, and google has a huge repository for the Android OS.
http://developer.android.com/index.html
Unlike Apple, Motorola isn't using a closed system that contains closely guarded secrets. The Motorola Xoom runs Android.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28operating_system%29
The Xoom actually has a better screen than the iPad -- 1280x800 vs. 1024x768.
I am disappointed with the Xoom's price, but comparing the price on a just-released device with that of something that has been around for a year isn't really fair.
Well, it's fair if you insist on buying it right now. If you can afford to wait, the price will come down.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of Android phones (generally with a three to four inch screen) and readers (Seven to ten inch screen) out there. The cheapest I have seen is around $93.00.
http://s.dealextreme.com/search/android.html?PageSize=100&so...
I'll probably get a cheapie to keep me amused until the Xoom comes down in price, then pass it to the kids.
Aside from reading and surfing the web, I plan on using the Xoom for writing (with a keyboard,) storing photos, downloading photos from my cameras, and most other things I would otherwise do with a small laptop.
By the way, some Android machines will work as a mobile hotspot. That is, the machine will access the web via a cellular connection, and serve it up to the rest of the family or group via Wi-Fi.
A Laptop seems like a better buy
If you are planning on using a keyboard and external monitor, why get a tablet? A new laptop will be portable enough, and likely cheaper.
Erin mentioned the price, $800. I paid less than that much for my new notebook PC. It has a nice large screen, and a keyboard that's large enough to type on. it even has the 10-key for entering numbers.
A tablet is not meant for doing work on. It is meant for curling up on the sofa and reading, or watching movies on it.
I recommend getting a laptop, and a real Kindle for reading books. I find its screen is superior for reading eBooks to any other kind of screen. Especially with the sunlight shining through the car windows on a long drive.
The Kindle also has a web browser and includes free Cell network access. I read Bigcloset on it.
The phone companies will also charge you each month you use the cell network if you use a tablet.
--Brandon Young
--Brandon Young
Great, but doesn't replace a computer
I have an iPad and an iPhone.
Don't know about Xoom, but if you purchase an App such as DocsToGo, it seems to do much the same as Xoom, only not as seamlessly. You can load and edit MS Word documents, and synchronise them with the version on your computer using wifi. So if you want to modify your writing on the bus or (as I do) in bed in the middle of the night, iPad/iPhones are superb add ons. When you get back home or out of bed, you can then synch and your computer is brought up to date.
BUT, they are not a replacement for a proper computer which runs a decent word processor. Doing things like selecting text and dragging it somewhere else, which I do all the time as I (say) reorder the clauses in a sentence, are just about possible, but it takes probably a minute instead of a couple of seconds. Everything is so much easier and quicker on a proper computer.
That said, these are the first Apple products I've ever owned, and it's easy to see why Apple users get obsessed with their products. They can certainly transform your lives in so many ways - but writing stories aint one of them!
I'm planning on getting one...
I'm going to wait, though. They just came out a few days ago after much fanfare. I'm sure that they will be pricey for a couple months.
The Xoom has been touted as being the iPad's first real competitor. There are other competitors coming out, though. Capitalism is a wonderful thing. :-)
I'm figuring that the prices will be more reasonable around June or July.
You may wish to consider a netbook
Khadijah,
If you plan to use it mostly for writing or other keyboard-based tasks but still want something smaller than a laptop, you might consider a netbook which is typically a laptop form factor but with a smaller screen. These have been around long enough that there are plenty of models to choose from and are fairly cheap. There are Windows 7 and Linux versions out there. Even one of the smaller laptops may do. We have a Think Pad at work that has a 12" screen that is quite decent. It goes out as a loaner when folks travel and don't want a full-size laptop.
That being said, I'm hoping for for a sub-$500 Android tablet that uses wifi only and can use a USB or Bluetooth keyboard. Since tablets are the new "big thing" more manufacturers will come out with them and the price will come down. However, like you, I'm drooling over the Xoom.
Patience dear!
Jamie
I have a Netbook, but it died
Hi Jamie:
I had a Netbook that worked OK, though I almost always used it with a larger screen and an external keyboard. It is broken after having spent a week, during august, in the trunk of my car as we traveled from Oregon to Ohio, and when I got it out, it was comotose and I have not been able to make it wake up.
So, fearful of spending more on the Netbook to fix it than it is worth, I had a look at the Xoom and the Ipad. I still have not decided what to do, as I really do not have much cash. In June, I move again and need to save up enough money to drive 2500 miles, and rent a new apartment, or decide what else I might do. I may make one more effort to get the net book to work.
I had thought about trying to get a credit card to purchase something, but that idea carries risks too.
Much peace
Khadijah
If a netbook was too small
Then looking at an iPad or Xoom is a complete no-go, since using either one with an external screen and keyboard would completely destroy the point of the item. At that point, why not just look at cheap laptops or desktops?
Melanie E.