Ipad vs Xoom vs Transformer

[Omnipotent]

I have 400$ish to Bestbuy and I work there so I was planning on getting either or... I want to hear preferences and personal experiences if anyone has one, to see which one is better for my needs.

I am not into video editing, or graphical design, I would basically be using it as a netbook... just web searching, some games, and office.

[dejet]

depends really, do you like the feel of iSO or android? go into a verizon store and test them out. Best thing you can do is this.

I dont like iSO all that much so id more then likely aim for the zoom(or wait for some other ones that might be coming out soon)

If you like apples OS and you no how it works, you will be better off going with that. In the end each side is going to say they love it. Your best bet is to go hands on in the store.(or if you can find someone with one take it for a test drive)

[Meat]

the ipad app market is just too beast for it to even be close.

[dejet]

the ipad app market is just too beast for it to even be close.

if your into apps yes this is true. though the zoom has some darn good games on it being a dual core. Ones the ipad app market does not even have(or has not bee optimized for)

[Omnipotent]

I have a Droid X and love the droid market. I am not big into games, more like stock stuff, business, more like a business mans glorified PDA you could say I want this for..

[octopus]

There's just not too many apps optimized for the android tablets yet. If you like android, you need to be patient as you're just going to be using the phone sized apps for now.

[Omnipotent]

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/...eycomb-tablet/

? thoughts?

[octopus]

The price is definitely nice. The previous android tablets basically just priced themselves out of the market so I hope this is good.

[dejet]

then it really is best for you to test the feel of them. I really liked the layout of the zoom and its widgets when I screwed around with it in the store. just dont listen to the reps there, they have no fing clue lol. Guy saw me playing with it and was like amazed at how fast I worked with it.

[Ksandra]

get a nook color and hack it. My husband did that and it works perfectly and it's only $250. (they sell them at best buy).

I honestly don't think B&N give a shit that people are hacking them either 'cause they've made a fuckton of money off of that lol.

[sruon]

Look into the Eee Pad Transformer if available, Xoom hardware basically for cheaper, $400 or so, I've heard good things about it and am considering one. Plus the detachable keyboard looks awesome.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/...-hour-battery/

[Omnipotent]

It needs to be from bestbuy, seeing how I will have 300$ in gift cards there, plus I work there so I get a discount on the warranty + accessories etc... that's my only stipulation.

[dejet]

get a nook color and hack it. My husband did that and it works perfectly and it's only $250. (they sell them at best buy).

I honestly don't think B&N give a shit that people are hacking them either 'cause they've made a fuckton of money off of that lol.

they want you to hack it LOL they are happy that it does more and dont hide it at all. I think they are helping with a 3.0 port for it.

and the nook is going to be my first ereader for this very reason(can read books and run android lol)

[Ksandra]

they want you to hack it LOL they are happy that it does more and dont hide it at all. I think they are helping with a 3.0 port for it.

and the nook is going to be my first ereader for this very reason(can read books and run android lol)

ya exactly. It's why it doesn't bother me at all lol. Honestly it's exactly like an ipad once hacked, and since they support it, it means (as you said) they're going to start gearing updates for it.

and you can't beat basically a $250 ipad-clone lol.

[kareface]

The eee pad actually has a better screen than the xoom. I'm a xoom owner, here's what I can say: I love the interface (shits all over the ipad 2) but the ipad 2 hardware is better (screen, processor in some matchups) but that'll change with the newer tablets using the IPS panels. The huge downside right now is the apps. I'm still waiting on hulu+ and netflix, you can stream hulu episodes with playon but it's still not optimized for the xoom and it requires setting up a server to stream them from. Both have said they are coming to android soon and the T2 processor was designed with some of those security features that netflix and hulu need. There was even an app leaked not to long ago that was working but stopped. The google voice app is still being developed, this was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to use the xoom (the honeycomb google related apps seem to get extra features). Google has confirmed it is coming and there is a modded 2.2 version that some people threw together that works but won't push notifications. Coursesmart for me is a big one, but they have confirmed to be developing an app for the tablets. Streaming media from your local computers is a bit of a pain atm. You can do it but the setup is jenky and some people have had trouble with it. One thing I would note, the list of "tablet" apps on the store isn't accurate, there are many others that don't appear there for one reason or another. More than actually show up I'd wager.

Here's how I view it. Both are incomplete products. After owning an ipad I know how limiting the OS feels. It bothered me enough that I had to get rid of it. With the xoom it feels like I'm waiting on the apps that'll really let this thing do what it needs to do. On one end I know android 3 will get the apps it needs in the long run, the question is just how long will it be before we see them? With the iPad it's more of a question of will apple make the changes to the OS it needs for it to compete. There's no way the new iOS won't change their push notifications to be more android like, which is one of the most annoying complaints I have about that fucking platform. It would also be great if they let up on some of the restrictions they place on apps, but that's not likely to happen. If apple's iOS comes out first and really offers something to compete with the android platform I'll heavily consider the switch. Until then I'm sticking it out with android, I feel like it is 10 solid apps away from being a better option than the ipad (at least for what I use it for, everything else I could wait on).

As for the xoom specifically, I'd wait and get one of the android tablets with an ips screen. The xoom's screen just doesn't do it for me and I plan on upgrading to one of the newer tablets when the time feels right (I want a 4g one).

[Tyche]

Android tablets outdate themselves in no time. The next best thing comes out monthly. You can sit on an iPad and sell it back for minimal loss and a year of use. Something to consider.

[Intervention]

ya exactly. It's why it doesn't bother me at all lol. Honestly it's exactly like an ipad once hacked, and since they support it, it means (as you said) they're going to start gearing updates for it.

and you can't beat basically a $250 ipad-clone lol.

Hi this is Ksandra's Hubby.

I've personally found the Nook Color to be a very well made product, with a lot of Mod Devs backing the "tablet"

The greatest thing is how ridiculously easy it is to root, as well as it being it being next to impossible to brick.

With the current mods it easily is at par if not better than the Samsung Galaxy Tab and for its price its amazing. Android tablets for that price are generally very shoddy in the workmanship, usually terrible screens or feeling very plastic-like. Great thing is you can go to B&N or Best Buy and check it out easily.

Here is a good comparison for gaming aspect of it.



Generally how current games look on it.



How easy it is to Hack



And the rom I personally use



IMO CM7 is the best rom for it currently. Its the most stable and currently has the most support from Devs. It is updated Daily because there are still additions being made to it.

This can easily be followed here:
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/forum/2...le-nook-color/

Worst case for the skeptical, B&N is releasing their own version of 2.2 with flash support and an App store. But honestly rooting it is the way to go.

Just my 2 Cents, easily the most bang for my buck.

[takethistoyourgrave]

Xoom feels totally incomplete. I went with an iPad 2 (which is dual-core also, by the way). The app market on the iPad 2 is way better, and once it is jailbroken, the Xoom won't even compare.

If you are set on Android, definitely get a nook color and root it. There is so much bang for the buck there it isn't even funny.

[shukudai]

Chnipping in for iPad 2: App store is better, stuff comes out sooner, and faster, better is arguable. The battery life has been fantastic on it, I get about 10 hours no matter what i'm doing (not that i've played a game for 10 hours, but video loop for 10 hours was no problem). I'd say easier to use as well, but like kareface said, it's a bit limiting, and those type of restrictions won't go away anytime soon, if ever.

If all your looking for is browsing, light gaming, video, i'd say iPad2 wins, but not but a HUGE margin. Battery life is really good on it, and they are ease to resell a year later if you want to upgrade, or change to some other tablet.

[Maguspk]

Android tablets outdate themselves in no time. The next best thing comes out monthly. You can sit on an iPad and sell it back for minimal loss and a year of use. Something to consider.

This is the reason I recently got an iPad 2. I'll be able to easily resell it at literally no loss, maybe 100 bucks tops which over a year of use is reasonable. Other tablets will not resell nearly as well. Battery life is a big consideration too, with nearly 11-12 hours in good cases and 10 when you're pushing it with WiFi on the entire time. Nook color isn't going to get even 6 hours of battery life. Just jailbreak an iPad; other tablets aren't even close to the iPad yet, anybody who says otherwise is ignorant or is a hater, simply put. iPad is a perfect travel companion for me, I'll be using it to watch video and read during flights. Xoom is closest obviously but at 800 dollars it's a bit much, especially since the cheapest iPad 2 is just 499 (no 3G). Storage space shouldn't be a concern so the cheaper 16 GB models should suffice unless you're carrying more content than you can consume on a few charges.