mwhawks wrote:Okay, please bear with me, I'm gonna play the dumb girl card for a minute.

My husband is dying for a iPad for xmas. He has done his research and has narrowed between an iPad (either new or Best Buy refurb) or the Acer Iconia. He wants to use it to take notes during business meetings, play games, and watch movies.

Will he like this? Would this be an appropriate replacement for the other 2 he's already looked at? We have Android phones and he's really happy with that platform, but he has an old iTouch that he has really enjoyed and knows there is a lot available when its comes to Apple products.

I really appreciate your help. Thanks.

I have an iPad and Droid phone. iPad OS is limited but more apps. Droid is more like PC. I am thinking of trading iPad for Droid tablet.

He could always trade in what you get him. Or you could trade him in.

mwhawks wrote:Okay, please bear with me, I'm gonna play the dumb girl card for a minute.

My husband is dying for a iPad for xmas. He has done his research and has narrowed between an iPad (either new or Best Buy refurb) or the Acer Iconia. He wants to use it to take notes during business meetings, play games, and watch movies.

Will he like this? Would this be an appropriate replacement for the other 2 he's already looked at? We have Android phones and he's really happy with that platform, but he has an old iTouch that he has really enjoyed and knows there is a lot available when its comes to Apple products.

I really appreciate your help. Thanks.

He's dying for an iPad, but not quite dying for the Acer? Decision made.

But if it's really a toss-up, and he's had equal happy times with both Android phones and iPod touch....

Would a difference in price of $100, $200 or so make a difference? If not, his experience with the iPod will probably be more relevant than his experience with the phones, so go iPad.

As I see it, most tablet environments (iOS, Android, etc.) are capable of doing most of the same things. So the decision can come down to what might seem like small details ... but they really do make a difference.

I like the stock Android browser more than what comes from Apple, HP, and BlackBerry. If surfing the net was what I did on a tablet the majority of the time, I'd go Android only.

If your dude is having trouble sleeping at night because he's listening for Santa to arrive early with an iPad ... get the guy an iPad! :-)

vicmacs wrote:Android is crap, get you hubby the iPad, there is nothing like it

Hahahahaha! Get your head out of the apple bucket before you speak. If you like iOS, fine, but that doesn't make Android crap. Or WebOS or QNX or Windoze or L1nuXxX. They all get the basic job done.

Hope "Roebeet" chimes in on this deal with his expertise.

Is the battery replaceable by the owner? If not, then we know why there are so many "refurbs"! ...and what happens when (not "if") the battery dies soon after the warranty?

Woot will just continue to tempt me! I keep telling myself that tablet prices will continue to drop, which is true, and newer, better tablets will come out, but part of me wants it now.

I really want an Asus Transformer Prime, but is it worth the extra money? Do I even need a tablet? How low will Woot go with the prices?

Elucidate wrote:Wow.. big thanks to whoever posted the Motorola homepage w/sales on accessories!!! Its way better than half off..

Bluetooth keyboard.. cost me 40 usually 70 but includes free Bluetooth mouse! 40$ value.

Then, the dock w/speakers. Cost me 65, normally 130 but comes w/free GEL case protector (dock has attachment to work w/gel case) and that's another 30$ value. Then free two day shipping on orders over 75..

So, I got all that w/tax and shipping for a grand total of a few cents over 110.00$ instead of almost 300.

If you wanted a full accessory setup for your new tablet, hit up store.Motorola.com ASAP while they're in stock :-) best of luck to all you deal shoppers!

Awesome deals only until the end of today!! Went for the speaker dock for $65 (w/ free gel case, and a portfolio case for traveling. Thanks to all!!

ivanivanovich wrote:This is a feature included in all glossy screens by their manufacturers. They also put a code into the driver software to turn off fingerprint magnetism (FM), but tablet manufacturers refuse to enable that feature for users.

The reason is that it would cut into the sale of screen-cleaning accessories by stores, annoying them greatly. Computers have almost no profit margin for stores because they compete with each other on those prices. They make up for this by greatly marking up the price of accessories.

But after testing 178 models of tablets, running 6 operating systems, I've found a code to override FM. With the tablet completely off, hold down the power button and enter up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A (the Konami Code). Then release the power button.

Unfortunately, timing is very critical for entering the code. Doubly unfortunately, it doesn't work reliably on some tablets.

Triply unfortunately, the Xoom is one of those tablets. Sorry!

/massive sarcohumor

What the hell is Fingerprint magnetism? Is this a feature or does it mean you can't keep the screen clean?

FYI, if you do miss this sale because of money issues and such go to deals.woot and search on the XOOM. You will still be able to get there.

I bought this for my wife in November and the whole family just crazy about it. VERY LONG battery life, all day, excellent graphics, fantastic speed, unbelievable amount of FREE apps plus very cheap pay apps and movies are great on it.

I bout the leather case plus the touch pen since my figures are too big for the links. #19 + 5 shipping is a fantastic deal. Don't miss it.
As for refurbished, don't worry, I have purchased many refabed electronics from Woot and NEVER been disappointed. They all worked just great and you can't tell it has been touched.
One thing, go to Motorola and get the manual to figure everything out because the instructions that comes in the box are very very basic.

One complaint I have, it is tethered to Google and Gmail just like iP… is tethered to iTune. I still check my email on the Pop and Hotmail but it just bugs me, I’ll get over it I guess.

I bought this the first time it was on Woot. Couple things: It's noticeably heavier than the Asus 10" tabs (a demo'd a friends), and it was uncomfortable for me to hold and use it for an extended period of time. The back plate scratches VERY easily, so you should pick up a cover/case right away if you care. I wasn't digging the app selection, so I ended up selling it and buying a new PC.

In for additional 3 - these are awesome. Buying for whole family just 2 weeks after getting my ipad2. Playing around with the last sale's delivery - I remain unsure of which I like better - iPad2 or Xoom. Camera is MUCH better on Xoom. Multiple windows being open and fast switching is nice - and not on iPad. Note: the packaging was plain white box - not as shown in picture.

svladb wrote:Galaxy, previous deal, is one of the best in the class, Motorola is below average.

Main problems with Motorola: weight and screen. I would recommend go to the store and compare Motorola with Samsung or Asus Transformer (actually very good tablet).

When doing comparisons with OTHER tablets why do most NOT mention the fact that the Xoom has a micro SD expansion slot. You can get a 32 GB card for cheap and expand the Xoom to 64GB with no problem!

canyadigit wrote:I bought this the first time it was on Woot. Couple things: It's noticeably heavier than the Asus 10" tabs (a demo'd a friends), and it was uncomfortable for me to hold and use it for an extended period of time. The back plate scratches VERY easily, so you should pick up a cover/case right away if you care. I wasn't digging the app selection, so I ended up selling it and buying a new PC.

Get a leather case that has the back stand so it will sit in your lap with the screen up facing you.$19.95 at Motorola.

Phil_D wrote:I have been wanting a tablet and think this is a good deal. My only concern is refurbished unit. I can get it NEW for $70 more. Would love to save cash but is it wise? Thoughts?

PLEASE tell us where you can get this for $70 new? If you are referring to Wallymart I wish you luck. All WMs and Staples in my area are sold out. What good is it for WM to have them advertised for $399 (which is $80 more) and not be able to buy them in store (they are not available online).

What emulators do you use? I would love to do this too!
How does it work with no buttons?
Thanks in advance!

What about screen orientation? Does it change when you flip the pad around?

fishermanswife wrote:My question, for you folks that have this or any other 10" tab, is using it as an eReader. The above comment worries me. Apparently, you don't feel comfortable holding it to read. If you can hold onto it, is it fatiguing? Eye strain? Is there a Kindle app? Should I just hold off for a 7" tablet?

If 90% of what you want to do is read books, I suggest an e-reader with a black and white e-ink screen. (And among those, I recommend Kindle.) They're lighter than tablets (easier to hold), cheaper, and for many people, easier on the eyes.

If you want to browse the internet on the same device, though, or watch videos or play almost any games other than chess and sudoku, you pretty much have to go with a tablet of some kind (including the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet).

Guaranteed that 7" tablets are easier to hold, and easier to hold for long periods, than 10" tablets. Tablet size doesn't figure into eyestrain, though, because reader apps let you change text size (and so do e-ink devices).

The reader applications on some 10" tablets will show you two pages at a time, others won't. I find one book page on a 10" screen just wrong-looking. A newspaper or magazine page probably works much better on 10" devices, but I don't know.

Kindle and Nook apps are available for all Android and iPad tablets. Nook doesn't seem to be available for the HP TouchPad, and I haven't seen either one for the Blackberry PlayBook.

And when I say Kindle and Nook apps are available for all Android tablets, I mean you can even put the Nook app on a Kindle Fire and the Kindle app on the Nook Tablet. You have to be really persuasive and show your tablet who's boss, but it can be done.

(Rooting isn't required, but some other shenanigans are. No risk of breaking the tablet or its software, and nothing that takes more than a few minutes.)

Hope that helps!

tightliegt1 wrote:What the hell is Fingerprint magnetism? Is this a feature or does it mean you can't keep the screen clean?

The post I replied to said it's a fingerprint magnet. Somebody says that about every tablet ever posted here. It means that fingerprints show up on glossy screens more than they do on matte screens, that's all.

This is mainly noticeable with the device off, and you just take a clean, dry, non-scratching cloth to the screen and rub it down a little.

kevo911 wrote:Yes, very much so.

I agree.

tightliegt1 wrote:What about screen orientation? Does it change when you flip the pad around?

Yes, the screen orients itself from portrait to landscape and vice versa ... it has a built-in gyroscope.

ivanivanovich wrote:The post I replied to said it's a fingerprint magnet. Somebody says that about every tablet ever posted here. It means that fingerprints show up on glossy screens more than they do on matte screens, that's all.

This is mainly noticeable with the device off, and you just take a clean, dry, non-scratching cloth to the screen and rub it down a little.

Kinda figured! Thanks for clarifying!

Dud wrote:Yes, the screen orients itself from portrait to landscape and vice versa ... it has a built-in gyroscope.

Thanks!

can someone tell me what video formats are supported on this tablet? What conversion programs are you using? I can't get a simple .avi video to play from my SD card slot. Thanks.

Bought this tablet here on woot in October for $349. My 14 year old has used it flawlessly since day 1. I would recommend this tablet! It's got some benefits over my iPad. She can access flash sites.

tightliegt1 wrote:What about screen orientation? Does it change when you flip the pad around?

I don't actually have one, mind you, but that's a feature of Android, and that's what the accelerometer is for.

I'm still playing around with my Xoom purchased on Woot the last time it was offered. Great little tablet. Does anyone know when the Android Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade will be available?

tightliegt1 wrote:Thanks!

As always ... you are welcome.

I just "pulled the trigger" and bought one for my wife as a graduation present. Personally, I am not a big tablet fan but she wanted one badly and the Xoom is one of the few tablets that has the most essential things a tablet needs to have (IMHO). These include the Android OS and memory expansion. Many tablets (like the Samsung Galaxy) do not have memory expansion capabilities past what you get built into the unit.

If I were into tablets I would have bought either the Xoom or the Transformer and avoided anything that was not Android based and expandable.

I've been burned by Woot refurbs (iRobot machines) in the past but this unit has a 1 year Motorola warranty so I feel more comfortable buying it. I can always buy a Squaretrade warranty to extend the 1 year as well.


Good luck all ...

tightliegt1 wrote:What about screen orientation? Does it change when you flip the pad around?

Dud wrote:Yes, the screen orients itself from portrait to landscape and vice versa ... it has a built-in gyroscope.

I don't know whether the gyroscope is actually used to autorotate the screen. This feature became available when accelerometers were installed ... gyros are newer, and developers may not have felt the need to tap into them for a feature that already works without them.

But I'm just guessing.

Plus $26 tax, makes it $350. I would rather get a new one from amazon, they were just under $399 a couple of weeks ago.

tiger4062 wrote:can someone tell me what video formats are supported on this tablet? What conversion programs are you using? I can't get a simple .avi video to play from my SD card slot. Thanks.

The formats listed under the tech specs include:

AAC, H.263, H.264, MP3, MPEG-4, ACC+ Enhanced, OGG, MIDI, AMR NB, AAC+


I am a bit disappointed to hear that the Xoom will not play .avi natively. If true, this is an Android OS issue and not the Xoom's fault. Once I get to play with it a bit perhaps a CODEC pack will be available for DL and installation.

steelhead3100 wrote:I'm still playing around with my Xoom purchased on Woot the last time it was offered. Great little tablet. Does anyone know when the Android Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade will be available?

By upgrade, you mean for this particular tablet, right, not when will the first ICS device hit our shores? I'm pretty, pretty sure that Motorola hasn't announced a date.

plus1 wrote:Plus $26 tax, makes it $350. I would rather get a new one from amazon, they were just under $399 a couple of weeks ago.

If you can currently get the Xoom for $399 ... then all power to you! The current price on Amazon is a whopping $160 more:

http://www.amazon.com/MOTOROLA-XOOM-Android-10-1-Inch-Wi-Fi/dp/B0045FM6SU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323009321&sr=1-1

Phil_D wrote:I have been wanting a tablet and think this is a good deal. My only concern is refurbished unit. I can get it NEW for $70 more. Would love to save cash but is it wise? Thoughts?

As a retired electronics technician, my experience is if you are going to have a problem with a refurbished unit it will be immediately or very soon. Personally I buy refurbished units all the time.

All current Xoom owners ...

PLEASE make some recommendations for specific accessories for the Xoom. The wife is already shopping around. The BEST recommendations come from those who are in-the-know and have used those accessories.


Many thanks ...

I bought one of these a few weeks ago from here and I love it! No problems whatsoever.

So I called my Dad today and he bought one for my Mom....she has a Kindle Fire but saw my Xoom and likes that better LOL

Dud wrote:The formats listed under the tech specs include:

AAC, H.263, H.264, MP3, MPEG-4, ACC+ Enhanced, OGG, MIDI, AMR NB, AAC+


I am a bit disappointed to hear that the Xoom will not play .avi natively. If true, this is an Android OS issue and not the Xoom's fault. Once I get to play with it a bit perhaps a CODEC pack will be available for DL and installation.

You can download moboplayer from the Market. It supports pretty much any video format you can find.

cerberus314 wrote:I bought one of these a few weeks ago from here and I love it! No problems whatsoever.

So I called my Dad today and he bought one for my Mom....she has a Kindle Fire but saw my Xoom and likes that better LOL

Huh. Did she say why? And what will they do with the Fire?

reeku wrote:You can download moboplayer from the Market. It supports pretty much any video format you can find.

Thanks so much. We will give it a try after it arrives ...

I got one of these last round. I is very nice and will be getting one for my wife today. Note that the device only reads the SD card (up to 32GB) only if the data has been transferred by the USB cable.

It also has survived several drops to the floor.

I also recently bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Tracking says it will be here on Tuesday!

The specification difference on the Xoom is enough to be tempting. Though, I am upgrading from an 8GB Archos 70 Android Tablet, and never even came close to bumping my head on the 8GB (except for the miniscule Apps partition; different story.

The concept of 32, 48 or 64GB onboard is tempting. However, I also purchased the Viewsonic GTablet here a few months ago. It was so heavy, that I sold it off to a coworker (after rooting and exploring how well CM7 worked on it). The Viewsonic was a magnificent device, but the weight killed my enthusiasm, as I mainly use the tablet in bed as a reader and web browser.

Knowing the the Samsung will be lighter than an iPad as reference helps me to feel confident that it will be what I want. Plus, I know that the developer community has a good ROM for the GTab already, and more on the way. Not as certain of the state of new ROMs for the Xoom, but I suspect the Cyanogen team has something brewing.

Though this Xoom is tempting, iI am going to try to hold off and be satisfied with the Samsung Galaxy Tab.