Ok lads, hoping someone knows a bit more than myself, basically I'm going to buy one of these but not sure which one, motorola xoom, samsung 10.1 (think that's what it was) or the Sony one in pc world. Not sure which one to go for, any ideas or recommendations? The samsung and Sony one are €479 and the motorola one is €350. any help appreciated.
Get yourself an Archos 10.1 only 150 knicker in HMV, or get an adam notion ink or even an Amazon Kindle Fire, save yourself a fortune. In saying that the sony does "look" impressive The Xoom and Samsung are much of the same, but I'd go with the Xoom myself from the three but that's mainly based on price.
I asked the guy in pc world about the archos one and hesaid they sold 6 and 6 were returned because they had not got the android marketplace on them, he said they were getting a newer model in that had it but it would be around the 180-190 mark.
A lot of them won't have market on them but the good thing about android is you can change the software on most phones/tablets and then market will be available with the Rom you load onto it . Here's a good guide to tablets tabletroms.com/forums/general-discussion/2585-tablet-buying-guidelines.html. I think the next generation of tablets are probably not that far away I'd say . Ice Cream Sandwich (the next generation android operating system ) will be rolling out over the next few months so I'd say some new tablets will come with that. Notion Ink's Adam is not on sale so you scratch that from the list. I'm using one posting this. The good thing about the Adam when I got it was it was the only one with 2 full size usb ports and a mini one and also a hdmi port so you could hook it up to the TV and you could also put your own memory card in it up to 32gb so try look for something that if you can. Not sure if any of the big tablet makers have added any of these yet but it might be worth looking into when making your mind up before you buy.
Firstly, I wouldn't buy the Motorola Xoom unless you get a good deal, as the Xoom 2 is out shortly (perhaps even by Xmas). However, here's a review of the original Xoom. As mentioned, the Archos 10.1 for €150 in HMV is tempting if you are on a budget (Make sure it's exactly that model - some get mixed up and buy Arnova instead - don't!). Budget wise at the moment this is the best deal I've seen in a while. But remember it will be an old version of Android, and you may need to do some tweaking/hacking to get everything you want (also note that the Video codecs cost another $15 or so). Likewise the Kindle Fire may be worth holding out for, and again at an affordable price (€200 or so). But, if you have a budget of €400+ you've got the best options, so for me it would be an iPad2 or Motorola Xoom 2 I reckon. But as south said above, expect a lot more tablets in the next 6 months, with the Kindle Fire and others hopefully shaking pricing up.
And if you do go with the original Xoom, it's worth noting an update of Android to Honeycomb (3.2) is due. Furthermore, it is rumoured Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) may be upcoming too. Remember Google acquired Motorola Mobility in August. So I'd expect future Motorola tablets to offer one of the best Android experiences in the market.
cheers for the advice lads, think ill go for the motorola one, i take it i can update the os and that yeah?
Im looking to get one of these tablets just for surfing the internet and downloading music and films. what price range would i be looking at for just that?
As above mate - should be an upgrade to Honeycomb in the next week or so, and hopefully Ice Cream Sandwich in future. Nice choice, you should have a top tablet for €350. But so you are absolutely aware - the Xoom 2 will be out shortly for about €400. That's like saying I just need a car for driving, which one should I get Seriously, all depends on your budget. The more you spend (generally) the better the tablet. If it's just for a bit of browsing and that, something like this (also see this). If you wanted a very basic cheap solution something like this or this might suffice.
Do you reckon the xoom2 will be before Christmas?? What would be the differences between new one and older one??
There's a tablet on Gruupy, seems cheap enough but I don't know much about tablets so maybe it's not a great one... http://www.gruupy.com/?channel=megadeals&locale=en
It should be out by Xmas, if this leaked Carphone Warehouse page is anything to go by. To be honest, I'm not sure on the spec differences between the old and the new (I don't think they've been officially announced yet?), but expect it to have a better processor (quicker), etc. It's up to you really. It's just that for potentially €50 extra you have the very latest tech, and likewise the original Xoom can only expect to drop in price over the coming months.
I'm more confused than ever now. Ha ha. Ah no cheers for the advice mate, I'll give it some more thought.
I'm hoping they release a Kindle Fire in a 10" version. Other than that I might buy myself the Archos, been having my arm twisted slowly for awhile in the direction of "needing" a tablet
I'm the same - hoping to get some sort of a tablet soon. The Archos one is tempting. AFAIK the Kindle Fire will come in a 10" version, but I'd say that's some months away yet.
that's the problem, I'm becoming impatient, but the Kindle Fire and a dual core processor is making me wait. I think I'll get one of those, depending on how long it takes to for the 10" version I'll be happy with the 7". Although I am a big fan of the Archos, it's so good looking and stylish, and with the built in stand makes it great for using the keyboard. Hmmm dilema dilema dilema
What's the story with the Kindle fire though, I was reading that outside the US their browsing doesn't currently work because it stores it all in their servers or something? I "need" a tablet soon myself, not sure what to get though