Overall, I like it but it's got problems. I'd give it a 6/10. I am definitely glad to still be getting the PlayBook and expect to make that my daily "carry" tablet. If I didn't plan to use the Xoom for development and testing, it would definitely NOT be worth the money - better to wait for a cheaper option this summer or perhaps around the holidays.
The bad:
- clumsy/awkward (1) It's too heavy -- not the "I'm a wimp who can't hold a couple pounds" kind of heavy but the "It feels clumsy and awkward, and I always have to shift my grip to try to find a better way" kind of heavy.
- clumsy/awkward (2) Its size makes it hard to hold *just* the edges The narrowness of the bezel also means that all this grip-shifting can result in inadvertent taps. I do think a folio-style case will help with this as it gives me somewhere else to hold on to.
- clumsy/awkward (3) It's almost like they expect you to place it on a flat surface directly in front of you, and use it that way. But unless you're sitting at a desk, that's really not practical to do comfortably. And if you are at a desk, the computer is a much more compelling option.
- clumsy/awkward (4) It's never precisely *un*comfortable -- it's more that I can never get physically *comfortable* with it. The only exception is if I'm doing something non-interactive like web browsing.
- stupid power button placement (on the back). If I put it on a flat surface and the screen shuts off, now I have to pick it up to turn it back on, then put it down to continue using it. Minor but annoying especially if you have a lower screen timeout to save battery.
- Typing ... sucks. Tablets may open new possibilities, but I can't see any app focused on data entry doing well unless the UI is designed to help enter data specific to the application (eg, no typing or a limited custom keypad). This isn't a Xoom-specific issue. You can't type effectively when you lay it flat, so the only other option is holding it - and it's too heavy to do that comfortably and type. Now ... this may be a matter of practice. But I can reach 65+wpm touch typing on the BB's tiny keyboard and I just have a hard time envisioning reaching the same speed on this one. Touchscreen on a phone is difficult enough to use - and it seems the bigger the screen, the harder it gets.
- You lose out on 30 or 40 pixels of resolution because of the always visible softkey navigation and notification. While the idea is a good one (allowing this info to be displayed consistently across apps, and relative to orientation) it's a bit annoying - because that space is not available to apps. I would have much rather seen something like a secondary panel around the bezel that reorients/displays this stuff.
- UI is mostly not user friendly. No concept of contextual actions (context menu or similar). No base usage of a "hover" mechanism; some specific apps do use this, but it's hit or miss.
- tablet app UIs also lacking. Too many apps (even the 40 or so that are "designed for honeycomb") aren't made for tablets at all. A drawing app that hides everything under two layers of menus. Games that pop up all their interaction dialogs on the middle of the screen - when you're holding at the edge of the screen, usually w/ two hands because of weight. Most apps provide no discoverability - that is, finding out what you the features and available actions are. When faced with a full screen app and no visual indicators, you just have to experiment to figure out the controls of each app. A recurring theme here is that controls are placed far apart - some in the middle of the screen, some on different edges. This keeps the amount of awkward grip-shifting at a maximum.
- The permissions mechanism sucks. If you don't want to give apps all the permissions they request, you can't install them. Period. Unlike BB, you can't selectively give permissions.
The good:
- marketplace is extremely well executed. Fast, smooth; installations run in the background and quietly notify you when they're done. You can go to the web site from your desktop, log in, and choose apps to install -- they'll install automatically and immediately as soon as you device is online again. You can easily find what you're looking for. It's a Rolls Royce compared to the pinto that is AppWorld. The only down side is that a) comments are limited in length preventing you from giving really useful feedback ; and b) it sounds stupid, but too many apps that are just noise/ad farms. It would be nice if I had a way to automatically filter out apps that don't have a min number of ratings and a min average rating.
- Very configurable. I was going to root it just to mess around mroe, but I really don't see a need now that I have it..
- widgets are cool, especially with the screen real estate. I'd love to have something like that for the PlayBook and BB phones.
- fast, fast, fast. I have not seen lag no matter what I've done.
- Voice features: excellent accuracy in the voice recognition I've tried so far. I may come to rely on this more if I can't adjust to typing.
- maps and nav software is great - though I haven't tried to see if I can pre-load a route, since I have no mobile wifi option. (Can't wait for 6.1 and a hotspot on the go...)
I know there are a lot of updates and improvements planned, so I'm happy to give it the benefit of the doubt. But based on my experience so far, there's a definite sense of disappointment. I kind of look at it and think, "Um, ok. So ... what's it good for?"
Some of this is because Google as taken a desktop like approach in some ways. In other words, you have a new tablet. It has an operating system, a web browser, and a couple of apps. Great! You're on your own from here on out, hope you enjoy it.
I think this is in part because of a lack of tablet-specific apps; and more precisely the lack of well-designed tablet apps that take advantage of what this platform can offer.
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A new BlackBerry development resource site.
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