Why?

[gerio]

There's no doubt that I would like to have a Xoom, but with a Droid X, a 17" Gateway notebook, and a Lenovo X200 tablet convertible, I'm not sure that I can justify having one. What could I do with it that I couldn't do with any one of the 3 devices I use daily? 

If I were to get one, I'd hold out for the wifi-only model. 

I've been going through this same thought process with the iPad. 

Geri O

[kazetsukai]

There is a big difference as to how you interact with applications on a phone, netbook/laptop and tablets.

I kinda compared the Xoom to getting a laptop, and got the Xoom instead. I'm not unhappy about my decision, but the form factor does need to gain some maturity. I've used VPN to remote into my workplace, then use remote desktop or SSH to connect to machines internally, and used it to manage my work. It does the job, but does it in a way different way than a laptop would.

Laptops try to package the desktop experience into a portable form factor, but the desktop was never conceived as a portable solution, so the experience can feel clumsy. The Xoom feels more light, and operating it while walking or moving around seems natural. Its hard to place the Xoom though, as I'm used to doing alot of the stuff the Xoom does on my pocketable DROID, but the Xoom does it all better.

If you feel like you're forced to chain yourself to the ground with a laptop/desktop and like you don't get the "full experience" out of your phone, I'd say you're in the market for the Xoom. It will fill that middle ground that just seems impossible to accommodate for. But you do need to note, that when you work on a tablet, you need to work like you're using a tablet, not a phone or laptop. Have something to carry it around in, but not necessarily as large as a laptop case or backpack, and don't count on it being pocketable. Don't expect alot out of remote desktop to virtual machines or a home PC beyond minimum stuff. While typing on it is a breeze, it isn't easier than a full sized qwerty keyboard.

And last, but not least, be prepared for some bugs and a bit of a bumpy road. If all of this sounds right, jump, you wont be dissappointed. If you're iffy about needing that middle ground or being a part of what is essentially a test group for honeycomb, wait.

[#3]

I have a Dell Inspiron 700m sub-notebook and a Motorola Droid (1), both of which I love. While I would like to have a Xoom, I believe it would mostly be a toy just to play around with. It does not have the computing capabilities of a notebook and it's too big to carry in my pocket.

[gerio]

All great points. 

I have the Lenovo X200 tablet already and I use it as a remote extension of the main notebook, mostly in live audio productions where I have a digital mixing console and I don't want to be chained to the one mix position in the room (the tablet and the wireless measurement mic system is the best $3000 I ever spent - saves me sooo much legwork when I set up a rig in a colisuem). Even though the Gateway is a rather big notebook, I've been hefting it around for over 3 years now, so I consider it pretty mobile (and tough, too, considering the road life it has had).

I guess that I can't really find a spot where I'd use a Xoom (same conclusion I came to with the iPad, although that is out of the running at this point) because I have the notebook experience with the Gateway, the tablet experience with the X200, and the moile phone experience with the Doid X (which is good enough for me to not even break out a computer a lot of the time).

But so what? I still want one...

I'll get one eventually (again, probably the wifi-only model, it if ever someone out, I just don't need another phone line) (and it will be another year or so before anywhere in MS sees any 4G LTE, if not more....). 

Thanx for the thoiughts, 

Geri O

[#5]

You don't have to wait for WIFI only. You can get the Xoom now without a data plan.

[gerio]

Well, I was hoping that the WIFI version would be a little cheaper, but probably not, eh? 

My other problem is that I'm already loaded up with 5 lines on the Family plan, so I'd have to open another account (which would be worth looking into, I guess).

Oh, well, something else to consider. I suppose I should REALLY get to my Verizon store where my geekbuddy salesreps will walk me through the Xoom, nearly guaranteeing that I'll leave with one...

Geri O

[jasnmar]

Motorola has announced that a wifi only version will be available for around $600, but they haven't said when or where. There has been some rumors that it may be Europe only, but who knows?
Jason

[reallyniceguy]

You can have 5 voice lines AND an extra data line. So basically you can still get the xoom under contract even if you have 5 lines.

[jasnmar]

More wifi only version rumors http://pulsene.ws/13OBu.
Jason

[leecason]

ANSWER: To have the best color eReader available on 2/28/2011 with a color 10 inch screen--plus the Internet too! Free Android apps are available for Kindle, Nook and Google Books.

I am an IT professional and need to be able to read technical books that often have tables, code, diagrams, and images that do not scale and render legibly on smaller screens. I considered the Kindle DX but with all the horror stories about DOA hardware and Amazon's poor product support I stayed away from that. Besides not having color, it also doesn't do anything beyond an eReader, and with all the tablet options now available and coming later this year, I decided that it was worth the additional money to have the color screen and Internet access. After doing exhaustive research in Nov-Dec.and finding that the Samsung Galaxy Tab was still too small for my tech books, I decided to wait for the Xoom.

I spend most of my waking hours at home and work in front of Internet-connected computers with large monitors, so I have no patience for the tiny "postage stamp" user experience provided by smart phones. Just too small for me. The 7 and 10 inch tablet sizes are large enough to comfortably view most web pages (even though you have to scroll vertically more than on a large monitor) but small enough to use anywhere you are willing to carry (rather than wear) them.

If VZW is listening, for the record, I'd pay even more for a 12 inch Xoom. Imagine being able to view full-color, full-sized magazine pages with no scrolling required! Yeah, it would be heavier than 1.6 lbs and larger, but once you get past "wearable" size, it doesn't make much difference to me. I have been lugging a 7 lb laptop back and forth between home and work for years. But I almost never use the laptop anywhere other than my desk. However, I find myself grabbing the Xoom to read at meals, to sit in my easy chair and read, to take to meetings,  etc. It is much easier to manage Vudu and Netflix on the Xoom than on my Bluray deck. I'll take it with me when my wife and I go out, in case we decide at lunch that we want to check what is playing at the movies, or to check stock on something we may need to grab at a store. I wouldn't think of lugging along a laptop.

So, for me, having a device that weighs only 1.6 lbs and is the size of a paperback novel but gives me access to many books, magazines, technical documents, images, movies, songs and the Internet too is literally a dream come true. I had the idea in 1976 of a book-sized form factor computing device with enough storage to hold thousands of books. We geeks were talking about Naval missile technology bubble memory and how it could be leveraged in our Texas Instruments programmable calculators to support text. And then I thought how great it would be not to have to lug 30 pounds of college text books around campus all the time. 35 years later, the dream has come true. I expect that children in the not-to-distant future will laugh at the thought of carrying a backpack full of books from class to class.