i own 3 Xooms, with usb keyboard and bluetooth mouse one after the other since they came out. I guess i DO know better then you what you can do with them. After spending a lot of time with them, i decided after experience that (and not based on presumption such yourself) they are really not fit for the same use one can have from a highend portable computer.

There is NO reason whatsoever to spend money on something that does just about the minimum you can do already for decades on a laptop, forces you to do things in a predetermined (not configurable) manner, and in cost/benefit analysis doesn't even come near a low end notebook.

It just doesn't make business sense. Add to that that maintenance costs on these gadgets is astronomical and you are a real nitwit if you decide as corporate ITC person to invest in them on a company wide scale.

But, it must be said, if you want to play Angry Birds they are ideal.

The obvious question is, why did i buy 3? Well, they are perfect entertainment centers. I have one in the bathroom, which plays off my Windows based dlna server, i have one in the bedroom which is hooked up via hdmi to my flatscreen and serves as smartTV and i have one in the study, also as entertainment remote and to test out my dabbling in app writing on.

Every device is fit for a certain purpose. Taking pictures with a Xoom is possible, but with almost 800 grams a bet hefty to use practically. Phoning with my Xoom mz600 is possible, but not practical without a headset. Which i am not wearing all day since it is irritating. Typing short tweets on a Xoom is possible, but it takes me twice as long.

Writing on a Xoom using a keyboard is possible, but it's a real hassle to all the time having to touch the screen to make things happen.

All in all, sure they work at everything somewhat, but at nothing as good as the standard laptop. Except for entertainment. For that they are exceptionally good.

did not read.

i only want to know where i can get those apps by Google you are running.

Google Earth for Windows I got from Majorgeeks.

... Gmail

Happened to watch the Microsoft Keynote introducing Windows 8 on the Surface over the weekend.  Talk about hysterical - Ballmer gave the stage to Steve Sinofsky (this was before he was shit-canned) to do the intro & not 3 minutes in, the very first thing he tried to demonstrate - opening Internet Explorer - failed (looked like the tablet froze) & he tap danced a bit while fiddling with the home button & finally had to run over to the podium where he grabbed another Surface, presumably placed there for just this possibility, then resumed his demo.  Not sure that's what got him fired only weeks later, but it was damn funny.

One other thing I noticed about the difference in the cultures of Apple & MS - there was no applause at any time during the part of the MS Keynote I watched.  Not when Ballmer was introduced or left the stage, not when Sinofsky took the stage.  It was just eerily quiet.  Stopped watching after the frozen Surface fiasco so might have been some later, but I certainly would have expected some for the big wheels.  It just seems odd that Ballmer comes across as such a wannabe.

That's freakin' awesome.

I must admit to having watched it without sound. Couldn't find my headphones and my wife hates english.  So he talks. Must listen to it when i find where i put my headphones.

But tnx, Starkers, for your insightful rebuttal of his very good points. Doesn't really stack up, but still a nice try.   for effort.

I've been running Windows 8 on one of my laptops for some time now. I liked it so much I went out and bought Pro when it was commercially released. I also like it to the point I bought a Surface RT tablet ( and am loving it).

There are always people who grumble and gripe when there is a major change. Honestly, once you get used to the start screen vs a start menu it's actually much faster, especially once you have organized the tiles to what you need the most often, and grouped in some sort of logical fashion.

I can honestly say that I didn't expect to like 8 at all, but I find it to be a sensible evolution of the OS as computing itself evolves away from keyboard/mouse to a more portable touchscreen system. I also think it's smart of MS to be thinking in terms of creating a single OS that is suitable for both portable touchscreen devices and more traditional desktop/laptop machines instead of creating two completely different systems the way Apple has done.

I know they aren't there yet, but it's obvious to me that's the direction they are heading and it makes perfect sense. Computing is evolving towards powerful, portable machines with touchscreens and the OS needs to evolve that way as well if it's to remain relevant.

Just my 2 cents.

I'm sure he's on a retainer with MS......

....if not, he SHOULD be....

What one hates, the other can love for sure. That is natural. I am not using win8 but I am not saying I won´t. However let me tell you a couple of points on this matter. My colleague has bought a new computer recently with win8. He is pretty much excited about new Windows. He was singing like a bird when describing Metro UI. Now he says he got rid of Metro as it was slightly bothering and not everything ran without bugs. Now he is singing like a bird again by saying : "Tom, my win8 are looking like 7 and I am happy about that." Me: "Sounds good, mate. But where´s the point?" He says: "Pardon me? Why not having a win7 look with faster and less demanding system? Naturally, if it turned off Metro, it does not mean, I just confirmed I was stupit about win8." Me: "This is not the perspective I mean, mate. I am asking since if you reach the win 7 look, why having win8. By turning major elements off ( I am not insisting I am totall right, just my thought) you will get win7 look but less demanding on resources. If this was a goal, Microsoft might have reconsidered a resoure thing and may have released a win7 resource update then."

And then he told me about the progress we won't stop etc. I was telling him that I am by all my ten fingers for any progress but in his case it is like buying a kind of a race car which he is not happy with so he is trying to change it back to a proven cadillac? 

My point is,  if people love win8, why the are trying to change it back to being close to win7 look anyway?

If the MetroUI is the principal element ( I believe it is), why there are folks turning it off?

Yes, you are not ever forced to use all the "benefits" the operating system brings back to you but is there a point to customize the way you will get the former look? 

Again, I am just thinking strongly about this. It does not mean I am 100% correct.

The fact is that MetroUI was purposely  tend to be a tablet OS. I do understand they are trying to unify one system for all digital devices. For some reason, though, I do not feel that it is right for laptops and computers. Do not ask me why. It is like when sensing something you feel by heart and you know it is not right.

The technology has always been moving forward and always will, however there still needs to be a kind of interaction between a supplier and consumers. In case of win8 I am not sure if that really reflecs to what we - users, really need. I will need to focus more on this new system to see if there are some real benefits.

I only watched seven minutes of it and he was already so full of shit I could smell it from here.

WinRT apps do not come up without your opening them, for one example that he repeated over and over as if it were fact.

the video was nicely done. i wonder wether there is Metro app that enables that enables you to create such a presentation. as at least one Windows 8 fan claims to use Google apps that do not exist in reality the answer will surely be yes

i was in a big electronics store before christmas. while it was possible to play with the Macs and the last remaining Windows 7 pcs, all the Windows 8 machines were just playing an add on loop. i did not wonder why.

while it is certainly possible to live with Windows 8, i still do not see a benefit over Windows 7. it will be interesting to see which way Microsoft will go in the future, after all the whole Windows 8 release looks pretty rushed. i suspect the Surface had to be released before Christmas. they did not manage to create Office for Metro in time though. i wonder if the Office team is interested in creating it at all.

one question, because i read reports on this only for the rtm version: does Windows 8 final use rgb or greyscale subpixel font smoothing?

 That's what we like. A wellfounded opinion based on a listening to the opponent. 

Happened to me too btw, and since i hadn't yet figured out how to close the silly thing i just gave up frustrated and rebooted the VM to retry. And again, and again. 2 days of fighting to get the hang of it, to make it do what i wanted, not what it wanted. No such luck.

It sits quietly resting in the VM, next to OS/2, Windows95 and OSX.