back to article Dixons drops Motorola Xoom price... again

Dixons has knocked the price of the 32GB Motorola Xoom tablet to £329 - not at all bad when you consider the fondleslab was priced at £500 at launch. And the other 32GB Xoom, the one with 3G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi, is now just £400, down from £580. Both versions run Android 3.0 Honeycomb - though Android 3.1 is now …

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  1. Piro Silver badge
    FAIL

    £329?

    Nah, I'm still not tempted.

    I'll keep my TouchPad, thanks.

  2. jason 7
    Meh

    Around £200-£225......

    ...then we'll talk.

    Otherwise All tablets are too overpriced for my tastes. If I have over £300 to spend them I'm buying a laptop.

    Yes I still call them laptops, big whoop, wanna fight about it?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    does this mean..

    the world doesnt want tablets, only iPad's?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      No

      It just means the tech savvy peeps are clever enough to wait for a tablet that is not astronomically overpriced.

      Mines the one with the Archos G9 in the pocket.

  4. Robert E A Harvey
    Thumb Down

    Interestink, but

    It still needs another £150 off.

    PC whirled, for example, have a SAMSUNG NP-NC110 for £249. And that has a 250G hard disk and a keyboard. And 11 hour battery life. And it's purple.

    1. Steve Todd
      Stop

      Dream on WRT battery life

      The N110 can manage a little over 6 hours of video playback. Pads can manage 8-12 hours in the same task. You'd have to have the screen set to minimum brightness and doing almost nothing to hit 11 hours from it.

  5. KroSha

    Still...

    It's £150 cheaper than the 32GB iPad2. That's a hefty difference, even if it's still too much for some. If they'd knocked it to £299, then it's cause some serious thinking here.

  6. Peter Clarke 1
    Alert

    What do you mean?

    A Galaxy Tab for £329 OR a Galaxy Tab from a DSG store?

  7. Steven McAdam

    Steve McAdam

    I've got an top spec' iPad, but I'd have a second - Android - tablet to travel to dodgy destinations with (like the stag weekend in Riga at the weekend), if I could get one for £200!

    1. vic 4
      Trollface

      tablet on a stag weekend

      Sounds like a wild weekend

    2. Geoff Campbell Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      @Steve McAdam

      Advent Vega - £199 from DSG stores.

      GJC

  8. David Lawrence

    I still ain't buying....

    ...until they do the same as HP and drop the whole idea as a total flop. I'll then pick on up from a clearance store for what they are really worth - £200-£250 tops.

    Serves them right for thinking the buying public would pay such a high price for a wannabe ipad in the first place.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Do Moto tablets fall under the Mobility or Solutions aegis?

    I'm curious to know exactly who's currently losing money on these things

    1. ZillaOfManilla

      I was thinking that same thing

      are DSG taking the hit, or is it google stepping in to try and shift them. Any idea if the US have had a similar price cut?

  10. DrXym

    Sense is beginning to prevail

    You can't sell tablets at iPad prices unless they're iPads. It sounds like the industry is finally gaining a clue about this. It's becoming a good time to buy a tablet - lots of choice and reasonable prices.

    1. Snapper
      Megaphone

      and.....

      short, short retail lives!

    2. Chris Beach

      Exactly

      This is damn right, esp if they are missing a few key features: Like an IPS or equiv screen. Tablets need much better viewing angles. 10+hour battery, and esp a long life if in standby, if its sitting on the sofa all night I don't want it loosing more than a few % battery.

      If you have both of those, (and the storage size etc) is the same, then you still can't charge iPad prices unless you've got iPad build quailty as well! Sorry plastic isn't it.

      The Asus Transformer, is still the only Android tablet worth buying, mainly due to the IPS screen. They have accepted its plastic, not quite as well built, and aren't charging premium price.

      Sony Tablet S, same as any other honeycomb pad spec wise, still plastic build, ok nice design and the remote's a nice feature...but that doesn't make it worth iPad pricing.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Tempted

    The Xoom is one of the only tablets I've been tempted by - I really can't stand why everyone has such a downer on it, in comparison to everything else out there. The initial price was too high, yes, but that dropped very quickly to more comparable prices.

    I actually prefer the weight and chunky feel - at least I know I'm not gonna snap it.

    1. technohead95

      The problem with the Xoom...

      ...is that it's video playback ability is pretty poor. This is mainly down to the Tegra 2 chip (so it's the same issue as most other Android tablets). The other thing is, Motorola have already confirmed that only the US Xoom is a Google Experience Device. All non-US ones are not and thus you could be waiting a while for the latest Android OS updates.

  12. Anon the mouse
    WTF?

    £200 tablets are available,

    Strangely enough from DSG too.

    I picked up the Advent Vega (tegra chipset, 10" screen),

    Spent a couple of hours installing the vegacomb firmware (honeycomb 3.2 for Vega). Before doing anything else. Follow the guide to the letter and even a 6 year old can do it (she did about 50% of the work)

    Yes that's not for the average consumer, but on a tech site I don't see why there are so many complaints when they are available at the price you want. And a couple of hours tinkering gives you all the latest android release.

    Or is it not the price but just a need to moan about tablets in general?

  13. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    PCWorld Site gets it wrong again

    On the Xoom fancy blurb page the data at the bottom talks about GPRS and other Mobile tech.

    Then when you click on the [buy one] you are only offered the Wifi model.

    Fail just because they can't get anything right.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Meh

    Not yet...

    Nah, the Xoom's got a crap screen. Drop the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to £300, throw in a case and a charge stand and a port replicator to give me USB and HDMI, and we'll talk...

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Inbetweeners line....

    Touchpad wankers! Because all the ipad owners will think your a cast offs mink!

    I'll stick with my hundreds of pounds 7" Galaxy tab, doesn't have hdmi connectivity or Android 3.x but it does have 3g and it does fit in my jacket pocket.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Meh

    Insurance?

    "I've got an top spec' iPad, but I'd have a second - Android - tablet to travel to dodgy destinations with (like the stag weekend in Riga at the weekend), if I could get one for £200!"

    Or just get insurance for your iPad?

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    Desperate.

    Price drops means they are simply not selling in sufficient quantities - it's not as if the components will have magically dropped that much in price. Whereas Apple can sell all the iPads it can make - wonder why (and no it's not just Apple fanbois - they are shifting huge volumes!).

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    Laptops / netbooks.

    "Otherwise All tablets are too overpriced for my tastes. If I have over £300 to spend them I'm buying a laptop. Yes I still call them laptops, big whoop, wanna fight about it?"

    Many people want tablets to use as media players, web browsers etc. (for which they are very good) - give me 10+ hours battery life. I have an iPad and a laptop and a netbook - the iPad gets used far, far more. Sure there are things it cannot do and if I wanted to write a huge document it would be quicker with a proper keyboard but that is not what many people want them for...

  19. Jacqui

    Android on moto harrdware?

    you have to knock a ton off just for the brand!

    Moto do not have what I consider a brilliant android rep.

  20. dotdavid

    Xoom

    Remember the EU Xoom has the added problem of being nothing like the US Xoom, in that the software is out of date and probably will always be. "Avoid" has been my advice to those that ask me.

    I still think the Transformer is the best "premium" Android tablet option. As for a budget one, you can get a refurbished Vega for £140 from Dixon's ebay outlet and shove an unofficial Honeycomb build on it.

  21. Stuart 22
    FAIL

    Does it blend?

    The Touchpad offer tempted me into trying to find out what the attraction of the Tablet format actually was. I'm still searching.

    The only thing I find great is the instant 'on' and hardly a worry about the battery state. Wanna spell a word? TouchPad -> Google -> Result. Beats a dictionary anyday. But take away that speed to result benefit and there was nothing else. Everything it does is done better on a netbook (apart from boot). And you don't sacrifice screen for keyboard.

    I know iOS & Android have more and possibly better apps but what can they do that a netbook can do better for half the cost? Answers on a memory stick please - oh hang on a minute ...

    1. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Does it blend?

      Tablets vs netbooks? For me, the tablet is a fraction of the bulk, at lot less weight and displays comics and books it portrait mode perfectly.

      This is why I sold my netbook.

      HDMI, USB etc? Don't need 'em - got 'em on my laptop. Physical keyboard ditto. But I'd rather pull out my tablet on a plane or on the sofa for a quick read/surf/email than the notebook. Or the netbook.

  22. Lars Petersson
    Pint

    Soon...

    They'll be £299 or less which is where I start being interested...

    1. technohead95
      Happy

      Xoom for £308.79

      Actually, how about having the Xoom for £308.79?

      Buy using the promotional code 'tablet5' and via the website www.topcashback.co.uk for 1.5% cashback.

      http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/motorola-xoom-10-1-android-3-tablet-32-gb-wifi-gps-currys-for-313-49/1008409

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    from me

    loving the xoom, well worth teh monies

  24. uknutz

    I have one...

    Have any of the people slapping this down actually used one?

    I got one at the previous price of £349 from PC World. Unlocked it, stuck on the latest custom rom with 3.2 and without all the crap, now runs superbly. Connects to my NAS, plays every video I file I throw at it. Great for browsing. Easy to just drop in my smaller rucksack and take to work for browsing / reading / watching on the train journey.

    To all the people moaning about the screen. Having owned the first iPad for a very brief time, I can't see where it is any worse. The screen seems perfectly adequate. I am colour blind, does that make a huge difference? :-)

    Single charge has lasted 2 days so far with a fair bit of playing on it and watching 2 movies. Now down to 44%. Also filled out the online form at Motorola and now have a free wireless keyboard & mouse kit on its way.

    I have a macbook pro 13" which I use purely for xcode now, where I used to use that for a bit of sofa browing and perhaps to watch a movie in bed, I now use the xoom. Smaller, better battery, easier to hold etc.

  25. Vince
    Go

    mines the one with the xoom in the (large) pocket...

    I was sceptical of tablets in general, and as my past experience of Motorola was not stunning I had reservations.

    Then I tried a friends.

    Then I bought one. 32GB with 3G.

    It is now my most used device. It gets used everyday, for hours from watching video to writing documents. I am amazed just how much use I get for it, and how many new uses I keep finding. Worth the 479 I paid, absolutely.

    My only complaints are the poor volume buttons and insanely weak charger and its associated annoyances, but ignoring that minor grumble, it rocks.

    Most useful gadget i have bought in a while (and I buy loads).

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