The Motorola XOOM for Verizon marks a first in two categories: the first tablet offering a dual-core processor and the first Android tablet running on its Honeycomb 3.0 OS (optimized for tablets). Weighing in at one and a half pounds, powered by 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, running Android 3.0 on a 10.1inch touchscreen w/ 1280 x 800 resolution, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 2MP front-facing & 5MP rear-facing cameras w/ 720p HD video recording, micro-USB + micro- HDMI out ports, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi b/g/n support w/ 3G mobile hotspot capability,accelerometer, and gyroscope. All this makes Motorola’s efforts to combat the iPad commendable but how well do they hold up?
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| Android 3.0 new notifications on bottom-right corner |
Android 3.0 (Android In Tablet Form)
While the world at this point only knows of the Android 2.2 OS which ships with almost every Android device (save for the Nexus S). The XOOM introduces the world to the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS which design UI reminds you Tron. The biggest complaint for the Galaxy Tab (other than the original price) was the fact that they put the regular phone version of Android on a tablet since we were expecting Google to optimize it like Apple did with the iOS on the iPad. Honeycomb steps to the plate to provide what everyone was missing. For starters, Honeycomb offers no physical hardware buttons on the tablet, only the power button in the back. There is a Home, Back, Menu, & Recent App buttons that aren’t soft keys but part of the tablet (like typing on the keyboard) on the bottom left-hand corner. The overall look and feel of 3.0 feels like if they made Android for a laptop/netbook. Say goodbye to the typical Android notification windows shade as you now have your notifications/status on the bottom right-hand corner to access anything from new emails, switch over to Wi-Fi, or how much battery life you have left.
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| Android 3.0 way to do email |
Also new on Honeycomb is the web browser as Google gives the Android browser, Chrome-like features to make it even better. On the down-side of the browser, it is still an Android browser as most pages will load up on a mobile view. Flash support wasn’t available when the XOOM originally launched but it is here now and it was sure missed. The Gmail app offers the much-need two column view that was absent in the Galaxy Tab. The Copy/Cut/Paste has been retooled as it has the look of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with the two placement brackets.
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| New camera UI |
The Camera + Photo Gallery has a new facelift to support tablet photography w/ all options (Zoom, Focus, Flash, Exposure, White Balance, Color Effects, switching cameras & from camera to video) laid out on the screen at your fingertips. Google Talk on Android 3.0 supports built-in video calling that uses the front-facing camera on the XOOM. Definitely a feature most Android users can’t wait to get on their phones. The Music app gets retouched to give a more iOS -like feel to it with a 3D, flipbook navigation to make flipping through your tunes more fun. Also a new treat on 3.0 OS the built-in Movie Studio that allows you to edit videos, right from your device. On-screen widgets have an overall better look as well but all apps aren’t ready to support Honeycomb as they will look like on the Galaxy Tab.
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| XOOM low-light photos |
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| XOOM daylight photos |
Cameras
Armed with a LED flash for the 5MP rear-facing camera, the XOOM offers an edge against all of its competition. Bright sunlight need not apply as the flash can help in dark photo situations. Would have loved for the quality of the front-facing camera to be a little bit better. The extra 1MP on the PlayBook (3MP) makes a world of a difference and would have made the XOOM experience a lot better. Both cameras on the XOOM work as well as you may expect them to. No real disappointments but no real wow either.
Battery Life
The XOOM definitely has the best battery life on anything Android. Coming only in second place to the Apple iPad/iPad 2, the XOOM provides users of up to 10 hours of heavy usage. Without having to do any adjustments of the settings, the Motorola tablet can stand the test of time. Lasting even almost a week on standby, the 6500mAh battery can give you more than a full day’s use. Something a lot of tablets, no matter the OS, have yet to truly accomplish.
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| New Music UI |
TG 2 Cents
The Motorola XOOM brings users one step closer to tablet perfection but not quite there yet. The XOOM was entirely created to combat the iPad, in hopes of relinquishing it from the top spot. It was released offering 32GB of internal storage and matching the price point of the Wi-Fi version of the 32GB iPad at $599. Doesn’t give consumers much room to shop around as the XOOM only comes in the one storage size but offers an Android alternative. The tablet comes running 3G and can be upgradeable in the near future to 4G LTE. The downside is that you will have ship out your tablet for up to 5-6 business days so that technicians can upgrade it. It maybe in your best interest to wait until the 4G is ready if you haven’t already picked one up. This would have been a killer feature if it was ready at launch and would have helped justify the price point. A great Android tablet but I think the pricing may turn off a lot consumers. Also, being the bigger-sized tablet, the 10.1inch size can be a bit much for some users. I’m more partial to the 7inch tablets for portability and single-handed operation. The 1.5lbs XOOM can tire your wrists out if you not laying it down on the table for gaming, browsing, or emails. Still all-in-all, the Motorola XOOM offers Android users a whole new spin on what the OS should look and feel like on a tablet.
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| New Movie Studio app (built-in video editor on Android 3.0) |
