Quick review of android 3.0 tablet - Motorola xoom

We have seen lots of Android devices that last couple of months, from cheap China-made versions to more expensive and elegant devices; but the Motorola Xoom is the device everybody is talking about. Motorola did a great job with the XOOM and it is expected to challenge Apple’s IPad. Gadget buyers will surely fall in love even at the first glance for this new android tablet and no wonder it won the “Best of Show” at CES 2011 held at Las Vegas.

The Motorola Xoom will be released by the end of February 2011 for the US market and beginning of May for the European market. Price is still unknown despite the rumors of $799.

Features at a glance

The Motorola Xoom is equipped with a 10 inch wide touch screen display, 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core processor, support for 3G upgradable to 4G LTE 700, 2 cameras and support for Adobe flash player 10.1 – a feature missing from the IPad. So what’s in the Motorola Xoom and why did it won the show?

Xoom has an all-black slate design, for me, it has a more classical finished look than any other tablets. According to Alain Mutricy (Head of Team) said that “Motorola Xoom is the next generation of tablets”. It will run on Honeycomb better known as Android 3.0 for an optimized user experience. No buttons on the side or at the front since the operating system provides for all needed buttons on screen. Along the bottom part is the microUSB port, mini HDMI output to display content on larger HD screens and the power charging port. The volume buttons are on the top left corner while on the opposite side you can find the micro-SD card slot.

Processor: It has the latest Nvidia Tegra 2, 1 GHz dual-core processor with ULP GeForce GPU, 3D Graphics

Memory: It has 32GB flash memory, 1 GB DDR2 RAM and can support external memory up to 64GB.

Camera: There are 2 cameras on the device. 5 MP rear-facing camera with dual Light Emitting Diode flash and a 2 MP front-facing camera for video talking.

Connectivity: Xoom has a lot’s of connectivity features and these range from Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 and 3G Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps (upgradable to 4G LTE with a maximum speed up to 21 Mb/s).

Sensors: 3-Axis Accelerometer, Compass, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyroscope, Barometer

Xoom has a 10.1 inch multi-touch capacitive touchscreen with a 1280 x 800 resolution. It weighs 730 gms with a dimension of 249 x 168 x 12.9 mm.

Software: You can download from the thousands of apps and games available through the Android market. Optimized and updated YouTube viewing, millions of Google eBooks, Google maps 5.0 with 3D buildings; it supports Adobe flash 10.1 for better HD online video and game application.

Battery Life: The reason Xoom is the best android device so far is the battery that can support up to 10 hours of video playback.

Pros:

Powerful multitasking processor

Support for Adobe flash

Cons:

The HDMI, micro usb and charging port has no cover.

The price (although the price is not yet officially announced, anything above $700 can be considered expensive).

Along with other Android 3.0 devices (Samsung Galaxy Tab 10, LG Optimus Pad) the XOOM will compete with the Ipad for winning the battle of the tablet market. Besides the hardware, another advantage of the XOOM is the fact that Google used a Motorola device for the presentations of Honeycomb. This does not mean that the other devices are not as good as the XOOM but it simply gave Motorola a better start and more marketing exposure. Although

Apple will be launching its newest iPad 2 later this April, Xoom will be the first to hit the market and it is very interesting to see the reactions of people and if this will signal the end of Apple’s domination of the tablet market.