Motorola Xoom review
Motorola Xoom Tablet (32GB)
The Xoom tablet wars are building, petty disputes that will soon lead to bloodshed. Products will be launched into battle only to be gunned down straight out of their boxes, crying for their fabricators as faster, bigger, better slates step over the stricken chassis of their predecessors.
A high level it’s obviously Android vs. Apple (iOS), but battle lines are forming as we consumers, caught in the middle, try to decide just what the right size is for a tablet.
Right now two camps seem to be getting the most supporters: seven-inchers, like the Streak 7 and BlackBerry PlayBook, and 10 inchers, like the Motorola Xoom and the Apple iPad.
Sometimes weapon systems need to be a little more specialized. Sometimes the templates don’t fit, and the $530 (after rebate, on-contract) T-Mobile G-Slate by LG isn’t fitting into those categories, slotting somewhere in between with its 8.9-inch display backed with Tegra 2 graphics, 4G HSPA+ wireless, and all the oomph you want in a modern Android device.
Motorola Xoom – Hardware
Motorola Xoom is a handsomely built tablet, though at a glance, you’ll think you’ve seen this before. Maybe it’s that little can be done within the constraints of the tablet form factor. But the general shape and build of the Xoom comes off looking just a teensy bit like the iPad’s longer, more dangerous cousin. The back and sides of the device are a similar, machined metal.
The corners are similarly curved, and the front is, of course, all screen. That’s not to say the Xoom isn’t good looking, but there isn’t much original going on with the general industrial design that’s at play here.
Xoom at 9.8 inches wide by 6.6 inches tall – with a thickness of a half inch, the device isn’t massive and its 1.5 pound weight gives it heft without killing your arms though it still strains your muscles a bit if you’re holding the tablet.
Xoom – Display, Sound Quality, Battery Life
The guts of the Xoom are more than competitive, and performance on the device was really quite brisk. We did experience some slowdown when transferring files from our computer or jumping quickly between lots of apps, but we were blown away by the robustness and speed of applications like the browser and some of the included games.
General responsiveness of the User Interface and touch reaction was inline with the best the iPad exhibits. Besides that Tegra 2 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage, the device is equipped with WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Verizon’s EV-DO Rev, with GPS, a light sensor, and an accelerometer. The device can be upgraded to use Verizon’s LTE network. The upgrade will come in the form of a hardware swap which either Verizon or Motorola will have to do, meaning your tablet will go into the shop at some point. There’s a microSDslot present on the device, but it’s non-functioning at this point.
Xoom’s Battery life was excellent. Beyond excellent, some of the best performance we’ve seen on a slate. Running a video on loop with the screen set at 67% brightness, we were able to get playback for nearly eight and a half hours.
Motorola claims up to 10, we weren’t far off the mark at all. We had a few background tasks going on, and both WiFi and 3G radios were active.
Motorola Xoom – Pricing
Other option at the moment is to buy the same Motorola Xoom from Verizon for $600. That does shave off $200, but you’re not exactly saving money, considering you’re locking yourself into paying $20 a month for the next two years, which comes out to $1,080. But don’t forget the Xoom is upgradable to LTE. However, the carrier is still keeping quiet on pricing for the 4G service.
Is that a lot of money for a tablet ? Sure it is, but if you opt for the $800 unsubsidized version it comes out to $71 more than Apple’s comparable iPad (32GB / 3G iPad) rings up at $729. At this point we don’t have any real details on when the WiFi only version will be hitting, but Motorola’s CEO has said that it will be also priced at $600.
I hope you enjoy with a New Motorola Xoom Tablet…