The highly anticipated Motorola Xoom will launch sometime in the first quarter of 2011. The Xoom will pair with Verizon on its 3G network and will offer compatibility for 4G networks when available.
The Motorola Xoom has been touted as the direct competitor to Apple’s iPad for several reasons:
First, it will be the first to run on Honeycomb, Google’s latest operating system, Android 3.0. The 10.1″ Full HD widescreen touchscreen device with 1280×800 (16:10) screen resolution is perfectly sized to run Honeycomb, which has been optimized for larger screen tablets.
Second, the Xoom is powered by a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor with two 1GHz chips for excellent multitasking, a 600MHz system bus, and 1MB of L2 cache with 1GB of DDR2 memory. The device can stream 700p video to your screen and also comes with full 1080p HD support with an HDMI output to a TV.
Third, there’s a 5-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash for taking photos and recording 720p video, as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing webcam for video chats.
Fourth, the Xoom comes with a choice of built-in 3G or Wi-Fi capability and will have 4G LTE support (Verizon) with an external modem accessory in the near future. A Wi-Fi-only model is expected later in the year.
It is important to note that the connection will require a mandatory activation from Verizon. There will be four data plans available: 1GB for $20, 3GB for $35, 5GB for $50, or 10GB for $80. These will be month-to-month deals, but the tablet will need to be activated for at least a month even to use the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi connection,
Fifth, Xoom supports HTML5 and Google Chrome. Xoom will ship without Flash support, but will support the latest version (Flash 10.2), which should be available in the spring. The Flash 10.2 release will add mobile support to the web-based content platform.
Motorola Xoom Other Features Information:
The Xoom is Bluetooth compatible and can be used with a wireless keyboard while sitting on its cradle. The base is pretty typical except for the addition of a USB port for connecting peripherals.
Although the Xoom comes with 32GB of onboard storage, a microSD port is included for additional storage, although Honeycomb does not yet support this feature. Motorola plans to release an update to activate the microSD slot in the near future.
There is no need for buttons on the front of the Motorola Xoom because Google has integrated them into the Android 3.0 operating system. Motorola calls this feature a “persistent navigation bar” because the user doesn’t have to constantly press a hardware button to go back and forth through menu screens. Also, if you’re using your Xoom to watch a TV show, the navigation bar will dim to be less distracting.
The Xoom can be used with one hand, if necessary, in landscape or portrait mode. An accelerometer and gyroscope allow you to play by moving the device. Features also included are a compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and barometer. The Motorola Xoom is believed to have 10 hours of battery life for watching videos.
Motorola has also included its “Media Link” feature that will take free content from iTunes and load it onto the device. This is another example of a manufacturer’s recognition of the power of Apple iTunes and understanding that consumers should know that they can choose an Android or non-iOS tablet and not lose what they’ve invested in their iTunes music library.
Judging by the specifications of the Motorola Xoom, it would seem that it will indeed be a major competitor for Top Tablet. Only time will tell whether or not it can surpass the popularity of Apple’s iPad, especially since the iPad 2 and 3 should also be available sometime this year.