MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (10.1-Inch, 32GB, Wi-Fi) on sale

coluser Say: MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (10.1-Inch - 32GB - Wi-Fi)
Defining your user experience, 2011-03-29
This review is for: MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (10.1-Inch - 32GB - Wi-Fi)
Let me first state this review is based upon the 3G model (although I just ordered a wifi model from Amazon). We purchased 2 weeks ago and took the unit on our spring break trip. During the long drives the xoom ran navigation, played tunes connected to the car stereo and functioned as a skype/FB life line for my teens. My teens also took a lot of pictures and videos, played games, browsed, read books, etc. Two things became very apparent:1) The multi-tasking is top notch, especially with the recent apps button and the ability to quickly move from app to app2) The battery life consistently sat at 7-8 hours during heavy use (when it was on it was ALWAYS doing multiple things)I chose the xoom 3G thinking my wife would hate it and I'd then go buy her an ipad 2 and I'd get to use the xoom. She has an android 2.x phone and hates it. She loved honeycomb. She is now taking the xoom to work as her mobile laptop. Hence, that's why I just bought the wifi xoom - for me! I originally decided on the android device based upon being able to create my own "experience". The interface exceeded my expectations. I have used the ipad in store a number of times and stayed away from gen 1 knowing Apple would release a better pad in about a year. I saw nothing that made me want to use iOS with gen 2.The Good:- Screen clarity, size and brightness is great- Multi-tasking is excellent- All the apps we used worked flawlessly...only force closed with google books (and why doesn't google books have a bookmark like Kindle for Android?)- Very fast- Battery life- Extremely simple setup with gmail/google, etc...- Flash support became available after purchase and web browsing experience is better but not perfect- Most importantly, my tablet the way I want it to look and workThe not so Good:- Don't like the power plug or the volume buttons. Its strange, they feel good but it just seems difficult to use them sometimes- Screen is (as stated in other reviews) a fingerprint magnet, yet it still looked great- App selection is low, but from the time I purchase to the end of the trip the tablet dedicated apps increase by 11 and other than netflix, there is no app I want that is not available- Cameras are adequate, but I didn't buy this to replace my digital camera- SD card isn't working yetI did not give this 5 stars as I think it can be improved. Early in the lifecycle, I expect great things for android based tabs. The Samsung Galaxy in June (running Honeycomb) should be a great device as well. Very very pleased with the purchase.

M. J Ricard "tech ceo" Say: MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (10.1-Inch - 32GB - Wi-Fi)
Some people say its better than the iPad2, 2011-03-31
This review is for: MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (10.1-Inch - 32GB - Wi-Fi)
I own both. I bought the iPad2 the day it came out... and I bought the Xoom just a couple days ago. The iPad2 is sexier on the outside for sure. In typical Apple fashion, it is wrapped in its packaging and hardware like Art. The Motorola Xoom packaging is lackluster and the visual aspects of the hardware side by side with the iPad leave a lot to be desired. HOWEVER, the Xoom's Google Android Honeycomb Operating System is far superior to the iPad2's iOS. So much so, that the iPad2 when you use it "feels" old and outdated next to the Xoom. Unlike other Android touch pads I have played with, the screen slides real smooth.Fortunately, I am in a position where I can own both. However, if you are trying to decide between which to buy, it largely depends on if you are a mac fan. If you are, then the iPad is the way to go. Regardless of how much better I tell you the Android Honeycomb Operating System is on this Xoom tablet, it will not matter. But, if you are not a mac fan and looking to choose the best device for the money, without question, at least right now, the best is the Xoom.Motorola got it right. Good job guys, finally something that competes and beats the iPad. However, work a little bit on the design of the outer shell... it could use a little more sexy like the iPad2.

Lenny D Say: MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (10.1-Inch - 32GB - Wi-Fi)
I prefer Xoom over iPad 2 and here's why...., 2011-03-27
This review is for: MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (10.1-Inch - 32GB - Wi-Fi)
First of all I want to say that I own both Apple and Google/Android devices. I own iPod Touch and have played with iPad of family member who own the device. I also played with iPad 2 quite a bit at the store as well as from a friend who got it on launch day. I currently own original Motorola Droid and looking to upgrade to newer Android phone this summer. It is difficult not to compare Xoom to its competitor aka iPad 2. Therefore, this review will entail Xoom features (Wifi version) along with comparison to iPad 2.Operating System - An iPad is more akin to a smartphone where as a Xoom is more akin to a laptop (Best Buy actually has it in laptop section instead with other Android tablets like Samsung Galaxy). Honeycomb feels more like a tablet. It's not just a row of apps and wasted space like iOS. Plus, you have room for customization (widget, live wallpaper, theme etc). There is also little detail that tech savvy will appreciate (outline grid, advanced settings, google labs etc) Honeycomb is still a bit buggy but not to the point that it becomes annoying. I only have several force close (app closed due to error) once in a while (Not all phone apps work with Xoom..yet). Obviously iOS which is a proven OS and was out almost 4 years ago is more stable than the Honeycomb, a brand new OS (optimized for tablet use) that was out a month ago along with its SDK. Google know Honeycomb still needs improvement, I know Honeycomb is unfinished and I don't mind waiting for even better experience.Also, it's easy to transfer files between computer and Xoom. Just plug in USB and it acts as a hard drive then you drag and drop the files you want. There's also apps like ES File Explorer and Astro File Manager that help manage files/folder (like Window explorer). I believe iOS requires other softwares unless you just do music/movies through iTunes. Oh and I forget to mention that I hate having to everything tied/synced through iTunes. On Xoom, there's more freedom and you are not stuck with one software like iTunes.Winner: To each his own but I like Honeycomb better.Design/Apperance/Screen - Xoom is heavier but that is due to a solid build quality which I love. It is also thicker and has wider screen (more appropriate for movies than iPad 2). Although Xoom has higher screen resolution, iPad 2 still has brighter screen and more vivid look.Winner: iPad 2 by little bitUser Interface - Some people say Honeycomb is too complicated to use. Well maybe to those who has been using only iPad. For someone who use both, I have to say it is pretty simple to use. iOS is more intuitive and foolproof but there is much more detail/option on Xoom that many people will appreciate.Winner: TieMultitasking - One button and it takes you to 5 most recent apps for easy switching on Xoom. iPad 2 sort of have multitasking but not a true multitasking experience.Winner: XoomBrowser - If you use Chrome browser before, it is pretty much like that on Xoom. I prefer tabbed browsing over having to press button to open various windows on Safari on iOS device. You can type search directly on address bar like Chrome. You can sync bookmarks through your Google account. And yes I know there are other browser apps in the market. But for a stock browser app, Xoom has a better experience.Winner: XoomApps - iPad is way ahead in term of apps and it is because original iPad had at least 1 year head start vs Xoom. Not to mention Honeycomb is unfinished and SDK was recently released. However, the tablet apps that are available on Android market, most of them work great and look awesome. UPDATE: It turned out there're lots more Honeycomb compatible apps (I'm talking 1,000+). You just have to use keyword search such as "tablet" "xoom" "honeycomb" to discover the apps. Note that you can still use Android phone apps. The phone apps get stretched out but still keep the high resolution thus they don't look bad on the screen whatsoever. Give it time.Winner: iPad 2Customization - This is my favorite part about Android. You have open customization from themes, widgets to customized home screen and live wallpapers. iOS has none of that unless you jailbreak the device.Winner: XoomNotification - If you have iPhone and iPad, you know how notification can be quite painful. Xoom has better notification system that show up briefly in bottom right corner as you get new email, app update etc. You can press it to view all notifications or remove them. Additionally, there is also LED light blinking notification on top right of the device.Winner: XoomHardware Performance - A5 vs Tegra 2 is still up for debate. Xoom seems to be as powerful as iPad 2 with exception of GPU (difference can be seen with gaming and screen brightness). iPad 2 has 512MB RAM vs 1 GB RAM on Xoom.Winner: ???Camera/Video/Audio - Better camera and video on Xoom thanks to its higher spec vs VGA front and lower MP back camera on iPad 2. Camera app gets a little bit of time to get used to on Xoom. Speaker on Xoom is decent and could have been louder. I wish the volume rocker is more visible on the side. It feels like the button can become stuck into the device.Also I use DVD Catalyst 4 to convert and transfer movie to Xoom. It can convert most file types as long as it's not DRM protected (like "Digital Copy"). The software is pretty neat, simple to use and the pictures look great. You have option to customize the pictures, add subtitles, and get rid of black bars.Winner: Xoom OVERALLFlash - Yes, Flash is still in beta but it works great so far with a little bit of lagging but barely noticeable. Pretty smooth most of the time. I tested it on sites that use Flash like Engadget (video), Honda (car animation), Vice Versa restaurant in NYC (heavy flash site), Myspace and bandcamp (with music player on artist page). iOS has no Flash AT ALL as we all know when it comes to browsing.Winner: Xoom by a mile (until HTML5 is fully functional)Battery Life - Xoom gets about 8 - 9 hours for heavy multitasking usage. Will have to test standby time but I expect it to be less than iPad 2. iPad 2 gets at least 10 hours of heavy usage.Winner: iPad 2GPS - Just want to mention that GPS and full Google maps navigation is available on Xoom wifi. While on iPad 2, it is only available if you get 3G+wifi version. And if you use Google maps app before on Android you know that it is more extensive than map on iOS (turn-by-turn voice navigation, layers etc). Since this is a Wifi version, THERE IS cache settings on Google Maps where you can prefetch map tiles by panning over the city/region while on Wifi (up to ?? MB. Need to verify the cap). Then you can navigate to desired destination just like normal with voice navigation. You cannot change the destination halfway obviously since there is no 3G connection. The other alternative will be to tether the device with 3G/4G smartphone.Winner - XoomNitpick - SD card slot on Xoom is still not enabled at this moment. Also, I wish Xoom can be charged through micro USB but I believe it may be because micro USB doesn't supply enough current to charge a tablet.In the end, you may prefer one device over the other and it is to each his own. However, based on the overall factors I mentioned above, I prefer Xoom.Any questions, feel free to ask in comment.