The launch of Apple’s iPad spawned plenty of me-too tablets, most of which left a lot to be desired. The Motorola Xoom’s announcement, however, signaled the first serious competitor to Apple’s wonder tablet, and proved to be the darling of the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. The fact that the Xoom is the first official tablet to use Google’s Android “Honeycomb” operating system also raised its profile as a serious iPad rival. So does the Xoom’s bite match its bark? Read on for my take on Motorola’s first attempt at an iPad killer, its 3G/4G-capable Xoom.
PROS
Good, solid design: You never have to worry if the Xoom is somebody, er, something you can show mom. As tablets go, the Motorola Xoom is a bona fide looker. This thing doesn’t look nor feel cheap and feels quite solid buildwise. Some may have qualms about the unusual power button placement. But it wasn’t really an issue for me once I got used to it.
Fast and powerful: With a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, the Motorola Xoom is quite a zippy beast. It definitely has more than enough muscle to run Honeycomb properly. Scrolling is smooth and apps run nicely. The Xoom also handles multi-tasking very well and switches between windows with ease. As for boot time, it's about 45 seconds.
Android Honeycomb: Although the Samsung Galaxy Tab was a worthy stab at an Android tablet, Google’s Honeycomb OS is a big improvement over the smartphone Android OS that the Galaxy Tab used. Instead of looking like an oversized smartphone interface, Honeycomb is definitely designed with a tablet in mind. The user interface is well-thought out and takes advantage of the extra tablet real estate. It also sports some nifty bells and whistles such as a multi-tasking icon and good, old Android widgets and wallpaper effects. Since the OS is fairly new, there are still a few hiccups here and there. But once it matures, the sky’s pretty much the limit for Honeycomb.
Video file compatibility: The tablet plays MP4's right off the bat but can also play AVI and subtitled MKV files if you download apps such as RockPlayer and mVideoPlayer.
Nice screen: The 10.1-inch, 1280x800 widescreen display looks great when watching movies, playing games and general all-around use. Native Honeycomb apps look sharp and colorful. Even Android smartphone apps scale up nicely in the Xoom’s larger screen, with pixellation varying depending on the app.
Dual cameras: The feasibility of taking photos with a honkin’ huge tablet aside, having options is always good for consumers. The 5-megapixel rear camera also comes with a dual flash for low-light situations. Quality is OK for a portable device, but understandably isn’t on par with a dedicated photo camera. A front-facing camera, meanwhile, means you can video chat on the Xoom, which comes with Google Talk installed.
Good 3G speed: The Xoom I tested did not come with 4G activated nor does my area have Verizon 4G. But using the device on 3G was a positive experience overall. Browsing was pretty quick for 3G. I also played several hours of Pocket Legends online with just the 3G connection and despite occasional bouts with lag, the 3G performed quite well overall.
Nice battery life: Xoom battery life according to the manufacturer is 10 hours, which puts it within the iPad’s excellent range. But your mileage will vary depending on your screen settings and what you’re doing with the device. When doing online gaming with the Xoom on 3G, for example, I consistently got 5 hours of battery life from it. Charging time is about a couple or so hours.
Powerful speaker: When I say powerful, I mean it's loud (not much bass, though). It does get distortion at high volume.
CONS
Price: At $800 without a contract, a high cost of entry is the biggest drawback for the Xoom so far. You can get it for $600 with a Verizon contract. The price also compares fairly well with a 3G-capable iPad 2 with the same 32GB of internal memory, which costs $729 (the iPad 2 isn’t 4G-capable, though). Consumers also now have the option for a Wi-Fi-only Xoom for about $600 sans contract.
Pixellated chat: Even on Wi-Fi, video chat on the Xoom via Google Talk is pretty pixellated. Meanwhile, video chat via 3G was pretty much an exercise in slow, stop-and-go video, at least in my area, though the advent of 4G should help with that.
Delayed features: Speaking of 4G, one issue with the Xoom is the fact that it launched with some key features delayed. This includes 4G, microSD card, and Adobe Flash capability. The latter is particularly key since it basically nixes one of the key advantages the Xoom has over the Flash-averse iPad. But since it’s just a delay and not a total removal of features, then it isn’t as big an issue.
Honeycomb infancy: This one isn’t exactly a fair gripe since it has more to do with Google’s OS than the Xoom. But as a consumer, you’ll have to factor in the fact that Honeycomb is pretty new. That means you’ll experience the OS’s growing pains and you also won’t have as many dedicated tablet apps. The good news is that Android smartphone apps scale up much better on Android tablets than iPhone apps do on the iPad.
Learning curve: This is another Honeycomb-related issue but the user interface for Google's tablet OS — while cool-looking in a geeky way — isn't quite as easy to figure out as Apple's iOS. Even Android smartphone users will take a bit of time to familiarize themselves with the OS as certain parts of the user interface are different.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
After having the chance to try out other Android tablets based on Google's smartphone OS, I must say that I'm quite impressed overall with the Motorola Xoom. It's fast, well-built, does a great job with multi-tasking and just provides an enjoyable experience overall.
Admittedly, most of the Xoom's potential as a tablet rests on the growth and development of it's OS — Honeycomb. But as for the device itself, Motorola has done a really good job crafting a vessel for Google's much ballyhooed tablet operating system (so it would be unfair to ding it too much for it's OS's growing pains). It's definitely one of the best tablets out right now. And while it likely won't change the minds of iPad fans, I think it's the first tablet to at least have a chance when standing side-by-side with Apple's iPad line.
Final rating: 4 stars
