The Exciting New Tablet: Motorola XOOM™ with Google's Android Honeycomb OS

Get ready for the next giant step in tablets. Motorola Mobility in cooperation with Verizon Wireless and Google have recently unveiled their new innovative tablet in Las Vegas, NV on Jan 5, 2011 CES (Consumer Electronics Show), the Motorola XOOM™.

“Light, powerful and fundamentally different than anything else on the market, Motorola XOOM™ leverages the very best technology available today to redefine what a tablet experience can be.”

stated Bill Ogle, the chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobility.

“The first device to feature software designed specifically for tablets, Motorola XOOM™ goes everywhere you do and delivers everything you need.”

XOOM™ REVAMPS WHAT THE TABLET SHOULD BE

This is the very first tablet incorporating a dual-core processor using Google’s new Software Android 3.0 (better known as Honeycomb) operating system, which was specifically designed from scratch just for tablets

The Honeycomb OS vastly improves the functionality of Android’s favorites like widgets, browsing, multi-tasking, customization and notifications and includes the most up-to-date Google Mobile innovations, including Google Maps 5.0 with 3D interaction (complimented with GPS), access to more than 3 million Google eBooks and Google Talk with both video and voice chat. Of course it has video play back and has a music player. Plus you will have the ability to partake of thousands of apps and games from Android Market™.

Speaking of games; if you’re a gamer like me, you’ll truly appreciate Motorola XOOM™’s fully rich graphics and lightning-fast speeds for games that leverage the built-in gyroscope and accelerometer. Motorola says that you can expect XOOM™ to deliver a "console-like" 3D gaming experience. And believe it or not it even comes with a compass and has a barometer, yes the kind that is used for weather. Wonder if it has an umbrella too?

XOOM™ OVERVIEW VIDEO

XOOM™-BETTER THAN THE REST

The XOOM™ tablet has good cause to boast; it is the world’s first tablet with a dual-core (Tegra 2) processor (each core performing at 1GHz, with processing power of up to 2 GHz). Furthermore it is supplied with a generous 32GB memory and an impressive 1GB of ram. Bottom-line, this is the fastest moving tablet ever made. Motorola states that the XOOM™ tablet battery life will give you up to 10 hour video playback.

Is this really a tablet or a laptop undercover? Compared to its predecessors, Motorola’s hot new touch tablet has numerous advantages by far :

• Superior graphic display with advance performance

• Twice the speed and double the power

• Quicker downloads and faster streaming media

• Multi-tasking with ease

• Data encryption for private work or personal business

• PC like performance

• Open, edit, save and share documents in an instant

XOOM™ DISPLAY

Now consumers will be able to watch favourite movies and share their videos on an extraordinarily crisp 10.1-inch display optimized for high definition video in a true 16:9 wide-screen format. The device internally supports 720p HD video and includes an HDMI output for displaying your content in 1080p on larger HD screens or PCs. You’ll find watching videos and other rich web content is seamless and enjoyable with the installed Adobe® Flash® Player.

• HD display on a large 10.1 wide screen
• 1280 x 800 pixel resolution at 150p per inch
• Brilliant, clear video playback in 720p HD
• Crisp 1080p display on other HD large screens via HDMI connection
• Incorporates a Touch Screen with pinch-to-zoom navigation

DOUBLE EXPOSURE WITH XOOM™

Having a camera included with our gadgets has become pretty common place however the XOOM™ (as you should expect) has gone beyond common. Here you will find not one but two cameras that double as camcorders. On the front there is a 2-megapixel camera that can take still shots or be used for interfacing with your friends and family through video calling, Google chat or a host of other Android instant messaging apps

For the more creative and voyeuristic, there is a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with two LED photo lights and 8x zoom that not only takes pictures (quite possibly making this the world’s biggest quick-shot camera) but is also a fully functioning HD camcorder, capturing video in 720p HD for instant playback on your 10.1-inch screen or for greater resolution in 1080P via the HDMI connection to an HDTV.

So whether you prefer to sit in the director’s chair or to get up-close and personal, either way you can view and edit your videos and/or pictures on the go and then share them straight away by sending them to YouTube, Facebook, Picasa or by email to a friend. It’s up to you how you choose to use all that XOOM™ offers.

• 2 separate cameras: 2-megapixel and 5-megapixels front and rear respectively

• Front-facing web cam for conferencing & chatting

• Rear-facing fully functioning HD camcorder for quality video

• Instantly view, edit and share on the fly

• Playback in 720p HD or output 1080p via HDMI

BROWSING/CONNECTIVITY WITH XOOM™

“Motorola XOOM™ gives consumers complete access and control of their favorite personal content and work files whether through our nationwide 3G network, or through our lightning-fast 4G LTE network as it rolls out around the country.” said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless.

Through the country’s (USA) largest 3G/Wi-Fi network from Verizon Wireless you’ll stay connected where ever you go, with the capability to be upgraded to the super-fast 4G LTE. You’ll be able to check your personal email, surf the web, and enjoy streaming video and audio seamlessly. You'll also get Flash in the browser on the XOOM™ (which avails Motorola a huge advantage over the Apple’s iPad); which is definitely necessary for watching flash movies online but also to ensure that websites that utilize flash for navigation look the way they should. Know this: when you surf the net with XOOM™ you’ll be bouncing around the web twice as fast as any tablet on the market today.

The web browser has the desktop-style tabs for quick tapping between open pages and also an Incognito privacy mode very similar to Google’s Chrome browser. If you are not able to carry a keyboard along with you (and who is) the XOOM™ comes equipped with a virtual QWERTY keyboard (the standard keyboard setup) or you can opt to use the Motorola Bluetooth® Wireless keyboard when convenient.

WHAT IS HONEYCOMB?

To quote the Android Team, the innovators of Honeycomb:

“Honeycomb is the next version of the Android platform, designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. We’ve spent a lot of time refining the user experience in Honeycomb, and we’ve developed a brand new, truly virtual and holographic user interface. Many of Android’s existing features will really shine on Honeycomb: refined multi-tasking, elegant notifications, access to over 100,000 apps on Android Market, home screen customization with a new 3D experience and redesigned widgets that are richer and more interactive. We’ve also made some powerful upgrades to the web browser, including tabbed browsing, form auto-fill, syncing with your Google Chrome bookmarks, and incognito mode for private browsing”.

As expected, Honeycomb will come with a richer and tablet-friendly user interface. The over-all visual appearance is fluid-like and very 3D or as stated above “holographic” in nature.

As for the layout, you will find a taskbar of your favorite apps running across the bottom of the screen, while laid across the top are a Search field and a button listing all the installed apps. The Honeycomb OS also allows you to access your apps in a new way; not only can you use the shortcuts and widgets that you pinned to the home screen but you can now drag-and-drop chosen apps into shortcut groups for more convenience. These are displayed in a carousel that appears to be rotating in 3-D. The rotating carousel is a popular theme with this OS. In the middle of the screen are your widgets that have been designed to make best use of the high resolution. The video just above gives a good illustration of how Honeycomb will look on the new Motorola XOOM™.

• First device on powerful Android™ 3.0 (Honeycomb)
• Google software designed especially for tablets
• Best for video, streaming media and downloading
• Radical new “floating” multi-finger user interface
• Supports Adobe® Flash® Player for optimal browsing

ACCESSORIES FOR XOOM™

Naturally the Motorola XOOM™ has a wide range of accessories to support its power and expand its capabilities. No longer are the “smart docks” considered just a place to charge your device; Motorola’s docks make XOOM™ a portable play and work station that benefits your lifestyle. The Standard “Charging” Dock” can be used for watching your video/movie content or listening to music through the external speakers as the device charges. By using the Speaker HD Dock you can send HD content on the XOOM™ directly to your TV or kickin’ your tunes without attaching any external speakers.

XOOM™’S ANTICIPATED RELEASE DATE

No concrete date has been given for when the XOOM™ will hit the market; however the first quarter of 2011 is the official forecasted time period. Rumors, of which there are many, speculate that February (maybe Valentine’s day) is most likely. There is even less information on price. But again there are always rumors and speculation, word on the wire is that the price will be between 599 – 799 ($s or £s). Either way, I’m sure price will not prevent it being a success.

Powerful, fast, thin and light. It’s easy to hold, fascinating on the eyes and goes everywhere you do...and comes with the performance and reliable connectivity to support the software and newest features as they are released

Motorola’s XOOM™ is certainly an ambitious product bearing impressive hardware specifications and utilizing a software experience that harbours the potential to be much better than any of the current competitors...INCLUDING iPAD!

So look out Apple; the XOOM™ by Motorola is beating down a new path in Tablet Technology. More power, more memory, more brilliance, more goodies...

XOOM™-IT’S MORE OF WHAT YOU WANT!