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Motorola Xoom

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Motorola Xoom
ManufacturerMotorola Mobility
TypeTablet media player/PC
Release dateFebruary 24, 2011
Introductory price$799 GSM and CDMA
$499 Wi-Fi only
Operating systemAndroid 3.1 Honeycomb
CPUNvidia Tegra 2: 1 GHz dual-core processor[1]
Memory1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
StorageFlash memory: 32 GB, external slot: microSD card after SW update
Display1280×800 px (aspect ratio 16:10), 10.1 in (26 cm) diagonal, appr. 46 in2 (300 cm2) at 150 PPI
InputMulti-touch capacitive touchscreen display
3-axis accelerometer
Compass
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Gyroscope
Barometer
Camera5.0 megapixel rear-facing with 4× digital zoom, autofocus

720 p video capture, 30 fps, dual LED flash

2.0 megapixel front-facing camera
ConnectivityWi-Fi a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR[disambiguation needed]
CDMA Version
EVDO Rev. A
GSM Version
GSM/EDGE Class 12
UMTS/HSDPA[2]
Power6500 mAh[3]
Dimensions9.8 in (250 mm) H
6.6 in (170 mm) W
0.5 in (13 mm) D
Mass1.6 lb (730 g)
Websitewww.motorola.com/xoom

The Motorola Xoom is an Android-based tablet computer by Motorola, introduced at CES 2011 on January 5, 2011. It was the first tablet to be sold with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The Verizon branded Xoom was the first tablet to run Android 3.1 Honeycomb,[4] however the 3.1 update has not yet been provided for European and Canadian variants. The Motorola Xoom went through the FCC on February 10, 2011[5] only 14 days before release. The 3G version was released on February 24, 2011, and the Wi-Fi version was released March 27, 2011. It was announced concurrently with three other products: the Motorola Atrix, the Motorola Droid Bionic, and the Motorola Cliq 2.[6] Recently the Internet is abuzz with chatter that a possible Xoom 2 is already in production based on a new Verizon ad aired June 16, 2011, but the release date is still to be determined, and the product is still not confirmed.[7]

CNET.com named it the "Best of the CES" 2011.[8]

Features

The Xoom supports up to 720p video playback.[9] It features a 2 MP front-facing camera for video chatting over Wi-Fi or cellular Internet and a rear-facing 5 MP camera that records 720p video. The Xoom has a 1280×800 widescreen, 10.1-inch display and 3D graphics acceleration, as well as HDMI-out. It features a variety of sensors, including a gyroscope, magnetometer, accelerometer, and a barometer. The Xoom uses an Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC chip.

Video

The Motorola Xoom has support for video (H.263, H.264, MPEG4, and VP8), and audio (AAC, AAC+, AMR NB, AMRWB, MP3, and XMF).[10]

Software

Both the Wi-Fi and Verizon branded Xoom runs Google's Android 3.1 Honeycomb, whose new features include a redesigned, tablet-optimized user interface, a 3D desktop purportedly taken from BumpTop (which Google acquired in April 2010), improved task-switching, a newly redesigned notification system, Google Maps 5 in 3D and browser enhancements including tabbed-browsing, form auto-fill and bookmark syncing.[11]

Other versions of the tablet, most notably the European 3G and Canadian Wi-Fi variants have not yet received the Android 3.1 update and remain on 3.0.

On February 23 Motorola Mobility announced that the Motorola Xoom would break its policy of locking down its devices by providing the gadget with an "unlockable/relockable bootloader that will enable developers to access hardware for development."[12]

Accessories

The Motorola Xoom supports docking stations for charging and as a stand for viewing video. It also features Bluetooth keyboard support.

Available accessories include: Motorola Xoom portfolio case, dock, HD stereo dock, wireless keyboard.

Features announced but not initially present

The initial release of the tablet operating system did not support Adobe Flash or the microSD. Adobe announced on 11 March that Flash would be available for Android 3.0 devices on 18 March, and a predicted future software update will enable the microSD slot.[13] On 12 April it was reported[14] that the developers at the XDA-developers forum have made the microSD slot functional on the Xoom tablet even before the next update.[15] Motorola Xoom tablet did not support Flash on Day 1 of its release in US on February 22, 2011. Before release, no official statement has indicated whether the microSD slot will support SDHC or SDXC card families. Early on Motorola also touted the ability to upgrade to 4G as a major selling point versus other tablets. However, it was revealed through a leaked internal memo in late July 2011, that the upgrade would not be available until at least September 2011. Many early adopters to the Xoom tablet were upset that the upgrade will not be available more than 6 months after Xoom's debut.[16]

Super Bowl commercial

Motorola aired a television spot during Super Bowl XLV in 2011 that was designed as a satire of Apple's landmark Super Bowl ad "1984". Titled "Empower the People", it depicted a dystopia in which all of humanity wears white hoodies and are plugged into iPods, a jibe at how Apple products had achieved cult-like status and practically ubiquitous market penetration.[17]

The following week, a minor controversy erupted when Los Angeles filmmaker Mike Sarrow claimed that he had, in fact, originated the commercial's idea first. In 2009, he shot a short film portraying a dystopian world where everyone is plugged into iPods to the point that all human conversation has ceased. The controversy was reported on numerous tech news websites, including CNET and Engadget, though no concrete evidence of intellectual property was presented, merely some suspicious similarities, including a nearly identical ending shot. However, the filmmaker has chosen not to pursue Motorola legally, only using the similarity as publicity for his work.[18][19][20][21]

Reviews

The device's hardware received praise from reviewers; Engadget, PC World and CNET all said that the Xoom's performance was as good as, or superior to, competing products.[22][23][24] The user experience with the installed software was mixed. Android 3.0 was praised for "com[ing] together in a far more cohesive manner than any previous iteration of the software,"[22] according to Engadget, and being "the most polished Google software effort to date,"[24] according to PC World. CNET said that in some areas the software seemed overly complex,[23] and Engadget said that "a lot of the new software feels like it isn't quite out of beta."[23] The device's pricing also attracted criticism; both Engadget and PC World cited the price as a drawback,[22][24] and CNET said that with the launch pricing, "the Xoom's appeal will be limited to early adopters and Android loyalists."[23]

Sales

Xoom was estimated by Deutsche Bank analysts to have sold about 100,000 units during the first 6 weeks of availability versus first-day sales of the iPad of 300,000 units.[25] On April 28, 2011, Motorola announced during Q1 2011 earnings conference calls that over 250,000 units of Xoom were shipped to retail channels during the quarter. The company did not reveal its estimate of number of units actually sold to consumers.[26] In July 2011, Motorola lowered the price tag for Xoom WiFi from $600 to $500 and then Xoom 3G from $800 to $600 amid sluggish sales.[27][28] Motorola revealed through its Q2 2011 earnings report that it shipped 440,000 Xoom units during the previous 3 months.[29] That compares with Apple which shipped 9.3 million iPads during the same quarter.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Motorola Xoom Fact Sheet". Motorola Mobility, Inc. January 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  2. ^ "Motorola Xoom Specifications Table". Motorola Mobility, Inc. February 16, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  3. ^ "Xoom has only 3250 mAH battery?". Motorola Owners' Forum. February 24, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  4. ^ "Google announces Android 3.1, available on Verizon Xoom today". engadget.com.
  5. ^ "WiFi-only Motorola Xoom tablet does its FCC duty". engadget.com.
  6. ^ "International CES 2011 Press Kit". Motorola Mobility, Inc. January 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  7. ^ "New Verizon ad features new Xoom 2?". cnet.com. June 17th, 2011/
  8. ^ McCullagh, Declan (January 5, 2011). "CES: Motorola reveals iPad-rival Xoom tablet". CNET.com.
  9. ^ "Motorola Xoom - Android Smart Tablet - Tech Specs". Motorola.com. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  10. ^ "Android Supported Media Formats". Android Developers. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  11. ^ "Android 3.0 Highlights - User Features". Android Developers. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  12. ^ "Motorola Mobility PR Twitter Account". Motorola Mobility, Inc. February 23, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  13. ^ Olivarez-Giles, Nathan (2011-02-22). "Motorola Xoom tablet arrives Thursday starting at $600; no Flash on Day 1". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  14. ^ Dent, Arthur (2011-04-12). "Xoom + XDA = working SD card slot!". Motorola-Xoom.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  15. ^ "AOSP Kernels for the Motorola Xoom". Forum.xda-developers.com. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  16. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/leaked-memo-slates-xoom-4g-upgrade-for-september-early-adopters/
  17. ^ "Motorola takes swipe at Apple with ad for Xoom". TechUnicorn.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  18. ^ "Filmmaker says Motorola's Super Bowl ad bears some striking similarities to his short film".
  19. ^ Matyszczyk, Chris (2011-02-12). "Filmmaker: Motorola anti-Apple ad looks like my film". News.cnet.com. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  20. ^ "Filmmaker says Motorola may have plagiarized Super Bowl ad". Electronista. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  21. ^ Dennis. "Filmmaker says Motorola may have plagiarized Super Bowl ad". Latestelectronics-dennis.com. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  22. ^ a b c "Motorola Xoom review". Engadget. 23 February 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  23. ^ a b c d "Motorola Xoom". CNET. 24 February 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  24. ^ a b c "Motorola Xoom (Wi-Fi + 3G)". PC World. 23 February 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  25. ^ "Motorola Xoom, Atrix Too Pricey for the Public". Wired Magazine. 6 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  26. ^ "Motorola: Investor Relations". Investors.motorola.com. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  27. ^ http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/07/06/xoom.wi.fi.gets.price.drop.to.499.free.case/
  28. ^ http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/07/25/motorola.xoom.3g.sees.steep.price.cuts/
  29. ^ http://investors.motorola.com/
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