Motorola Xoom
Encyclopedia
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, 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 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. There is confirmation now that a 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.
CNET.com
named it the "Best of the CES" 2011.
video playback. 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 px widescreen, 10.1-inch display and 3D graphics acceleration, as well as HDMI
-out. It features the Gorilla Glass
resistant coating.
It includes a variety of sensors, including a gyroscope
, magnetometer
, accelerometer
, and a barometer
. The Xoom uses an Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC T20 chip.
If trying to communicate with the Xoom tablet, via USB cable and using a computer which has Windows XP operating system, ensure you have upgraded the Windows XP to Windows Media player 11. Windows 7 will automatically work for the USB cable.
's Android 3.2 Honeycomb (US version only), 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.
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."
Available accessories include: Motorola Xoom portfolio case, dock, HD stereo dock, wireless keyboard.
It was announced that microSD Card Slot is enabled with Android 3.2 Update. 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.
On September 29, 2011 Verizon Wireless began the 4G upgrade process. This upgrade takes approximately six days. Starting October 11th, 2011, Verizon will begin selling the Xoom with 4G pre-installed.
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 iPod
s, a jibe at how Apple products had achieved cult-like status and practically ubiquitous market penetration.
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.
, PC World
and CNET
all said that the Xoom's performance was as good as, or superior to, competing products. The user experience with the installed software was mixed. Android 3.0 was praised for "coming together in a far more cohesive manner than any previous iteration of the software," according to Engadget, and being "the most polished Google software effort to date," according to PC World. CNET said that in some areas the software seemed overly complex, and Engadget said that "a lot of the new software feels like it isn't quite out of beta." The device's pricing also attracted criticism; both Engadget and PC World cited the price as a drawback, and CNET said that with the launch pricing, "the Xoom's appeal will be limited to early adopters and Android loyalists."
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. 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.
In July 2011, Motorola lowered the price tag for Xoom WiFi from $600 to $500 and then Xoom 3G from $800 to $600. No official reason was given for the price drop, but many assumed this to be a result of sluggish sales.
Motorola revealed through its Q2 2011 earnings report that it shipped 440,000 Xoom units during the previous 3 months. That compares with Apple which shipped 9.3 million iPads during the same quarter. On October 27, 2011 Motorola's financial results for the 3rd quarter of 2011 revealed that Xoom shipments had dropped to 100,000 units during the quarter.
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
by Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, 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, 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 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
Motorola Droid Bionic
The Motorola Droid Bionic is an Android-based, 4G LTE-capable smartphone designed by Motorola. It was originally scheduled for release in Q2 2011 but was delayed until September 2011...
, and the Motorola Cliq 2. There is confirmation now that a Xoom 2
Motorola Xoom 2
The Motorola XOOM 2 is an Android-based tablet computer by Motorola, which was announced by Motorola Mobility on November 3, 2011.Compared it to its predecessor, the Motorola Xoom, Motorola's website offers that the XOOM 2 will be "10 percent lighter", "33 percent thinner", has an "improved HD...
is already in production based on a new Verizon ad aired June 16, 2011, but the release date is still to be determined.
CNET.com
CNET.com
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
named it the "Best of the CES" 2011.
Features
The Xoom supports up to 720p720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
video playback. It features a 2 MP front-facing camera for video chatting over Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
or cellular Internet and a rear-facing 5 MP camera that records 720p video. The Xoom has a 1280×800 px widescreen, 10.1-inch display and 3D graphics acceleration, as well as HDMI
HDMI
HDMI is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. It is a digital alternative to consumer analog standards, such as radio frequency coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, or VGA...
-out. It features the Gorilla Glass
Gorilla Glass
Gorilla Glass, manufactured by Corning, is an alkali-aluminosilicate thin sheet glass engineered specifically to be thin, light and damage-resistant. Its primary application is portable electronic devices with screens, such as mobile phones, portable media players, and laptop displays...
resistant coating.
It includes a variety of sensors, including a gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
, magnetometer
Magnetometer
A magnetometer is a measuring instrument used to measure the strength or direction of a magnetic field either produced in the laboratory or existing in nature...
, accelerometer
Accelerometer
An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration , but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame...
, and a barometer
Barometer
A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather...
. The Xoom uses an Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC T20 chip.
If trying to communicate with the Xoom tablet, via USB cable and using a computer which has Windows XP operating system, ensure you have upgraded the Windows XP to Windows Media player 11. Windows 7 will automatically work for the USB cable.
Media
The Motorola Xoom supports the following formats:- Audio: AAC, AAC+, AMR NB, AMRWB, MP3, and XMF
- Video: H.263, H.264, MPEG4, and VP8
Software
Both the Wi-Fi and Verizon branded Xoom runs GoogleGoogle
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's Android 3.2 Honeycomb (US version only), whose new features include a redesigned, tablet-optimized user interface, a 3D desktop purportedly taken from BumpTop
BumpTop
In computing, BumpTop is a desktop environment that simulates the normal behavior and physical properties of a real world desk, and enhances it with automatic tools to organize its contents. It is aimed at stylus interaction, making it more suitable for tablet computers and handheld PCs. It was...
(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.
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."
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.
It was announced that microSD Card Slot is enabled with Android 3.2 Update. 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.
On September 29, 2011 Verizon Wireless began the 4G upgrade process. This upgrade takes approximately six days. Starting October 11th, 2011, Verizon will begin selling the Xoom with 4G pre-installed.
Super Bowl commercial
Motorola aired a television spot during Super Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
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 iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
s, a jibe at how Apple products had achieved cult-like status and practically ubiquitous market penetration.
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.
Reviews
The device's hardware received praise from reviewers; EngadgetEngadget
Engadget is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. Though on appearance Engadget functions much like a blog and may be defined as such, much of its editorial content takes the form of an online magazine...
, PC World
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
and CNET
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
all said that the Xoom's performance was as good as, or superior to, competing products. The user experience with the installed software was mixed. Android 3.0 was praised for "coming together in a far more cohesive manner than any previous iteration of the software," according to Engadget, and being "the most polished Google software effort to date," according to PC World. CNET said that in some areas the software seemed overly complex, and Engadget said that "a lot of the new software feels like it isn't quite out of beta." The device's pricing also attracted criticism; both Engadget and PC World cited the price as a drawback, and CNET said that with the launch pricing, "the Xoom's appeal will be limited to early adopters and Android loyalists."
Sales
Xoom was estimated by Deutsche BankDeutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
analysts to have sold about 100,000 units during the first 6 weeks of availability versus first-day sales of the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
of 300,000 units. 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.
In July 2011, Motorola lowered the price tag for Xoom WiFi from $600 to $500 and then Xoom 3G from $800 to $600. No official reason was given for the price drop, but many assumed this to be a result of sluggish sales.
Motorola revealed through its Q2 2011 earnings report that it shipped 440,000 Xoom units during the previous 3 months. That compares with Apple which shipped 9.3 million iPads during the same quarter. On October 27, 2011 Motorola's financial results for the 3rd quarter of 2011 revealed that Xoom shipments had dropped to 100,000 units during the quarter.