Motorola XOOM Moves Into The Fast Lane
There was a sense of euphoria and déjà vu when I picked up Motorola Xoom. It was certainly not an impulse purchase since I had done a bit of homework on it. What attracted me to Motorola Xoom in the first place was the form factor – I mean the 10.1 inch display. It is sleek and light when compared to a laptop. The device, though a tablet, packs a punch with Tegra 2 processor, one GB DDR2 RAM and 32GB inbuilt flash memory. WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 plus EDR, front and rear cameras, capacitive touch screen, GPS and an accelerometer complete the impressive hardware list.
After the honeymoon period was over, I reviewed my experience with Motorola Xoom and here is the list of wows and woes.
The wow list
Beginning with the good news, the first thing which struck me was Multitasking. This takes Xoom to the next level altogether. While I watched movies in high definition, I could monitor and receive notification of new emails and even work in between all the fun. This puts the Xoom tablet at par with any laptop or PC. Obviously this was made possible because of two important upgrades. The RAM capacity has been increased to one GB which is a huge plus. In addition, Zoom works on the latest Android 3 operating system. Let me say that Android 3 is like getting into a sports car. It has a great user interface and gives you a fantastic feeling.
The music app looks like we are in another world. The 3D application means you can browse through your collection choose your clips; let the music play and your hair down. The 5 megapixel camera brings the Xoom out of the amateur era of faded and pixilated photos. It is comparable to a good digital camera. There is a front camera too for narcissists like me who want to keep looking at their gorgeous mug.
With a Battery life of more than eight hours, it is useful for people on the go.
The woes
You are stuck with 32 GB memory since the micro SD slot doesn’t seems to work. It is a bit pricy and can pinch your wallet. There are other tablets around which cost a lot less.
Games and marketplace still dodgy and seem to be in beta
This is because Android 3 marketplace is still in its nascent stage. Probably in a few months we will see things change for the better. I, for one, find the games a bit like kindergarten stuff.
Not easy to use as an ebook reader
The form factor of 10.1 inch is neither here nor there. It is a bit difficult to use it like an ebook reader, though I can’t imagine why anyone would do this with a Xoom after paying for other goodies.
Conclusion
Motorola Xoom is a next generation tablet. With multitasking ability, it is as good as a laptop. It has high definition display and fantastic wireless connectivity options. Overall, it is one of the best tablets in the market today.
This article has been written by Nitin Aggarwal. He owns a company of dedicated virtual assistant and SEO link builders, called Offshore Ally. He is passionate about technology and gadgets.
