Motorola Xoom

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Motorola Xoom
Motorola Xoom Wordmark.gif
Motorola XOOM.png
Manufacturer Motorola Mobility
Type Tablet
Release dateFebruary 24, 2011 (2011-02-24)
Introductory price$799 GSM and CDMA
$499, £399 Wi-Fi only $299 Australian
Operating system Android 3.0 "Honeycomb"
Upgradable to Android 4.1.2 "Jelly Bean"
CPU Nvidia Tegra 2 T20, 1 GHz dual-core processor [1] [2]
Memory1 GB DDR2 SDRAM [1]
Storage Internal memory: 32 GB
External slot: SDHC microSD card after SW update
Display1280×800 px, aspect ratio 16:10, 10.1 in (260 mm) diagonal, ~46 in2 (~300 cm2), 160  ppi, [2] Gorilla Glass [3] [4]
GraphicsTegra 2 T20, ULP GeForce 333 MHz o/c to 400 MHz
SoundStereo [2]
Input
CameraBack: 5.0 MP with 8× digital zoom, autofocus, 720p video capture, 30 fps, dual LED flash
Front: 2.0 MP camera [2]
Connectivity

CDMA version: EVDO Rev. A LTE

GSM version: GSM/EDGE Class 12 UMTS/HSDPA [2]
Power6500 mAh [5]
Dimensions249.1 mm (9.81 in) H
167.8 mm (6.61 in) W
12.9 mm (0.51 in) D
Mass708 g (25.0 oz) Wi-Fi
730 g (26 oz) 3G/4G
Successor Motorola Xyboard
Website www.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. [6] The Motorola Xoom went through the FCC on February 10, 2011 [7] 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. [8] CNET named it the "Best of the CES" 2011. [9]

Contents

Its successor, the Motorola Xyboard, Xoom 2 in the UK, was announced in October 2011, and released in November. [10] [11]

Features

The Xoom supports up to 720p video playback. [12] 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 pixels widescreen, 10.1-inch display and 3D graphics acceleration, as well as HDMI-out. It features the Gorilla Glass resistant coating. [3] [4]

It includes a variety of sensors, including a gyroscope, magnetometer, accelerometer, and a barometer. The Xoom uses an Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC T20 chip. [2]

The Xoom reportedly has trouble trying to communicate with the Windows XP operating system via USB cable unless Windows Media Player is updated past version 10. This issue is not present in Windows 7. [13]

Media

The Motorola Xoom supports the following formats: [14]

Software

Italian Motorola Xoom with Android Market Xoom.jpg
Italian Motorola Xoom with Android Market

The Motorola Xoom was the first device to run Google's tablet specific OS, Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Both the Wi-Fi and Verizon branded Xoom ran Google's Android 3.2 Honeycomb, which introduced new features including 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. [15]

The Canadian Wi-Fi Xoom currently has the 4.0.3 update (and will not get any future updates) [16] and the UK Wi-Fi Xoom had the 3.2 update as of July 2012. 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." [17]

After Google released the source code to Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich", Motorola announced that a number of its formerly released mobile devices would get the update, including the Xoom. [18] The Android 4.0.3 update for the Wi-Fi Xoom was released in the US on January 18, 2012. [19] The corresponding update to the Verizon-branded Xoom was released on June 4, 2012. [20]

On June 27, 2012 at the Google I/O conference, it was announced that the Xoom would be one of the first devices to receive an upgrade to Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean", along with the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus, beginning by the middle of July 2012. [21] The corresponding update to the Verizon Wireless-branded Xoom 4G was in August 2013. [22]

Google will not officially release Jelly Bean 4.2 to the Xoom, however there are unofficial CyanogenMod releases with Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

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 the microSD Card slot would be enabled with Android 3.2 Update. [23] [24] The tablet did not support Flash on its initial release. Before release, no official statement indicated whether the microSD slot would support SDHC or SDXC cards. 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. [25]

On September 29, 2011 Verizon Wireless began the 4G upgrade process. [26] This upgrade takes approximately six days. Starting October 11, 2011, Verizon began selling the Xoom with 4G pre-installed.[ citation needed ]

Super Bowl commercial

Motorola aired a television spot during Super Bowl XLV (45) 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 jab at how Apple products had achieved cult-like status and practically ubiquitous market penetration. [27]

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. The filmmaker chose not to pursue Motorola legally, using the similarity only as publicity for his work. [28] [29] [30] [31]

Reception

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. [32] [33] [34] 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," [32] according to Engadget, and being "the most polished Google software effort to date," [34] according to PC World, as many other Android tablets used Android 2.3 which was designed for smartphones while Android 3.0 was intended for tablets. CNET said that in some areas the software seemed overly complex, [33] and Engadget said that "a lot of the new software feels like it isn't quite out of beta." [33]

The Xoom's initial pricing attracted criticism since it was more expensive than its equivalent iPad 2 model. Both Engadget and PC World cited the price as a drawback, [32] [34] and CNET said that with the launch pricing, "the Xoom's appeal will be limited to early adopters and Android loyalists." [33]

Sales

Xoom was estimated by Deutsche Bank analysts to have sold about 100,000 units during the first 6 weeks of availability. 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. In July 2011, Motorola lowered the price tag for Xoom Wi-Fi from $600 to $500 and then Xoom 3G from $800 to $600. Motorola revealed through its Q2 2011 earnings report that it shipped 440,000 Xoom units during the prior 3 months. [35] Unit shipment subsequently dropped to 100,000 units in Q3 2011 and rebounded slightly to 200,000 units in Q4 2011. [36] According to a financial statement released on May 1, 2012, Motorola shipped approximately 100,000 units in Q1 2012.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

Motorola Mobility LLC, marketed as Motorola, is an American consumer electronics manufacturer primarily producing smartphones and other mobile devices running Android. It is a subsidiary of the Chinese multinational technology company Lenovo.

This is a list of tablet computers, grouped by intended audience and form factor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorola Droid</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

The Motorola Droid is an Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphone designed by Motorola, which runs Google's Android operating system. The Droid had been publicized under the codenames Sholes and Tao and the model number A855. In Latin America and Europe, the model number is A853 (Milestone), and in Mexico, the model number is A854 (Motoroi). Due to the ambiguity with newer phones with similar names, it is also commonly known as the DROID 1. The brand name Droid is a trademark of Lucasfilm licensed to Verizon Wireless.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droid X</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

The Droid X is a smartphone released by Motorola on July 15, 2010. The smartphone was renamed Motoroi X for its release in Mexico on November 9, 2010. The Droid X runs on the Android operating system, and the latest version supported was 2.3 Gingerbread. It was distributed by Verizon Wireless in the United States and Iusacell in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0</span> Android tablet computer manufactured by Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 or simply Samsung Galaxy Tab is an Android-based mini-tablet computer produced by Samsung. Available from 5 November 2010. The tablet was first introduced on 2 September 2010 at the IFA in Berlin. The Galaxy Tab was the first Samsung Android-powered tablet to be released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexus S</span> 2010 smartphone by Google and Samsung

The Nexus S 4G is a smartphone co-developed by Google and Samsung and manufactured by Samsung Electronics for release in 2010. It was the first smartphone to use the Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" operating system, and the first Android device to support Near Field Communication (NFC) in both hardware and software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorola Atrix 4G</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

The Motorola Atrix 4G is an Android-based smartphone by Motorola, introduced in CES 2011 on January 5, 2011. It was made available in the first quarter of 2011. It was introduced along with three other products, Motorola Xoom, Motorola Droid Bionic, and Motorola Cliq 2. It uses an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor. It is the first phone to use a quarter-HD PenTile display with 24-bit graphics. The Motorola Atrix 4G is carried by the following wireless providers: AT&T Wireless US, Orange UK, Bell Canada CAN, Telstra AU. AT&T released Atrix on March 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droid Bionic</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

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, eventually being released on 8 September 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Android Honeycomb</span> Third version of the Android operating system

Android Honeycomb is the codename for the third version of Android, designed for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets, however has been unofficially ported to the Nexus One. It is the third major release of Android and is no longer supported. Honeycomb debuted with the Motorola Xoom in February 2011. Besides the addition of new features, Honeycomb introduced a new so-called "holographic" user interface theme and an interaction model that built on the main features of Android, such as multitasking, notifications and widgets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Tablet</span>

Xperia Tablet, formerly known as Sony Tablet, is the brand name of a series of tablet computers. The first models originally ran Google's operating system Android 3.1 Honeycomb, but more recent models operate on the Android 4.1.2 system. The first models were informally announced on 26 April 2011, using the code names, by the Sony Corporation in the Sony IT Mobile Meeting. They featured touchscreens, two cameras, infrared sensor, Wi-Fi. Also, they support PlayStation Suite, DLNA, and are 3G/4G compatible. The retail price in the U.S at the time of release was US$499–599. In Europe, prices were at €499. To increase the number of apps available and provide marketing support for both tablets, Sony and Adobe Systems will hold a $200,000 competition targeting app developers. The series was formally launched in Berlin and Tokyo on 31 August 2011. The latest in the series is the Xperia Z4 Tablet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LG Optimus Pad</span> Android tablet developed by LG Electronics

The LG Optimus Pad is a tablet computer developed by LG Electronics for its own line-up and for specific mobile carriers in selected countries. Mobile carries include NTT DoCoMo and T-Mobile which unlike its domestic rival, Samsung offering the same tablet model for specific carriers, LG does not alter the specs of those they release to these carriers and the only alteration is on the addition of the mobile carriers logo on it. The LG Optimus Pad was first released in South Korea in April 2011 and then in the US in March 2011 which is also known as the T-Mobile G-Slate. It is LG's first device running Android 3.0 ("Honeycomb") and appeared at the Mobile World Congress in February 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorola Milestone XT720</span> Android-based smartphone

The Motorola Milestone XT720 is an Android-based smartphone manufactured by Motorola Mobility, originally released in July 2010. Announced in June of that year, it was the first Motorola Android phone with xenon flash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droid 3</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

The Motorola DROID 3 is a smartphone released on July 7, 2011, by Verizon Wireless running the Android 2.3 operating system by Google. It comes with 16 GB of internal storage. The smartphone does not ship with a microSD card. It has a 4-inch qHD display and an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p video. Unlike the DROID 2, the Motorola DROID 3 features a 5-row QWERTY keyboard, with a dedicated number row. It also has a VGA front-facing camera for video calls. The Droid 3 ships with Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) with Motorola's updated proprietary Motoblur UI. Like other contemporary Motorola phones, it has a locked bootloader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droid Razr</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

The Verizon Droid Razr is an Android-based, 4G LTE-capable smartphone designed by Motorola that launched on Verizon Wireless on November 11, 2011. It was announced on October 18, 2011 in New York City.

The Motorola Droid Xyboard, previously released as the Xoom 2 in Europe before being renamed, is an Android-based tablet computer by Motorola Mobility, announced by Motorola on November 3, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droid 4</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

The Motorola Droid 4 (XT894) is a smartphone made by Motorola Mobility. It was released with Android 2.3 and can be upgraded to Android 4.1. It was released on Verizon Wireless's network on February 10, 2012. It is the successor to Motorola's Droid 3, and is one of the first smartphones to support GLONASS in addition to GPS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Android Jelly Bean</span> Tenth version of the Android operating system

Android Jelly Bean, or Android 4.1 is the codename given to the tenth version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google, spanning three major point releases. Among the devices that run Android 4.1 to 4.3 are the Nexus 7 (2012), Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexus 6</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility and Google

The Nexus 6 is a phablet co-developed by Google and Motorola Mobility that runs the Android operating system. The successor to the Nexus 5, it is the sixth smartphone in the Google Nexus series, a family of Android consumer devices marketed by Google and built by an original equipment manufacturer partner. Nexus 6 and the HTC Nexus 9 served as the launch devices for Android 5.0 "Lollipop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moto G4</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

Moto G4 is a line of Android smartphones manufactured by Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of Lenovo. They are the successor to the third-generation Moto G, and were first released in Brazil and India on May 17, 2016, with the other markets following.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iqbal Arshad</span>

Iqbal Arshad is an American engineer, inventor, speaker and technology executive. He has served as the senior vice president of engineering and global product development at Motorola Mobility, Google and Lenovo, and has been responsible for design and development of industry-leading smartphones, tablets smartwatches, wearables, silicon, and mobile computing technologies.

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