TabletConnect's Official Review - Motorola Xoom WiFi

TabletConnect

Senior Member
Aug 4, 2010
130
9
Conclusion
Overall, the Motorola Xoom performed very well and is a very good tablet. However with a price of $599 for the WiFi version, this is on the high side. In addition, we feel that the Xoom was rushed to the market. It is not complete. First, it launched without being Adobe Flash ready which is a key advantage over the iPad. However by the time we received our unit, Flash 10.2 was available on the Android Market so we installed it without a problem. Second, the micro-SD expansion slot is not useable but will be with a firmware update. Although the tablet has a large 32GB built-in memory, it should still have a working expansion slot. Third, the Xoom was not easily identifiable through two different Windows 7 computers. Windows 7 installed the necessary drivers but we still experienced some problems with the computer recognizing the Xoom.

The Xoom is the first table to run Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). Every other tablet manufacturer is probably keeping an eye on how well the Xoom does. This review did not concentrate on Honeycomb but we were impressed with its tablet-specific UI. It does the job well but it still needs to be improved upon. Our two main gripes with Honeycomb is 1) lack of a native file manager; and 2) lack of true task manager/switcher. Android is “better” than Apple's iOS because it can multi-task. However, Honeycomb still fails to easily switch open apps. RIM's PlayBook and HP webOS do this well so why can't Android? Even the Notion Ink Adam created an app switcher to easily change apps. Also there is a lack of tablet specific apps on the Android Market.

The Motorola Xoom performs well. If the price was not so high, we may overlook some of its weaknesses. It is a powerful tablet and the best non-Apple tablet currently on the market. We are giving it a 4.22 out of 5 points which is the highest score we have given a tablet. Many other Android tablets (at a lower price) will be launching this year so it will be difficult for Motorola to become a leader unless it reduces its price.

To read entire review with videos, click here.
 
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