Motorola Xoom: Ahead of the Competition?

Motorola Xoom

When most of us think of a tablet device, the first thing that pops in to our mind is some kind of iPad but of course there are also Android tablets, the Motorola Xoom (pronounced “zoom”) being one of the first to make use of the Android Gingerbread operating system.

So if you're looking at tablets then by all means you should check out iPad deals, but there's no need to stop there unless you're a dedicated Apple aficionado. So, how does the Motorola Xoom measure up?

Motorola Xoom Specifications

Operating system: Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb

Screen size: 10.1 in.

Size (HxWxD): 250x168x13 mm

Weight: 730 g

Find the full specs at the Motorola website.

Why Get a Tablet at All?

When the iPad was first introduced, a common reaction, in addition to “that looks cool” was “what would you use it for?” and for some people that confusion is still prevalent. If you're in the market for a tablet then that probably isn't you, but it helps to identify how the tablet can be best used anyway so bare with us.

First of all, it's not just a really big phone. You can't make a phone call on the Motorola Xoom. Other than that though it is a lot like an Android phone – you can get all of the same apps. So for instance if you've ever found flicking tiny irate birds around your smart phone too fiddly, on a tablet you can do it on a much bigger screen. It's not all just about playing games though, it really makes just about everything with a graphical element easier. If you've ever tried to read an ebook on a phone then you'll know it can be pretty straining with a small screen. The same goes for browsing the web. A big screen just makes these things easier.

Okay, you might say, but isn't that what you've got a desktop computer for, or a laptop? That's perfectly fair but they're pretty bulky. They might be called laptops but actually having them on your lap for long periods of time while you try to read a book on it isn't going to be that comfortable. Plus, what if you want to lie down and read or browse the web?

For these things it's helpful to have something which finds a middle ground between the portability of a mobile phone with the larger screen of a full size computer.

The Motorola Xoom

So, now that we know how we are going to want to use the Motorola Xoom, how good is it at providing these things?

Well, the screen is nice and big for one thing, at just over 10 inches. That's big enough to be able to browse the web easily, to read and write emails, and to watch videos. With the Android 3.0 Gingerbread it runs smoothly and ostensibly everything is fine. There was a slight problem when it first came out that there were very few dedicated tablet apps, but there are plenty of them around now.

The real problems come with the details though. Quite literally. All of your Android phone apps will work on the Motorola Xoom, but the problem is that the larger screen in this case is used to cram more on. You can get 56 icons on each screen, which is not really the point of having a bigger screen. What's more the widgets, instead of being nice and expansive, are small and focus on giving lots of information all at one time.

The email app is good, it makes use of the big screen by having two columns, one for the message and one for the folders. The Motorola Xoom is good for watching videos too... although listening to them as well poses more of a problem. The speakers are on the back of the device so someone in front of you is going to hear better what is going on than you are.

It would be easy to get carried away with the negatives though as the truth is that this is a very good device. Web browsing is fast and it has Adobe Flash so you can get the full internet experience. It is slightly annoying that websites identify the device as a phone so give you the small screen, meaning you have to switch to the full mode manually, but that's not a huge inconvenience. On the whole the Motorola Xoom is a solidly performing tablet device.

Overall

The Motorola Xoom does everything you would expect of it and what's more it does it quickly and stylishly. It certainly has its flaws but if you're in the market for a tablet then it's certainly worth having a look at Motorola Xoom contract deals to find the very best offers.