Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc., today announced a new tablet, the Motorola XOOM which runs Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system.
The rest of Verizon Wireless’ and Motorola Mobility’s press release, verbatim:
The Honeycomb user experience improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization and features the latest Google Mobile innovations. Boasting a dual core processor with each core running at 1 GHz, delivering up to two GHz of processing power, and 10.1-inch widescreen HD display, Motorola XOOM gives Verizon Wireless customers a new type of mobile computing experience on a stylishly thin device that is 4G LTE upgradeable.
Motorola XOOM redefines the tablet device category by providing more ways to have fun, connect with friends and stay productive on the go. It allows consumers to experience HD content right on the device, supports 1080p HD video and HDMI output to display content on larger HD screens, and plays video and other rich web content seamlessly with Adobe Flash Player. Motorola XOOM features a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chats over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G LTE, as well as a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera that captures video in 720p HD. It delivers console-like gaming performance on its 1280×800 display, and features a built-in gyroscope, barometer, e-compass, accelerometer and adaptive lighting for new types of applications. It also features Google Maps 5.0 with 3D interaction and delivers access to over 3 million Google eBooks and thousands of apps from Android Market.
MacDailyNews Take: What, no periscope?! WTF good is a barometer without a periscope?! 
But, seriously, after Apple unveils the next iPad, the poor XOOM’s barometer is going to implode.
For working on the go, Motorola XOOM provides constant connectivity − including connecting to Gmail or Exchange email; opening and editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations; and viewing calendars and sending out appointments or meeting notices – with mobile broadband speeds. Its mobile hotspot capability provides an online connection for up to five other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
“Motorola XOOM is a powerful addition to Verizon’s product lineup and builds on our combined leadership with Motorola to deliver innovative mobile devices and service on the Android platform,” said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless, in the press release. “Motorola XOOM gives consumers complete access and control of their favorite personal content and work files whether through our nationwide 3G network, or through our lightning-fast 4G LTE network as it rolls out around the country.”
“Light, powerful and fundamentally different than anything else on the market, Motorola XOOM leverages the very best technology available today to redefine what a tablet experience can be,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobility, in the press release. “The first device to feature software designed specifically for tablets, Motorola XOOM goes everywhere you do and delivers everything you need.”
The Motorola XOOM device will launch as a 3G/Wi-Fi-enabled device in Q1 2011 with an upgrade to 4G LTE in Q2. Starting in Q2 2011 the Motorola XOOM will be a 4G LTE/Wi-Fi- enabled device.
Sources: Verizon Wireless, Motorola Mobility, Inc.
Motorola XOOM Tablet specs:
• Android 3.0 Honeycomb
• 1080p HD support
• 249.1mm (h) x 167.8mm (w) x 12.9mm (d)
• 10.1” 1280×800 resolution
• 730 g
• NVIDIA Tegra 2: 1GHz dual-core processor
• Battery: Up to 10 hour video playback
• Connectivity: 3.5mm, micro USB 2.0 HS, Corporate Sync, Wi-Fi 2.4GHz & 5GHz 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR + HID
• Network: 3G, 4G LTE upgradeable, 802.11n w/Personal Hotspot
• Messaging/Web/Apps: Email (Corporate Sync, Google Mail, POP3/IMAP embedded, Push Email, Yahoo Mail) , WebKit w/ Flash
• Audio: AAC, AAC+, AMR NB, AMR WB, MP3, XMF
• Video: 720p capture/1080p playback/streaming, H.263, H.264, MPEG4
• Camera: 5 MP rear-facing camera with dual LED flash/2MP front-facing camera
• Memory: 32GB on board user memory, SD card support after software update, 1GB DDR2 RAM
MacDailyNews Take: And the price is… not disclosed. Telling. To be totally dependent on Google, that was Motorola’s choice (really, they had no other choice except to die); now it is their fate.
And subjecting your users to devices that kill batteries by choking and crashing on Adobe’s Flash is not a selling point.
@ iFan
> I believe it’s pronounced “ecks-oom”.
Now that was funny… Good one.
Now, how does it play “1080p” with only 1280×800 resolution?
Poor Google…as much creativity as Microsoft. Both companies come out of the gate strong…then are relegated to copying everything Apple does… XOOM will go BOOM like the ZUNE…
it has a built in gyroscope. Cool, I had one of those when I was a kid. You could balance it on a string after spinning it up. Do you have to pull a string to get it working?
yeah, but how do you put shit on this thing?
Kitchen sink-time boyz…
@Peter Pan
Not sure how you can tell the Xoom is a better product when it currently exists only in the form of a self-serving promotional announcement.
But it’s a free country. Please buy the Xoom.
Also not sure how you say you’re not an Apple hater and then get so ugly about those who enjoy it’s products.
No mention of GPS? How could this ship with no GPS?
Just checkin’ in with my 5.32Ghz MBP and my better than advertised 3.2Ghz MacBook Air. BTW, love the Exhume name, sounds like a speed metal band from Australia.
@ ET
> No mention of GPS? How could this ship with no GPS?
You’re right; I didn’t notice that omission in the specs…
The WiFi-only iPad does not have GPS functionality. But the WiFi+3G iPad does have it. Since this X-ume has 3G, it should have GPS. If it has a “barometer” but no GPS, that’s a pretty silly design decision.
@ iFan
X-oom = Exhume. Good one! LOL!
All it needs now is a long wooden handle accessory to aid in using it as a shovel and an altimeter to tell how deep to dig.
Seems most of the criticism here is directed at the name rather than the device itself (which is bigger screen and thinner) than the iPad. Looks nice though. Be interesting to see the price. It certainly seems to have gotten a punch of fanboi panties in a wad. Looks like the iPad has got quite a rival here. The android onslaught seems to have begun on the tablet. I’d say it’s probably going to do the same thing as it did to the iPhone: push it back down the pecking order.
Some interesting re writing of history here. How has Android pushed IOS back down the pecking order when it leads the American market and is above Android almost everywhere else? That is despite it only being on one network (for now) in the States. Slightly warped thinking there. This looks on paper a pretty good product but seriously you are comparing it to an almost year old product and being a year late will have to come to market at the same time as a brand new iPad.
As for Peter’s ill informed comment about this being what the original iPad should have been you would need a second generation multicore processor to do what this product promises and you may have noticed that wasn’t available out of the labs back when the original iPad was launched and achieved things that a year later the opposition still haven’t matched.
If a competitor can’t offer something on paper better than a year olf product it has spent 24 hours a day trying to copy then they may as well throw in the tail. Lets see of course what it can achieve in the real world where paper claims generally fail to materialise.
@brulek
Yeh sure we wet in our pants
1) can u ACTUALLY buy this thing?
2) from what i’ve seen the os is pushed forward – q2, q3?
3) what will the REAL LIFE battery life be?
4) have a ball once this thing should start screwing up on ya – where do u turn for help? Google? (ha, ha, ha, HA) motorola? (more HA) (wellcum to the world of windoze)
THIS IS VAPORWARE PURE & SIMPLE. Shut your face til we see it can do more than talk the talk…
Man, that thing is the shit.
Oh wait, sorry; it’s just shit.
@Brulek,
“I’d say it’s probably going to do the same thing as it did to the iPhone: push it back down the pecking order.”
I’d say it’s definitely not going to do anything to the iPad. And you can iCal me on that.
I suspect we’ll be x-ooming this one from an early grave.
Just noticed the stand… my how stylish is that… (zzz).
I didn’t notice an mention of GPS in the write up….
More like ZOOOM, screech, crash! Amirite? You better believe it! ™
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Motoroloa memo to Marketing dept head:
Just noticed a typo…the X in Xoom should have been a D
@ peterPan
This xoom is what the original Apple iPad should’ve been? What, a year late? More expensive?
I’ll admit I like the cameras, but there’ll be cameras on the iPad 2 which will likely be available before the Xoom. Therefor these aforementioned features are null and void.
The xoom might look attractive to those less tech savvy due to it’s increased feature set, but this is an as yet unavailable product that is competing with a product that has been on the market for nearly a year.
IPad 2 will most certainly put the xoom in a place where it will indeed need to exhumed.
So it has a barometer, but no GPS……..
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It’s funny they still trying to sell “multi-tasking”. Apple’s multitasking is innovation. And ofcorse they try to sell Flash… Why doesn’t flash and adobe just go to hell? no one wants that shit!
And XOOM is the most ridiculous name so far even worse than galaxy tab. I mean, are these tablets aimed for kids under 10 or what’s the deal here???
@spyinthesky:
Android phones outsell iphones by an ever increasing margin…get over it.
An operating system called Honeycomb? Oh, that is
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so cute. I want one,I want one.