Motorola's XOOM: Promising, But Not Ready For Prime Time

At first I was somewhat paralyzed. Then I pulled the trigger on the XOOM and I unboxed it. And now it's time for the review!

Here's the rundown on the hardware: this version of the XOOM has 32 GB of storage and no integrated 3G/4G; like other XOOMs, it has 1 GB of RAM, a microSD card slot (that unfortunately doesn't work right now), Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 5 megapixel rear camera with dual xeon flashes, and a 2 megapixel front camera. The 10.1 inch screen is 1280 x 800 resolution, and there's a 3.5mm headphone jack - along with a microHDMI connector for video out, and a microUSB connector for synchronization. It has a special power connector though and won't charge over USB. It weighs in at 681 grams (1.5 pounds), and is 249 mm across, 168mm tall, and 12.9mm thin.

Now, on to the two-part review!

If you want to check out the videos in 1080p and full screen, click over and watch them on YouTube.

The videos above pretty much say it all, but if you're short on time, here's the one sentence summary: there's a lot to like about the hardware on the XOOM, but ultimately it feels unfinished at this moment in time. In a few months when Google fixes a few of the bugs, and Motorola releases a patch to get the microSD card slot working, the XOOM will be a serious contender. Given the price pressures from the likes of Asus and Acer though, Motorola will have to drop the price on the XOOM - while it holds its own against the iPad 2 in terms of price (being $20 cheaper in Canada), it's significant more expensive than competing Android tablets with similar hardware.

My advice? Unless you like being on the bleeding edge - and getting a few cuts because of it - hold off on buying the XOOM until the summer.

Want to buy one from Best Buy in Canada? Here you go. Want to buy one from Expansys in the USA, or anywhere else in the world? Clickity-click. [Affiliate] 

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys photography, mobile devices, blogging, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, his wonderful son Logan, and his sometimes obedient dog. He felt like he might have "settled" for the iPad 2, but wasn't willing to wait for Android to mature.

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