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Topic: Mobility

$800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

Summary: World's first Android 3.0 tablet coming this week

Joel Evans

By for The Mobile Gadgeteer |

If you can't wait to get your hands-on the world's first Android 3.0 tablet, the Motorola XOOM, Best Buy will be offering it up for in-store purchase beginning February 24th.

The Motorola XOOM sports Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), a 10.1" HD screen, Adobe Flash Player, 3G (upgradable to 4G LTE), front (2 MP webcam) and rear-facing (5 MP) cameras, and more.

The only drawbacks I've found so far with the Motorola XOOM is its price and connectivity requirements. Being that it's the world's first, it's priced at $799.99. That's a good chunk of a change for a tablet, that's basically untested at this point. As for connectivity, you must subscribe to at least a month of service from Verizon. The pros, however, do seem to outweigh the cons, with the XOOM being upgradeable to LTE, coming with both Wi-Fi and 3G access (via Verizon's network), a dual-core processor (NVIDIA's Tegra T20), and a 10.1" screen. Aside from the price, it seems like it could take away some of the iPad's marketshare, that is until the next version of the iPad (iPad 2) ships.

If you want to guarantee that there will be a XOOM with your name on it, head over to a Best Buy store on February 24th--no more pre-orders allowed, according to the pre-order page.

In the meantime, check out the promo video below:

Topics: Mobility, Hardware, Laptops, Tablets, Wi-Fi

About

With more than 15 years of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands and technologies into the mobile and wireless space. Joel is currently the VP of Strategy Integration for Mobiquity, an enterprise-class mobile solutions provider.

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27 comments
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  • Ironic reversal of roles!

    It used to be that Apple's products were considered the high-price luxury items.<br><br>Now every other company is struggling to come close to Apple's prices and often failing and relying on tricks and contracts and other fees.<br><br>I mean really, a Xoom for $800 + 1 month's service fee to use it as Wi-fi unit. So the price isn't really $800 because at $800, it doesn't connect to anything, not even your own home's Wi-Fi spot.<br><br>For now, spec-wise, the Xoom has the advantage over the iPad. An advantage that will disappear with the iPad 2. The iPad 2 will have at least similar specs if not better specs and the iPad will still be backed by Apple's massive eco-system with tens of thousands of iPad specific Apps.<br><br>The Xoom will end up being a niche product that only the most loyal of Android fans will buy.<br><br>Ironic indeed!
    jbravo556
    Reply Vote

    • I'm afraid...

      @jbravo556

      you are right. For $800+ they can keep the Xoom. I would love to buy a 10" WiFi only tablet, but I am not willing to part with more than $300 for it.

      When you are not the first to market, price matters.
      Economister
      Reply Vote

      • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

        @Economister
        I have an Archos 101 internet tablet and I wouldn't trade it for an Ipad even up. It's better and has more connectivity options. I paid $308 shipped. I wanted the Xoom, but 800 is very pricy indeed.
        chethammer
        Reply Vote

      • If by &quot;better&quot; you mean &quot;worse&quot;, then you are right: just compare the specs

        @chethammer: the subject.
        DDERSSS
        Reply Vote

    • But, to be fair, there is nothing luxury in this plasticky thing

      Also, Joel, as true Android fan, always forgets to mention that there will be near to zero 3.* tablet applications for the platform in the nearest quarters. This is what actually biggest drawback, not even the price.

      <b>Comparing to iPad, any Android 3.* device is quite useless for now.</b>
      DDERSSS
      Reply Vote

      • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

        @denisrs While there will be rather few Android 3.x apps available, the big ones will be there. It's not sexy, but email and web browsing are major uses of any tablet, and those apps on the Xoom look to be killer.
        mickmel@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

      @jbravo556 [i]An advantage that will disappear with the iPad 2. The iPad 2 will have at least similar specs if not better specs[/i]

      Not from what I've read....

      http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/xoom-vs-ipad-vs-ipad-2/9257

      Though the price point for the Xoom IMO will still be too much to break into Apple's tablet market.
      Badgered
      Reply Vote

      • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

        @Badgered

        [i]"Not from what I've read..."[/i]

        It's all speculation. However, from the iPod and forward, including iPhone, betting against Apple has been very foolish. What makes you think it would be different with the iPad?

        If you think that Apple has been sitting still since launching the iPad and not working on a good revision/upgrade that will sell in great numbers, then you're in severe denial.

        You're right with one thing, it is indeed Apple's Tablet market.

        It's Apple's to lose. I mean seriously, when starting with a market share of 96%, it is nearly impossible to do any better market-share-wise.

        Even if Apple sells 60 million iPad2s and all the Android 3.0 tablets sell no more than 5 millions, that's a drop in Apple's market share from 96% in the summer of 2010 to 92% in 2011. I'm sure Android's fans will trumpet the market share numbers to high heaven in 2011 because the raw numbers will be in Apple's favour.

        Market share numbers are meaningless in most cases. If Apple were to sell 30 Million ipads in 2011, that's only a 100% increase in volume sales over 2010. If Android tablets sell 10 millions then it's an increase of 400%. Which do you think Android fans will mention? That Apple sold 16 million ipads more than 2010 and 20 million more than Android or that android's market share gain is eclipsing that of the iPad at 400% gain?
        jbravo556
        Reply Vote

    • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

      @jbravo556
      As Android user I can say I will never own anything Android again! EVER!!!!!!!!!!
      Hasam1991
      Reply Vote

      • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

        @Hasam1991 That seems short-sighted. While I'm a hardcore Android user, and I don't plan to purchase any iOS device in the next few years, never say never. If the iPhone/iPad is a superior device next year, then back to iOS I go.

        Two years from now, if an Android device fits your needs perfectly, why randomly say "no"?
        mickmel@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

      @jbravo556 So how do you know the iPad 2 will have better specs? Apple hasn't released any specs for the iPad 2. If you like the ipad great but please don't make up stuff.
      whoiskevin
      Reply Vote

  • I'll Die a Deserving Death for $800

    @Economister

    I agree. No one in their right mind will pay $800 for this device when they can get another Android tablet for $300-$400 and put 3.0 on it via a ROM provided on XDA (soon). What is Motorola thinking?
    nmcadmin
    Reply Vote

    • Android 3.0 will not run on cheap tablets; only 2.* versions will

      @nmcadmin: Google confirmed that there will be hardware limitations. That is why Samsung had to step back from its claim that "Galaxy Tab" will be "in there future" upgrated to 3.* -- it is technically impossible, OS will refuse to run.

      Double-core CPU, graphics requirements and so on -- everything it checked before OS will launch itself.

      That is why Samsung had to contract NVidia for Tegra-2 chipset for Galaxy Tab 10.1 -- even though it has it own SOC (system on chip) with no less power, but with drivers not being immediately compatible with Android 3.0.

      I am not saying that Motorola is right about pricing, I am saying that Android 3.0 will be not ran on cheap $300-400 tablets. Only Android 2.* will.
      DDERSSS
      Reply Vote

    • Noise-level

      I guarantee you that no product manager at any consumer electronics company worries about potential sales lost to the "willing to change the ROM" segment. You're not just talking geeks, you're talking -hardware- geeks. That's noise-level stuff in a market this size.
      Robert Hahn
      Reply Vote

  • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

    People aren't paying out $600 for an iPad and Motorola expects people to pay out more for the XOOM. That's some seriously flawed business practices.
    Loverock Davidson
    Reply Vote

    • They do pay for iPad, millions of it, but for plasticky thing with no apps?

      @Loverock Davidson: pointless for now.
      DDERSSS
      Reply Vote

    • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

      @Loverock Davidson Why don't you just shut up and let it die? You've been proven a fraud, go take your crap to 4chan.
      Ron Burgundy
      Reply Vote

  • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

    Oh, for those Ipad fans that keep spouting off that there are no apps for the xoom, all android apps that work with 2.2 work with 3.0.
    chethammer
    Reply Vote

    • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

      @chethammer
      Go ready app reviews on Android market place...
      Hasam1991
      Reply Vote

  • RE: $800 will buy you an Android 3.0 tablet: the Motorola XOOM

    If you spend $800 on a tablet, then you concede that you have more money than sense. The iPad is expensive enough. Anything more is simply a joke. There is no reason that a decent 10" tablet should cost any more than the average netbook.
    DrXym
    Reply Vote
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