If you think you’ve seen it all, then you need to check out Motorola Xoom that has recently been unveiled at the company’s stand at CES 2011 and surely looks quite promising. The 10.1-inch tablet that runs Google’s most anticipated Android 3.0 platform (Honeycomb) inside its bowels, along with a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 chip for extended graphics use, and a high-resolution screen (1280 x 800) for 720p video quality, is likely to go live somewhere around Q1, while 4G connectivity will hopefully become available in Q2 of this year. Other then that it is yet another tablet with 32GB of storage, integrated WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a 5 megapixel HD video camera at the back plus a front-facing camera, up front. Pricing details are yet to be determined, but there’s couple of videos and PR blurbs just after the break.
Update1: Motorola’s Latin America GM, Maurizio Angelone, has just confirmed the upcoming release of a WiFi-only Xoom tablet. According to Infobae, the company’s most hyped Android 3.0 device, that is claimed to include a built-in barometer alongside an accelerometer, magnetometer, ambient light sensor and gyroscope, will first arrive in April of this year, which is almost a month earlier than Motorola’s 3G-enabled Xoom edition. Still no word about prices though.
Update2: Android Central has managed to obtain an inside document that lists Motorola’s flagship Android Honeycomb device (AKA: Xoom) along with some other cool products, at $800 bucks. Are you willing to pay that much for an Android tablet?
Update3: And latest news say that the Motorola Xoom (powered by an Android 3.0 platform) is finally set for official US release on February 17th, priced at $699.99. Stay tuned.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNCBT8Hlims[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kll_di3S_Qs[/youtube]
Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility Announce Motorola XOOM™ Tablet on Nation’s Largest and Most Reliable 3G Network
10.1-inch HD Tablet Offers Dual-Core Processing, Google’s Honeycomb Platform, and 1080p HD Video Content Support
Jan. 05, 2011
LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – CES –Jan. 5, 2011 – Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today unveiled the innovative new tablet Motorola XOOM™ − the first device on Google’s new Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system designed from the ground up for tablets. 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™.
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. “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. “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.
For more information about Verizon Wireless at CES please visit www.verizonwireless.com/ces or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/verizonwireless. For more information about the Motorola XOOM please visit www.verizonwireless.com/xoom.
This is an example of how Motorola can make nice products, as long as they have (almost) nothing to do with the OS.