July 26th, 2012

Motorola’s Xoom Wi-Fi Tablets Now Receiving Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean Update

motorola xoom

Move over, Nexus 7 — you’re not the only Jelly Bean-powered Android tab in town anymore. According to a handful of Droid-Life tipsters, it appears that Motorola’s aging XOOM tablet is finally getting its crack at Google’s latest and greatest dessert-themed OS update.

The process has been in the works for about two or three days now, with selected members of Motorola’s Feedback Network… → Read More

February 3rd, 2012

Some Refurbished Xooms Could Put Personal Data In The Wrong Hands

motorola-xoom-tablet.jpeg (800×515)-2

Maybe it was too thick, maybe it was too heavy, maybe you just didn’t like Honeycomb. Regardless of your reasoning, you may want to keep your eyes peeled on your credit score if you bought and returned a Motorola Xoom between March and October 2011, because your personal information may be in someone else’s hands. → Read More

January 18th, 2012

Motorola Is Now Serving Up Ice Cream Sandwichs To The Xoom

xoom-ics

Good news, Xoom owners. No, you’re not getting a refund but rather the official Ice Cream Sandwich update should now be available for OTA downloading. This update replaces the Xoom’s stock Honeycomb operating system with ICS, Google’s latest Android build. This comes just a week after Asus started rolling the update out to its new Transformer Prime tab. → Read More

December 6th, 2011

Try, Try Again: The XYBOARD Tablets Make All The Same Mistakes

were-doomed-c3po

Listen, I’ve yet to play with the new Xoom 2 models — or, as the new devices are called at Verizon, the XYBoards. I’m sure both the 8.9 and 10.1 models are fine tablets. They probably power through the hundred or so Honeycomb apps like a championship thoroughbred. But it doesn’t matter. No one is going to buy the new-ish tablets. They will flop harder than the original Xoom.

Right now there… → Read More

November 18th, 2011

Motorola’s Droid XYBoard 8.2 Spotted Wearing Verizon’s Logo

Motorola-Droid-Xyboard-Veri

While I think Motorola’s marketing team really dropped the ball with the name, the 8.2-inch XYBoard has just become a little more official today. The team at PocketNow were able to get their hands on an image of the smaller XYBoard clad in Verizon’s heraldry, along with what could be the device’s new logo. → Read More

November 14th, 2011

“Xoom” To Give Way To “XYBoard”?

xyyy

The Xoom hasn’t been the big hit everyone was hoping for. After an inauspicious debut marked by bugs, a lack of Honeycomb apps, and a non-functioning SD card slot, the big debut tablet from Motorola was quickly superseded by other devices, in some cases cheaper or better Honeycomb tablets, and in others more use-specific devices like the Nook Color.

It’s no surprise, then, that the Xoom brand… → Read More

October 11th, 2011

Near-Final Motorola Spyder And Xoom 2 Photos Leaked

spyder

Motorola was being mighty cryptic with their teaser video yesterday, but some newly leaked photos may shine a light on what they’ve got in store for us come next week. Engadget managed to get their hands on some more shots of the new Motorola Spyder and Xoom tablet, and they almost look ready to ship.

The Spyder (also known as the Droid RAZR and Droid HD) now sports some Verizon branding and a… → Read More

September 28th, 2011

Motorola Finally Comes Through With Xoom LTE Upgrades

motorola-xoom_1lte

Xoom users, rejoice! Despite having to stick it out for a few extra months, the 3G version of Motorola’s ambitious 10-incher is finally getting a piece of the LTE action starting tomorrow.

Frustrated users may remember that the Xoom was originally slated to get its LTE upgrade some time in Q2 2011, but months have come and gone without a firm release date. → Read More

September 24th, 2011

If A Motorola Android Tab Leaks And It’s Just Like The Rest, Does It Really Matter?

motorola-xoom2-600x388

So apparently there’s a new Xoom in the works. Big surprise, right? The old one is nearing its eight month birthday and thanks to the rapid Android aging process, it’s about as a relevant as a Handspring Visor at this point. But in all seriousness, does anyone care any more? I ask that with void of snark or sarcasm. I’m serious: Does anyone care about Honeycomb tablets anymore?

Honeycomb was… → Read More

September 6th, 2011

Motorola Xoom Prices Are Dropping Fast In Europe As The Xoom Celebrates Its Six Month Birthday

rumpshaker

With the Xoom now officially six months old, a major price drop is likely in the works. Various European tech blogs are reporting sales and/or price drops regarding the first Honeycomb tab. Register Hardware points to Dixons, a popular UK retailer, who is now selling the 32GB Xoom for £329 rather than £500. Blogeee goes as far to say that Motorola will officially cut the price down to £399. As… → Read More

August 25th, 2011

Motorola Xoom LTE “Pilot” Program Underway

motorola-xoom_1lte

Quite a while ago, Verizon promised that its Motorola Xoom tablet would get an update allowing the slate to run on the carrier’s 4G LTE network by the Spring. If you’re somehow surviving under a rock and don’t know what that means, it’s a big deal. The increase in speed adds incalculable value to the tablet since, ya’ know, time is money. The only thing is that Spring came and went, and then… → Read More

August 10th, 2011

Apple Blocks Sales Of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 In EU, Motorola’s Xoom Next?

Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-10.1_1

Back in April when it was just a bunch of harsh words and vicious threats, the beef between Samsung and Apple was pretty entertaining. But things are only funny until someone gets hurt, and this time (for the first time throughout this war) it’s Europe that will feel the pain.

In its never-ending tiff with the South Korea-based Samsung, Apple won a temporary injunction to block sales of the… → Read More

July 28th, 2011

Motorola Mobility Beats The Street, Shipped 440k Xoom Tablets, 4.4M Smartphones In Q2

xoom-flash (1)

Motorola Mobility just released its Q2 earnings and it’s loaded with fun stats. First off, the company posted $3.3 billion in net revenue with non-GAAP earnings of nine cents a share. That’s up 28% over last year’s second quarter and beats the Wall Street’s estimate of just six cents a share. The company also realized a GAAP net loss of $56 million compared to a net earnings of $80 million in… → Read More

July 6th, 2011

Wi-Fi Xoom Drops To $499

Are you still pining for a Xoom? Shame on you. But really, who am I to judge? Have I not made mistakes of my own? For instance, every time I order a shot of Fireball. No one wants to kiss that mouth. But I digress. You were looking for a Xoom, yes? I can’t interest you in the slimmer Galaxy Tab 10.1, or the upcoming 8.9? No? Not an inexpensive Acer, or even a Nook Color? No? All right then… → Read More

June 22nd, 2011

Android 3.1 Now Hitting "Non-US" Xooms And Activating The MicroSD Card Slot

Sigh. The life of a Xoom owner must be one drenched in cold sorrow and pain. Not only is the tablet constantly out classed by tablets costing hundreds less, but now Xooms here in the states are looking longingly across the pond. The Android 3.1 update is just now hitting Xooms outside the US and enabling the long-dead microSD card slot. In fact the verbiage in the official Motorola statement is… → Read More

June 21st, 2011

Watch The Xoom Get Dissected In The Name Of Science

Proceed at your own risk — for the video, that is. It’s clearly not produced for max lulz value. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The video above is a fine step-by-step guide on how to disassemble the Xoom. → Read More

June 17th, 2011

This Better Not Be The Xoom 2

The Internet is abuzz with chatter that this, the tablet in the pic above, is the Xoom 2. It’s featured in a new Verizon ad (embedded after the link) and while it lacks any branding besides the large Verizon logo on the back, it at least looks like a Xoom. It has the same matte black color scheme, contured back and, as Droid-Life points out, the same unique speaker found on the Xoom. But… → Read More

June 16th, 2011

Wifi Xoom Going For $500 At Costco

I’m not sure I can recommend the Xoom over any of the other tablets out there right now (especially that sexy little Galtab 10.1), but don’t remember ever hearing people complain about price drops. Costco has the 32GB Wifi Xoom for $500 in-store now (with a free case), $100 less than its original price. → Read More

June 16th, 2011

Get You An Otterbox For Your Xoom

How to protect your precious Motorola Xoom? Put an Otterbox around it. Really, it’s a good idea if you don’t mind a little bulk. I found that the one for iPad was sturdy, practical, and worth every penny if your device will be exposed to peril. Their new Defender case for the Xoom costs $90. Now you just have to figure out how to put the damn thing on (it takes a while). → Read More

June 16th, 2011

(Founder Stories) Eventbrite's K. Hartz: "I Like Businesses That Go After Large Incumbents"

Eventbrite, the company that lets anyone organize online events and sell tickets to those events, was founded by the husband and wife team of Kevin and Julia Hartz. Chris Dixon sat down with the power couple to discuss the early days of Eventbrite and some of the disruption that Kevin created along the way. Check it all out in this episode of Founder Stories. → Read More

June 2nd, 2011

CrunchDeals: $500 32GB Moto Xoom

Here’s your chance, bargain hunters. MacMall via Ebay Daily Deal is hawking the 32GB Motorola Xoom for only $500. You have until 11am EDT today to snag the deal so you best be quick if you must own the solid Xoom — or you could just jump over to Newegg and order the arguably better equipped Transformer at its MSRP of $500. → Read More

May 18th, 2011

Moto Xoom Overclocked To 1.6GHz

All I wanna do is xooma-xoom-xoom! The Xoom was overclocked to 1.5GHz shortly after its US release. Now, thanks to a recompiled version of Tiamat 1.4.2, Moto’s Honeycomb tab hit 1.6GHz. That added clock speed was enough to earn the overclocked Xoom over 4000 points in the benchmark app, Quadrant. My stock 3.1 Xoom only scored 1500. Of course the faster clock speed also kills the battery and… → Read More

May 15th, 2011

Honeycomb Has A Fighting Chance Against The iPad

If you’d asked me a week ago what I thought about Honeycomb, the tablet version of Android, I would have said that it was in very bad shape and that it would be several months before it could even hold a candle to the iPad 2. Because despite my excitement to see Android take on Apple’s ridiculously successful iPad, my experience with the Motorola Xoom — the first Honeycomb tablet — has been → Read More

May 11th, 2011

Moto: WiFi-Only Xooms Will Get Android 3.1 "in the coming weeks"

Motorola officially stated the WiFi Xooms would get Android 3.1 in “the coming weeks” but some owners are already seeing the update. Clearly YMMV but here’s our take on Android 3.1. Moto’s press statement on the matter is after the jump. → Read More

May 10th, 2011

Hands-On With Android 3.1 On The Motorola Xoom

Google announced Android 3.1 earlier today at I/O. More surprising than the OS itself (which was expected, really) was that it was rolling out to Verizon Xooms today. Google failed to announce when it was hitting other devices beside Google TV, which will get it this summer, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which will get it in the next few weeks.

As announced, the UI is much the same. You can’t tell 3.0… → Read More

April 29th, 2011

Motorola Shipped 250,000 Xooms This Quarter

According to a Motorola filing, the company soldshipped 250,000 this quarter, more than the targeted 100,000 predicted a few months ago but still far less than any other tablet. To put this into perspective, the iPad 2 sold 300,000 units in the first weekend. → Read More

April 28th, 2011

Xoom For Sure Coming To Sprint, Possible As Soon As May 8th UPDATE: Officially Official

The Motorola Xoom isn’t exactly off to that hot of a start, but maybe Sprint can push a few more out the door. The wireless carrier just posted a fact sheet on its website touting the Xoom specs and features. Curiously said fact sheet is void of anything pertaining to Sprint. There’s no talk about WiMax, the launch date, or the price (assuming it’s going to be different than VZW’s) Sigh.

Update… → Read More

April 28th, 2011

The $20 Motorola Xoom Camera Kit Brings A New Function To The Fledgling Tablet

The Xoom has a new feature and it’s not a working microSD card slot. This $20 OTG USB cable allows users to connect their digital camera to the Xoom and download SD card contents using the new Picture Transfer Protocol found in today’s firmware update. Right now it’s only available through Verizon and it’s not on the website just yet. Tell a VZW rep that you want… → Read More

April 28th, 2011

Xoom Gets Security, Bluetooth Update But No LTE

Those owners that decided to ride the Xoom’s early adopter boat should see an update later today. The patch should fix some of the issues with WiFi connectivity as it address proxy supports well as WPA Pre-Shared Key passphrases for mobile hotspots. The Xoom will play nicely with SSL-encrypted websites and Google Widevine video DRM. The update also allows the Xoom to see and use any… → Read More

April 27th, 2011

Xoom Soon To Get A Keyboard Case

Are you a proud, strong Xoom owner? Good for you! But one thing iPads have that you don’t is a case with a Buetooth keyboard baked right on in. You won’t be waiting long, though: Droid-Life has discovered a Verizon advertisement for an official keyboard case — price and date to be determined, but it’s on the way. Incidentally, I almost wrote “Keyboard Cat” in… → Read More