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.
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
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 are essentially two tablets that matter on the market: the $500 iPad and the $200 Kindle Fire. Because of this, there are just two price points. The iPad set the bar at $500 for full-featured tablets while the Fire is doing the same for budget models. Any tablet that attempts to jam itself into this pricing scheme is currently destined to fail. The low-end wants the Amazon pedigree while the high end knows that they want an iPad. The mid-range Android models are strong, I will admit, but they aren’t what compels the average shopper. → Read More
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.
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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by bugs, a lack of Honeycomb apps, and a non-functioning SD card slot, the big debut tablet from Motorola was quickly superseded by other devices, in some cases cheaper or better Honeycomb tablets, and in others more use-specific devices like the Nook Color.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 might be getting a revamp. But what happens when the cure is worse than the disease? XYBoard happens. → Read More
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 funky carbon fiber-esque finish around the back. Engadget’s tipsters mentioned that the pictured device was running at 1.5GHz, but that the finished product would indeed have a 1.2GHz processor. → Read More
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.
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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 supposed to be the iOS killer. It was supposed to stand-up, challenge the mighty iOS and ultimately slay the champion through a power combo of multitasking and openness. But it didn’t happen mainly because consumers don’t care about that nonsense. They want apps, which Honeycomb has very few. So here’s Android tablets now, sitting on retailers’ end-caps and shelves, huddled together, sharing the warmth of a single power brick just hoping someone will figure out how to unlock their screens. → Read More
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 they note, this would place the 32GB model at the same price point as competitor’s 16GB model. Smart, but a tad late.
Retailers in the US, namely Amazon and Best Buy, recently cut the Xoom’s price as well but not as drastic. Amazon lists the 32GB version for $449 while Best Buy has it at $499, which while decent prices, are nothing to skip the first day of school over. Motorola surely knows how to make the Xoom a blockbuster: do an HP and cut it to $99. → Read More
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 Summer did the same. Still no update.
But alas, a letter has been sent out to… business and government Xoom owners? Um. Ok. So apparently employees of the government and other business types will be “piloting” the LTE Xoom before everyone else, according to Droid-Life → Read More
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 Galaxy Tab 10.1 within the entirety of the European Union, minus the Netherlands. → Read More
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 2010.
Over that time period Motorola Mobility managed to ship 11 million devices including 4.4 million smartphones and 440,000 Xoom Android tablets. That’s up from 8.3 total devices last year . Part of this growth came from the Latin America and China markets where revenue grew 40% and sales more than doubled from the previous year. Note, the company reported shipments rather than sales to consumers. → Read More
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, if you must. At least now you can get one for under five hundy. The 16GB 32GB wi-fi version (you don’t want 3G, come on) is now available for the lowish price of $499. Is it worth it? Look, that’s for you to decide, I don’t want to hurt your feelings. → Read More
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 “non-U.S.” devices, which should be borderline obnoxious to the first adopters here. That said, there is a rhyme and reason here. But it’s not a good one. → Read More
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
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 please-oh-please do not let it be the Xoom 2. Or rather, please don’t release the damn thing anytime soon.
The original Xoom started slowly rolling out back in late February. It was supposed to be the ultimate Honeycomb tablet — a sort of Nexus product. But it isn’t and the sales reflected that. It’s stupid expensive, hard to hold, lacks a USB host port and functional microSD card slot. Then there’s Honeycomb, which isn’t exactly fully cooked even now thanks to the lack of apps. It only makes sense that Verizon and Motorola would want to quickly recover from the Xoom disaster, but launching the Xoom 2 anytime soon would do just the opposite. → Read More
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
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
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
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