[Reviews] Motorola Xoom First Impressions & Reviews

[Chris Kerrigan]

Greetings fellow Xoomers.

The thread title says it all. Use this thread to share how you feel about your brand spankin' new Motorola Xoom! Was it worth the [$800?] you spent? How do you like Honeycomb? How does it perform? How are the all-new 3.0 optimized apps like Gmail and Maps?

Be as descriptive as you like, and of course, don't be afraid to point out the things you don't like as well!

 

[Sheepdog Elite]

Had a hands on

So I've had my hands on a live motorola XOOM and it's really nice. Comes with some brilliant widgets. I was a little baffled by the fact they opted to make the screen something like 100+ spaces. It feels like it will be very widget centric. You could fit all of your apps on one screen pretty easily otherwise.

The camera interface was definitely improved by capitalizing on the excessive screen space.

Swype was missing from the device that I could discern. Maybe I just couldn't find it, but it seemed weird for it to not be there.

The lack of capacitive/hard buttons is no biggie seeing as they've used on screen "firm" buttons that don't move, but can be reassigned/reformatted based on what you're doing, which seems to guide you through the interface much better. There is a dedicated "firm" button to view recent apps that I really liked.

The build quality feels excellent. The back seems to be mostly a brushed metal type feel, but the upper quarter that houses the camera, power button, and speakers is more of the familiar soft touch like the back of the droid x/2. Weight is good, not heavy but doesn't feel flimsy.

The SD card slot and 4G card slot share a door and are both filled with plexiglass dummies. The menu button is relative with Honeycomb, and is app based instead of riding with the new home/back/recent app buttons on the bottom left.

I was a little disappointed that the google search is locked into the upper left. It kind of felt like google pulled an apple with that, making absolutely sure you knew google was in your hands. Not saying I don't like google, but it's not an essential function of the device so I would rather have the option to leave it out. Google generally feels like a top tier participant in a device, but this one move makes me think they're trying to prove something.

Tapping the clock on the bottom right pulls up a small clock box, and tapping that expands it to show a toggle menu for airplane mode and what not, along with access to the device settings.

I'm kind of left wondering where notifications will show up, but I suppose that's more a cell phone basic, so maybe it will end up being app based instead.

All said and done Honeycomb makes it feel like you're using a different device, and not just an over sized cell phone. I give it an 8/10 for first impression, and i'm pretty judgmental.

My .02, if you don't like it go check one out and feel free to offer a counter point.

 

[cparker5]

Thanks for the rundown!

 

[jaeisber]

Where did you play with it at?

 

[NVNJ]

Thanks for the review.

 

[inferomorz]

I'm kind of left wondering where notifications will show up, but I suppose that's more a cell phone basic, so maybe it will end up being app based instead.

I've had an extensive hands-on today (about 6 hours) myself, I can tell you the notifications pop up to the left of the clock on the bottom right. There is also a white notification light near the top right of the screen (near the verizon logo).

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Just so you know Sheepdog, I'm going to move this into the First Impressions/Review sticky tomorrow when I unlock it if that's okay.

 

[jtmeyers]

Swype was missing from the device that I could discern. Maybe I just couldn't find it, but it seemed weird for it to not be there.

I'm kind of left wondering where notifications will show up, but I suppose that's more a cell phone basic, so maybe it will end up being app based instead.

All said and done Honeycomb makes it feel like you're using a different device, and not just an over sized cell phone. I give it an 8/10 for first impression, and i'm pretty judgmental.

My .02, if you don't like it go check one out and feel free to offer a counter point.

Thanks for the hands on review - much appreciated. I cannot wait to get mine tomorrow.

I saw a video clip somewhere (here on AC I think) that Swype would not be available at Xoom launch. It has been / is being redesigned for tablets. It will have the ASDF "block" of letters on the left, the JKL; "block" on the right, and a numeric keypad "block" in the middle with some space between the three.

Regarding the notifications: they will appear in the bottom right corner. Check out the clip from the Android Developers event from 02/02/2011 for an overview of the notifications. Watch from about 5:50 to about 7:20 in this YouTube link: YouTube - Android Event 02-02-2011

 

[Sheepdog Elite]

Just so you know Sheepdog, I'm going to move this into the First Impressions/Review sticky tomorrow when I unlock it if that's okay.

I'm totally ok with that. Seems like it should have been unlocked as soon as people started posting to me

Where did you play with it at?

As secret government test facility in the montana tundra.

Thanks for the hands on review - much appreciated. I cannot wait to get mine tomorrow.

I saw a video clip somewhere (here on AC I think) that Swype would not be available at Xoom launch. It has been / is being redesigned for tablets. It will have the ASDF "block" of letters on the left, the JKL; "block" on the right, and a numeric keypad "block" in the middle with some space between the three.

Regarding the notifications: they will appear in the bottom right corner. Check out the clip from the Android Developers event from 02/02/2011 for an overview of the notifications. Watch from about 5:50 to about 7:20 in this YouTube link: YouTube - Android Event 02-02-2011

Good to know, i'm interested to see it with some more functional usage. I'll probably keep up in this forum being that I'll be working with one every day.

 

[jtmeyers]

I saw a video clip somewhere (here on AC I think) that Swype would not be available at Xoom launch. It has been / is being redesigned for tablets. It will have the ASDF "block" of letters on the left, the JKL; "block" on the right, and a numeric keypad "block" in the middle with some space between the three.

Correction on the Swype keyboard for Honeycomb. The video clip I was thinking of was actually for SwiftKey, but it was here on AC. Here's the post and clip:
http://www.androidcentral.com/honeycomb-allows-quick-change-screen-keyboards

 

[Stang68]

Just had a hands-on

I was able to play with a XOOM at my local Pc Richards since they have a Verizon kiosk in there. The rep had it in a blue gel skin that they'll be selling tomorrow. It felt nice in the hand but I am gonna go for the portfolio/stand case.

As for the device, it was a lot smaller than I thought. I mean, it is still a nice size, but I guess I forgot how small the iPad is! The weight is pretty solid, probably a little heavier than I would like, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Everything felt very solid and sturdy. The volume buttons were a little tough to press but again, something I'll probably get used to. The power button is in the perfect place, right on the back corner of the device.

The display is beautiful. HD video looks great, albeit a little dark at points; may have been the actual video. Fingerprints are definitely going to be an issue, just like any touch-screen device. I'll just keep my handy microfiber iPod cloth in my bag.

The speakers were pretty loud as I blasted a song from the music library. I think this will be nice to have if you want to play music or stream Slacker or something like that. The music app is very appealing to the eye. It has the same functionality as any music app, just with more form now. I'm glad I have all of my album art as it will look nice on this HD screen.

Google Maps was decently fast on 3G as I didn't have to wait too long for street view and satellite view to load. 3D buildings looks great and I'm sure navigation looks ridiculous on that big screen lol. I like how nothing was really hidden behind a menu button. The Action bar is going to be a nice feature in Honeycomb.

The gallery unfortunately had no pictures, so I wasn't able to check that out. It only had the one HD video we've seen from MWC.

The Market looks very cool in Honeycomb. It appears to have been the inspiration for the browser-based Market so we will all be familiar with it. I tried downloading the Kindle app on the device but it was taking it's sweet time so I canceled the download.

Notifications work just like we've seen in the videos: a little icon appears in the bottom right next to the clock. You can tap on the bar to expand the notifications which is really nice. Also, when I was playing music I hit the Home button and a little pair of heaphones appeared in the notifications bar and when tapped would allow you to pause or skip tracks. Very handy, like in normal Android.

The widgets are all the standard ones we've seen in the videos. Nothing too exciting.

Live wallpapers are there but there's only 3 of them. Two of them are ugly lol.

The calendar is something that has me very excited. I looks just like Google Calendar on the web browser. Very nice and a great way to view your appointments. I am soooo going to love using the calendar on this device.

The web browser was pretty good. Again, I was surfing on 3G but it loaded pages up quickly and correctly. Unfortunately, when I went to the desktop YouTube site, it requested Flash, which the XOOM does not have right now. They better f**king OTA that update to us soon. I've come to rely on Flash on my Droid Pro and X.


I'll update this post with more info as it comes back to me. I'll also update it when I buy my actual XOOM tomorrow morning.

Feel free to ask any questions!

 

[wynand32]

Thanks, sounds awesome. Except I hate you, because that just makes me more anxious.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Thanks for sharing! Gonna move this to the first impressions/reviews thread.

 

[Stang68]

Cool

 

[GeneDoc]

First observations... ?no charging with micro USB

1. Very nice feel and agree with everyone else -- fast.
2. Cannot charge with micro USB? This is annoying and means I have to buy yet another set of accessories for multiple cars.
3. Available memory of new device only 28.78GB. 695MB allocated to media and 201MB allocated to applications. Available 27.91GB. Not sure what I can delete at this point.
4. Charging indicator light isn't working. Not sure if this is a device flaw or software setting. Still learning...

 

[2CupsWithString]

1. Very nice feel and agree with everyone else -- fast.
2. Cannot charge with micro USB? This is annoying and means I have to buy yet another set of accessories for multiple cars.
3. Available memory of new device only 28.78GB. 695MB allocated to media and 201MB allocated to applications. Available 27.91GB. Not sure what I can delete at this point.
4. Charging indicator light isn't working. Not sure if this is a device flaw or software setting. Still learning...

Welcome to AC!

The USB port can not be used for charging with the Xoom, so accessory time it is.

The tablet comes pretty bare bone so I'm not sure what can be deleted right away either but I'm sure there will be some customizations coming shortly.

I didn't notice a charging indicator light either, there may be an app or custom rom for this in the future.

 

[GeneDoc]

I didn't notice a charging indicator light either, there may be an app or custom rom for this in the future.

From the manual called "Master your device":
While the battery is charging, the charging indicator lights red when the charging is less than 15%, white when the charge is 15-95%, and green when greater than 95%."

So, is there anyone out there whose light (directly above HDMI-out on the front) actually works?

 

[Storm24]

Light not working for me when charging

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Welcome to Android Central! I'm gonna move this into the first impressions sticky.

 

[qnet]

I like it very much so far, it's everything I thought it woud be. The only negative - if you can call it that - is it's not as user friendly as the Ipad. It takes a lot of configuring and learning on your own, which I don't mind, I'm not sure how regular users will like that though.

I'm excited and, still in the middle of tinkering/playing with it.