IT Pro Verdict

The Motorola Xoom is a little tricky to judge. The battery life is surprisingly good and it doesn't cost any more than a comparable 32GB WiFi-only iPad 2. It's much heavier than Apple's tablet though and neither the Android 3.0 interface or the Android Market are as impressive as their iOS equivalents. The Xoom isn't as flexible as Asus' rival Eee Pad Transformer Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. Asus' tablet has the additional flexibility of a bundled office suite as well as an optional hardware keyboard with USB ports for copying files off flash drives and a full-size SD card slot. As much as we wanted to like the Xoom, if you need a tablet now either the iPad 2 or the Eee Pad Transformer would be better choices.

By Alan Lu

published 12 May 2011

in Reviews

The onscreen keyboard is very similar to the one on the iPad, although it feels a bit smaller. It takes some getting used to, but it is possible type fairly quickly. Although one can pair a physical Bluetooth keyboard with the Xoom, it's a shame there isn't the option of a wired keyboard dock as with the Eee Pad Transformer. In addition, the curved back of the Xoom means it can rock gently from side-to-side when rested on your lap and you're trying to type which is annoying.

Motorola hasn't bundled an office suite with the Xoom, but a handful are available on the Android Market. Disappointingly, the number of tablet-specific apps in the Market is sparse compared to the iOS App Store and there currently isn't a way to search just for tablet apps, excluding smartphone apps.

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