Review: Motorola Xoom tablet computer

AMotorola Xoom tablet computer. Photo / Supplied

In this week's debate over whether iPads should be compulsory in schools, the argument has centred on cost and affordability, not whether it should even be the national tablet of choice.

While the iPad continues to lead the global market, the Motorola Xoom is being tipped as the first tablet on Google's Android platform to rival Apple's dominance.

Straight out of the box, with an elegant black finish bordered in silver, the Xoom certainly looks the part.

While slightly longer than other tablets - 25cm by 17cm - this paid dividends when it came to watching video or surfing the web.

Like other devices, the Xoom has only a few hard buttons.

Most actions are controlled using the touch-screen.

Although slightly too cumbersome to be supported with only one hand, its 780g pack a powerful 1 gigahertz processor and 1 gigabyte of RAM.

The Xoom was my first brush with the Honeycomb (Android 3.0) system and although the user interface was slick, I didn't notice any features that fundamentally distinguished it from its earlier counterparts.

This may all change when Android releases more apps specifically for Honeycomb.

Released through Telecom, the Xoom is WiFi-enabled and also runs on the XT network (it didn't seem to recognise a 2degrees or Vodafone 3G sim).

MULTIMEDIA

Watching high-definition video on the Xoom's 10.1-inch screen is one of the most attractive features the Motorola tablet has to offer.

Motorola claims the Xoom's battery has enough juice to play video continuously for 10 hours straight and although I didn't test this, the battery life did seem long.

Although the Xoom does not come Flash-enabled, this can be easily downloaded from the Android market, letting users watch video in their web browsers. And although video is a selling point, the sound through its in-built speakers is less impressive and users get a better experience when using headphones.

The Xoom has plenty of in-built memory - 32 gigabytes - to store music and movies.

Although the tablet does have a slot for a microSD card, this is currently inactive and users must wait for a software update from Motorola before they can add more memory to the device.

The Xoom can also be plugged into a speaker dock - effectively turning it into a stereo.

BROWSING

Surfing the web is a breeze on the Xoom and the screen and backlight are easier on the eyes than that of a PC or laptop. Like other tablets, when held in portrait the Xoom mimics the feeling of reading a newspaper or a book and zooming in and out is a simple affair.

CAMERA, VIDEO-CALLING

The five megapixel camera on the back of the Xoom is adequate enough
to take the odd photo or video.

The 2 megapixel camera on the front lets users Skype or video call on GoogleTalk or Google+ without the need for a separate web cam.

The device struggled to do this when running on Telecom's network but gave a half-decent picture when running over WiFi.

VERDICT

At $1149 RRP, the Xoom is more than $300 more expensive than an entry-level iPad2. Despite this, there is very little fault with the device and very little I would change about it.

It offers fans of the Android platform a great alternative to Apple that is by no means second best. But while Motorola has released a device that will give Apple food for thought, it remains to be seen if it will eat into the iPad's hefty share of the tablet market.

REVIEW

Product: Motorola Xoom tablet computer.
Price: $1149.