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Motorola Xoom to boast barometer, budding meteorologists have found their next tablet
To say Motorola's Xoom had a coming-out party at CES would be understating things greatly. It was easily one of the highlights of the show, and the potential that was shown was obviously just part of the story. According to Moto's developer page, there's actually a barometer included, right alongside an accelerometer, magnetometer, ambient light sensor and gyroscope. Oddly enough, a proximity sensor is left out of the mix, but seriously... a barometer? Truth be told, this is actually just an oft overlooked point that was first shown in VZW / Motorola's joint press release, but it's good to know that at least one flagship slate will be compatible with Android 2.3's barometer support. Here's hoping it'll be useful for helping you sidestep ugly weather patterns, or something of the sort.
Motorola Xoom: pretend UI hands-on walkthrough (video)
The Motorola Xoom is a huge product this year for two reasons: it's a major first tablet from a major Android manufacturer, and it's the flagship device for Honeycomb, an OS that's been announced for dozens of other tablets here at the show, but not actually shown running on any of them. The only problem is that Motorola isn't really showing Honeycomb on the Xoom, either. Instead they're showing a demo video of the UI, which is actually running on top of real Honeycomb. For a glimpse under the covers, Jacob snagged a quick illicit peek at a totally unpopulated home screen, the gallery app, and even the task switcher the other day. We'll just keep that between us, however, and until we get a full-on official look at the UI, we thought we'd walk you through that demo UI video Moto is running on the actual tablet and pretend like we're actually using the thing, which should clear up some of the confusion on this brand new tablet OS while simultaneously stoking our egos. Check it out after the break. Update: Here's the gallery of the non-pretend and very real UI shots we peeked in the first hands-on post (including a shot of the task switcher in its current form). %Gallery-112881%
Motorola Xoom WiFi-only version confirmed by Motorola Latin American exec
It's not that we expected the Motorola Xoom to forever be tethered to a carrier, but it sounds like we won't be waiting nearly as long as we did for Samsung's WiFi-only Galaxy Tab. Latin America GM Maurizio Angelone has told Infobae that a WiFi-only version does indeed exist and will first arrive in April -- one month before the 3G version will hit the market. The article doesn't specify if those months are specifically for Argentina or if they apply elsewhere as well, but it does sound like it'll be available sooner rather than later.
Live from Verizon's CES 2011 4G LTE press conference
We've here at Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE presser at CES, and we're told our worlds will be changed forever in five minutes. Or something to that effect.
Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets: a guided tour of the UI (video)
A funny thing happened after Google posted (and subsequently pulled) its Android 3.0 Honeycomb video: T-Mobile celebrated its G-Slate announcement by posting the same video. And about six more after that (to be fair, they're also on the Motorola / Verizon Xoom we demoed). Today it was made official during Verizon's keynote, with Google itself narrating a hands-on demo. We've scrutinized these videos to no end and we think we've come up with the most complete picture of Google's tablet OS experience at this point. Join us after the break for all the goods. Update: Set aside about 25 minutes and check out our exclusive (and thoroughly awesome) interview with Google's Matias Duarte, the driving force behind Honeycomb interface. %Gallery-112879% %Gallery-112881%
Motorola Xoom first hands-on! (update: video!)
Look what we found hanging around the Motorola stand at CES this evening: none other than the just announced Motorola Xoom tablet. While this sleek little device is still running a very early build of Honeycomb, we were able to sneak some peeks at the stuff Google and Motorola don't actually want you to see just yet. The device was looping demo videos of the Honeycomb UI, but a little investigation on our part revealed a bare bones homescreen. We're still trying to decipher just what we saw, but for now check out the first hands-on images in the gallery below. Update: We went back to do a little more investigation, and this thing is most definitely running Honeycomb. We were able to bring up the app pane, and saw the full suite of Google apps within. We also caught a new app switcher, which is invoked by hitting a little icon that resembles a deck of cards. Check out the UI shots in the second gallery. Update 2: Now with video after the break! %Gallery-112882% %Gallery-112875% %Gallery-112881%
Motorola accessorizes Xoom tablet with docks, cases and keyboards
No tablet is complete without some accessories, and Motorola's just announced a bunch for its new Xoom tablet. Those include the Speaker HD dock that packs a pair of speakers for hands-free video chats and media viewing, the "Standard Dock" that doubles as stand while it charges the tablet, a new Bluetooth keyboard that'll also work with your phone and, last but not least, a portfolio case that's available in both leather and "durable" versions. No word on prices for any of them just yet, but we presume they'll be released alongside the tablet itself when it rolls out sometime in the first quarter of the year. Check them all out in the gallery below. %Gallery-112808%
Motorola Xoom becomes official, headed to Verizon in Q1, upgradeable to 4G in Q2
Motorola has just outed its delicious Honeycomb tablet alongside another device, the LTE-equipped Bionic, on its official site. The company's CES press conference is ongoing right now, where the Xoom will presumably get its proper announcement. All we know so far is that this slate is headed to Verizon, the press release is still somewhere in the hidden parts of the internet. More soon! Update: The PR and full spec sheet are now embedded after the break. A 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 will power this 10.1-incher, while 4G connectivity will be made available as an update in Q2 following a Q1 launch. Other specs include a 1280 x 800 resolution, 5 megapixel camera, 720p video recording and 1080p video playback, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and finally, a healthy 32GB of onboard storage. The battery is rated to be capable of supporting 10 hours of video. Be still, our beating hearts! [Thanks, Pratik] %Gallery-112793% %Gallery-112807%
Motorola seeks 'Xoom' trademark around the world, could well be the name of its Android tablet
The guys over at Pocketnow have been doing their intellectual property homework lately and they've uncovered an atypically broad trademarking effort being carried out by Motorola. The Droid maker has sought to be associated with the term "Xoom" in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and even Taiwan, signifying that whatever the company intends to do with the name will play a pretty significant role in its future plans. The category applied for is defined as "Mobile computers and related accessories," which really narrows things down to the one device Moto has in its labs that everyone's talking about: its Android Honeycomb tablet. All this legal team activity seems to point to its name being the Motorola Xoom, but there's still time for minds to change and branding to be revised. Hey, at least we know what the logo will look like.
