The Brilliant New Motorola Xoom Featuring Android 3.0

By Author: Emma Rosher
Total Articles: 194
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With tablet devices becoming the new must have gadget in the marketplace, it is becoming quite a bit of a task to differentiate between the models. There are units with small screens, large screens, varying camera specifications and an array of features that would baffle the average consumer. There is one factor however that seems to make some models more popular than others, and that is the operating system. For this reason, the Motorola Xoom is perhaps the best option available as not only does it sport Android, the OS of choice for many users, but it offers version 3.0, or Honeycomb as it is otherwise known. This latest version is optimised especially for large screen devices, and offers the best user experience to date.

The Honeycomb homescreen system found on the Xoom is reminiscent of many Android mobile phones in that in comprises of several homescreens. You can access these screens by simply swiping your finger across the screen. These numerous screens are made up of a collection of applications, shortcuts and widgets. Although several of these do come pre installed on the unit, part of the beauty of these ...
... devices is accessing the Android marketplace and downloading your own content. At present Apple leads the way in terms of content available, but Android is closing in with their application numbers now topping over a quarter of a million. So far, you may think this sounds fairly similar to any recent mobile phone, and you would not be wrong. The developers have however added a few tweaks to really fine tune the systems performance for this type of device. A new dedicated button for multitasking facilities has been added to the screen, as has a notifications bar to easily inform you on a variety of new information such as e mails and social networking updates. A new dragging manager has also been implemented, an inclusion that many consumers are excited about. This gives you full control over everything on the screen, enabling you to drag and drop icons where you want, as well as allowing the simple transfer of important information to other locations.

When you fire up the Motorola Xoom for the first time, one thing that strikes you about the display is just how crisp everything looks, and this isn't just coincidental. In designing this for larger displays, Google recognised the potential for the loss in graphics quality in many areas. To counteract this graphics optimisation measures are in place, including a 2D accelerator to boost clarity and keep everything looking as great as it possibly can, and casting your eyes across the rows of widgets, it certainly is hard to fault the quality on offer. If you are looking to browse the web, and lets face it, anybody purchasing this unit is likely to at some stage, then Google have included there excellent "Chrome" web browser. Regardless of where you are within the menu system, the Chrome icon is always present at the top of the screen, giving you instant and easy access to the internet.

With very little to choose between the various tablet devices currently available, the high quality on offer with Android 3.0 may swing business in the directions of the Motorola Xoom and away from the offerings from brands such as Apple and Samsung.

The Motorola Xoom and the Blackberry Playbook are coming soon.