Motorola Xoom

“The XOOM’s price tag implies a product that’s notably better than the current market leader. But despite the added functionality and purpose-built interface, the XOOM just doesn’t quite cut it in terms of actual handling, speed and number of available apps.So while Honeycomb shows some promise, it thus far feels more like a beta. And Motorola should be trying hard to get the user experience up to scratch before it’s too late for the XOOM.”

“We’ve gone through in explaining which devices excel in specific categories, but it’s still rather difficult to concretely say which one is ultimately the cream of the crop. Naturally, there’s a host of other factors that come into play that would make one more highly prized than the other, like pricing. Taking that into consideration, the two cellular enabled Android tablets currently sport no-contract price tags of $750 and up – making them super pricey! Chiming in at a more reasonable starting price of $500 for their base Wi-Fi only models, the iPad 2 and PlayBook offer plenty of bang for the buck, and if you want to add 3G connectivity to the iPad 2, it'd still be more affordable than the Honeycomb-rocking alternatives. In any event, there’s no denying we’ll still be hearing all four of these tablets in the coming months, especially when they’re setting the pace for all others to come out after them.”

“So here’s the underlying question that would undoubtedly hint to whether or not the Motorola XOOM is a success. How much money are you willing to shell out to experience the very first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet? We’re not arguing that it’s something that is easily loved, especially when it oozes with so many exciting new features, but the $799.99 no-contract price point it garners will no doubt stab some people with the nagging feeling that it’s one pricey investment. However, it’s the price you’ll have to pay in order to grab hold of Motorola’s next pride and joy.Although we’re not all too thrilled by its design, this can easily be overlooked because of the uplifting and alluring feel of Android 3.0 Honeycomb – it’s actually the justification for buying the tablet.”

“It's not an oversized phone with tablet stuff tacked on. The Motorola Xoom is the first slate that's powered by Android 3.0, an OS built from the ground up with larger screens in mind. We're talking a completely fresh interface with interactive widgets, a revamped notification system, and lots of 3D eye candy. The hardware is pretty powerful, too, including Nvidia's dual-core Tegra processor and front and back cameras. The Xoom costs a pretty steep $599 with a two-year contract ($799 without) with 3G connectivity, but you'll be able to upgrade to 4G for free by the second quarter of this year. Flash support is also on the way. So how well does the Xoom work, and what about the apps? We have the answers to those questions and more in our in-depth review.”