14 DAY TRIAL // The mobile World Congress is proving to be quite packed with tablets, as one would have expected, and it seems that the Motorola XOOM did not escape without notice, having even posed for a few pictures in fact.
Tablets have definitely started their actual life as a market segment now that they actually have competent hardware and software.
While both ARM and Intel were eagerly working on better and better platforms, operating systems like the Google Android, HP webOS and Intel MeeGo have been under development as well.
With these as fuel for rapid adoption of these new mobile products, quite a few of them have been revealed, especially at the ongoing Mobile World Congress expo in Barcelona.
The Motorola XOOM is one of the models on show and has already been formally launched in Europe, in two versions, one with WiFi and one with 3G as well.
It is powered by a dual-core application processor and, according to the press release, “re-defines what the tablet experience should be. Designed from the ground up with the consumer in mind.”
It should be able to handle any media file, in addition to multitasking, customization, notifications, browsing and Google Mobile innovations like Google Maps 5.0 with 3D interaction.
One of the tablet's major assets is its 10.1-inch multitouch display, whose native resolution is of 1,280 x 800 pixels.
Of course, while better than many screens of this form factor, the LCD is, nevertheless, incapable of truly exploiting the HD video playback capabilities.
To this end, Motorola threw in an HDMI output, so that streaming to an auxiliary monitor or HDTV may be possible and easy to accomplish.
Other specifications include a barometer, e-compass, adaptive lighting, an accelerometer and a built-in gyroscope, plus two webcams (a 5-megapixel rear-facing one for 720p video capture and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats).
All the hardware is kept in line and well used by the Android 3.0 operating system, otherwise known as Honeycomb. The hands-on pictures of the product are below.
Note: Fellow editors Cosmin Vasile and Alex Vochin are on the floor at the 2011 Mobile World Congress and are keeping us posted with pictures and live reports on the latest product previews and launches.
