Motorola's Xoom 2: already outclassed by Asus Pad Prime?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 10:14

Your IT - Mobility

Motorola has just this morning launched version 2.0 of its original 'XOOM' tablet in Australia, but given the fact that Asus has already launched its quad-core, ICS 4.0-equipped Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, is the competition zooming past a Motorola that needs much more mobility?

Motorola is one of the greatest technology and communications companies in the world, so much so that it was able to split itself in two separate companies called Motorola, with one ending up being sold to Google.

That second Motorola company is called Motorola Mobility, and looks after all those Moto Droids and Xoom tablets, with Google having purchased the company for US $12.5 billion, not only for patents, but also to own its own brand - even though this might annoy all those OEMs, and even though it's something Microsoft has dared not do for PCs or phones - only keyboards, mice, webcams and games consoles.

Motorola's original Xoom tablet was quite impressive and fast, even though the charging socket was in the wrong place (and didn't allow easy charging when encased in its protective case), but its ad campaign didn't quite live up to expectations, promising as it did that the Motorola Xoom would be 'overtaking soon' - something that demonstrably didn't happen.

Now, Motorola Mobility is launching, in Australia (and again, via Telstra), the second version of its original Xoom tablet, the Xoom 2 (which disappointly isn't listed on Motorola Mobility's Australian site at time of publication, nor Telstra's - here's Moto's home page, however) but is doing so at a time when one of its major competitors, Asus, has already launched an nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core, Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) powered tablet, making the Xoom 2 'outdated' even before it launched in Australia.

However, Motorola can only launch what it has available on the market, and it is launching its tablet through Telstra, allowing individuals or businesses to buy the tablet on a plan, like a mobile phone, so it will appeal to those who wish to purchase their tablet in this manner, rather than buying it outright - and an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 is promised, so buyers won't be stuck on Honeycomb 3.2 forever.

Naturally, Motorola does talk up some of what it considers as 'unique selling features', including apps such as 'MotoPrint and MotoCast', which we're told won't be found 'on another other Android-powered tablet', but that's like saying Samsung's TouchWiz interface won't be found on LG devices, or Motorola's, or like saying that BMW's drivetrain won't be found on Merecedes Benz models or Ford Falcons.

Nevertheless, companies must go with what they've got, with Motorola Mobility's ANZ and South Pacific MD, Tim Brouwer stating that: 'Our first award-winning tablet, the Motorola XOOM, was a great achievement for Motorola. We've built on that success to create Motorola XOOM 2, an outstanding, super-powerful device that meets the needs of today's always-on generation at an extremely competitive price point.'

Again, this is debatable - JB HiFi is selling the quad-core Asus Transformer Prime, with keyboard dock, and 32GB, for AUD $792, while the outright price for the Xoom 2 is AUD $720.

Specs include Android 3.2, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 'scratch-resistant display' with Corning's Gorilla Glass and a 'slashguard coating for a go anywhere, do everything attitude' - something that to my ears is something I haven't heard any other tablet maker promoting, and something I would have promoted a little more excitedly were I Motorola - if, of course, the splashguard coating lives up to its billing.

Motorola explains the 'new splash-gaurd coating' means it can 'withstand poolside use, spilled drinks or dashes out to the car in the rain' - shades of Motorola's Defy which is a genuinely good feature.

We then learn that MotoCast is an app that lets you 'stream music, photos, videos' etc to a PC without 'media tools, apps or cords', although this is something you expect from a tablet these days, and is something you'd hope Motorola is demonstrating in Telstra stores.

Telstra's Andrew Volard, Director of Telstra Mobile, naturally added some comments, stating that the 'Motorola XOOM 2 is even faster, slimmer and lighter than the original. It's a great travel companion that brings together a vibrant high-definition touch screen, made-for-tablet apps like Gmail and YouTube and home screens that are easy to personalise with apps, shortcuts and widgets. It slips easily into a bag or a satchel and its distinct angular corners make it a pleasure to hold - even for extended periods. Teamed with Australia's largest national mobile network, Motorola XOOM 2 is the perfect tool for viewing, creating and sharing content in more places.'

Promising a 'brighter and more vibrant display' than its Xoom 1 predecessor, it also has 'specially flattened edges' that have been 'strategically designed to make the tablet more comfortable to hold' - while probably also being strategically designed to keep Apple's lawsuit-happy lawyers at bay, even though Apple and Motorola are already at each other's throats from a legal, slide-to-sue perspective. The edges also remind me of the angled-paper from last decade's Battlestar Galactica...

Naturally there are 'business-ready' features like VPN and data encryption, but of more interest to most people will be the fact the tablet is 100g lighter than the Xoom 1, there's HDMI included (as was the case with the Xoom 1), while the battery promises a full 10 hours.

Also, unlike the Xoom 1 at launch, the Xoom 2 works with any Bluetooth mouse, something that the Xoom 1 offered after an update, and something that Apple's iPads still do not offer.

To conclude, the Xoom 2 has already been technically outclassed by the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, and will be outclassed by the iPad 3 (or 2S, or whatever Apple decides to call it) when it launches, which is expected to be in the next couple of weeks.

Some more tech specs and an image conclude on page two, please read on.