We just got our hands on one of the latest tablets from team Motorola and Verizon this afternoon, the Motorola DROID XYBOARD 8.2″ 4G LTE tablet. Other than the bizarre name you’ll quickly notice a few unique things about this slate out of the box. A perfectly sized 8.2″ IPS display and some of that Moto Blur UI over Honeycomb to name a few. We have our hands-on video and a few photos below for your enjoyment.
First impressions are quite favorable and while I was worried with the industrial aluminum design on the rear at first, it has already started to grow on me and I’m beginning to really like this slate and its form factor. Will this be the perfect tablet with both portability and power like a few of the similarly sized tablets we’ve seen recently or just the next Xoom? Check out the video below and decide for yourself.
The XYBOARD tablets come in both an 8.2″ model like I have, and a 10.1″ both with the same internal specs other than a few small changes. Powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (32 available), 5 megapixel shooter on the rear with LED flash and a front for video chat. Both are equipped with Verizon Wireless 4G LTE micro-SIM cards for connectivity but sadly we don’t get a micro-SD slot for additional storage.
These tablets are on sale and available today at Verizon retailers nationwide although a few started selling them late last week. Two screenshots are provided below — One shows the new Moto Blur changes to Android 3.2 Honeycomb (icons and app launcher) and the other shows a terms and agreements page that I was greeted with on first boot.
Prices start at $429.99 for the 16GB 8.2-inch version (pictured here), all the way up to $729.99 for the 64GB 10.1-inch version with new 2-year contract of course. With a durable design, tapered edges, and being extremely lightweight and portable these actually feel great and might be a bit hit this holiday season. Too bad they couldn’t price them a bit lower as that would really help them sell. Enjoy the hands-on below and expect a full review soon.
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It looks great, however I still think I’ll be happy with a iPad 1 used for $300.
or an Asus Transformer for $250?
I tried the xyboard at Verizon today and the iPad2 was set up right next to it. I did a few comparisons for the same websites and played with both tablets. Bottomline…the iPad2 is far superior. I was really disappointed because I wanted to like the xyboard, that’s why I went into the store. Why can’t these android vendors get it right?
websites was the only thing you compared? what else did you compare and in what way was the iPad 2 “far superior”?
Power vr SGX543-Mp2. thats what makes ipad 2 superior. The only. and I repeat the only rival to the dual core power vr in the ipad 2. Is tegra 3s gpu
Keep in mind that I have a droid 1, droid x, droid bionic and droid razr. Plus I had the galaxy s fascinate. Nothing compares to the ui and graphical superiority of ipad 2s gpu
I want this tablet with tegra 3
“nothing compares to the UI”? disagree with you on that one. from one app to another iOS and Android duke it out. overall appearance, Android by far. iOS is just a grid of icons, nothing superior about that.
as for the iPad 2’s GPU, benchmarks are one thing, real world use is another. I have the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Ive taken it to the apple store SoHo to run it along side the iPad 2. in NO WAY is the iPad 2’s display superior to the 10.1 now that’s displays Im talking but why does my Tab 10.1 render Google maps in 3D twice as fast as the iPad renders them in 2D?
The new DROID XYBOARD tablets both boast the blazing speeds of Verizon
Wireless’ 4G LTE network and the power of dual-core 1.2 GHz processors, 1
GB of RAM and MotoCast™ for remote access to non DRM-protected music,
pictures, videos and documents stored on work or home computers’ hard
drives. Both are equipped with scratch-resistant displays that use
Corning® Gorilla® Glass to stay brilliant and a coating of
water-repellent nanoparticles makes them resistant to accidental spills
and splashes.
Lighter than a paperback book and thinner than an AAA battery, the DROID
XYBOARD tablets feature Android™ 3.2 Honeycomb, brilliant
high-definition displays with wide viewing angles, magnesium-reinforced
bodies with aluminum housing and super portable form-factors. Both
tablets offer robust Business Ready features, including enterprise-grade
security and apps such as Quickoffice HD® for document editing and
creation, Citrix® GoToMeeting™ for productivity and collaboration and
Google Talk™ for video conferencing.
it has a nice design and price is also ok.
I would say this is a perfect tablet for a king
Or the same omap cpu only using the multi core gpu from power vr