The good: The Motorola Droid Xyboard 10.1 feels like an amalgamation of all our favorite Android tablets of 2011 and is endowed with 4G LTE compatibility from Verizon.
The bad: The on-contract price will make you cry, the off-contract price will make you laugh.
The bottom line: The Motorola Droid Xyboard 10.1 is a premium Android tablet from the company that defined the category, held back by a high price and uninspired design.
Motorola kicked off 2011 with the world's first Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablet, the Motorola Xoom. In its wake we witnessed a flood of imitators, and eventually a handful of thinner, brighter, more innovative tablets.
With the Xyboard 10.1 and its smaller sibling, the Xyboard 8.2, Motorola is revisiting the same formula it used for the original Motorola Xoom. By combining high-end hardware with Google's latest tablet-optimized Honeycomb software and Verizon's high-speed mobile network, Motorola could have another hit on its hands.
But will Motorola's recipe for success still work in a time when $199 tablets dominate the headlines and the market is flush with contract-free Honeycomb options? Let's take a look.
Pricing and models
The Motorola Xyboard is an expensive tablet. Purchased through Verizon, the Xyboard is available for $529 (16GB), $629 (32GB), and $729 (64GB), with a two-year commitment to a 4G data plan. These plans start at $30 for 2GB of monthly data. Over the course of two years, the cost of the data plan adds up to $720 plus applicable fees (such as a $35 activation charge). If you try to bail before your contract is up, the early termination fee is up to $350.
The Motorola Xyboard is an expensive tablet. Purchased through Verizon, the Xyboard is available for $529 (16GB), $629 (32GB), and $729 (64GB), with a two-year commitment to a 4G data plan. These plans start at $30 for 2GB of monthly data. Over the course of two years, the cost of the data plan adds up to $720 plus applicable fees (such as a $35 activation charge). If you try to bail before your contract is up, the early termination fee is up to $350.
If you go with a pay-as-you-go plan, like the iPad's, you'll pay an extra $170 for the device, making it $699 for the lowest-cost 16GB model.
To save some money, you could go with Motorola's smaller Xyboard 8.2, which starts at $430 with a two-year contract. Unfortunately, Verizon's terms and fees are no less onerous.
And what do you get for the money? Well, the Xyboard isn't the fastest tablet we've seen, nor the thinnest, the lightest, the brightest, or the longest-lasting. Arguably, the best thing the Droid Xyboard has going for it (aside from its catchy name) is Verizon's 4G network compatibility. If you feel the need for mobile speed, and you have the money to support your habit, then by all means indulge yourself.
Design
The first thing you're bound to notice about the Xyboard is its clipped-off corners, which give it a more octagonal look. It's a subtle thing, but it does help to distinguish it from the sea of rectangles floating out there.
The first thing you're bound to notice about the Xyboard is its clipped-off corners, which give it a more octagonal look. It's a subtle thing, but it does help to distinguish it from the sea of rectangles floating out there.
Like most tablets running Android 3.0 and up, the Xyboard keeps all of its navigation on its 10.1-inch screen, leaving the bezel free from any buttons. Above the screen you'll find a Motorola logo off to one side and a 1.3-megapixel camera in the center.
Flip the Xyboard over on its belly and you'll find a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash. Both of the Xyboard's cameras are capable of recording 720p video. Two integrated speakers are also on the back, along with power and volume buttons and a door concealing the tablet's SIM card and microSD memory slot.
The top edge of the Xyboard holds a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Tic Tac-sized window for the built-in IR blaster, which enables the tablet to act as a remote control. On the opposite end you'll find a Micro-USB port for charging and syncing, as well as a Micro-HDMI port for mirroring content on your TV. A charging adapter is included with the Xyboard, but the device is capable of charging (very slowly) over a USB connection to your computer.
| Tested spec | Motorola Droid Xyboard 10.1 |
|---|---|
| Maximum brightness | 411 cd/m2 |
| Default brightness | 172 cd/m2 |
| Maximum black level | 0.34 cd/m2 |
| Default black level | 0.14 cd/m2 |
| Default contrast ratio | 1,228:01 |
| Maximum contrast ratio | 1,208:01 |
Overall, the Xyboard 10.1's design feels solid and thoughtful, with echoes of the Motorola Xoom. Hopefully this time around Motorola will have more than a month of sales under its belt before another tablet steps in with a radical new trendsetting design. Then again, with theConsumer Electronics Show 2012 coming less than a month after the release of the Xyboard, it could be that the Xyboard is cursed to repeat the Xoom's fate. At least this time around, the4G comes baked in.
Hardware specs
Inside the Xyboard 10.1 Motorola is using a 1.2GHz dual core processor from Texas Instruments, backed with a full gigabyte of system RAM. On paper, this sounds like an improvement over the 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processors used in most Honeycomb tablets, but I really didn't feel the difference in terms of navigation or overall system responsiveness. In fact, I encountered a handful of surprising application hang-ups, but these things typically get ironed out with software updates.
Inside the Xyboard 10.1 Motorola is using a 1.2GHz dual core processor from Texas Instruments, backed with a full gigabyte of system RAM. On paper, this sounds like an improvement over the 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processors used in most Honeycomb tablets, but I really didn't feel the difference in terms of navigation or overall system responsiveness. In fact, I encountered a handful of surprising application hang-ups, but these things typically get ironed out with software updates.
It's also worth noting that the Xyboard's hardware configuration will be eligible for an Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update in the future. Considering Google's stake in Motorola, one would hope that the software update will be fast-tracked.
Beyond processing, all of the expected premium capabilities are here, including assisted GPS, digital compass, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11 a/b/g/n, and even digital pen support.
Software
Motorola also throws everything in when it comes to software. Business-minded users will appreciate the preinstalled apps for Citrix, Fuze Meeting, GoToMeeting, Polycom, and Quickoffice HD. The fun-loving will be happy to see Netflix, Blockbuster, Slingbox, and Madden NFL 12.
Motorola also throws everything in when it comes to software. Business-minded users will appreciate the preinstalled apps for Citrix, Fuze Meeting, GoToMeeting, Polycom, and Quickoffice HD. The fun-loving will be happy to see Netflix, Blockbuster, Slingbox, and Madden NFL 12.
Fortunately, Motorola and Verizon have done little to obscure the pure Android 3.2 experience. The only branded software on the home screen is MotoCast, an app that enables you to stream or download media to your tablet over the air from your home computer. Verizon's app store and navigation software also come included, but are easy enough to ignore.
