Motorola XOOM is the first tablet to be released and developed by Motorola, and the first tablet PC that may pose a threat to the iPad’s dominance in the tablet market. In the next article we will review the performance and hardware of the Motorola XOOM Tablet.

The XOOM is equipped with NVidia Tegra 2Ghz dual core processor which makes it very strong and capable of running many applications simultaneously without any lag. This is opposed to the iPad which only has a single core processor, which is slower. The XOOM also has 1GB of RAM (Random Access Memory), which is considerably good compared to the iPad’s 256MB. 1 GB of RAM ensures that you can run many applications without slowing down the system and without affecting its internal processes.

It also has 2 cameras: one front and one rear, with 5MP and 2MP. The XOOM is also capable of playing 1040p quality video, which is more than the iPad’s maximum of 720p. It is also possible to use it to record 720p video. The XOOM also has a very sleek design and is slightly larger than the iPad, with a sharp, widescreen 10.1″ display.

Battery life is also an issue with dual-core processors, but surprisingly it doesn’t use more power, and in fact less. Its battery can be used for 9 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours on WiFi and 14 days without using it. So you can use the XOOM for a whole day without worrying about charging. The built-in apps are of low quality and don’t look as appealing as the device itself. They contain: Google Books, a web browser, a calculator, a new calendar, a new camera app, a clock, new contacts, a gallery, Latitude, Market, Places, Google Talk, and much more. Many of the apps were not developed for Android, so they can be closed a bit aggressively.

One downside to the XOOM is the fact that its SD slot isn’t activated yet, so it only has 32GB of internal memory. Motorola promised to release a driver update to activate this slot this year.

The price is also a question. The XOOM costs $599 for a two-year contract with Verizon ($20/month), or $799 with month-to-month, it’s definitely not cheap. However, it is slightly cheaper than the iPad. In conclusion, the XOOM Tablet has potential, its hardware is powerful and it is here to stay.