xoom - 8/13 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

Rumors Confirmed? Image Of Sprint XOOM Pops Up Online

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Rumors, Sprint, XOOM

Just yesterday, we first heard word that Motorola may be launching versions of the XOOM (and the Atrix) on Sprint's network next month. Today it looks even more probable, as an image of a Sprint-branded XOOM has been posted by SprintUsers forum member r0fl.

The tablet looks identical to the Verizon model, aside from a Sprint logo. While something like this could easily be Photoshopped, keep in mind that the poster of the image "has a proven track record when it comes to unreleased Sprint hardware," according to BGR.

As we had not even heard wind of this two days ago, nothing else is known at this point.

Mar

[Rumor] Sprint Set To Launch Versions Of Atrix And XOOM Next Month

Posted by Will Shanklin in Atrix 4G (Olympus), News, Rumors, XOOM

A pretty wild (but completely plausible) rumor has arisen that Motorola's Atrix 4G phone (along with its Webtop dock) and XOOM tablet will be launching on Sprint's network next month. There had not previously been any indication that either of these phones would be tied to any network other than their current carriers (respectively) AT&T and Verizon.

This could potentially be announced at CTIA next week, but the source specifically said that the devices would be announced next month - so perhaps Sprint is focusing more on the EVO 3D for the time being. If true, these would likely serve as the biggest Android releases on Sprint since the original HTC EVO last summer.

Mar

[Deal Alert] Wi-Fi XOOM For $589.99 + Gel Case + Free Shipping From Costco; Amazon Is Taking Pre-orders Too [Updated]

Posted by Will Shanklin in Deals, News, XOOM

Now that we know that the Wi-Fi-only model of the Motorola XOOM is just around the corner (launching March 27 to be exact) perhaps you are looking for the best deal on the tablet. Costco's website may be the place to look, as they are offering not only a $10 discount (from the listed $600 price tag) but they are also throwing in a free gel case and shipping it to you for free. Yes, all of that can be yours for a mere $589.99 and they are taking pre-orders now. The units won't be shipping until April 1 though, which is five days after the tablet is released everywhere else.

Mar

No More Rumors, It's Official: Wi-Fi XOOM Will Be $599 Starting March 27

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, XOOM

It's another day, and we have yet another bit of news about the Wi-Fi-only Motorola XOOM. Only, this time, the news is nothing less than concrete and final, as Moto themselves announced that the carrier-free version of the the 10.1" beauty will be hitting store shelves on March 27 for $599.

The manufacturer lists the retailers who are lined up to carry the slate later this month, including:

Amazon.com
Best Buy
Costco
RadioShack
Sam's Club (select locations)
Staples
Walmart

While they tell us it will have a $599 price tag, we would recommend keeping an eye on Costco and Sam's Club (if you have a membership already), as they generally sell their goods at lower prices than other retailers.

Mar

Pre-orders For Wi-Fi-only XOOM Live On B&H For $599

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Rumors, XOOM

A couple of weeks ago, word popped up of a UK site starting to take pre-orders for the Wi-Fi-only version of the Motorola XOOM, being available in early April. Not long after that images leaked of the same model showing up in a Sam's Club training center with a price tag of $539. Not to be outdone, yet another story arose saying office retailer Staples would be supplying the slate for $600 with employee training starting on March 23. Today the rumors take another step into becoming reality, as site B&H is now taking pre-orders for the Wi-Fi model of the Honeycomb debut for $599, making them the first American site (to our knowledge) to offer pre-orders on the carrier-free model.

Mar

[Download] Retro Style BIOS Boot Animation, Now Customized For The Motorola XOOM

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Motorola, News, XOOM

Yesterday, in the first part of the new Boot Animations series here at AP, we posted 5 boot animations that replace those boring stock snoozers your carrier ships your Android phones with.

One of the animations, called N1Bios, showed a BIOS boot screen so nostalgic to all PC owners, customized with some Nexus One info. Yesterday, xda member ihtfp69 created something similar for the Motorola XOOM, complete with XOOM system specs, the word Motorola, and an ASCII Android logo.

Have a look at some screenshots, then proceed to our download mirror, and installation instructions (hint: to save you some time, just rename the downloaded file to bootanimation.zip and copy it to /data/local/ on the XOOM - no root required with this method).

Mar

Adobe Flash 10.2.155.67 For Android Leaked, Includes Honeycomb Compatibility - Download It Now!

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Gingerbread 2.3, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless, XOOM

Remember that new version of Flash we reported on this morning? Yeah, well it's still scheduled to roll out on March 18th - one week from today - but thanks to BBCrackman from My Droid World, you can download a leaked copy of version 10.2 now.

Just as promised, it (finally) includes support for Honeycomb, meaning you can now watch South Park, Conan, or any other Flash video on your XOOM. Artem and I briefly played with it on our XOOMs, but unfortunately, we discovered that the experience wasn't without its flaws - video quality wasn't exactly top-notch, some controls were hard to utilize, and no, Hulu still doesn't work.

Mar

Market Analyst Rips Honeycomb, Suggests Google Stick To The Web

Posted by Will Shanklin in News

Last Updated: March 14th, 2011

In what is sure to ruffle a few feathers with Android users, a representative of a research company Wednesday sunk his teeth into Google's Android 3.0 'Honeycomb,' saying it is "by the geeks, for the geeks, and of the geeks" (we were confused, as we thought that was a compliment). The analyst left little hope for mass adoption of the new tablet-tailored version of Android.

In his note to investors, Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research said Android 3.0 is doomed to fail next to Apple's iPad 2. He blames Google's background on the web as the culprit for the spanking he expects the OS to take.

Mar

Wi-Fi-Only Motorola XOOM May Be Hitting Staples Stores On April 3 [Update: Employee Training March 23]

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Rumors, XOOM

The latest in a string of rumors about the upcoming Wi-Fi-only version of the Motorola XOOM comes from the team at Droid Life, who say that the carrier-free model may be hitting Staples stores on or around April 3. The same folks are also now reporting another leak from Staples which shows that employees will get the slate in their hands to begin training on March 23.

This dates come from a tip offered up by a Staples insider. Take it as you wish, but this would be consistent with recent postings from UK site PC World, citing early April as the availability date for the UK market.

Mar

Vendetta Online Helps To Usher In A New Wave Of Tegra 2 Gaming

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, Games, News

If you have a snazzy new Motorola XOOM (or another Tegra 2 powered tablet) and are just itching for some fun apps to show what your baby can do, you just may have a new game to try in Vendetta Online. Vendetta is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) which will only run on Tegra-powered tablets 7" or larger.

Just released into the Android Market, Vendetta sports some impressive 3D graphics that will likely remind many players just how far Android gaming has come since the initial wave of casual titles like Doodle Jump and various Bejeweled clones. Spaceships and asteroids zoom by with impressive 3D textures that, not long ago, were only to be seen on consoles and desktops.