The Motorola Xoom is the flagship device for the tablet-optimised Android 3.0 Honeycomb software, and it's bringing the fight right to Apple's iPad 2.
The iPad 2 is slimmer than the Xoom -- in fact, it's flatter than a badger on the M1. At 8.8mm thick, it's even skinnier than the thinnest smart phone you can currently buy, the iPhone 4.
To make up for its beefier, 13mm-thick frame, the Xoom packs in many more ports than the iPad 2. There's a micro-USB port, a mini-HDMI port, and space for a microSD memory card, although such cards won't be supported until Motorola rolls out a software update.
The Xoom also has a slightly larger, 10.1-inch screen, compared to the iPad 2's 9.7-inch screen. The Xoom's screen has a 1,290x800-pixel resolution, beating the iPad 2's 1,024x769-pixel display.
The iPad 2 wins when it comes to apps, though. Its App Store is packed with games and programs, and many of them are excellent. The Xoom's Android Market offers plenty of good choices for phones, but, since Android tablets running Honeycomb are brand new, there won't be many tablet-specific apps for it yet.
We've used Honeycomb, and it's a significant change from the smart-phone version of Android. The Tron-like glowing blue interface emphasises its geeky goodness. In comparison, the big, colourful icons of the iPad 2's software highlight its simple, uncomplicated approach. Both efforts have their strengths but, in a nutshell, the Xoom's software is more flexible, while the iPad 2's is easier to use out of the box.
We've pitted the Xoom and the iPad 2 against each other in photos so you can judge which one will look better adorning your gadget shelf. Click the photo gallery above to get started. The iPad 2 is the white tablet, and the Xoom is the black one.