Verizon Droid XYBOARD 10.1 Review

Posted by chris.campbell on January 14, 2012 11:34 am in Reviews, Tablets | 0 comments

The Verizon Motorola Droid XYBOARD is Motorola’s flagship tablet using the Android Honey Comb operating system. It is upgradable but for this review I used the stock 3.2 operating system. Now, let’s get started with the full review of Verizon XYBOARD 10.1

Body

On the outside, you’ll find a large 10.1’ LCD screen which had great detail and produced beautiful images. At the top, the XYBOARD sports a 5 mega-pixel camera on both the front and back of the device. The left side has deeply recessed buttons for power and volume which some times could be hard to find and press. Motorola conveniently placed the micro HDMI and charging ports at the bottom for neat connectivity of the device. All in all a good feeling tablet.

The XYBOARD physically is similar to most tablets. It is very slim and has good weight at 603 grams, giving it a good feeling in the hands. The feeling of the device in hand is aided by the soft touch, rubber material that the coats the back and buttons. This is very important and the biggest plus to the device for one reason: It doesn’t feel delicate. Which is GOOD!

Why is this important? Tablets have been burdened with the need to be thin and light while having a high-resolution large glass screen, and a cpu; all very delicate parts with no protection. This has pledged (or aided business wise) the market for tablets as everyone is almost required to have a case for their device to protect it. Tablets have been available for a few years now but rarely do you see them out as freely as they were designed to be. Most users conceal their tablets and use them in the same fashion as a notebook computer which defeats the purpose of the tablet in some ways. With the XYBOARD being made the way it is, it felt truly portable and ready to be used everywhere. This was an eye opener as millions of tablets have been sold world-wide by many manufacturers though many are still being used like their predecessor, the notebook computer. I truly enjoyed the portability of the XYBOARD because it allowed me to transport my computing, FREELY, unlike many of the other tablets I have used. For anyone looking for a computer that feels like it can truly go anywhere, Motorola has you covered that with the XYBOARD. Also, having a sticker on the back with the serial number and other info, made the design go down a bit. It would have been better if it was just included in the operating system.

The Operating system

The XYBOARD’s operating system simply is not for the novice user. I would consider myself to be very technologically savvy and at many times I was puzzled by the Android operating system. If you’re already familiar with the operating system, you’ll have no problems getting around that. If you are planning on purchasing this for a computer novice, tablet novice, or android novice, you might want to think about it before doing so. This is due to a lack of introduction to the operation system. Androids are common but their operating system could use more text for buttons and an introductory walk through in the beginning. However, if you are willing to go with XYBOARD 10.1 you can attend a Verizon Wireless Workshop. The UI suffers significantly because of the XYBOARD’s processoring. This was evident in just about every application I used. From scrolling to keyboard use (typing is a nightmare), the XYBOARD’s 10.1 model really disappointed due to slow response times for touch sensitivity. I am unsure if the slow response is due to the screen’s digitalizer or simply the device’s 1.2ghz dual-core processor which is lightning fast on the 8.2 model. This was major draw back because I commonly found myself seeking other devices to do simple tasks, especially ones that involved lengthy typing. That being said, the XYBOARD is not for the daily typer. Also, at times the certain apps like the Android Market become very glitchy.

Network

The Verizon Droid XYBOARD 10.1 uses Verizon’s insanely fast 4G LTE Network. While I was testing the XYBOARD 10.1 I was browsing the web insanely fast. Keep in mind that in the New York Metro Area the rollout is almost complete. They will have the entire country done by 2013. While using the tab i had around 4 or 5 bars when using their network. Having a great network is very important. As when you take your tablet with you, there may not be a WiFi connection always there. Having access to Verizon’s 4G LTE Network was a huge help and was awesome to experience and use.

Camera

The Camera on the XYBOARD was mediocre. After taking a photo in a well-lit room and getting mediocre results, I went outside to test the camera’s capabilities and got the same results. The image was rather grainy in appearance from both cameras but will do the job for a quick pic like most tablets. The camera seems robust and well protected but don’t get your hopes up for point-n-shoot quality images.

Conclusion

The XYBOARD is for the android user only… It won’t make you jump ship if you are using a tablet my another manufacture unless you own an older android tablet and want a bigger screen. If you require a slim tablet that’s ready to go anywhere, this might be the tablet for you. My personal recommendation would be to go with the 8.2 XYBOARD for it’s faster response to touch commands but if you require a bigger screen, you might want to look elsewhere or wait for a version with a faster processor than that 1.2ghz processor inside this one. The Verizon Droid XYBOARD 10.1 retails for $529.99 for the 16GB, $629.99 for the 32GB and $729.99 for the 64GB. You Can Get More Info On The Verizon Motorola Droid XYBOARD 10.1, By Clicking Here. We would like to thank Verizon for providing us with a copy of the “Verizon Wireless Motorola Droid XYBOARD 10.1″.

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