Motorola announces Xoom 2 tablet, has a 8.2-inch brother too

Motorola has officially announced the Xoom 2 and Xoom 2 Media Edition today. The Xoom 2 has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 10.1-inch display. It runs on Android 3.2 Honeycomb though I am expecting Ice Cream Sandwich firmware later. It also offers 5 megapixel front and 1.3 megapixel rear-facing cameras. Motorola Xoom 2 supports Motorola's new Splash-guard protection.

Now something about its younger brother, Xoom 2 Media Edition. The Xoom 2 Media Edition features similar specs, except 8.2-inch display size. It has the same Gorilla Glass protection. It also promises a 20-percent improvement over the original Xoom in the graphics department, which, along with a 178 degree viewing angle make the tablet optimized for media consumption, as the name implies. Till now Motorola Xoom 2 and Xoom 2 Media Edition has only been announced in the UK and Ireland. We are hoping that Motorola Xoom 2 tablet will hit the retailers like Carphone Warehouse at the middle of November. In UK you can buy Motorola Xoom from Best Buy, Dixons, PC World and Currys too. But we don’t know the price of news Xoom tablet yet.

You can find details about Motorola Xoom 2 tablet and register about newsletter on Motorola UK site. Time for the Press Release.

Motorola Mobility Launches Two New Tablets in the UK and Ireland

Motorola XOOM 2™ and Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition™ are powerful, portable and ready to take on the world

LONDON – November 3, 2011 – Building on the success of Motorola XOOM™, Motorola Mobility is rocking the tablet world yet again with two additions that bring enhanced experiences to the European market. Wi-Fi variants of the Motorola XOOM 2™ and Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition™ -- boasting powerful productivity, rich entertainment and customizable experiences -- are now available: the answer to consumers looking for a tablet that can keep up with their lifestyle. Both tablets will be available at Carphone Warehouse in the UK and Ireland, as well as Best Buy, Dixons, PC World and Currys in the UK.

"Tablets are quickly becoming a must-have tool for staying connected, getting work done and having fun at home and on the road," said Victoria McManus, marketing director UK & Ireland, Motorola Mobility. "We are very excited about these two new additions to our tablet portfolio that build on the success of the original Motorola XOOM to now deliver more powerful tablet experiences to the European market."

The new Motorola XOOM 2 and Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition both feature Android 3.2, a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, brilliant displays with Corning® Gorilla® Glass and a splashguard coating for a go anywhere, do everything attitude. In addition, both tablets include the new MotoCast™ app that lets you stream all your music, photos, videos and documents between your PC or Mac and tablet without any media tools, apps, or cords.

Motorola XOOM 2: Lighter and Brighter
Motorola XOOM 2 with Wi-Fi sports a 10.1-inch widescreen HD display and Android 3.2 Honeycomb like its predecessor, but the similarities end there. The display is brighter and more vibrant than before with colour enhancement, and the edges have been strategically designed to make the tablet more comfortable to hold -- this tablet is easy on the eyes, and easy on the hands. It is compatible with the optional Motorola Stylus that is great for note-taking, hand-writing emails and sketching. Motorola XOOM 2 is loaded with Business Ready features like VPN support and data encryption.

Motorola XOOM 2 with Wi-Fi features MOTOPRINT integrated into key apps so you can print wirelessly from your tablet. It is approximately 100 grams lighter than the original Motorola XOOM to make it even easier to take on the road, and can withstand poolside use, spilled drinks or dashes out to the car in the rain thanks to its new splash-guard coating. A battery delivering more than 10 hours of video playback means it can go with you wherever you need to be.

Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition: Beat your Boredom
Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition with Wi-Fi is easy to hold with one hand thanks to its 8.2-inch display, and easy to take with you wherever you go, weighing less than the best-selling paperback you've been carrying around. Optimised for entertainment, it has a wide, 178 degree viewing angle. Hold it up to someone across the room, or share it with someone sitting next to you, and everyone gets a brilliant view.

Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition has a 20 percent improvement in graphics performance over the original Motorola XOOM for smoother gaming, features adaptive virtual surround sound with booming bass that'll delight your ears, and stands out from the crowd with the fastest multi-tasking in its class. It can even be a universal remote control for home AV equipment with the personalized, custom remote control app pre-loaded on the tablet. Lastly, a splash-guard coating provides extra protection against the spills that are bound to happen when you're having fun.

Accessories to connect to your life easier, from anywhere
With the Work and Play kit, plug your tablet into the HD Multimedia Station to connect to your HDTV, speakers and other peripherals for large-screen entertainment. Get more done, faster with the included keyboard and mouse with Bluetooth technology. Now, when your tablet is docked, the Smart Controller lets you MC the show from the comfort of your couch. For Motorola XOOM 2, no accessory discussion is complete without mentioning the Motorola Stylus with Precision tip - your tablet's best friend.

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Android 3.2 Honeycomb SDK is now available, new APIs now available to developers

Google has just announced that the latest version of the Android SDK in now available to developers. Classified as a minor feature update, the new Android SDK brings, as usual, a new set of APIs that should allow developers to create better apps that are compatible with a wider range of devices. These tools help developers create new apps using features introduced with the 3.2 update, including optimizations for more tablet types, compatibility zoom for apps that are fixed size, media sync from SD card support, and an extended API for managing screen size including 720p televisions and similar devices. But the focus of the SDK update is mainly on making compatibility with different screen sizes and resolutions easier.

The details are all at the Android Developer site, and the updates can be downloaded from within the SDK.
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Android 3.2 running 7-inch Sharp tablet is one sale in Japan

Today the 7-inch Sharp Galapagos A01SH tablet goes on sale in Japan at retailers and directly from E-Mobile, available for as low as $1 (100 yen), you have to sign up with an ISP to score that deal. Contract free version costs 44,800 yen (under $400). It’s a Wi-Fi only tablet but is being promoted with a Pocket Wi-Fi. It is available from today.

The Sharp Galapagos A01SH sports a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, Android 3.2 Honeycomb, Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, GPS, 2MP front and rear 5 MP camera with flash, microSD and micro HDMI ports, various sensors and a 7.5-hour battery (video playback). It weighs 389g and measures 195 x 122 x 11.9mm in size. The tablet has access to Tsutaya’s digital content store.
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Asus Transformer Pad Gets Android 3.2 Honeycomb Update, Available to Use Now

I don’t expect that an Asus tablet is on the first queue of getting latest Android 3.2 firmware upgrade. But it just happened. Asus already released an over-the-air Android 3.2 firmware upgrade all over the world. But if you already unrooted your device then you must have to wait. You may need to roll back in order to get the update or just wait until a rooted version comes along. But I have one bad news. Netflix app is not working on new Android version. Before checking the update make sure your transformer pad battery is full.

In the mean time you can buy new 16GB Asus eee Pad Transformer tablet from Amazon for $394 and 32GB for $489.
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Android 3.2 Honeycomb SDK Released, Check out Upgrade List

Google officially releases Android 3.2 Honeycomb SDK for the developers to make more particular tablet targeted apps. One of the focuses of new Honeycomb version is compatibility. Both different Android version and different monitor size compatibility is taken care here. One of the first major features is a new compatibility zoom for fixed-size applications. This lets you either view the application on the screen in 1:1 aspect ratio or zoom it to fit the screen.

Take a look to the main highlights of Android 3.2-

• Optimizations for a wider range of tablets. A variety of refinements across the system ensure a great user experience on a wider range of tablet devices.
• Compatibility zoom for fixed-sized apps. A new compatibility display mode gives users a new way to view these apps on larger devices. The mode provides a pixel-scaled alternative to the standard UI stretching, for apps that are not designed to run on larger screen sizes.
• Media sync from SD card. On devices that support a removable SD card, users can now load media files directly from the SD card to apps that use them.
• Extended screen support API. For developers who want more precise control over their UI across the range of Android-powered devices, the platform’s screen support API is extended with new resource qualifiers and manifest attributes, to also allow targeting screens by their dimensions.

The new platform includes API changes and the API level is 13. Click here to view Google Android site to download new Android 3.2 SDK and complete overview of the new tablet platform.
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