As the first Android 3.0 device, the Motorola Xoom was a showcase for Google's tablet-focused Honeycomb OS. Now that it has the Android 3.1 update, the Xoom is a more complete device, with full Flash support and improved multitasking. Starting at $599.99 (with a Verizon Wireless contract), the Xoom is priced to compete with the Apple iPad 2 ($499-$829, 4.5 stars). In theory at least, there isn't much the iPad can do that the Xoom can't. Its support for Adobe Flash—the most enticing advantage over the iPad—wasn't ready at launch but is now fully functioning and out of beta mode. The Android Market's selection of apps doesn't come anywhere near what you'll find in Apple's App Store, but Google has slowly added some more compelling apps and functions, like the cloud-based Music beta. If you definitely prefer the more customizable world of Android over the iPad/iTunes ecosystem, the Xoom is a compelling option and one of the best Android tablets, but it neither stands out from the Android tablet crowd nor bests the market-leading iPad 2.

Editor's Note: This review was updated on June 2, 2011 to reflect software updates since the tablet's launch.

Before we get to the good stuff, let's get the pricing out of the way: The Xoom is available for $599.99 with a two-year agreement from Verizon Wireless. The monthly charge for 3G service is $20 for up to 1GB of data. And both Verizon and Motorola promise that the Xoom will be compatible with Verizon's 4G LTE network in the future. While 4G upgrades will be free, the upgrade process involves actually sending your tablet in to the manufacturer. The Xoom pricing may seem steep, but it's very similar to the cost of a two-year AT&T contract on the iPad—see our tablet price comparison to dig deeper. For those who want the Xoom, but don't want to commit to a two-year contract, the tablet will cost $799.99. The Wi-Fi-only Xoom is $600.

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Design
Measuring 9.8 by 6.6 by 0.5 inches, the 1.6-pound Motorola Xoom looks slightly different than its primary competitor, the Apple iPad 2. Where the iPad has a brushed metallic border and back panel, the Xoom's contour back is black matte plastic. There's no physical Home button, like on the iPad, and the Xoom has a front-facing 2-megapixel camera lens flanked by the Motorola and Verizon logos, which run along the top horizontal border of the front panel. On-screen Back, Home, and Active Apps buttons, and a small battery indicator light live below the 10.1-inch, 16:9 1,280-by-800-pixel touch screen. On the lower horizontal side panel, there are connections for a microUSB sync cable (which is included), HDMI output, and the proprietary power adapter connection. (The tablet doesn't charge via the sync cable like most devices.) Two Volume Control buttons are situated on the left vertical panel. Around back there are built-in stereo speakers, a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera lens, a dual LED camera flash, and the Power/Lock button—which seems like an odd placement choice. You'll also find additional Google, Motorola, and Verizon logos on the tablet's back panel.

It's worth mentioning that, side by side, the iPad and Xoom take up similar amounts of space—though the Xoom is not quite as wide and slightly longer. Also, both tablets weigh about the same. Compared to the wide range of Android tablets now emerging, the Xoom is on the larger side, and much larger than the non-Android, 7-inch RIM BlackBerry PlayBook (2.5 stars, $499-699).

The oddest thing about the Xoom's design is what's missing: The microSD card slot, which sits next to the SIM tray (for future 4G support) behind a rubber cover on the top panel, is not enabled—Motorola confirmed that it is currently unusable. The latest Android updates do nothing to change this. Of course, the iPad has no microSD slot at all, but until Motorola enables it, the Xoom doesn't really have one either. It's a strange practice to ship devices when they are not 100 percent ready, but it's not entirely uncommon.

The Xoom integrates 802.11n Wi-Fi, is Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR HID compatible and sports 32GB of internal storage and a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, which is optimized to deliver the high performance necessary for a multitasking tablet with an HD screen. The Dell Streak 7 ($199.99, 2.5 stars) was one of the first Tegra 2 tablets to hit stores, but didn't ship with the Honeycomb OS. Our suite of Android Benchmark tests showcased the Xoom's prowess. It's significantly more capable than the Samsung Galaxy Tab, from the speed at which it calculates Pi to handling multitasking and complex graphics. The upload and download speeds and benchmark test results were, not surprisingly, similar to those of other Tegra 2-based tablets. (Thus far, all Honeycomb tablets use the Tegra 2.)