Why I Love My Motorola Xoom Tablet

August 28, 2011 By Elizabeth

Last month I got an email from Rauxa PR with an incredible offer to join the Verizon Midwest Moms blogging program. They asked if I would be interested in getting a Motorola Xoom Tablet with six months of Verizon Wireless service to check out, plus the chance to try out a new Motorola phone. AND, I would get to KEEP either the Tablet or the phone!

Now, you know I love gadgets and technology, so you’d better believe I replied yes to that email!

My introduction to the Xoom came the day before the Brands & Bloggers Summit, when the Midwest Moms got together for a day of training. The tablets were pretty much set up and ready to go, ready for me to use to check Gmail, send Facebook updates, tweet, watch YouTube, browse the web – you name it, the Xoom does it!

The Xoom has a decent two-way 5 megapixel camera with dual flash and digital zoom. When I say two-way, I mean it can take regular photos, or I can tap to turn the camera around and use it as a webcam or for Skype. (I may have used the camera to apply lipstick in the elevator at BlogHer once, allegedly.)

The music player came preloaded and sounds amazing. I played Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song” on it earlier and Ryan thought I had turned on the stereo! Video playback/YouTube looks great, and I especially love the movie app that let me purchase “The Adjustment Bureau” and watch part of it while waiting for a plane. If I had the right cable, I could have come home, hooked up my Xoom to my home theater with an HDMI cable, and played the movie from my Xoom onto my TV!

What I’m really using my Xoom for the most though is keeping up with my everyday life. I’ve got it loaded with Gmail and Hootsuite, PayPal and Bank of America, CNN and Huffington Post, Foursquare and Facebook. On days when Chris carpools, I drive with him to drop him off, and while he’s driving, I use my Xoom. Between WiFi and the Verizon Network, I have yet to find a place where my Xoom doesn’t work, including out in the country.

But my very favorite reason to have the Xoom so far is as an eReader! Google Books looks AMAZING, and there are Nook and Kindle apps in the Droid Market. Hold the Xoom vertically and it’s like reading a hardback-sized book. Now, I LOVE books. I love the feel of the paper, I love that sound it makes when you turn the page, and I would never stop reading books. But when I was packing for BlogHer, getting my carry-on totebag ready, it was such a relief not to have to make room for my usual two paperbacks. And, knowing that I was basically carrying around a bookstore with me, between the Google Books, Nook, and Kindle Apps, that’s pretty cool.

I have become an absolute total fan of the Xoom. I was already a card-carrying member of the “We Love Android” club, and the Xoom just takes everything I already love about Droid and amplifies it. It’s hard to even write this post because there’s so much more I could say! Part of my agreement with Verizon is to write two posts a month about my experiences using the Xoom, so on Tuesday I’ll have another post for you.

If you’ve been contemplating getting a Xoom and want to ask me a question about it, please leave your question in a comment! I could talk about this thing all freaking day.

disclosure: I’m part of of the new Midwest Moms group from Verizon Wireless. They have provided me with a Motorola Xoom and a Verizon data plan for six months and all they ask in return is that I share my experiences.