Motorola’s flagship Android tablet device might be called “Xoom”. While it is most likely pronounced “zoom,” no authority has spoken on the matter, and we may have to wait for CES 2011 to find the answer to that question. Motorola has been very busy the last few months, according to PocketNow, applying for trademarks all over the globe for a device called Xoom. As of now, the name will be protected in the US, Canada, the EU, Australia, New Zealand, and an application is pending in Taiwan. Based on the variety of countries this device is protected in – and Motorola is not known for trademark spamming – PocketNow is willing to bet that this is Motorola’s Android tablet expected at CES 2011. If true, it will be the first tablet to run Google’s Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” OS, which is specific to the tablet and slate form factors.
As Android tablets continue to try and take a bite out of the iPad’s market share, they continue to face an uphill battle. Apple gained a clear advantage by moving their product out way ahead of the pack, releasing it as part of an already wildly successful brand image, and made it user-friendly and affordable to boot. The market loves all these things, and Android needs to catch up. Google plans on making Android 3.0 their first dedicated push into the tablet market, and Motorola could once again become the flagship manufacturer that leads Android to viable competition. We saw the same story unfold with the Motorola Droid line of smartphones, when the Droid became the mainstream device that catapulted the Android OS into the hearts and homes of the average consumer, and this could very well be the next chapter in that relationship.
Image Credit: gadgetupd8
