Notebookcheck Logo

Android 3.1 coming to Motorola Xoom

Teaser
Xoom owners should be receiving an update notification for upgrading to the latest Honeycomb version

Good news has come out of the Google I/O conference for the Motorola Xoom; Owners of the tablet will soon be able to upgrade to Android 3.1 as early as tonight.

For users with the U.S. Verizon 3G Xoom, an OTA update should be made available within the coming days, if not already. The WiFi-only models should be able to get the update notification as well if connected to an online network. For those who have rooted their Xooms, users are experiencing mixed results with the new Android update, according to forum members of xda-developers.com. We expect that some workarounds will be necessary for successfully updating rooted Xooms.

Unfortunately for every other Android tablet owner out there, Google will require additional patience before the 3.1 update rolls out to more tablets. It does make sense that the Xoom was picked to receive the 3.1 upgrade first, however, since it was the first tablet to launch with Android 3.0 back in February.

The update will bring various enhancements and changes under the hood. This includes support for proxy options when under a WiFi network, SSL data transfers, and additional USB devices such as keyboards and mice can be used. Even Google TV has been integrated to this latest Android release. Additionally, numerous reports have claimed that the Xoom tablet has become noticeably speedier after upgrading to 3.1. For a better idea of the new features to be included, check out the list here courtesy of wirelessandmobilenews:

·         For improved multitasking and instant visual access to a much larger number of apps, the Recent Apps list is now expandable.

·         For more flexible Home screen customization, users can now resize their Home screen widgets using drag bars provided by the system.

·         The Launcher animation is optimized for faster, smoother transition to and from the Apps list.

·         Accessibility is improved with consistent audible feedback throughout the UI.

·         A new high-performance Wi-Fi lock lets applications maintain high-performance Wi-Fi connections even when the device screen is off, allowing for music to play.

·         The Browser app includes Quick Controls, support of HTML/CSS.

·         The Contacts app now lets you locate contacts more easily using full text search.  Search returns matching results from all fields that are stored for a contact.

·         When replying or forwarding an HTML message, the Email app now sends both plain text and HTML bodies as a multi-part mime message.  It also now prefetches email from the server only when the device is connected to a Wi-Fi.

 

 

 

Source(s)

Please share our article, every link counts!
Allen Ngo, 2011-05-11 (Update: 2012-05-26)