By When I bought the Motorola XOOM a few months ago, I partially bought it with the understanding that 4G would be on the way. It would take an annoying hardware upgrade to complete the process, but nonetheless it would come. Here we are several months later with the competing Galaxy Tab 10.1 about to launch on Verizon with 4G capability and approximately zero XOOM owners have been invited to upgrade their hardware.
What gives? Several sites have reported that Sanjay Jha, at a recent tech conference, all but put the blame on NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset- an issue we would contest. Talking about Motorola’s recent delays, Jha mentioned “betting everything in one place” and suggested in the future they’ll want to work with more chipset manufacturers. Of course the Motorola XOOM runs Tegra 2. Um, yeah, but so does the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
We got in touch with our contact at NVIDIA who emphatically dismissed the attribution of delay, expounding on some really good points we’ve already made:
“Tegra has no compatibility issues with LTE at all. The Tegra-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE tablet runs on Verizon’s LTE network and is a perfect example of Tegra working fine w/ 4G LTE. Tegra 2 interfaces with many types of modems via standard interfaces, including LTE. There is nothing inherently unique about LTE as far as Tegra 2 is concerned.”
Considering the Galaxy Tab is also running Tegra 2 – and running it brilliantly – I find it a little bit suspicious that NVIDIA would ever have been blamed. Maybe Jha meant Verizon. Or maybe – and I think this is most likely – maybe he was clamoring to come up with some type of PR speak that would attribute the blame elsewhere without attributing it to any one entity. Sounds about right.
I assume there are a lot of irritated XOOM owners who have long been expecting the 4G upgrade. And given the fact that the upgrade process is hardware intensive, are any of you nervous how that will go once you’re finally able to get the one-up to the next level? XOOM owners speak now or forever hold your peace!
It’s certainly egg on Motorola’s face. Personally, with the ubiquity of WiFi where I am (and Verizon’s lack of an unlimited data plan), I’m less interested in the 4G than having my SD card slot enabled. But the Xoom was an expensive device, and having it remain “incomplete” is frustrating. On the App side, the continued lack of Xoom support by Skype, Netflix, HBO Go and Marvel Comics makes me almost regret not getting an iPad2.
…says the guy with a neckbeard reading an Android fan site?
Take him out quick or he is going to going crazy about how much he hates Android like he did on Engadget for 6 months straight.
All I read was wah wah android sucks wah wah, am I right.
i heard “i’m dumb enough to download an app developed in another language, by a company who’s name i can’t read, just so i can see ‘sexy bikini legs HD'”
Friendly neighborhood moderator appreciating the tip. ;)
its funny because they still advertise it with LTE in their commercials, as “everything the tablet should be”
Samsung Charge $299.99 On 2 Year Contract… What Other Phone Is More Expensive On Contract In The US? – Go Ahead, I’ll Wait
What does that have to do with motorola or 4g?
you are soo wrong. So the g2x and other high end android phones aren’t selling. You are right nobody buys android except for the back flip. smh
You mad bro?
Engadget keeps blocking his new accounts in minutes so now he has found a new home. He has had 100+ accounts banned already.
What about the Galaxy S II. That phone sold faster than the iPhone 4, without the US.
Please link to one of those “buy one get ten” deals. You cant. And what other phone sells for $300 on contract? The iphone, idiot. And you like WP7 heh? How is that working out for Microsoft? They make LESS money there, then THEY do in Android. Because it hasnt sold. Bye bye now, troll.
Motorola continues to disappoint because people let them. I held out for a Transformer because I knew the Xoom was an overpriced joke. I’ve never owned a Motorola product that didn’t disappoint me.
Owned an original Droid?
Owned anything other than an original Droid?
I agree with you jon. if the consumer stopped buying unfinished products like xoom and playbook maybe these companies will get the point. i took my xoom back within 3 days i was so disappointed with it.
Trolling NEVER gets old.
Being an early adopter usually entails eventually getting screwed.
which is why I buy nothing till all the reviews and complaints have come in. :-)
being an early adopter of anything motorola entails geting screwed. remember the droid x situation??
I thought Motorola said it would be June before they would upgrade you to 4g. Its June 6th. Give it a minute.
My Evo was $200, right now you can get an iJoke for what $50? Plus last time I checked I am getting better battery life than my friends with the iPhone and I have 10 of those “battery draining” widgets.
My droid x had way better battery life than my friends iphone. You are an idiot go troll somewhere else.
go hop back on the window phone 7 bandwagon. The sad thing is they sold what 1.7 million phones last quarter compared to how many android phones? You are right nobody buys android haha jackass.
To speak ill of iProducts is Blasphemy and all who cross our savior Mr.Jobs shall parish in the fires of hell….*Scott* is right you’re pretty angry about something aren’t ya?!
I’ve really enjoyed having the xoom (day 1 purchase). I especially appreciate the recent updates to the firmware. However, I really feel like I paid WAY to much for a device that appears to be left in the dust.
Obvious troll is obvious…
iTroll…Troll…Troll…Troll…iTroll…Troll…Troll…Troll…Um, do a little research and lay off the Kool-Aid. I can check the weather, sports scores, my calendar, listen to radio or mp3s, check my tasks, use Facebook, look at the latest news..all WITHOUT launching a single app! Go do that on ur iCrap I am sure theres and App for that…oh wait there isn’t! iPhone & iPad = Glorified app launchers & nothing more…
He is a old WP7 fanboy who only like Microsoft products. He will always bring up how much he hates Android even if the story is about something like a new car. I can tell who he is by the way he talks and the way he spells.
It does devalue my initial investment, which was quite high, by not having the upgrade yet. I’m not so much frustrated nor in the least envious of the Tab 10.1 buyers, mostly again b/c of the ubiquity of Wi-Fi, but not to foreget, I’ve had my device for some time now. I paved the way for them & am loving every minute of it! I’m sure we’ll get taken care of, either by finally getting the upgrade (Q2 just got here folks), a MiFi or some price reduction differential refund of sorts.
I’m also not in immediate need of an SD slot yet either. I’ve never even hooked my Xoom up to a laptop. I’m not transferring files via sneaker net, I use the cloud. I fore see this becoming an issue ahead of not having LTE modem installed, but some progress on either would be nice. Guess I’m just fine being patient a while longer. And to the new Tab 10.1 owners out there, have fun with it. I’ve been digging the hell out of Honeycomb for a while now & I hope you do too.
Um, we are in the last month of Q2
I can has math classes?
You’re right, my bad. I was thinking Q3 being around the corner.
I forget, did they say Q2 or Q3? Either way, I want some LTE love.
Salt, meet wound. I can’t believe it is taking so long to get 4G on the Xoom, especially in light of the Galaxy 10.1 coming out with 4G already. I like my Xoom, I really do (especially after the 3.1 update). But the lack of info re the 4G upgrade is getting annoying.
As for pjpjopoj, he only thinks Android sells to pre-teen girls because that’s what he sees when he cruises the the middle schools looking for dates. The iPhone 3G has been $50 for a while now, in my opinion, that’s pretty cheep, and Apple is STILL losing market share to Android! I have nothing against Apple, but don’t diss Droid. It’s a good platform, and the better Android does, the more Apple will strive to become better. Win, win, right?
I am not too worried about the 4G, I can just link it to my Thunderbolt. I would much rather have the SD card slot working and more apps.
So who’s Motorola going to throw under the bus next for their own incompetence?
After all these months I didn’t think you could get any lower and now you troll an Android only website because Engadget Mods are to fast for you.
You are sad little man aren’t you.
Even the Nexus S has sold more than all 10 WP7 devices, LMFAO.
I’m certainly disappointed in the Xoom 4G and SD card situation. Considering that these were differentiating features from the rest of the tablets on the market at the time, I don’t think Verizon would have much of a leg to stand on when I demanded a full refund for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Which, sadly I’m considering doing. I love my Droid, I loved my Droid X (until the Gingerbread update) and I loved my Xoom until it didn’t become the 1st tablet to get LTE.
Now its the second best tablet on Verizon’s network – and I didn’t fork out hard-eearned cash for second best.
really need the 4g upgrade because this verizon 3g is a joke. my tmobile 3g makes my vzw 3g look like a 1g disaster. 600 + no sd + no 4g = very unhappy customers. i mean how hard is it to get this stuff fixed. This thing has been in the works for quite some time now. it didnt just spring up overnight.
really? my verizon 3G on my fascinate was blazing fast. maybe it’s where you live?
The LTE radio MMI has chosen won’t work properly with the Tegra2 processor. Personally, I blame MMI for this when Samsung clearly went the right path.
This is a blatantly false statement.
This is why I never trust any manufacturer that promises to update/upgrade something after release. Once they have your money, there is no or little motivation to actually honour their promises. As far as I am concerned, if it doesn’t have the features I want at the time of release then I’ll look elsewhere.
Rob, I think you need to listen to the Q&A. There was more to it than that. I think he mentioned getting more chip suppliers as an example of a method they can use to insure that delays like this won’t happen again. He actually blamed themselves, said the main issue had something to do with a screwed up “protocol stack” whatever that means.
Anyone know?
4G? These knuckleheads have not yet even activated the SD slot (I’m sure that’s Goog’s fault). It’s not a lunar lander, it’s a tablet. I sold the piece ‘o s@#t. Sloppiest product intro that I’ve ever experienced.
The Asus has a working micro SD slot on the tablet and a working SD card slot on the dock. So not 100% sure it is Google’s fault.
I’ve had a working SD Card slot on my Xoom for quite some time. Don’t really need it, with all the onboard storage this thing has.
Don’t know what you’re talking about.
it surely must be Google’s fault, because else there would be ROMs out there that enable it /sarcasm
… btw: the rest of the world is still waiting for the 3.1 update, Moto
Need LTE and a working SD slot… The recent update gave us the ability to download pictures via cable but, my camera has more memory and options. Not feeling the ‘Hello Moto’ love!
We all should start a class action lawsuite, what you guys think.
after 2 months returned my Xoom to Costco. that money will go to Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 next week.
I would like to hear from someone that could explain what is required to star ssome class action proceedings. Anyone? Anyone?
This Moto CEO is a god damned retard. I see him blaming Android apps for sluggish performance on their shitty motoblur phones, now he’s blaming nvidia for their lack of 4G on the devices. Do I smell a nasty lawsuit soon?
Do I smell CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT? Man I’m seriously pissed with this product!
Sanjackass is driving Motorola into the ground. I kinda hope they go under that way there wont be any more locked bootloaders.
Of course thats how many wp7 phones sold because right now wp7 is competing with RIM and thats about it since apple and android are way ahead of them. Yeah you can say the mango update will help but it isn’t adding anything that hasn’t already been on android so nice try. Not to mention android continues to grow and get better with updates. WP7 might not even be around in another 2 years or so with the slow sales they are seeing.
I picked up my Xoom on March 1st off-contract. I’m not going to purchase a Verizon plan until I KNOW the 4G upgrade is available. Not only that, but Verizon’s 4G network isn’t even up and running yet where I live (pretty big city too). Ugh.
din’t Sanjay Jha blamed third party apps for the droid x battery drain earlier? so basically every one is to be blame for Motorola crappy products ah? hahahaha.
let’s talk about the xoom and not about phones stupids!!
I vote CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT lets do it people!
lol you guys are crybabies i love my xoom its more than i expected and use it more than my pc, you losers go ahead with your class action lawsuit, lets see how that works out for you. The xoom kicks ass
you mean the xoom sucks ass?
I totally agree. The Xoom is awesome.
I’ve had my Xoom for two weeks. I also have an iPad2. The Xoom rocks, great screen, decent apps; ok the iPad has more apps, but most of them are crap anyway. I have the apps I want, except Hulu and Netflix (which will arrive sometime). The Xoom is fast, the OS is solid, and I look forward to getting the 4g upgrade. Frankly, while I look forward to the 4g upgrade, I’m using WiFi 90% of the time, so I’m not feeling too much pain.
I use both, but after using the Xoom for a while, the iPad just seems boring.
is the xoom still going to sprint or what?
So many other ones out there to get
An urge to dance: your EVO doesnt get battery life anywhere close tO the iPhone. Facts are the facts buddy. I am an android person by the grace of god, but own a iPhone 4 vzw, that I picked up in one of my dealings with craigslist fOr one of my old MacBooks. While I lOve every aspect of android better than iPhone, I do like the battery life of the iPhone much better, because it simply is better. It may be nothing more than a glorified mp3 player but since I use it as my iPod to save battery on my android, I can assure u the EVO, which is known to have terrible battery life, like every other htc, doesn’t have better battery life. I think the android, wp7, and iOS communities could all benefit if we could at least admit our platforms shortcomings. Every platform has some, it’s a given. With that said, I can’t freaking wait to get my galaxy s2.
The Xoom is my first and last device from Motorola. It’s everything a tablet should not be.
I bought my Xoom of Craigslist and it works great. I rooted it so I have access to the micro SD card. Overall I am happy and I don’t really care about 4g right now.
i held off because of the $599 starting price, and lack of initial tablet specific apps. i didn’t really care for LTE, because i’d never tried it. BUT OMG when you demo LTE its MIND BLOWING that its even faster than my cable internet! sd card slot wouldn’t be that huge an issue with 32gb storage for me, but i can see where it would be troublesome for real movie/mp3 afficionados. personally honeycomb still doesn’t have too much support. i’d personally wait til quad core’s that are rumored for end of year before going honeycomb.
I’m not happy shelling out close to $800 to wait for 4g but the device is still fast and battery life is amazing. I have the 4g Droid Charge if I have the need for speed
I was told at Version that it would be a simple software upgrade to 4 G. They also said that Docs to go would work, it does not.
Will 4G require a hardware upgrade as reported here?
Hey Rob. I am so mad about this that I could spit. I think it’s time for me to heat up the customer support line at lunch today.