As was expected Motorola Mobility Inc. has revealed that for the second generation of the XOOM they will be releasing two screen size options. The Motorola XOOM 2 will be the 10.1-inch option and the Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition is going to be the smaller 8.2-inch option.
Unlike the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet that’s coming this month the new Motorola XOOM 2′s don’t feature the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 Kal-El processing chip, instead the XOOM 2′s ship with 1.2GHz dual-core processors of unknown branding. The specifications for the two new XOOM 2 tablets aren’t that big of a change from the original Motorola XOOM tablet, or should I say the Wi-Fi only version of the original Motorola XOOM, that was released months ago. The design of the new XOOM 2 tablets is, however, a big shift for Motorola.
The Motorola XOOM 2 and XOOM 2 Media Edition share the same general design, but with differing dimensions. Image: Motorola Mobility Inc.
When you look at the new XOOM 2 and XOOM 2 Media Edition tablets you should quickly notice that the corners of the tablets aren’t rounded like they are on most tablets. According to Motorola the new design makes the XOOM 2′s easier to hold (compared to the original XOOM).
Hardware and software specifications for the new Motorola tablets:
| Motorola XOOM 2 | Motorola XOOM 2 Media Edition | |
| Processor | 1.2GHz dual-core processor | 1.2GHz dual-core processor |
| Software | Android 3.2 Honeycomb | Android 3.2 Honeycomb |
| Display | 10.1” HD display with Corning® Gorilla® Glass | 8.2” HD display with Corning® Gorilla® Glass |
| Special features | Splash-guard and special flattened edges for easier holding | Display optimization for wide viewing angles that are perfect for video |
| Camera | 1.3 MP front and 5 MP rear-facing HD cameras with digital zoom, auto focus, and LED flash | 1.3 MP front and 5 MP rear-facing HD cameras with digital zoom, auto focus, and LED flash |
| Memory | 1GB RAM; 16 GB storage | 1GB RAM; 16GB storage |
| Battery life | 10+ hours Web usage or over 1 month stand-by | 6+ hrs Web usage and more than 3 days of music playback |
| Sound | 3D virtual surround sound | Adaptive virtual surround sound with multiple speakers and booming bass |
| Dimensions | 253.9 mm x 173.6 mm x 8.8 mm | 139 mm x 216 mm x 8.99 mm |
| Weight | 599 g | 386 g |
| Enterprise features | Business Ready with enterprise-grade security and Active Sync for work email, contacts and calendar. USB and Ethernet connectivity, pre-loaded Citrix® Receiver® and Citrix® GoToMeeting®. Preloaded with MotoCast so you can access and stream your files from your PC or Mac to your tablet | Preloaded with MotoCast so you can access and stream your files from your PC or Mac to your tablet |
| Preloaded applications | Access to Google Mobile™ Services, including Google Maps™ with Navigation, Google Talk™ and browsing | |
At this time Motorola Mobility Inc. has announced they plan to make the 10.1″ Motorola XOOM 2 and 8.2″ XOOM 2 Media Edition in the UK and Ireland sometime in mid-November with Wi-Fi only variants. The tablets will be available for purchase in the UK and Ireland at Best Buy, Carphone Warehouse, Currys, Dixons, and PC World. You can register for more info and promotions from Motorola for the XOOM 2 here and the XOOM 2 Media Edition here.
Pricing hasn’t been revealed for the Motorola XOOM 2 or XOOM 2 Media Edition.