XOOM announced: 4g "upgradable". How?

[Don S]

So Motorola announced this awesome looking tablet at CES just a bit ago it seems. From the press release:

"Motorola XOOM gives Verizon Wireless customers a new type of mobile computing experience on a stylishly thin device that is 4G LTE upgradeable... The Motorola XOOM device will launch as a 3G/Wi-Fi-enabled device in Q1 2011 with an upgrade to 4G LTE in Q2. Starting in Q2 2011 the Motorola XOOM will be a 4G LTE/Wi-Fi- enabled device."

Is the 4G radio already built in, and a SOFTWARE upgrade will be forthcoming to allow the unit to function properly on LTE? If so, great. They can't mean an actual hardware radio upgrade would come I assume, correct?

 

[ckeegan]

Someone posted in the Engadget comments that you have to take it into a Verizon store, and they will swap something out internally to make it LTE capable.

I certainly prefer that to some stupid USB modem, dongle, or anything external.

 

[Don S]

Wow, so this would be a HARDWARE upgrade? Uggh. I wouldn't like that much. Seems odd though, having techs open thousands of tablets up and exchanging hardware? That doesn't seem like something a OEM would plan for, but I guess it could be. Man, I hope this isn't true.

 

[Don S]

Well it didn't take long to answer, looks like a hardware update in a VZ store. Ugggh

 

[redshift1]

It does seem odd merchandising and an impediment to sales. Wireless only users won't be bothered though.

Still, buying an ipad might make more sense or just wait for a factory equipped 4g model.

I need more information from Motorola to make a decision.

 

[Old Member]

Truly don't care. Don't plan on using data plan anyway. Wifi or using my rooted Dinc as a wifi hotspot. No way I pay the price for 4G.

 

[AndreaCristiano]

The reality is that until the LTE is widespread enough the tablet will probably be replaced with an updated one so the point is moot. The LTE wont be wide enough of an umbrella for the majority of XOOM owners to care enough to upgrade at this point so its really just a marketing ploy. Next year sometime when LTE is more widespread XOOM2 will be LTE ready and probably on more than one carrier

 

[Don S]

The reality is that until the LTE is widespread enough the tablet will probably be replaced with an updated one so the point is moot. The LTE wont be wide enough of an umbrella for the majority of XOOM owners to care enough to upgrade at this point so its really just a marketing ploy. Next year sometime when LTE is more widespread XOOM2 will be LTE ready and probably on more than one carrier

Until LTE is "widespread enough" geographically you mean, I suppose. True. LTE already covers about 100 million people right now (mostly in big cities only). So plenty of people are already covered with LTE ..

 

[AndreaCristiano]

Until LTE is "widespread enough" geographically you mean, I suppose. True. LTE already covers about 100 million people right now (mostly in big cities only). So plenty of people are already covered with LTE ..

Yes geographically is what I meant