The original Xoom had the distinction of being the first tablet to use Google's Honeycomb OS. However, times have changed and more Android tablets have appeared on the market to challenge Apple's iPad. Can the Xoom 2 keep up in this crowded arena?

The first thing you'll notice about the Xoom 2 is its slim build. The old Xoom weighed a pound and a half; well its successor took a crash diet and emerged 0.22 pounds lighter. It weighs the same as the iPad 2 and even has the same thickness at 8.8 mm. The Xoom 2 has a better overall design with strategically placed corners to make the tablet easier to grip. The tablet has a water resistant coating with a soft plastic edge around the tablet making the Xoom 2 a very sturdy device.

Performance wise there's nothing that really makes the Xoom 2 stand out from the pack. Motorola bumped the old Xoom's 1 Ghz dual core processor to 1.2 Ghz for the Xoom 2. There's 1 Gb of RAM and 16 Gb of internal storage. However that 16 Gb is all you're going to get with the Xoom 2 because there's no microSD slot for more storage. It's an annoying limitation which means that users will really have to look at cloud storage or the pre-installed MotoCast software which lets you sync the Xoom 2 to your PC.

The Xoom 2 has the same 10.1 inch display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution as the first Xoom but with a new IPS display. The IPS panel offers a more vibrant and brighter display and maintains excellent fidelity from a wide variety of angles.

Motorola hasn't really changed a lot with the Honeycomb OS. Motorola did add some apps like Evernote and Floating Notes to make use of the stylus accessory that's available. The biggest addition here is the MotoCast a remote access client that lets you access your PC via the Internet. You can access the contents of your PC and any Motorola device through the website at mymotocast.com. Of course you have to remain connected to the Internet for this to work so if you're on a plan, don't forget about your limit. MotoCast will be a big help considering the limited storage space of the Xoom 2. There's also the MotoCast USB which allows you to sync up your Xoom 2 to transfer files.

Overall the Xoom 2 is a pretty capable tablet. The design is better and the Honeycomb OS looks good here. However, there's also nothing that will make this tablet zoom to the top of the Android heap much less take on the iPad. It doesn't have the latest Android software, the Ice Cream Sandwich and there's no word when Motorola will update the Xoom 2. Adding the ICS would have given the Xoom 2 an added edge as it stands the Xoom 2 could be overshadowed by better Android tablets like the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The Xoom 2 costs $608.