So the Motorola Xoom is out, and even with the hype of a pending iPad 2 release, customers who are true to Android flocked in to their local Verizon Wireless to get their paws on the new tablet. Unfortunately, dreams of  the capabilities of the device were soon shattered, because the 4G LTE radio that allows Xoom to connect to the Verizon LTE network was missing.
According to PC Magazine, the folks at Motorola said free upgrade would be offered to those who purchased Xoom, but the company said they were not sure how the upgrade would happen. Well, this is certainly not very promising news from the Xoom maker.
After more fishing, it has been discovered that the upgrade will reportedly be a very poor customer experience. Apparently, the optional upgrade process will begin about 90 days after Motorola Xoom ships, putting the upgrade near the end of May. At that time Motorola will contact all Xoom owners to let them know the 4G LTE upgrade is ready for the device. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong!
Here is where the really interesting part of the upgrade comes in! All Xoom owners are going to be given the "suggestion" by Verizon Wireless to back-up their device, and reset it to factory settings. All this before they package their not quite as shiny, fingerprint smudged Xoom in a box, and ship it off to Motorola. Hopefully these customers have an android phone to keep them company while their Xoom is off in upgrade land at manufacturer.
Perhaps by then the HTC Thunderbolt will be out, so folks will have that device to be entertained with. Also, while a lot of people are tech savvy, and credit is given where due, a lot of these folks have no clue how to back-up and reset their device. Loss of data, increased phone calls to technical support and customer service, as well as extreme customer aggravation are on the horizon for Verizon.
At any rate, Motorola will upgrade the tablet so it will support 4G LTE, and mail it back to the anxious customer. To add insult to injury, Verizon Wireless says the entire process is expected to take about six days. You read that correctly people! Six days to do this upgrade, and get your Motorola Xoom back! This is making that HTC Thunderbolt delay seem like a piece of cake, right?
The whole process seems as if it could have been avoided completely. In case you were wondering the upgrade cannot be done remotely like most other upgrades are done, because a software and hardware upgrade are required for the device to function properly.
Did you purchase a Motorola Xoom? What do you think about the future upgrade? Is it a big deal, or will it be an easy, seamless process?
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