*Fanfare* Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Motorola Xoom tablet with Android 3.0 "Honeycomb."

Geared as the first true rival to Apple's iPad, the Motorola Xoom runs on Verizon's 3G (soon to be 4G LTE) network and is offered in a WWAN/Wi-Fi combo only.

Tech Specs:

• 1 GHz Cortex-A9 Dual-Core Processor
• 5.0 MP rear-facing camera with HD video recording and a 2.0 MP front-facing web cam
• Up to 32 GB of on-board storage.
• 10.1", WXGA 720p (1280 x 800) display.
• 3G connectivity, with optional upgrade to 4G LTE

The Xoom features a 5 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front-facing camera. At least for now, Motorola's got Apple clocked in the tablet camera arena.

A dummy SIM card is included in the Xoom, with the inscription "Replace with SIM only after 4G upgrade."

Verizon's 4G LTE network requires a SIM card, so not every Verizon device will have 4G. Right now the list of compatible devices is very short: the Motorola Xoom and the still-unreleased HTC Thunderbolt.

The Xoom features a widescreen 1280 x 800 LCD, compared to the iPad's more traditional 1024 x 768 LCD.

According to Motorola, the Xoom weighs 730 grams, exactly the same as the iPad 3G, although the Xoom is noticeably thicker.

• We make comparisons to the iPad ad nauseum, but it's hard not to when it is such a clear front-runner in the tablet market...for now.

Moving right along, lets get this thing open!

Two T5 Torx screws located near the Micro USB and Micro-HDMI ports secure the rear case to the Xoom.

Like a sliding glass door, the rear case slides off part way, and we get our first peek at what makes this tablet tick.

Major props to Motorola here. For the first time we didn't need any prying tools to get into a tablet.

Unfortunately, the rear panel of the Xoom will only slide so far until two catch clips impede our progress. At this point what appears to be the Wi-Fi module can easily be removed. This card will probably be replaced should you ever choose to send your Xoom to Motorola for a 4G LTE upgrade.

A trusty spudger helped us release the clips securing the rear panel, and we continued tearing this device apart.

Unfortunately, what at first seemed like user-friendliness appeared to merely be foresight on the part of Xoom developers to make the device easy for Motorola techs to upgrade.

After disconnecting the volume button ribbon cable and removing two screws, the top portion of the upper case lifts off.

This case component houses the power button, LED diffuser, camera port, and speaker grills.

The two-piece rear case design is a unique choice by Motorola, and makes accessibility and replacement of the inner components much more feasible.

• While the larger lower portion is made of aluminum, the upper part is made of plastic.

The battery is held in by ten T6 Torx screws, with yet another two T5 Torx screws just to hold down the unique battery connector. This, of course, poses no problem to our 54-piece bit driver kit.

The 3250 mAh, 24.1 watt-hour lithium ion polymer battery boasts a healthy 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing and video playback, and a massive 3.3 days of MP3 playback.

At first glance, this appears to be a Wi-Fi board, but wait: there are no chips on it!

It appears to be just a mini-PCI interconnect board for the antennas.

This board is probably just a place holder for when the 4G upgrade becomes available.