You guys remember the XOOM right? It may not be the sexiest thing in the world, but it has gone through 2 versions of Android already, soon to be upgraded to a third. In Germany, Apple decided that the XOOM looked a little bit too much like their tablet and took Motorola to court over it.

Luckily for Android tablet makers, the court denied that Motorola has infringed upon anything with their design of the XOOM. Unfortunately it wasn’t the total victory that Moto was looking for. They said that Apple’s registration for the patent was invalid, but the court did not agree. Both parties won something here but don’t think this will keep companies from filing suit again.

Via: The Verge

When Google announced that Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) would be available in mid-July, they also mentioned that devices like the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Motorola XOOM WiFi would be the first to receive it. According to members of Motorola’s Feedback Network, the XOOM could see it very shortly. An invitation to test new software for the device is going out to members of the Motorola forums, and we would be surprised if it wasn’t Jelly Bean. The timing matches up to what Google told us, plus, you have remember that there are no carrier barriers to break through when updating this device. Since it’s WiFi-only, all you need is for Motorola to test it a bit, then have forum members test it, and then push it out.

Get ready for Google Now!

Cheers to everyone who sent this!

The Android 4.0.4 (iMM76L) update for the Motorola XOOM 4G on Verizon is rolling out to all owners this very minute. Earlier in the week it was arriving for testers, but according to the flood of emails in our inbox, everyone should be in the money.

If you have not received it, the same trick that we used to force it onto the Galaxy Nexus apparently works on the XOOM as well. Instructions below. 

Here is the official file, straight from Google. As you can see, the build has changed to IMM76L. 

Verizon confirmed to us on Friday that the Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.4) update for their version of the Motorola XOOM would start to roll out today. Has it yet? No, but it will shortly to testers and another small batch of lucky XOOM owners. Below, we have a note from Motorola that mentions to testers the rollout schedule:

We’re testing final software. A group of some thousands of Xoom owners will receive the software upgrade. But only a portion of that group is made up of owners like you, from the Motorola Feedback Network. It’s your feedback that we rely on in evaluating if our software is ready.

So for the rest of us not in the testing program or the lucky first thousand, it could be a few days. These tests usually run for a couple of days and then all parties involved decide if it’s good to push to everyone. If you do not see the update today, try to hold it together. These things take time.

Cheers J, J, J and S!

Verizon confirmed this afternoon that the Motorola XOOM will receive Ice Cream Sandwich starting June 4. The update should come directly from Google as it is a “lead” device for Android, but Big Red has gone ahead and announced its arrival. To see the full changelog, check out this post.

Via:  Verizon

The soak test invites that went out earlier in the week for owners of the XOOM 4G LTE on Verizon were indeed because of an imminent Ice Cream Sandwich launch. Big Red posted the support docs for the update today which is always a good sign that it will rollout within the next week or so. The build is exactly the same as what the Galaxy Nexus is receiving – Android 4.0.4 IMM76K.

As you can see from the screenshot up top, Verizon wants you to know that ICS adds a bunch of new goodies (Folders, better notification management, etc.) that were not a part of Honeycomb. And not only will the XOOM now enjoy these new ICS features, but it appears as if device stability, network connectivity, and bug squashing were also a major focus with this update. The full changelog is below. 

By now, we all should understand that the original Motorola XOOM that was sold to Verizon customers back in March as the first ever Honeycomb device was a beta product. Google admitted that Honeycomb was rushed and unfinished and the device lacked 4G LTE radios that would need to be added on later. It’s been a rough ride to say the least.

There may be a glimpse of hope on the horizon though, as Motorola Feedback Members who own the device are being invited to test an update in the near future. All we can think is, “This has to be Ice Cream Sandwich.” What else could it possibly be at this point? We have seen the screenshots from Verizon’s internal testing system, showing that Android 4.0 has been in testing and potentially ready for some time now. I’d say the day has finally come. And let’s not forget that Motorola told us “Q2″ for a rollout.

According to the info we received, it doesn’t matter if your XOOM has been upgraded with the LTE radio or is still on CDMA, the update should work anyway.

Cheers M, S, T and J!