Two things; unlike many others (geeks and normal humans as well) I’ve been blissfully iPad free. I had an iPhone and still haven’t recovered, so there was no way I was getting a enbiggened* version of Job’s handiwork. So I can’t compare Xoom to the iPad.
I also have no Kindle, Nook, or other dedicated reading device. I had a Nook for 6 days, returned it. Just could not get into the dedicated book reading device. I need a computer that’s a computer, not just a book reader or (in spite of what Apple will tell you) a means to consume media, which is what iPad is.
There are plenty of real reviewers reviewing the Xoom. Go check them out. Mine is the point of view of a non-reviewer and programmer primarily on the Microsoft stack but a fan of other languages and platforms as well (lately Ruby and Python).
Which brings me to the Xoom. Yes, it is also an excellent means of consuming media. It’s got a 16:10 screen that’s apparently a bit bigger than the iPad’s, BUT, it is 
also a computer. You can program the Xoom without sending Jobs and his crew a licensing fee**. You can give your friends any software you write (yes, software. An “app” is software peeps). The software you write can access the full capabilities of this device. We all know that Android is wide open vs. iOS which is… well which isn’t. And neither is Windows Phone 7 by the way, WP7 is less open than iOS. I still like WP7 better than iOS on the technical front, but lets not get into that.
Operating System
Android is a cool OS, no doubt about that. It’s a Linux platform, not too much hiding that fact. The shell (aka UI) is smooth, gets the job done. It’ll allow you to clutter it up and make it look like crap if you see fit. System menus and utilities are easily accessible. Wireless connectivity is cake to set up, Bluetooth too. And you have programmability – readily available SDKs, full access to the system, excellent documentation to be found, and a great OSS community out there. Thumbs up.
Browser
It’s got a real browser, with tabbed pages, a normal address bar, and even a plugin model. Not all plugins work that work for Chrome, but there are some and the fact that they can be written at all is a very good thing, more will show up. Another ++point for Android acting like a computer instead of a [whatever they’re calling the iPad experience].
The Xoom’s browser scored 218 points on HTML5test.com, that’s better than IE9’s 130, but not as good as any of the other major browsers. Chrome scores 288 for example. Didn’t see an automated way of running the W3C’s tests, but suffice it to say that the Xoom’s browser has pretty decent compliance at this point.
All the web sites I visited looked good. Some sites can be confused by the user-agent and send the mobile version of the site. To fix this, you can nav to about:debug, then under the menu go to Settings… Debug… and set UAString to desktop. Now the user-agent will indicate desktop and you’ll get the full web pages. Oh and ++point for being able to put the browser in debug mode.
Loading pages (per CNet test) is faster on the Xoom than on the iPad2, so that’s good. Everything in my opinion was smooth and fast. Zooming, scrolling, etc. Thumbs up.
Flash
Go to the marketplace, find Flash, install. Done. Now you can use Flash if you really want to. Life is better without it though, Flash can dogeven on a dual core Atom, so there you go*** . Thumbs meh.
Other Stuff
The built in PDF reader is good enough for me. It remembers where you are in each file, which is the killer feature for me in a PDF reader. It’s smooth and fast, snap-zooms appropriately in either portrait or landscape to the correct page width, and has a clear, easy to use index. Thumbs up.
It’s got a book reader too, if you want to plunk money down on an e-book that traps you into a platform. This is Kindle territory, so I’m not buying books like that. I’ll by books from the publisher in PDF format, thanks. So no word on how the books thing is. Thumbs meh.
Rockplayer Light. This is a downloadable video player. Plays all kinds of formats, including MKV. If you know what I’m talking about then this is a ++point for Xoom. If you don’t then never mind. Nothing to see here. Move along.
PlayNow. Stream all kinds of internet vid to your device. Run a proggy on your PC, give it your netflix and hulu accounts. Then stream almost any internet vid to your device. This is a killer app, I use it all the time. I’m on a trial, but I’ll have to pay for this when it expires. Thumbs way up.
Conclusion
This was a crappy review. That’s why I don’t get free stuff. Xoom is cool enough for me to take 15 minutes and jot down some thoughts. Real person, real experiences, real thoughts. The Xoom is a real computer with no keyboard (you can fix that). It’s hackable, quick, and useful right out of the box. It’ll get better with more apps. Now I’ve got billable work to do. Later –e.
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* one of the characters in 4 Lions said this when told the toy AK-47 he was holding while shooting his jihadist video was too small – “lemme move closer to the camera, that’ll embiggen it”. Friggin hilarious. Recommend 4 Lions.
** or Balmer and his crew. See? Fair 
*** used dog as a verb. No rules on these interwebs baby!
