Motorola Xoom™: Companion

Taking and Saving Photos

The Xoom comes with two built-in cameras, one in the front and one in the back. You can take photos with either. To access the cameras, tap the Camera app on the Home screen or access the Camera app from the Apps icon in the top-right corner of any Home screen. One of the first things you notice is that the camera controls are available on the screen. You can easily access these controls to quickly apply a flash, an effect, or other settings prior to taking the photo. Figure 8-1 shows the Camera app. It's important to note though, that some modes disable some controls. For example, choosing Night mode prevents you from being able to select and alter the Flash & White Balance controls. You'll learn more about these caveats as you experiment.

CAN I TAKE VIDEO? Yes, you can record video using either the front- or rear-facing camera. Chapter 9 covers taking video (“How Do I Best Take, Share, Manage, and Play Video?”).

The controls available in the Camera app include the following:

• Zoom in and Zoom out—Tap these controls to zoom in and out on a subject prior to taking a photo. When you're zoomed all the way in, hold the Xoom steady or the photo will be blurry.
• Flash mode—Your choices include Auto, On, and Off. Consider Auto for now; the Xoom provides a flash if necessary.
• White balance—Choices include Auto, Incandescent, Daylight, and Fluorescent. Auto is a good first choice, but if you take a photo and it's too dark or light, or tinted yellow or green, consider ...