Xoom tablet debuts Feb 24
US telecom titan Verizon on Thursday will begin selling Motorola Mobility’s hotly awaited “Xoom” tablet computer at a price close to that of a top-of-the-line iPad. Xoom will be the first tablet on the market powered by “Honeycomb” software crafted specifically for such devices by Internet powerhouse Google and has been heralded as a viable challenger for Apple’s market-ruling iPad.
Xoom will be sold for $800, but the price will be trimmed to $600 for those who opt for two-year service contracts with Verizon. Wireless 3G plans will begin at $20 monthly for a gigabyte of data. The six iPad models range in price from $500 to $830 with the three higher-priced models having 3G mobile telecom connection capabilities while the three less costly tablets only link to the Internet using Wi-Fi at hot spots.
With a 10.1-inch (25.6-centimeter) screen, the Xoom is about the same size as Apple’s iPad, which hit stores in April and has other leading technology companies around the world scrambling to catch up.
Motorola Mobility’s Xoom tablet computer powered by new “Honeycomb” software from Google was crowned the best gadget at the giant Consumer Electronics Show.