Motorola Mobility’s Xoom tablet will hit the shelves at Verizon Wireless on Thursday, Feb. 24, Motorola and Verizon announced today.
The Xoom, the first tablet on the market to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb, will cost about $600 with a two-year contract and $800 unsubsidized. Verizon is charging $20 a month for 3G data service and said the tablet can be upgraded to get access to its LTE network at no additional charge sometime in the second quarter of this year.
The Xoom will be the most expensive tablet carried by Verizon and comes equipped with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 10.1-inch display, and front- and rear-facing cameras. The carrier’s Wi-Fi-only iPad costs $630 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which has both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, costs $500.
Last week, Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha reportedly said the Xoom’s steep price tag was justified because the tablet could access Verizon’s LTE network.