Looks like it’s going to be a good weekend, as we’re hearing that Verizon is beginning to receive Motorola Xoom units already. Initially only dummy units were spotted, but it looks like the real deal is hitting some stores to make way for its official debut next week.
The pictures show a Motorola Xoom dummy unit, but real units have apparently been spotted as well, according to Droid-Life. With the official launch less than a week away, we can’t say that we’re surprised. No matter how outrageously priced the Xoom will be, it’s still one sexy piece of hardware, and the world’s first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet.
We honestly don’t know what to expect to see on launch day of the Xoom. While it’s gained quite a bit of fanfare in the past couple of months, many interested parties may want to wait and see what the reviews say before they drop close to a grand on a tablet. The price point of the Xoom is a sore spot, and while it may be superior to the iPad in a handful of ways in terms of specifications, we’re having a hard time believing there will be a huge line for this tablet come launch day.
Nonetheless, the Xoom will be available starting Thursday next week, and we can’t wait to see who will be showing up for this thing. Even though the Xoom is oozing with high-end specifications, the real story is about Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the tablet-optimized version of Google’s mobile operating system. We’ve seen 3.0 ported to a couple of devices already, and once the full SDK and source code are out, and custom ROMs begin hitting existing, cheaper tablets, it’ll be interesting to see if that will change the minds of some would-be Xoom buyers.
I’m still very happy with my ViewSonic G-Tablet, which has a hefty amount of high-end specs (Tegra 2, front-facing camera, large community behind development) under $400. It may not have the specs to match Motorola’s tablet, but it has enough of them for the price. Plus the G-Tablet is currently the only tablet that’s officially supported by CyanogenMod.
Those who don’t want to hack their tablets may have to wait a bit longer, but rest assured, cheaper options will become available. That said, other than the price of the Xoom, it’s the king of Android tablets already, and may retain that lead for a good chunk of the future. However, if competing high-end Honeycomb tablets can significantly undercut the Xoom’s price, then Motorola’s tablet may not make it into as many hands as they would like.
Are you going to grab the Xoom come launch day, or will you be waiting for the reviews to hit first?
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