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Motorola Xoom going for $800, Wi-Fi locked down for one month?

Categories: Android, Motorola, Tablets, Verizon
By: , IntoMobile
Monday, February 7th, 2011 at 8:14 AM
motorola-xoom-best-buy

The Motorola Xoom seemed to be almost everything anyone could have wanted in an Android tablet at this point. It will be running the tablet-optimized version of Android, Honeycomb, and sports a dual-core processor. Could it possibly do any wrong? Yes.

According to a leaked Best Buy ad for the Xoom, this not-so-little tablet is going to run for $800. Let me spell that out for you: eight hundred dollars. For that kind of dough, you can buy a very capable Windows laptop, and for $200 more you can spring for a MacBook Air. Who on earth would fork over $800 for this thing when every single current iPad version except for the 64GB 3G version is less than that?

Moreover, we’re hearing that Wi-Fi will be locked down for the first month at Verizon. What does that mean? The leaked Best Buy ad says the following:

“To activate WiFi functionality on this device, a minimum of one month data subscription is required.”

Now that you’ve picked yourself up off the floor, you can feel free to rant and rave in the comments about this move. But before you do, it’s worth considering that this just might be something Best Buy is doing – not necessarily Verizon. Best Buy does have to activate these in order to sell them, and perhaps it’s an incentive to activate the Xoom with a data package that’s good for at least a month (afterward I’m guessing there might be a cancellation fee?).

Even if the Wi-Fi issue wasn’t a problem, it’s the fact that the hardware itself is priced sky high. This makes us feel a bit jaded whenever we’re constantly reminded that these new tablets will be priced “competitively.” What exactly is it competing with?

The Motorola Xoom is set to launch February 24 according to the Best Buy documentation, but don’t go running to retail stores all at once now.

[Via: Engadget]

About The Author

Marc Flores

Marc has been a mobile fanatic for the better part of a decade and has had more devices pass through his hands than he would care to count. Originally from Los Angeles and briefly in San Francisco, Marc now lives in Brooklyn where, unlike Will Park, he longs for simpler times and simpler technology. All the while, he writes about gadgets and wireless technology as he tinkers, hacks and ultimately breaks most of his gadgets in the process. Marc has written about the mobile industry for Boy Genius Report, MobileCrunch, Laptop Magazine and has had his work appear in the Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, CrunchGear and more.

  • http://twitter.com/adomanico01 Anthony Domanico

    Dumbest move ever. Seriously. $800 for something that really only potentially replaces the need for a netbook? Makes no sense at all. I’m not a sheep, I’m not going to pay an Apple tax, especially for a Motorola device. Waiting on the pricing of the Gslate. If it comes in at less than $500, I’ll buy it, if not I’ll get a NookColor.

  • http://twitter.com/mfg68 MFG

    Still not convinced this ad is real or final. Look at the spelling errors.

  • Anonymous

    Someone should go to Best Buy and tell them to plug in that SKU number and see what pops up. If the price is really $800, I’ll want to punch kittens.

  • http://www.facebook.com/beverly.nuckols Beverly Nuckols

    I don’t want another Data/WiFi plan. Will wait on this one.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1324502085 Jordan McMahon

    If this turns out to be true, this will be an extremely unpopular device.

  • Dave

    whoops, a computer would do far more for me at that price.

  • Cellularcrazy09

    It says “upgradable to 4G” I wonder what that entails? If I have to have something hanging off my device like a laptop stick, thats another reason not to get this device…if the $800 didn’t scare you off first!