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Motorola Xoom: $800, will launch Feb. 24

Andrew Couts
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bestbuy_xoom_motorolaRumors surrounding the launch date of the Motorola Xoom have been all over the place. But now, a new Best Buy advertisement seems to have given us some concrete details: The tablet will launch on Thursday, February 24, for the price of $799.99, Engadget reports.

The news confirms our earlier report that the Xoom would run around $800. But the pesky launch date seems to change every time new information comes out about the Motorola tablet. (So, don’t be surprised if the date changes again before the tablet actually hits stores.)

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Regardless of the exact release date, it is safe to say that the Xoom’s launch is getting closer.

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Those who watched the Super Bowl last night were treated to a new Xoom ad, which payed homage to Apple’s famous “1984” ad. (In fact, the Motorola spot takes direct aim at Apple by featuring a hoard of automatons dressed in all-white hoodies, with little ear buds sticking out of their ears.)

Watch the ad:

Following the ad’s release, a new promotion site for the Xoom landed online.

From what we know so far, the Xoom is the first device that can stand up to the iPad’s dominance in the tablet arena. So Motorola’s provocation of Apple in its ad is, it seems, completely warranted. (How that plays out in terms of actual numbers sold of course remains to be seen.)

The Xoom runs on the new Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system,  comes loaded with 32 GB of internal storage and two cameras (a 2 MP front-facing one and a 5 MP rear-facing one), and sports a 10.1-inch, 1280×800 touchscreen — slightly larger than the iPad.

Available exclusively on Verizon, the Xoom is also 3G-compatible, with a 4G upgrade expected later this year.

The monthly 3G plans range from 1 GB for $20 up to 10 GB for $80, which is convenient for those who don’t often use the wireless service. But according to the Best Buy ad, users won’t even be able to connect the device to Wi-Fi without at least a 1 month data subscription. So, if you were wondering, that’s where they get you.

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