Motorola’s sent out an announcement regarding the availability of its sweet-looking XOOM Android tablet today, reconfirming the Q2 launch date for the 10.1″ Android 3.0 device – and giving us an idea of where we’ll be able to buy it.
The usual places, basically – XOOM will go on sale at Carphone Warehouse and its “partner” Best Buy, plus the Currys/Dixons/PC World chain. It’ll be everywhere. Quite soon.
There’s still no confirmed price for us, though. Overnight it was priced up as costing around $800 unsubsidised in the US, which is… worrying. Here’s the press release, complete with quotes from all the executives involved:
Motorola Mobility Announces Retail Agreements in Europe for Motorola XOOM™
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Mobile World Congress 2011 — Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today announced The Carphone Warehouse, Best Buy and Dixons Retail Plc. (Currys and PC World) in the U.K. as well as Deutsche Telekom A.G. in selected markets will be introducing Motorola XOOM™. Motorola XOOM runs on Google’s Android™ 3.0 Honeycomb – the Android operating system designed specifically for tablets. The tablet is being demonstrated at Mobile World Congress at the Motorola booth in Hall 8, Booth No. 8A51.
The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy will launch with Motorola XOOM (3G/Wi-Fi), and Currys and PC World will launch with Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi in Q2 2011. Deutsche Telekom A.G. will introduce Motorola XOOM in selected markets. Motorola Mobility announced the introduction of Motorola XOOM in Europe on the first day of Mobile World Congress.
“We’re excited to be bringing a device as powerful as Motorola XOOM to leading carriers and partners in the U.K.,” said Andrew Morley, vice president of marketing for Motorola Mobility, international markets. “Today’s announcement is testament to how well Motorola XOOM has been received by consumers and carriers alike.”
“2011 will be the year of the tablet,” said Graham Stapleton, chief commercial officer at The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy. “Demand for tablets has already been greater than expected and the next 12 months will see them being adopted by more and more people as new products are unveiled. The Motorola XOOM sets the bar incredibly high – its functionality and ground-breaking features mean it offers one of the richest user experiences I’ve ever seen.”
Commenting on the announcement, Jeremy Fennell, category director at Dixons Retail said: “The tablet market is taking off in a big way. As the leading retailer in this market, we are delighted to be at the forefront again with Motorola and pleased to be able to offer XOOM Wi-Fi to our customers.”
“Motorola XOOM is the first tablet to offer Android 3.0, which has been specifically developed for tablets and brings a whole new computing experience. We are sure the XOOM will delight our customers – enabling them to enjoy benefits such as Internet, gaming, keeping in touch via email and video chat, and the ability to download all the apps that Android tablets provide,” Fennell said.
Motorola XOOM Features
Motorola XOOM delivers a new type of mobile computing experience, including: a widescreen HD display with 1280×800 resolution to support HD video and with HDMI out; a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera for 720p video capture and 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats; and a built-in gyroscope, barometer, e-compass, accelerometer and adaptive lighting.
A dual-core processor with each core running at 1GHz offers an optimal experience for Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The Honeycomb user experience improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization, and also features the latest Google Mobile innovations such as Google Maps 5.0 with 3D interaction. Video, games and other rich web content play seamlessly with Adobe® Flash® Player. And with support for Adobe AIR® applications, XOOM users will be first to experience Adobe Content Viewer on Android with its rich and interactive digital magazines and branded publications.
Motorola is also working to jump start the ecosystem expansion that will result from the launch of Motorola XOOM with a new version of the Android operating system. Motorola has been collaborating closely with innovative application partners across a variety of categories, including gaming, entertainment, and business productivity, to optimize their applications for this new category of mobile computing devices.
Motorola XOOM has a 10.1-inch (25.65 cm) widescreen HD display, supports up to 10 hours of video playback, and charges in half the time of competitive tablets on the market.
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Matt S
/ February 17, 2011They are justifying the high price because it is LTE/4G compatible, but nowhere in the UK/Europe has 4G yet so its redundant. I’d rather have a wifi only version for a lot cheaper. I can always mobile hotspot from my desire. I have no interest in yet another data subscription.
Axel
/ February 17, 2011We have had 4G in Sweden since before it was introduced in the States…
Hands0n
/ February 17, 2011I wish people would stop calling it 4G. Europe is in the process of rolling out LTE (which is 3.5G). The Americans are rolling out WiMAX and calling it 4G – but it is most definitely not 4G technology as things currently stand.
Some good reading is here http://tinyurl.com/4qwbfww