Verizon announces pair of Droid Xyboard tablets
Perhaps new branding can help jump-start Motorola and Verizon's next Android tablets.
Just as CNET reported last week, Verizon Wireless has officially announced a pair of new 4G LTE Android tablets for release in December.
Carrying the name of Droid Xyboard, the two devices are successors to the
The smaller, 8.2-inch media-centric model comes with two capacity options, 16GB for $429.99 and 32GB for $529.99. The 10.1-inch edition is available in three storage sizes, 16GB ($529.99), 32GB ($629.99), and 64GB ($729.99).
No, these ain't budget tablets and it's worth noting that these prices require two-year service agreements on data plans that start at $30 per month. So that means that the 64GB model ultimately could cost $1,449 over the duration of the contract.
Contrast that with a $199 Kindle Fire or $249 Nook Tablet and it's easy to see why people may not be in a hurry to adopt Big Red's new devices. Even if they are just watered-down tablet experiences, it's hard for typical consumers to justify that kind of money for a glorified digital reader.
I'll be curious to see what happens with dual-core tablets like the Droid Xyboard once quad-core devices begin hitting the market. Will the price drop down to a more affordable $250-$300 range? Will carriers stop trying to marry them to data plans and sell them as Wi-Fi devices? Lastly, will we see more emphasis on pay-as-you-go data?
What do you think the tablet landscape will look like one year from now?