Motorola Xoom available Feb. 24 from Verizon, $600 with contract

Motorola announced today that its Android 3.0 Honeycomb Xoom tablet will be available from Verizon starting February 24 for $599.99 with a two-year service agreement or $799.99 without a contract.

In addition, 3G data plans for the Xoom will run $20 per month for 1GB of data, but there was no word on what Verizon will charge for 4G data plans. Though the tablet will not be 4G capable at launch, Moto and Verizon said the Xoom will be upgraded to work with the carrier's 4G LTE service during Q2 2011 at no additional charge.

Verizon has set up a Web site that will provide additional information about upgrading to 4G, which isn't currently live but will be once the tablet goes on sale this Thursday.

The Motorola Xoom features a 10.1-inch HD display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video calls, and a back-facing 5-megapixel camera capable of 720p HD video capture.

As noted earlier, the Xoom runs Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS, which was designed specifically for tablets, and offers widgets, multitasking, browsing, customization, and other experiences similar to the Android experience on smartphones. One functionality that won't be available at launch is support for Adobe Flash Player. Instead, Verizon will release a free update in spring 2011 to enable this feature.

Best Buy also began taking preorders for the Xoom over the weekend. The 3G-capable tablet is available for $799.99 from the electronics retailer, but a one-month data activation is required to enable Wi-Fi.

Previous coverage:
Hands on with the Motorola Xoom and Android Honeycomb