Verizon Wireless started taking orders for the Motorola XOOM Android tablet today. As expected, the tablet will run $799 if you go with the contract-free option, while customers who sign up for a 2 year data plan will be able to pick it up for $599.
The good news is that Verizon has dropped a requirement that you register for a month-to-month data plan in order to purchase the tablet at full price. So if you don't want to wait for Motorola to release a WiFi-only version of the tablet but you have no plans to use the 3G modem, you can pay $799 to pick up a 3G capable tablet today and simply ignore the mobile broadband features.
In related news, if you're planning to take advantage of Verizon's offers for a free 4G upgrade, you'll need to wait about 3 months. Droid-Life obtained a leaked document from Verizon suggesting that the 4G option will be available about 90 days after launch. The upgrade is free, but users will need to send in their tablets for the process, which can take up to 6 days.
In other (still related) news, a company called Xoom isn't all that thrilled with the name Motorola chose for its first Android 3.0 tablet, and Xoom Corporation has filed a trademark suit against Motorola. Why Xoom waited until the week Motorola actually released the tablet is anyone's guess, when Motorola announced the name of the tablet almost two months ago. But it does take some time to get legal documents together — and the Xoom corporation has been around for a decade, so this doesn't look like a simple case of trademark trolling.
On the other hand, Xoom Corporation handles an online payment service — which isn't all that easily confused with an Android tablet, so it's anyone's guess how this suit will turn out.
Motorola XOOM now available for purchase, no contract required is a post from: Liliputing
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