Motorola XOOM will launch in Australia this month
AUSTRALIAN tablet buyers are about to be spoiled for choice after Motorola revealed its first tablet would go on sale in Australia in weeks, just as Samsung's second tablet reached local stores.
Both are part of a new wave of tablet computers powered by Google software and each is available at a significant discount for those willing to commit to the devices for two years.
Motorola's XOOM is the latest tablet slated for an Australian launch and will feature more grunt than the iPad 2 but is priced at just $1 more than its Apple equivalent.
Motorola Australia marketing director Barry Smyth admitted the company had timed its run at the tablet market later than some, but said the XOOM offered more features than that of its early competitors.
"Obviously there are other tablet options out there and we could have brought a tablet out earlier but we wanted to put the right tablet out there with our first model," he said.
"We made this model as future-proof as we could."
The 10.1-inch XOOM is powered by a speedy 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM, and features a 5-megapixel camera, full high-definition screen, extra connections and was the "reference design" on which Google created and tested its first Android tablet software, Mr Smyth said.
It will cost $840 when it is launched on May 24, but Telstra will offer the tablet for $360 over two years on its 12GB $79 plan.
Telstra services director Andrew Volard said the decision to offer the tablet on a pay-as-you-go plan was an experiment and one he hoped consumers would consider as an "interest-free loan".
The other tablet arriving in Australia this week, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, will also be available on a two-year $39 plan or for $729 outright through Vodafone.
Both Google-based tablets will face stiff competition from the iPad 2 that inspired queues and sell-outs around Australia at its March launch, in addition to incoming tablets from RIM BlackBerry, Acer, ASUS and Hewlett Packard.
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Source: www.news.com.au
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