Motorola Xoom To Cost $700. Or $800Motorola Xoom To Cost $700. Or $800

Conflicting reports put the price tag of Motorola's unreleased Android 3.0 tablet at either $700 or $800, with a launch of February 17.According to internal documents uncovered over the weekend, Motorola's Android 3.0 Honeycomb-powered Xoom will street for $700 (Best Buy) or $800 (Verizon Wireless), depending on which company's internal documents you care to believe. Are those prices competitive with the iPad?

Whether tablet makers like it or not, Apple set the pricing benchmark for tablets. Apple's entry level iPad costs $499 ($629 with a 3G modem). The Xoom will include a 3G modem, too, and with a $700 price tag, could be considered competitive with the iPad. That depends on how much storage is included, though. The 16GB Apple iPad is priced at $499/$629; the 32GB costs $599/$729; and the 64GB iPad costs $699/$829.

Motorola has not disclosed what storage options will be available for the Xoom when it launches. Most think 16GB will be the minimum, with 32GB and 64GB options. Motorola could also opt for 16GB of built-in memory and let users upgrade on their own via a microSD or other memory card. The $700/$800 price points indicated by Best Buy and Verizon don't mention what type of storage will be on board.

The Xoom definitely has a leg-up on the iPad in at least one key area: 4G. The Xoom will be upgradable to Verizon Wireless' Long Term Evolution network by the time summer rolls around. Jumping to LTE means the Xoom will be a mobile broadband powerhouse.

The one thing both Best Buy and Verizon's documentation appear to agree on is the launch date: February 17. Both companies list Feb. 17 as the date the Xoom will first be available for sale/pre-order. Motorola has only confirmed that it will launch this quarter.