Motorola Xoom tablet to be available Feb 17 for $700

After the buzz it generated at CES 2011, Motorola’s eagerly anticipated Xoom tablet has now been given a February release date in the US.

According to internal documents sent to Engadget, The 32GB Android tablet will be available in Best Buy stores on February 17th, for the princely sum of $699.99.

Compared to the iPad, it is actually marginally cheaper, with the 32GB version of the Apple tablet $30 pricier than the Xoom.

Even then, that’s not taking into consideration the front and rear facing cameras, as well as higher resolution 10.1-inch screen, full 1080p HD support and HDMI-out the Motorola's tablet boasts over the iPad. Xoom, xoom

The 16GB wi-fi only iPad is, of course, much cheaper at $499, but at the expense of holding less data. For proper comparisons though, we’ll have to wait for more details on the iPad 2.

Concrete details on a UK release or price (a rough conversion puts the Xoom at £440 on our shores – but expect to pay more than that) are yet to be announced. You see more details about the Xoom on the Motorola website.