Day in Android 3/16/11: WiFi Xoom, Nook Color, Verizon LTE pricing

We’ve been waiting for an announcement on a WiFi Xoom, which we’ve heard would be available by early April. It appears as though we’ll get the treat a little early. On March 27 the device will hit many retail outlets, including Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Staples, Walmart, and select Sam’s Club locations. You can also get one from Amazon. It’s a 32GB model, and it’ll cost you $599. [Boy Genius Report] The Thunderbolt drops tomorrow, which raises the question of what Verizon will charge for LTE smartphone data. They have had mobile broadband rates set up since December, but this is the first time they’ve needed to adapt for smartphones. As it turns out, the pricing will be the same as 3G for right now. Which is to say, $30 per month for normal data, $45 for corporate usage. That will include free WiFi hotspot capabilities until May 15. Apparently an OTA update will come at that time, and the guys at Android central think it could mean a major streaming or VoIP service. Also, you can get the device off-contract and activate it on a data only plan. That’ll get expensive, though, $49.99 per month with a 5GB limit. Expect all of this to change when Verizon tiers its data plans this summer. [Android Central] That’s a comparison between a rooted Nook Color and the Galaxy Tab. Despite the bugginess of the former, at $250 it represents one helluva deal. If you’re thinking about an Android tablet and want to keep it cheap, I’d go for the Nook Color. Hey, look, it’s the Droid 3 again. This time you can see the keyboard, though. Just thought I’d include this for visual reference. [Droid Life] Quickies

• Samsung is starting to tease the new Galaxy Tab. Could it come in multiple sizes? [Android Central]
• Froyo now accounts for 61.3 percent of Android users. The only sad thing is that versions 1.5 and 1.6 still account for more each than Gingerbread. That’s still at 1.7 percent. [Android Developers]
• Just as Microsoft is reportedly killing the Zune, Samsung is coming out with an iPod competitor. Look for the Galaxy Player, in both 4- and 5-inch versions, sometime soon. [Phandroid]

About the Author

Joe Pawlikowski is the Senior Editor at MobileMoo.com and has been covering the mobile industry full time since 2007. When he's not writing about the tech scene, he can be found discussing his personal love - baseball (and more specifically the New York Yankees) as well as writing on his personal blog.