Motorola’s Xoom Set To Launch Without Flash

Motorola’s flagship Xoom tablet will not support Flash during its initial launch in the US, but a change is expected before the UK rollout this summer.

According to US network operator Verizon, the Xoom will hit its store shelves on 24 February, but with “Adobe Flash expected in spring 2011″.

However, the tablet is likely to support Adobe Flash Player by the time it reaches the UK in the second quarter of 2011, as a software update is expected within the next few months.

Xoom exclusive to Carphone Warehouse

Upon its arrival in the UK market, the 3G version with Wi-Fi capabilities will be sold exclusively by the Carphone Warehouse group, while the Wi-Fi-only model will be available from DSG Group, including Currys and PC World.

Meanwhile, consumers are reportedly baulking at the $799 (£496) retail cost of the Motorola Xoom, sans contract, after Verizon Wireless and Best Buy revealed its price tag. So far, no deals through mobile phone operators have been announced.

First unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Motorola’s Xoom tablet will have a dual-core processor and run Android 3.0 – codenamed Honeycomb – Google’s operating system optimised specifically for tablets.

The device will also sport a 10.1-inch widescreen HD display, which powers 1080 pixel HD video, a front-facing 2-megapixel webcam and a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera that captures video in 720pixel HD.