Motorola will begin selling its highly anticipated Apple iPad rival, the Xoom tablet, in SA next month.

The Xoom, which runs the latest version of Google’s Android operating system designed specifically for tablet devices, will be available to SA consumers a month after the second generation of Apple’s iPad goes on sale in the US.

Apple dominated the nascent market for tablet computers in 2010, but the space is set to get much more competitive this year, with a slew of devices coming from companies such as Motorola (the Xoom), Research In Motion (the PlayBook) and Samsung (the Galaxy Tab).

A Motorola spokesman says the company is aiming to launch the Xoom in SA in either the second or third week in April. No pricing is available yet, but the device will be available through mobile operators, subsidised on contract.

The company says the Xoom will be competitively priced. Apple recently launched the first-generation iPad in SA at prices ranging from R4 399 for an entry level 16GB, Wi-Fi-only version, up to R7 599 for the top-end model with built-in mobile broadband support and 64GB of memory.

There is no word yet on when the iPad 2, launched last week by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, will go on sale in SA.

The Wi-Fi-only version of the Xoom is being launched in a range of markets next month. In the UK, a Wi-Fi-only model will sell for UKP500. In the US, the Wi-Fi version sells for $539. A version that works will mobile networks retails for $799.

Like the iPad 2, the 730g Xoom has a 1GHz dual-core processor. It has a 10,1-inch, 1280×800-pixel screen, and can shoot video in high-definition at 720p. It also has front- and rear-facing cameras and an HDMI port to hook it up to a big-screen TV. There’s a gyroscope, too, and even a built-in barometer. — Duncan McLeod, TechCentral