BlackBerry PlayBook vs Motorola Xoom: $200 Tablet Battle

BlackBerry's PlayBook in on back order from Best Buy because the price has been dropped to just $200, but for this weekend only, another tablet computer is being offered for just $200, the Motorola Xoom. Verizon is selling the 10-inch Xoom tablet at a subsidized price because it comes with a two year data contract. Xoom runs the Android system, has front and rear-facing cameras and is both Wi-Fi and 4G enabled.

Both devices have been out for a while now, and neither has sold very well. That's likely why they're on deep discount now. It looks like they're following the HP TouchPad trend of slashing the prices to get the devices into people's hands in the hope that people will start raving about how awesome they are.

In the PlayBook vs Xoom fight, the only raving going on is with the PlayBook. Not just because it's only $200, but because the custom operating system offers true multitasking and integrates well with BlackBerry smartphones.

Additionally, the seven inch PlayBook is due for a system update in the next two months that will feature a native email app and other new features. It also has mini HDMI ports for mirroring on a larger HDTV. It easily beats the Xoom in this fight because you don't need to purchase a data plan to use. PlayBook is Wi-Fi only and also has front and rear-facing cameras. The one thing Xoom has that PlayBook doesn't is access to the Android Market. PlayBook uses a system called QNX that's very stable and smooth, but lacks app development. The BlackBerry AppWorld has less than 2,000 apps just for the PlayBook, and that might be enough to dissuade some people. The Xoom sale only goes until Monday, Nov. 28, and is only available from the Verizon Web site.

Let us know in the comments if you think any of these devices can take on the Kindle Fire this shopping season.