14 DAY TRIAL // Two of the most expected tablets in 2011, Motorola XOOM and Blackberry Playbook, are about to make their appearance at Staples US. The office supply chain store will be start to line up both items on its shelves sometime in April.
According to a leaked internal document spotted by the guys over at DroidLife, Staples stores are preparing to train employees for the two upcoming tablets.
XOOM and Playbook mark a premiere for Staples, as the retailer will debut a new “Tablets” component for its computing section. The company has also stated that, in the coming months, tablet models from other vendors will be available for purchase.
In this regard, the leaked document mentions that Staples employees will begin to receive information about the Wi-Fi only Motorola XOOM on March 23rd and on March 30th for the Playbook.
Even though the document doesn't contain any information regarding exact availability dates for any of the two tablets, it does make a reference to a 30-day window for employees to complete the training module.
On a related note, the Wi-Fi only Motorola XOOM was rumored last week to be released at Staples on April 3rd.
Unfortunately, there's no information regarding the price of any of the two tablets, but hearsay suggests that the Wi-Fi only XOOM might cost around $500.
It is expected that other major retailers such as Amazon and Office Depot will receive the tablets around the same period, so prices might differ a lot in the end.
Rumors say that Office Depot is going to sell the 16GB WiFi BlackBerry PlayBook model for $499, starting in late March / early April.
This period fits well with the information mentioned in the Staples internal document, which might prove that both devices would be launched in the last week of this month.
As a reminder, Motorola XOOM is currently available for purchase from Verizon for $799.99 unlocked or $599.99 with a new two-year contract.
