[Xoom General] unknown_owner:
Just read some interesting words posted about the activation and data plan and it makes sense to me. Here are the excerpts from the posts:

It's not a contract if there is no way to "breach" the contract. Not only is this "agreement" wholly optional, but there is no commitment to it. You can cancel it THAT DAY and pay nothing. If you cancel within 3 days verizon doesn't even charge the activation fee. at most, you might get a small pro-rated bill that you'll be able to talk yourself out of since you never used the product over their data lines.

The Tab (also a tablet) had a "requirement" you activate it. The netbooks sold by carrier's also "required" activation before you could leave the store with it. Both devices function perfectly without activation. The tab required activation at best buy, it requires it at my store and most others I know, but I have a friend who works at another store that doesn't require it. It's not a software requirement, or a requirement from verizon, it's just good business sense on the part of the stores (if you want to know why, refer to my previous comments in this thread)

Yes, I am assuming, but I'm assuming based on factual history and 2+ years of working in the industry. You (and everyone else) are assuming based off of a SINGLE leaked ad for a product that has no official release date or pricing information yet.

Until we get official information, EVERYONE is speculating. I'm just making my assumptions based off of how things have always been instead of what-ifs that bear no similarity to reality.

...

Ok... Let me say this again:

this is a requirement of BEST BUY, NOT VERIZON.

Ok, that's why verizon doesn't just make the plan optional. The plan IS optional, but to buy one from best buy it's not. That's what I've been trying to say the whole time. That's why the argument of "contract" is bogus.

And you're right, it's only been viable for the past year, and for the past year, every tablet has been treated the EXACT same way. Every android device has been treated the EXACT same way. Best buy documentation also said that activation was required on the Tab when it wasn't. So even if the ad wasn't a fake, it's validity is questionable at best.

The purpose of forums is to speculate, which is why you don't write someone off by say "but you're just assuming" like you did earlier.

I've seen internal docs for every other tablet release. They ALL say "this device does not require activation to work" in one way or another. Internal documents do not exist for this device yet, but there is absolutely no reason a PURE GOOGLE tablet would have a lock like this, and there's no reason Verizon would treat this tablet any differently than any other device in their lineup.

No devices require activation, heck you don't even need to give a phone number. But most stores do because of business reasons, not software or rules.

It makes sense. Motorola set the price at $800. BB needs to make a little profit so they partner with Verizon and say we are going to get you activations and data plan signups, just kick us back some money for every one that we signup.

"Oh, no Verizon, we won't tell them that the Xoom really doesn't need any activation, but the consumer doesn't know that. We can tell them anything and they will believe it. Heck, we won't let them buy one without activating it in our stores", says BB to Verizon.

"You guys (BB and Verizon) are messing with the success of my product by trying to extort money from the customers. Our name is going to dragged in the mud for this", Motorola to BB and Verizon.