Samsung

By Suzanne Choney

Prices of the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab have been dropped for a second time, with wireless carriers Verizon and Sprint reducing the price of the tablet to $199.99 with a two-year contract.

The Tab, one of the first major competitors to Apple's iPad, was released last fall, and started life out on the high end — more than $500 by the two carriers. Early this year, Verizon cut the price to $499.99, and Sprint to $299.99. AT&T, which also sells the tablet, for now continues to offer it at $549.99 with a two-year contract.

The price-cutting comes as word is that Motorola's Xoom, the first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet, is "not zooming off shelves," as InformationWeek noted, with an estimated 100,000 tablets sold in the first month or so since it went on sale.

There still aren't many Android tablet-based apps available for the tablet, compared to those for Apple's iPad, and pricing also may be a factor. The Xoom carries a hefty $800 price tag (although you can find it for less online).

Meanwhile, sales of the iPad 2, which starts at $499, are estimated to be between 2.4 million and 2.6 million in March, when it went on sale, a source told DigiTimes, a Taiwanese tech business publication.

"Based on a conservative estimate, Apple is likely to take delivery of 4-4.3 million units a month, or a total of over 12 million units, of iPad 2 tablets in the second quarter, said the sources."

Related articles:

• Consumer Reports recommends iPad 2 ... and its competition
• Apple iPad 2 review: It's the tablet to beat
• Motorola Xoom review: iPad finally has competition
• Galaxy Tab vs. iPad: The tablet war begins now

Check out Technolog on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.