Verizon just updated its product page for the Motorola XOOM, and in the process, the tablet's release date has been made official. Just as expected, you'll be able to buy the Honeycomb-loaded beast this Thursday (2/24), but unfortunately, Adobe's Flash Player won't be included out of the box. Instead, the page's fine print says, the software is "expected in Spring 2011."

Engadget speculates that Verizon / Motorola are waiting for Flash 10.2, which is supposed to launch in the coming weeks, and I would say that's a pretty fair assumption. Still, it's kind of disappointing that the XOOM won't have Flash at launch since even the Galaxy Tab can play back Flash content.

Let's hope Verizon can stay true to its promise and deliver Flash in a timely fashion - otherwise, Big Red might have to face a mob of angry Adobe fans.

Source: Verizon via Engadget, Droid Life