PlayBook is coming
Posted Sep 27, 2010 04:52:04 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SAN FRANCISCO — BlackBerry has unveiled its entry into the tablet market – and it’s called; PlayBook.
Waterloo based Research in Motion showed off the tablet for the first time yesterday at a developers conference in San Francisco and is set to launch it in early 2011.
RIM is betting on a smaller, lighter device than Apple’s iPad. The PlayBook will have a seven-inch screen, making it half the size of the iPad and about half the weight.
And unlike the iPad, it will have two cameras, front and back. Outside of Wi-Fi range, it will be able to pick up cellular service to access the Web by linking to a BlackBerry. The PlayBook can also output its video to a projector or big screen.
But the tablet will also work as a standalone device.
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis says it’ll be available on store shelves in the U.S. early next year with a rollout to other international markets expected around May.
RIM’s other co-CEO Jim Balsillie says its goal is to present the full Web experience of a computer, including the ability to display Flash format for video and interactive material.
He says that means the tablet will be less dependent on third-party applications or “apps.”
Balsillie adds he’s had briefings with business executives and “this is hands-down, slam-dunk what they’re looking for.”
Analysts agree RIM’s close relationship with its corporate clients could help the company establish a comfortable niche in the tablet market despite Apple’s early lead.
