RIM Announces New PlayBook Tablet
Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry line of products, has announced the impending release of a tablet style device known as the PlayBook.
The PlayBook will feature a 7 inch touchscreen, front and rear facing HD cameras, and will run on a new OS developed around QNX’s Neutrino software.
While RIM has yet to announce a firm release date or price point for the PlayBook, the announcement of the device’s specs was major news. Unlike the recently released BlackBerry Torch, which featured a touchscreen but still ran the BlackBerry OS, the PlayBook is being viewed as a major step for RIM.
It’s still unclear exactly how RIM will market the PlayBook, but its connection to the BlackBerry is expected to be a major selling point. As opposed to the iPad, which is more of a standalone device, the PlayBook is expected to be able to link with a user’s existing BlackBerry device and servers.
That alone could make it much more enticing to enterprise customers looking for an easy tablet transition and a highly secure device.
RIM is set to release a software development kit for the PlayBook in the coming weeks. While the device’s hardware meets or exceeds the standards set by the iPad, and boasts the BlackBerry tie-in, it may well be the software and apps that are developed for the PlayBook that dictate its success or failure.
Apps and the overall user experience have been the biggest draws for the iPad. If RIM hopes to compete head to head with Apple, it will need to develop a full user experience for the PlayBook that reaches beyond enterprise customers.
With the device not set to launch until early 2011, RIM has time to build an app market and allow developers to boost the PlayBook’s profile and chances.
Should the PlayBook prove to be developer friendly and provide a quality user experience, it could well turn out to be a significant competitor for the iPad, particularly for enterprise users.
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