BlackBerry Tablet: A Timely Approach?

Research in Motion announced the long-debated BlackBerry Tablet – the PlayBook at its developer’s conference in San Francisco. The PlayBook has been developed to help RIM contend with the iPad and the array of Android tablets predicted to hit the market in the coming months.

The tablet will use an OS created by QNX Software Systems, a company purchased by RIM earlier this year. The new Operating System – BlackBerry Tablet OS will offer complete OpenGL and POSIX support with web standards like HTML5. The PlayBook is compatible with Flash 10.1 and Adobe AIR apps. Some salient features of the professional tablet include a 7-inch 1024 x 600  multi-touch display, dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, and a 3 megapixel front-facing camera besides a 5 megapixel rear lens. The device flaunts a slim outlook and weighs only 0.9 pounds.

The core business of RIM is the BlackBerry smartphone and the tablet could create a mass confusion among the smartphone app developers due to change in the development platform. The device is expected to be released in April 2011. However, RIM has not stated any approximate price of the tablet, except that it will be available in a price range that competes with the iPad. It is for RIM to find out if the tablet creates a great competitive standing or an impediment to its smartphone sale.