BlackBerry Maker RIM Enters Tablet Fray With PlayBook

The new tablet won't be out until sometime in the new year. No price was announced. The device won't be able to connect to a mobile network, except through a BlackBerry, but will be able to connect to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi nets.

"RIM today took the wraps off its BlackBerry PlayBook, and the rumor mill churn became a reality: A BlackBerry tablet is on its way. It's not due out until early 2011, but for now, it's the talk of the town. And rightly so: The tablet market represents a fresh tableaux, so to speak, for RIM to position itself with a product that appeals across multiple market segments and demographics.

The unit RIM showed off today at its Devcon keynote in San Francisco seems to strike some necessary and highly attractive notes. The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet itself has a 7-inch screen, which rivals the Samsung Galaxy Tab due out later this year. It packs a dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, front- and rear-facing cameras, and 1080p video recording. It also boasts a microUSB port, and microHDMI output. Not too shabby in a slim 0.38-inch package. Those specs exceed the Galaxy Tab on paper, in some counts-and the inclusion of ports is an enticing add (so far, only Stream TV's Elocity has surfaced with any ports of note on-board)."