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Fourth BlackBerry PlayBook Update Available Later This Week

Michael Kwan — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:01:25 +0000

You can tell that Research in Motion rushed the BlackBerry PlayBook to market. They didn’t want to miss the wave, so they released a product that wasn’t quite finished yet. Despite being out for just three months, the PlayBook is set to receive its fourth official update. And this is a good one too.

The newest update from RIM offers several new functions and features. First, you can now do the pinch-to-zoom thing while watching videos. That’s not a huge deal, but I think it’s a nifty addition. You can also finally view your photos in portrait mode, save attachments to your SD card or your phone’s internal memory, and go international with support for 15 additional languages.

For the corporate and business crowd, it’s also great to see that you can finally extract those ZIP files that your colleagues have been sending you via e-mail. You will need to use Bridge and port from your BlackBerry smartphone, but at least you can see what Joe from accounting means when he refers to the 15 TPS reports he just sent you.

This is the V1.0.7 update, and unfortunately it’s been stalled. Blackberry yanked it down and posted an explanation on Twitter, “Some users were experiencing issues with Bridge & 1.0.7. We expect to release an update with a fix later this week.” Sounds like Blackberry rushed this update too.

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Rumor: RIM PlayBook to be delayed over battery concern

Michael Kwan — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 03:13:07 +0000

The BlackBerry PlayBook is late to the tablet party, having been beaten to the punch by Apple’s iPad and then subsequently missing the holiday shopping season. That may or may not be an issue for the “corporate tablet” deceivingly named with a fun word; but it looks like RIM is enroute to missing another opportunity. And the PlayBook has apparently been hit with another delay.

We originally heard that RIM was trying to get the PlayBook ready in time for Santa to make his rounds, but that a Q1 2011 release was considerably more likely. This was later “confirmed” by Jim Balsillie that the PlayBook would go on sale in the first quarter with a sub-$500 price tag. However, it seems that some battery concerns could push the date a little deeper into 2011, according to Shaw Wu of Kaufman Brothers.

Apparently, RIM is trying to “improve its relatively poor battery life of a few hours compared to the 6 hours for the Samsung Galaxy Tab and 10 hours for iPad.” Enterprise users certainly need some extra juice on the go, and low battery life is going to be a big no-no in this market. As such, Wu is saying that RIM won’t be ready with a commercially-viable PlayBook until May 2011.

By then, the market will have already been flooded with a series of Android tablets, not to mention the distinct possibility of an iPad 2 around the same time. RIM already missed some opportunities and if a May launch is indeed for real, they could be really late to the party. They’d need a PlayBook 2 by the time PlayBook (1) is ready.

[BGR]

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Hands-on with BlackBerry PlayBook tablet (video)

Michael Kwan — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:33:25 +0000

Are you on the verge of buying an Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab, but you’re intrigued by the possibilities of the upcoming RIM PlayBook? Let’s add to that intrigue, because here is a complete hands-on walkthrough video of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

The demo runs through quite a few of the tablet’s main features, including the QNX-sourced operating system of course. Everything looks to be running very silky smooth and it has derived some menu inspirations from both Android and iOS.

The multitasking is particularly impressive with large “thumbnail” images shown in a CoverFlow-like manner. In the demo, he has the music player, photo app, and video player all running at the same time. Like Windows 7, the “thumbnail” of the video player is actually showing the video. That’s neat, but surely a battery drain.

They also run through some other nifty things like closing open apps in the multitasking manager (swipe it up), the built-in camera app, and so on. Interestingly, there’s no demo of Flash support, which is supposed to be a big selling point over the iPad.

Overall, it looks pretty darn cool, though I find that the bezel is a little too “fat” around the color display. What do you think? Does RIM have an iPad killer on its hands, or just an iPad clone?

[BGR]

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BlackBerry PlayBook rumored to start at just $399 sans contract?

Michael Kwan — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 21:35:14 +0000

The Apple iPad starts at $499. The Galaxy Tab sells for $399 with a data agreement. What is Research in Motion going to do to jump into this emerging tablet market? Undercut the price, of course!

Chalk this one up in the rumor mill for now, but it sounds like RIM is going to sell three different versions of its QNX-powered PlayBook and the starting price is just $399. There’s no mention of a contract in the rumor, so this could very well be the unsubsidized price.

The $399 price point gets you the 8GB PlayBook. Add a hundred bucks to bump up to 16GB and top out at $599 for the 32-gigger. Aside from storage, all three models will have the same 7-inch screen, same 1GHz dual core processor, dual cameras, Wi-Fi, and BES support.

This pricing scheme could bode well for Balsillie and crew. They’ve been known to undercut with cheaper versions of the Pearl and Curve line, for example, so why would the tablet offering be any different?

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BlackBerry PlayBook demo makes tablet multi-tasking look sexy

Fabrizio Pilato — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:32:43 +0000

Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO of RIM jumped on the mic during the Adobe MAX conference with Kevin Lynch, CTO of Adobe. They gave the first live operation preview of the PlayBook ever. It really looks smooth and intuitive, I’m super impressed by the multitasking ease. Adobe Air apps are going to give some serious competition to Apple, especially for providing app solutions to the medical industry and other professionals. The Adobe Air skin media player is very quick and plays HD with ease. They even show the YouTube site playing videos, yes, it’s not a “dumbed down internet” it’s the full experience.

“If you write a new air application and its accepted to BlackBerry Appworld, you’ll be eligible for a free BlackBerry Playbook.” concluded Lazaridis.

SOURCE: BlackBerry Dev Blog

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BlackBerry PlayBook tablet teaser video

Fabrizio Pilato — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:47:20 +0000

Well, we can garner one certain thing from this video by RIM featuring their newly unveiled BlackBerry Playbook, they want it to be everything. Projecting the BlackBerry Tablet OS on coffee tables, walls, textbook covers and vintage vinyl cabinets leads me to believe RIM wants the PlayBook to replace everything and anything we can think of. This will take a super app or two, and if RIM gets it right could very well make for some seriously “disconnected” tablet competition for the iPad and Galaxy Tab. Check the video for some teaser goodness.

Thanks to NCOFFICIALx for posting this one.

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BlackBerry Playbook tablet by RIM unveiled, WiFi only in 2011

Fabrizio Pilato — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:37:08 +0000

RIM has today announced the BlackBerry Playbook tablet running on the newly revealed BlackBerry Tablet OS. The Adobe Flash touting PlayBook is doing everything Apple missed in their first round, but with millions of units already sold, Apple isn’t breaking a sweat yet. The PlayBook has dual HD cameras for the highest-quality video conferencing available from any handheld device. It will take on RIMs well-known enterprise level quality, security while offering true dual-core hardware multitasking. POSIX OS is the gateway of this multitasking, its built from the ground up to run WebKit, Adobe Flash, HTML 5 apps, you know, all the good stuff QNX brings to the table.

It’s interesting to see RIM went with a 7” LCD display with capacitive multi-touch, not matching the Apple iPad but the Samsung Galaxy Tab. And that decision leads me to believe RIM is interested in taking the #2 role in the tablet world before Samsung can. What RIM has done is unveiled an entirely new world around the PlayBook, not a product confined to the world of Android flavors by Google, but according to the press release, be a “multitasking powerhouse.” You can thank the 1 GHz dual-core processor for that, and the fact that developers will be getting an entirely new world to create for the “super app” for PlayBook.

We can expect a US release early 2011, with international markets getting hold of it later in Q2. No pricing released yet, but its surprising there’s only Wi-Fi connectivity now, and 3G/4G models down the road. Meaning, this may not be something available from your wireless carrier as previously suspected with the BlackTab. Why RIM left out 3G wireless connectivity is a bold move, and could be due to security restrictions from enterprise clients.

BlackBerry PlayBook Specifications

• 7” LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable:
o Measures 5.1”x7.6”x0.4” (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
o Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
• Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.
• RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.

[via RIM]

RIM Unveils the BlackBerry PlayBook

New Professional-Grade Tablet Delivers Unmatched Power and Web Performance

San Francisco, CA – BlackBerry DEVCON 2010 – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today redefined the possibilities for mobile computing with the unveiling of its new professional-grade BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet and BlackBerry® Tablet OS.

Perfect for either large organizations or an “army of one”, the BlackBerry PlayBook is designed to give users what they want, including uncompromised web browsing, true multitasking and high performance multimedia, while also providing advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a breakthrough development platform for IT departments and developers. The incredibly powerful and innovative BlackBerry PlayBook is truly a game-changing product in the growing tablet marketplace.

“RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cutting-edge hardware features and one of the world’s most robust and flexible operating systems,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The BlackBerry PlayBook solidly hits the mark with industry leading power, true multitasking, uncompromised web browsing and high performance multimedia.”

The Tablet You’ll Want to Take Everywhere
This beautifully designed and incredibly powerful tablet is ultra portable, ultra thin and super convenient for both work and play. Measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound, the BlackBerry PlayBook features a vivid 7” high resolution display that looks and feels great in your hand. With such a unique mix of utility, performance and portability, you’ll want to take it everywhere.

The New Benchmark in Tablet Performance
At its heart, the BlackBerry PlayBook is a multitasking powerhouse. Its groundbreaking performance is jointly fueled by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and the new BlackBerry Tablet OS which supports true symmetric multiprocessing. Together, the abundant processing power and highly sophisticated OS enable the BlackBerry PlayBook to provide users with true multitasking and a highly-responsive and fluid touch screen experience for apps and content services.

Uncompromised Web Browsing
With support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, Adobe® Mobile AIR® and HTML-5, the BlackBerry PlayBook provides customers with an uncompromised, high-fidelity web experience and offers them the ability to enjoy all of the sites, games and media on the web. For more than a decade, the mobile industry has worked to bridge the gap between the “real web” and mobile devices through various apps and technologies and, in fact, a significant number of mobile apps today still simply serve as a proxy for web content that already exists on the web. The BlackBerry PlayBook closes that gap and brings the real, full web experience to mobile users while also opening new and more exciting opportunities for developers and content publishers.

High Performance Multimedia
The BlackBerry PlayBook features premium multimedia features to support high-quality mobile experiences. It includes dual HD cameras for video capture and video conferencing that can both record HD video at the same time, and an HDMI-out port for presenting one’s creations on external displays. The BlackBerry PlayBook also offers rich stereo sound and a media player that rivals the best in the industry.

BlackBerry Integration
For those BlackBerry PlayBook users who carry a BlackBerry smartphone*, it will also be possible to pair their tablet and smartphone using a secure Bluetooth® connection. This means they can opt to use the larger tablet display to seamlessly and securely view any of the email, BBM™, calendar, tasks, documents and other content that resides on (or is accessible through) their smartphone. They can also use their tablet and smartphone interchangeably without worrying about syncing or duplicating data. This secure integration of BlackBerry tablets and smartphones is a particularly useful feature for those business users who want to leave their laptop behind.

Enterprise Ready
Thanks to the seamless and secure Bluetooth pairing experience and the highly secure underlying OS architecture, the BlackBerry PlayBook is enterprise ready and compatible (out-of-the-box) with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server. When connected over Bluetooth, the smartphone content is viewable on the tablet, but the content actually remains stored on the BlackBerry smartphone and is only temporarily cached on the tablet (and subject to IT policy controls). With this approach to information security, IT departments can deploy the BlackBerry PlayBook to employees out-of-the-box without worrying about all the security and manageability issues that arise when corporate data is stored on yet another device.

QNX Neutrino Reliability
The BlackBerry Tablet OS is built upon the QNX® Neutrino® microkernel architecture, one of the most reliable, secure and robust operating system architectures in the world. Neutrino has been field hardened for years and is being used to support mission-critical applications in everything from planes, trains and automobiles to medical equipment and the largest core routers that run the Internet. The new BlackBerry Tablet OS leverages and builds upon the many proven strengths of this QNX Neutrino architecture to support a professional grade tablet experience and to redefine the possibilities for mobile computing.

An OS Built for Developers
The Neutrino based microkernel architecture in the BlackBerry Tablet OS delivers exceptional performance, high scalability, Common Criteria EAL 4+ security, and support for industry standard tools that are already familiar to hundreds of thousands of developers. The OS is fully POSIX compliant enabling easy portability of C-based code, supports Open GL for 2D and 3D graphics intensive applications like gaming, and will run applications built in Adobe Mobile AIR as well as the new BlackBerry® WebWorks™ app platform announced today (which will allow apps to be written to run on BlackBerry PlayBook tablets as well as BlackBerry smartphones with BlackBerry® 6). The BlackBerry Tablet OS will also support Java enabling developers to easily bring their existing BlackBerry 6 Java applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment.

Key features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook include:

Availability
The BlackBerry PlayBook is expected to be available in retail outlets and other channels in the United States in early 2011 with rollouts in other international markets beginning in (calendar) Q2.
RIM will begin working with developers and select corporate customers next month to begin development and early testing efforts.
The BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK is planned for release in the coming weeks and developers can register for early access at www.blackberry.com/developers/tabletos.
For more information, visit www.blackberry.com/playbook.

*Bluetooth support required.

About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “intend,” “believe”, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause RIM’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of RIM’s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM’s forward-looking statements. RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.

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BlackBerry BlackPad tablet to be announced at next week’s conference

Michael Kwan — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 23:45:14 +0000

The Apple iPad has taken the world by storm and the Samsung Galaxy Tab is garnering some attention in its own right. Not to be lost in the mix, it seems that Research in Motion is ready to take the wraps off its own tablet offering, the so-called BlackPad.

Not surprisingly, the spokespeople at RIM are still staying pretty mum on the matter, but this report comes by way of the Wall Street Journal. The unveiling, they say, will be at the RIM developer conference in San Francisco next week.

Interestingly, people are saying that the BlackPad seven-inch tablet won’t be running on a version of BB OS 6 like how the iPad runs on a version of the iPhone-sourced iOS. Instead, they’re apparently using QNX Software, from the firm that RIM bought in April for $200 million. You can also expect Marvell chips, one or two cameras, and a Q4 release date.

Originally, the rumors said that the BlackPad would be marketed as a device to accompany a BlackBerry, but this is starting to sound like it’ll be a standalone device much like the iPad or Galaxy Tab. Whatever the case, I certainly hope for RIM’s sake that this doesn’t turn into another BlackBerry Storm. That was no iPhone killer.

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-rim-may-unveil-blackberry-tablet-next-week/2010-09-22

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RIM Black Pad $500 tablet scheduled for a November launch

Michael Kwan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:37:15 +0000

The BlackBerry Torch, in many ways, is supposed to compete against the Apple iPhone 4. In much the same manner, the Apple iPad could be facing some competition from RIM’s upcoming tablet. And now, we’re hearing that the so-called BlackPad could launch this November.

We’re already reasonably confident that a Research in Motion Black Pad is in the works and it will be designed largely to work in tandem with a BlackBerry device. That’s partly why, according to Financial Post, that the BlackPad will not come with a 3G-equipped option. That’s good and bad, I suppose, because you can still latch onto the Internet via a Wi-Fi connection, possibly tethering with your chosen BlackBerry smartphone. The rumors also point toward dual cameras (front and rear) and Bluetooth.

Most people are assuming that the RIM BlackPad will run on some variant of BlackBerry OS 6, but Wireless Ground is reporting that it could be Android under the hood instead. That sounds pretty out there.

RIM Reported to Launch BlackPad in November [IT Business Edge]
Rumors Say BlackBerry BlackPad Might Run on Android [Wireless Ground]

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