Tag Archives: Wireless

Blackberry launches Playbook

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Blackberry has announced its answer to Apple’s iPad with a device called the Playbook.

The company unveiled its tablet computer to much anticipation at its developer conference, Devcon, in San Francisco.

It is one of the first business-centric devices in the tablet market.

Analysts said that the release was a clever move by the Blackberry maker Research In Motion whose smartphones dominate the business sector.

“This is one of the most exciting times in our history,” said Mike Lazaridis, RIM chief executive officer.

“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,” added Mr Lazaridis.

The tablet will be able to run Adobe’s Flash, which Apple’s iPad doesn’t, and offer micro-HDMI and micro-usb ports. It weighs just 400g and includes dual HD cameras for video calling. Pricing and release dates, for the UK and the rest of the world, have not yet been announced, but it will be available in the USA in the first quarter of 2011 and “international markets” in the second quarter.

Although 3G and 4G models are planned for the future, the device will initially connect to the web via wifi or via a user’s BlackBerry smartphone, and offer a reflection of its screen for expanded use.

BlackBerry PlayBook

BlackBerry PlayBook

Lazardis said it will offer “true multi-tasking” and “an amplified view of what’s already on your BlackBerry”. It’s expected that 16gb and 32gb models will be offered.

The new operating system will also offer open standards, which RIM says will be “a breakthrough development platform for IT departments and developers”. The developers’ kit will be available in the next few weeks.

The move represents the confirmation of rumours of a “BlackPad” that have run through the industry since Apple launched its iPad. It comes after Samsung announced a similar tablet, the Tab, although RIM has stuck with its own in-house operating system, whereas Samsung and a host of other manufacturers have adopted Google’s Android.


# PlayBook is smaller and lighter than iPad… and plays Flash
# Comes with USB connection and has front and rear cameras
# Experts expect it to cost about the same as Apple’s iPad

Tim Renowden, an analyst for Ovum, said: ‘The BlackBerry PlayBook certainly looks like a strong contender against Apple’s iPad, at least amongst RIM’s core enterprise customers.

‘RIM’s dominance of the enterprise smartphone market has begun to come under pressure from Apple and a range of Android competitors, and since the iPad’s launch there has been a lot of discussion about the role of tablet devices in enterprise and the adoption of consumer devices by business users.

‘The danger for RIM is that Apple already has a big head start in the tablet market, and the buzz around its apps and ‘cool factor’ is significant.

BlackBerry PlayBook

BlackBerry PlayBook

‘Many business users will want to bring their own iPads into the work environment, so this is going to be a long and hard fought battle for RIM, but an important one as mobile devices become an increasingly important part of doing business.’

BlackBerry PlayBook :

Display: 7-inch 1024 x 600 LCD

Weight: 0.9lbs

Operating System: BlackBerry tablet OS

Browser: BlackBerry

Flash support: Yes

Ebooks: Yes

Apps: BlackBerry App World

Multitasking: Yes

Camera: 3 MP front, 5 MP back

Input/Output: microHDMI, microUSB

Processor: 1GHz dual-core Cortex A9

Storage: TBC

RAM: 1GB

Wireless: Wi-Fi (3G later), Bluetooth

Battery life: TBC

Price: TBC

At a nearby conference called TechCrunch Disrupt, Todd Bradley, the company’s executive vice president for the personal systems group said tablets are going to be a huge market.

Mr Bradley told attendees that he estimates that in the next few years tablets will be a $40bn market.

Samsung recently introduced its Galaxy tablet as did Dell with the 5 inch Streak. Other companies waiting in the wings with their versions include Lenovo, Asus, HTC, and Acer as well as Google and Microsoft.

A possible contender for the business customer is likely to come in the form of Cisco’s Cius tablet.

Blackberry to reveal ‘BlackPad’ tablet to rival iPad

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RIM

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) is set to unveil its version of a tablet computer to take on the iPad next week, it was claimed today.

The BlackPad, as it has been nicknamed, will be launched before the end of the year and will have a seven-inch touch screen and at least one built-in camera, a source told the Wall Street Journal.

And it is claimed that RIM will unveil the device at a developers’ conference in San Francisco next week.

Quoting people familiar with RIM’s plans, the Wall Street Journal also confirmed Tuesday that the BlackPad is being launched Monday. The tablet will feature a seven-inch touch screen and one or two built-in cameras, the paper said.

It will also have Bluetooth and broadband connections but will only be able to connect to cellular networks through a BlackBerry smartphone. The tablet won’t be sold with a cellular service, leaving unclear which carriers or retailers will sell the device, the journal reported, quoting people familiar with RIM’s plans.

blackpad-1-lancastria

RIM Blackpad

As reported earlier, the BlackPad will not operate on the newly launched BlackBerry 6 operating system launched in August, but on a new platform built by QNX Software Systems.

The BlackBerry maker had acquired Ottawa-based QNX Software Systems for USD 200 million in April to have exclusive access to its software technology for its tablet.

QNX Software Systems is a unique company as its technology powers the six-wheeled unmanned Crusher combat vehicle of the US Army as well as the music, media and navigation systems in cars from BMW and Porsche.

By buying QNX Software Systems, RIM has also brought on board independent software developers who develop applications exclusively for QNX. Since RIM is way behind Apple in offering applications on its devices, QNX’s technology is a major boost for the Canadian wireless giant.


All future devices from RIM will operate on the QNX operating system, rather than its current operating systems, including BlackBerry 6, which have been termed slow.

The BlackPad tablet is being manufactured by Quanta Computer Inc. of Taiwan, and will run on chips from California’s Marvell Technology Group Inc., the journal reported, quoting people familar with the the tablet’s manufacturing.

The tablet will be another attempt by RIM to catch up with its rivals as it has been fast losing its market dominance in the smart phone market to Apple’s iPad and Google Android devices.

Though theWaterloo-based Canadian company has posted a record growth in the second quarter and reported high sales of the latest BlackBerry Torch 9800, Apple’s iPhone is making big inroads into its corporate and business client base.

Compounding its problems, the BlackBerry maker also faces ban in some big markets, including India, which are seeking access to its secure encrypted emails for security reasons.