Playbook: two cameras for video conferencing.

The battle for communications device supremacy intensified between consumer-focused Apple and business-centric BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion with the unveiling of RIM’s answer to the iPad on 27 September. The company showed off the new tablet computer at its DEVCON developer conference in San Francisco.

Business-focused device

Called the Playbook, this is the first tablet to focus on the business sector and seen as a clever move by RIM, whose BlackBerry smartphone dominates the corporate space. Analysts predict the new Playbook will give RIM an opportunity to dominate in a familiar market where it enjoys a solid reputation.

Exciting time

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

‘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 new device offers ‘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’, according to RIM. 

7” screen: photo gallery.

Features

The Playbook will have a 7” screen with front- and rear-facing cameras to enable video conferencing, which will appeal especially to the business market.

The operating system is based around the recently acquired QNX software and is specifically designed for a tablet-sized computer, so avoiding the problems that come with re-configuring smartphone software.

The Playbook will feature Bluetooth and WiFi. It currently lacks 3G capabilities but users can tether a BlackBerry to the table to enable 3G data connectivity. RIM says it intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.

Availability

The company expects to ship the device to corporate customers and developers in October and will retail the device in the United States from early in 2011 with an international roll-out beginning in the second quarter. RIM has yet to announce a price but says it will fall in the lower range of prices for consumer tablets already available in a suddenly congested market, a move which will enable the device to appeal to consumers as well as business users.

Market share

Since its April launch, Apple’s iPad has dominated the tablet market, but there is strong competition from Samsung Galaxy tablet, Dell’s Streak and other contenders like HP, Lenovo, Asus, HTC and Acer; not forgetting Google and Microsoft, of course. A probably competitor in the business space will be Cisco’s Cius tablet.

Playbook available in 2011.

Meanwhile, in the smartphone arena, RIM leads the pack with 39.3% market share, according to research firm ComScore. The iPhone’s share of the US market was 23.8% and Google’s Android was 17% for the quarter ending in July.

Key features

• 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: measures 5.1’x7.6’x0.4’ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm), weighs approximately 400g.

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