BlackBerry PlayBook - Tablet Market Heating Up

The big news from RIM this week was the official announcement of the BlackBerry PlayBook, the latest entry into the growing computer tablet market. I'm personally very excited about the potential this beauty holds for road warriors like myself. I have a pretty small laptop but it still weighs about 5lbs. At 0.9lbs, the BlackBerry Playbook significantly lightens my load. I also like the fact that I can view all the apps on the BlackBerry smartphone directly on the PlayBook via Bluetooth and don't have to worry about syncing or duplicating data on the two devices. This is handled automatically by the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

The new tablet OS is a powerhouse and promises to deliver speed and performance not seen on tablet computers to date. It's based on QNX Neutrino software from QNX Software Systems, a maker of real-time OSs and is used in demanding environments such as planes, automobiles, high-end routers and power plant control systems. Secure, reliable and fast. Doesn't get much better than that for a road warrior.

The announcement today about Kobo e-books being available on the BlackBerry Playbook promises to add value from a content perspective. Kobo will be pre-loaded on the PlayBook and integrated with BlackBerry's email, allowing users to share books and create live, book-driven social networking groups. Easy access to 2.2 million titles while on the road and synchronized with me BlackBerry.

I can't wait!

Key features and specs of the BlackBerry PlayBook include:

• 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 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.