RIM announces BlackBerry PlayBook tablet

[thymaster]

Originally Posted by CazMar

I just showed the article to my husband (a confirmed Blackberry fan). Oh well, there goes my new furniture.....

Love at first sight!

A wife that will sacrifice furniture shopping for husband's hobby. I like that. Will you marry me?

[thymaster]

It's "PlayStation" + "Facebook" = PlayBook

Hopefully Sony and Facebook doesn't go after RIM over some common trademark names.

PlayBook is a great name imo. In the past, RIM have been stereotyped as more of a enterprise solution company and not so consumer friendly. This name will divert people stereotype.

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

hmm ... PlayBook. I wonder if they considered BlackBoard. I saw that bandied about somewhere and liked it more than most other names i had seen rumored, including PlayBook.

[m-reader]

What I find really interesting is that it ways that the Tablet OS is based on QNX Real time OS. From the little I know QNX is mainly used for embedded and real-time systems and such (e.g. Space Shuttle equipment).
Interesting ...

Update:
QNX web site is blowing its own trumpet.As a developer I find this really interesting.

Performance-proven in millions of mission-critical systems, the QNX® Neutrino® RTOS brings a potent mix of speed, reliability, and flexibility to the new BlackBerry® Tablet OS from RIM.

The QNX Neutrino RTOS is known the world over for the ultimate in performance and reliability. Proven in everything from the space station and the world’s highest capacity router to millions of in-car systems, it brings capabilities to the mobile market that are absolutely unique.
Space-grade reliability

From day one, the QNX Neutrino RTOS was designed for bullet-proof operation. Its microkernel architecture protects every application, driver, file system, and protocol stack in the safety of memory-protected user space. As a result, multiple third-party applications can run simultaneously on the RTOS without corrupting one another or the RTOS itself. Better yet, applications and services can be updated dynamically for nonstop service.
True multi-tasking for multi-core

QNX Neutrino is a multi-threaded RTOS optimized for the latest multi-core processors. Its field-proven implementation of symmetric multi-processing (SMP) allows multiple applications to run in parallel while extracting the maximum performance from every processing core.
Standards-based for portability

QNX Software Systems is a champion of industry standards, including Flash, POSIX and OpenGL ES. In fact, the QNX Neutrino RTOS is POSIX-certified, not just POSIX-like, allowing application developers to leverage an immense pool of open source applications and code.

[brainycat]

I'm a longtime crackberry addict. I love the way BB handles my multiple email accounts and I've invested over a hundred bucks in thirdparty apps that solve all my PDA needs.

Except a decent integrated browser. I am so frustrated at trying to launch links from twitter and getting blank screens, unconscionably long render times, and/or unreadable pages.

Looking at rim.com's presentation for the Playbook, it looks like the PB only handles BIS/BES connectivity when tethered to a v5 BB. I'm very disappointed that all that development effort went into making building a browser for QNX rather than fixing the one that comes with the handheld. Clearly, the PB is meant as an add-on accessory rather than a replacement for the BB. As if I have pockets big enough (or deep enough) to carry something that size around.

I'm thinking an early termination fee + new contract + DroidX is a better option than extending contract + expensive tablet + carrying a second, bigger device.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by EricDP

"The PlayBook is aimed at business customers, co-chief executive Michael Lazaridis said during a speech at the conference. The device is 9.7 millimeters wide and features a seven-inch touch screen. It can run both HTML 5 and Flash 10.1 and has a one gigahertz dual-core processor with one gigabyte of RAM...."

A 7" screen which is not even a cm wide? Then how high must it be!


I'd like a larger tablet than that. 7" is too large for a PDA, and too small for reading A4 (or letter) sized papers.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by wodin

I think they're trying to pump up their sagging phone sales. Personally I think it’s ill advised to exclude non-Blackberry phones. No way would I trade in my EVO for a Crackberry just to be a front end for this toy.

I don't think it will exclude other phones, simply that the level of functionality will be higher if you connect via a blackberry that obviously has a more secure link into your company's intranet than another make.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by EricDP

There seems to be a lot being said about the lack of 3G service. The article does say 3G will come in a future model, just not the one out in Q1 2011... Odd choice that a phone maker wouldn't include this in rev 1, but maybe it's just a cost-containment thing?

I think cost reduction may be a minor part in the decision, but it is far more likely to be the case that their market research shows their target market already have smartphones and data plans.

Also, by not having the 3g radio built into the tablet then it means that they won't have to go through the lengthy carrier approval processes and as a result they will be able to get it to market that much sooner, dissuading some people from buying another tablet for xmas and getting into the shops before other ones get released.

[petermillard]

Good move from Blackberry, I think.

It's a 7-incher, so avoids direct comparison with iPad, and it doesn't use Android, so avoids direct comparison with Samsung Galaxy Tab etc… It tethers to your existing Blackberry if you want on-the-go access (with presumably all the benefits that Blackberry users will be used to e.g. super-secure email etc…) whilst simultaneously quietening-down the 'but I don't want a separate data-plan…' crowd. Or (presumably) it could be bought as WiFi-only for folks who just want it for home or office use.

RIM have show (at least here in the UK) that they can be price-competitive, and with a compelling feature set (e.g. BIM) very successful outside of the corporate marketplace - Blackberry Curve is hugely popular amongst teenagers in the UK right now.

Personally I don't think the 'Playbook' name sits very well for the corporate markets (but then I don't really 'get' "Kindle" as a product name either <shrug>) though as mentioned above, the sporting metaphor makes some sense, at least in the US, and if RIM have their sights set outside the corporate zone elsewhere in the world then it's a pretty decent name - better than the rumoured 'BlackPad', that's for sure!

I find it a little strange that they're announcing all the specs so far in advance of it actually shipping (my money's on availability at the end of Q1 2010 i.e. March) but presumably that's in order to get developers on board - I'm assuming that there'll be some kind of App Store or Marketplace for third-party Apps??

So, pretty good for existing Blackberry users, and if they price it right it should also appeal to individuals; but March is a long time away - I'd expect the iPad 2 to be announced around about the same time this is actually shipping.

We'll see.

Pete.

[CazMar]

Originally Posted by thymaster

A wife that will sacrifice furniture shopping for husband's hobby. I like that. Will you marry me?

Even in far-off Australia I don't think that is strictly legal - but I thank you for the offer.

I can't really complain, having just spent $5K on a new tenor saxophone!

[300com]

Originally Posted by petermillard

Personally I don't think the 'Playbook' name sits very well for the corporate markets (but then I don't really 'get' "Kindle" as a product name either <shrug>) though as mentioned above, the sporting metaphor makes some sense, at least in the US, a

Pete.

Playbook
any plan or set of strategies for outlining a campaign in business or politics.
Source : Dictionary

[Wetdogeared]

Vid from PCWorld.

Research in Motion has just announced the BlackBerry PlayBook, a tablet device designed to compete with Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab. Slated for release in the Spring of 2011, the device will feature multi-tasking, Flash 10.1 support, front and rear-facing HD video cameras, and a slew of other high-end features.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by 300com

Playbook
any plan or set of strategies for outlining a campaign in business or politics.
Source : Dictionary

It still isn't a commonly used term outside north america though.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by carld

Looks interesting but sounds $pendy.

No price announcement means it is spendy. Since they didn't even have a working model, I suspect the specs are predictions and subject to change, given the fact that it's not slated for release until Q1 2011. That's an eternity in the world of high tech.

[Dulin's Books]

well they didnt "announce" a price because they didnt launch the PlayBook. They announced the PlayBook at a developers conference and introduced it to developers so they could get a jump on software development. The media was there because it would have just leaked anyway and they might as well get some publicity.

When its time to have a launch and announce shipping dates there will be prices.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

When its time to have a launch and announce shipping dates there will be prices.

Which means it'll be spendy. They don't want to scare off potential buyers this early in the game.