BlackBerry PlayBook goes on sale today

The day of the BlackBerry PlayBook has finally arrived. While RIM has missed their end of Q1 2011 deadline promised earlier, RIM delivers the tablet 19 days into the first month of Q2. Since RIM’s market share in the smartphone segment has been declining, the BlackBerry PlayBook could be vital to the success of the company.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is a tablet that packs a 7″ 1024 x 600 display, TI OMAP4 dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GH of RAM, QNX operating system, a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 3 megapixel front facing camera, Adobe Flash and HTML5 support. It is designed for both enterprise users and regular consumers, as evident by the games that come preloaded with the device and RIM’s previous dealings with the enterprise sector – BlackBerry smartphones were what brought RIM to where they are now.

While early reviews of the tablet haven’t been too positive and one can only hope that it improves over time. Most of the complaints stemmed from the lack of email and organizer apps and its reliance to being tethered to a BlackBerry smartphone. In terms of hardware, its powerful specs make running multiple apps, 3D games and even HD videos a breeze so let’s hope RIM takes it up a notch by improving the software over the next few months. After all, its support for BlackBerry Java and Android Apps will ensure users won’t be stuck with a tablet that has nothing to do.

The BlackBerry PlayBook will be on sale today at Best Buy, OfficeMax, Staples or from RIM’s website. The BlackBerry PlayBook will come in three variants – 16GB at $499, 32GB for $599, and 64GB for $699. All three models are WiFi-only but you can expect 3G and 4G versions to arrive later this year. Anybody picking up a PlayBook today?

George Wong
Categories: Tablets
Tags: BlackBerry, playbook, qnx, RIM, sale, Tablet