RIM Unveils Tethered Tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook

SAN FRANCISCO — BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is jumping into the tablet arena with the PlayBook. It will have a 7-inch screen and is designed for both personal and business users.

“This is an ultramobile, always on, ultrathin device,” Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of Research In Motion told attendees at the ongoing BlackBerry developer conference. “The first time you hold it, it just feels right and you want to take it everywhere you go.”

The BlackBerry PlayBook is 0.4 inches (9.7 mm) thick, making it thinner than the iPad’s 0.5 inches.

It will include Wi-Fi but no 3G connectivity, making it a tablet that will have to be paired with BlackBerry phones for 3G internet access. RIM did not comment on whether the wireless tethering option will be available with other smartphones, too. But it is promising 3G and 4G models in the future.

The device will have a high-resolution 1024 x 600 pixels widescreen display and will be lightweight at just 0.9 lbs, compared to the iPad’s 1.5 lbs.

The PlayBook will run on a 1-GHz dual-core processor and come with 1 GB RAM. It will also include two cameras: a 5-megapixel camera at the back, and a 3-megapixel front-facing camera. The PlayBook also has videorecording capability.

The tablet will run QNX, an operating system from a company that Research In Motion bought last year. It will include an HDMI video output and a USB port.

RIM did not announce pricing or exact availability for the PlayBook. The device is expected to hit retail stores early next year.

BlackBerry’s PlayBook the latest challenger to Apple’s iPad, which launched in April. Apple has sold more than 3 million iPads so far, while rivals have been slow to meet the challenge. Dell and Samsung have announced their own tablets, though Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet has yet to hit the market. Meanwhile, Microsoft and HP have both canceled planned tablet projects.

RIM has one advantage: The BlackBerry platform is still the No. 1 smartphone operating system because of the company’s strength with business users. Because the PlayBook is tied to the BlackBerry, that may give it a leg up in the market.

BlackBerry’s tablet also hopes to beat rivals by offering a rich web experience, multitasking and a speedy processor, and by attracting developers and publishers to the device.

The PlayBook will support full Flash 10.1, have hardware-accelerated video and 1080p HD video.

Lazaridis hopes the PlayBook will become a favorite among business users.

“The BlackBerry PlayBook, just like the BlackBerry smartphones, will become the enterprise standard,” he told developers.

The PlayBook will support multitasking and a native SDK, or software developers kit, will be available for the device.

“The PlayBook will be an incredible gaming platform for game designers and a great platform for publishers,” says Dan Dodge, the founder of QNX who is also being billed as the inventor of the PlayBook tablet. “We are giving everyone the full web experience on a very powerful platform.”

RIM didn’t offer any hands-on demos with the PlayBook, keeping the device firmly behind a glass box. But we have a few photos of the PlayBook from the show. Also check out the company’s preview video for the BlackBerry PlayBook.