Research In Motion revealed the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry Tablet OS running 1 GHz dual-core processor, weighing less than a pound with a 7" high resolution touchscreen (1024 x 600, WSVGA). The BlackBerry PlayBook has dual HD cameras (5 megapixel back and 3 megapixel front) and supports Adobe Flash Player 10.1. Features work with BlackBerry smartphones via Bluetooth. RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.
BlackBerry spies previously called the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet the BlackPad and BlackBerry Tab.
There's an HDMI output port for presenting one's creations on external displays. The BlackBerry PlayBook also offers rich stereo sound and a media player.
For those BlackBerry PlayBook users who carry a BlackBerry smartphone, it will also be possible to pair their tablet and smartphone using a secure Bluetooth connection. This means they can opt to use the larger tablet display to seamlessly and securely view any of the email, BBM, calendar, tasks, documents and other content that resides on (or is accessible through) their smartphone. They can also use their tablet and smartphone interchangeably without worrying about syncing or duplicating data. This secure integration of BlackBerry tablets and smartphones is a particularly useful feature for those business users who want to leave their laptop behind.
Specs of the BlackBerry PlayBook
- 7" LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touchscreen 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" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 193mm x 10mm).
- Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g).
See video at end of this article.
The BlackBerry PlayBook is expected to be available in retail outlets and other channels in the United States in early 2011 with rollouts in other international markets beginning in (calendar) Q2.
RIM will begin working with developers and select corporate customers next month to begin development and early testing efforts.
Enterprise-Ready
Thanks to the seamless and secure Bluetooth pairing experience and the highly secure underlying OS architecture, the BlackBerry PlayBook is enterprise-ready and compatible (out-of-the-box) with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. When connected over Bluetooth, the smartphone content is viewable on the tablet, but the content actually remains stored on the BlackBerry smartphone and is only temporarily cached on the tablet (and subject to IT policy controls). With this approach to information security, IT departments can deploy the BlackBerry PlayBook to employees out-of-the-box without worrying about all the security and manageability issues that arise when corporate data is stored on another device.
QNX Neutrino Reliability
The BlackBerry Tablet OS is built upon the QNX Neutrin® microkernel architecture, one of the most reliable, secure and robust operating system architectures in the world. Neutrino has been field-hardened for years and is being used to support mission-critical applications in everything from planes, trains and automobiles to medical equipment and the largest core routers that run the Internet. The new BlackBerry Tablet OS leverages and builds upon the many proven strengths of this QNX Neutrino architecture to support a professional grade tablet experience and to redefine the possibilities for mobile computing.
An OS Built for Developers
The Neutrino-based microkernel architecture in the BlackBerry Tablet OS delivers exceptional performance, high scalability, Common Criteria EAL 4+ security, and support for industry standard tools that are already familiar to hundreds of thousands of developers. The OS is fully POSIX-compliant, enabling easy portability of C-based code, supports Open GL for 2D and 3D graphics intensive applications like gaming, and will run applications built in Adobe Mobile AIR as well as the new BlackBerry WebWorks app platform announced today (which will allow apps to be written to run on BlackBerry PlayBook tablets as well as BlackBerry smartphones with BlackBerry 6). The BlackBerry Tablet OS will also support Java-enabling developers to easily bring their existing BlackBerry 6 Java applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment.