Research In Motion enters tablet market with BlackBerry PlayBook

Research In Motion (RIM), the manufacturer of BlackBerry, has launched its Playbook tablet to compete with the likes of Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy. The device is 7.6 x 5.10 inches in size and 0.4 inches thick. Besides being smaller than the iPad (which has a diagonal screen of 9.7 inches screen), Playbook weights 60 per cent less (sum to approximately one pound).

The device, which runs on a newly developed BlackBerry Tablet OS system, is also equipped with Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and a USB port, which makes it a very appealing alternative to the iPad. 

On the day of the product launch, the Wall Street Journal blog noted that RIM’s co-CEO Mike Lazaridis and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen appeared on stage together. “Something that Apple CEO Steve Jobs would be extremely unlikely to do at this point,” said the blog.

Users can also do video-conferencing with the built-in front and rear-facing cameras which record in high-definition format.

The Playbook is set to go to market in the US during early 2011 with a global release scheduled for Q2. The retail price has not yet been released but industry estimates are around US$500.