April 19, 2011 is apparently D-DAY for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet, as all reports indicate that it will be widely made available to the public for purchase on that date.
It will be available via a variety of retail outlets, with the popular Office Depot chain being one such. Starting April19th, Office Depot customers can purchase the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB PlayBooks for $499, $599, and $699 respectively.
According to Randy Wick, Office Depot’s Vice President of Merchandising, “Office Depot provides customers with the most innovative lineup of products that will help them take care of business and the BlackBerry PlayBook is certainly one of those game-changing products … There has been a lot of buzz and excitement for the BlackBerry PlayBook to hit the market and we are thrilled to be one of the first retailers to offer this professional-grade tablet.“
RIM announced recently (at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona) that it will launch four versions of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Thus, in addition to the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + WiMax versions of the PlayBook which were long-announced, it will also have 4G LTE and HSPA+ models. These two new versions will reportedly be released during the second half of 2011.
In a statement made at Mobile World Congress 2011, RIM’s President & CEO Mike Lazaridis said “We are now building on the BlackBerry PlayBook’s many advantages with support for additional 4G networks that will allow enhanced business opportunities for carriers and developers and unparalleled mobile experiences for users.”
All versions of the BlackBerry PlayBook will include Bluetooth tethering, mobile hotspot capability, and BlackBerry Bridge (the label’s own software that enables users BlackBerry messenger, calendar, and e-mail).
Word on the street is that when the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is made available to consumers in the coming months, instead of typical and boring pre-installed games such as Solitaire, the BlackBerry PlayBook come with some amazing games – including the Need for Speed (NFS) Undercover – thanks to EA Mobile. The classic puzzle game – Tetris – will also be preloaded on the PlayBook Tablet, so now we’re seeing clear signs that this device isn’t strictly meant for business.
Notably, Need for Speed was one of the first demos that RIM showed off when it launched the OpenGL on its BlackBerry OS. EA Mobile has said however that it may enforce some territorial restrictions for the two games – i.e. the games may be excluded in the PlayBook launch in some parts of the world.
Internal company documents from the Office Depot store chain, reportedly show that the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet will be made available for sale during “Week 17″ of sales (i.e. in April), and that the 7-inch tablet will sell for $499.99. For that price, buyers will reportedly receive a device that has 16GB storage, WiFi and 3G speeds when tethered with a Blackberry Smartphone. More details soon!
RIM has just released a demo video showing off the many ways that business professionals can use the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The video shows how BlackBerry phones connect to the PlayBook using BlackBerry Bridge, plus functions such as multi-tasking, viewing Microsoft Office documents, and securely accessing business apps. In a nutshell, the video shows how powerful the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet truly is – everything runs without a hitch, and multi-tasking doesn’t seem to slow it down even one bit. Check it out below.
Reuters news has quoted RIM’s senior marketing VP (for business and platform marketing), Jeff McDowell, promising that the upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will boast “equal or greater” battery life than the Apple iPad, while still packing a smaller cell.
McDowell, who was reportedly interviewed by Reuters, suggests that some analysts’ recent skepticism regarding the battery life is baseless. Several weeks ago, another RIM executive suggested that the company is aiming for a “full day” (estimated at eight hours) of use for the BlackBerry Playbook.
…. IS, that the Wi-Fi BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will be available in March, and Sprint will be launching a WiMAX version later on this year. Additionally, with regard to the much-vaunted and long-promised 3G variant that was promised at the original PlayBook Tablet launch announcement, yes you will be able to tether a BlackBerry smartphone for 3G access on the Wi-Fi tablet, and if that won’t do for persons who just want a tablet with no more strings attached than maybe a wireless contract, the big word on the street is that AT&T is coming with a 3G version of the PlayBook to launch in late March or early April, and that the LTE variant should be available shortly thereafter. That’s the latest BlackBerry Tablet WORD ON THE STREET!
Apparently the BlackBerry PlayBook will be the most amazing tablet on the market, as RIM has announced that it will be up and running on Sprint’s 4G network by this summer.
The 4G-enabled PlayBook will exist as a separate model from the Wi-Fi-only offerings which are due in the first quarter of 2011, and will bear the name BlackBerry 4G PlayBook. Beyond the added wireless connectivity, all other features should be identical.
Sprint’s 4G service is currently available in 71 markets, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, and New York City. The addition of 4G wireless speed to the PlayBook arsenal gives the device another ‘foot up’ when compared to the market-dominating iPad tablet.
