BlackBerry PlayBook: a First Look

CIO Insight Staff Avatar

Updated on:

Research in Motion (RIM) gave attendees at the Gartner Symposium/IT Expo 2010 a first look at its new 7-inch PlayBook tablet. 

RIM hopes the PlayBook will have the same blockbuster effect on the enterprise as the Apple iPad did on the consumer market. RIM kept the device inside a glass display, away from curious hands. Nonetheless, passersby had a full look at the tablet’s hardware: 7-inch screen, front- and rear-facing cameras (presumably for video conferencing) and a slim form-factor.

RIM claims a PlayBook screen resolution of 1,024 by 600, and the static image displayed on the booth model certainly seemed very crisp and clear. The PlayBook does not yet have a specified release date or firm price.  It remains to be seen whether the features touted by RIM during the device’s Sept. 21 unveiling–including the ability to sync information with users’ BlackBerrys, and the supposedly "user-friendly" operating system based on QNX technology–will prove worthy enough for customers to choose one of these over a Samsung Galaxy Tab or an Apple iPad.

For more, including images of the device, view the eWeek slideshow RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Spied at Gartner Conference.

CIO Insight Staff Avatar