BlackBerry maker unveils 'PlayBook' tablet to take on Ipad

Playbook

The maker of BlackBerry smartphones has unveiled its rival to Apple’s iPad: the PlayBook.

Research in Motion (RIM) showed off the tablet for the first time last night and is set to launch it early 2011 in the U.S., with an international rollout due later in the year.
The PlayBook is a smaller, lighter device than Apple’s iPad, which kicked-started the tablet market when it launched in April.

It will have a 7-inch screen, making it half the size of Apple's device, and weigh about 0.9 pounds to the iPad's 1.5 pounds. And unlike the iPad, it will have two cameras, front and back.

The PlayBook will be able to act as a second, larger screen for a BlackBerry phone, through a secure short-range wireless link. When the connection is severed - perhaps because the user walks away with the phone - no sensitive data like company emails are left on the tablet.

Outside of Wi-Fi range, it will be able to pick up a mobile service like 3G to access the web by linking to a BlackBerry.

Advantages over Ipad

 

PlayBook is smaller and lighter than iPad... and plays Flash 

Comes with USB connection and has front and rear cameras

Experts expect it to cost about the same as Apple's iPad


Features

Display: 7-inch 1024 x 600 LCD

Weight: 0.9lbs

Operating System: BlackBerry tablet OS

Browser: BlackBerry

Flash support: Yes

Ebooks: Yes

Apps: BlackBerry App World

Multitasking: Yes

Camera: 3 MP front, 5 MP back

Input/Output: microHDMI, microUSB

Processor: 1GHz dual-core Cortex A9

Storage: TBC

RAM: 1GB

Wireless: Wi-Fi (3G later), Bluetooth

Battery life: TBC

Price: TBC