The BlackBerry PlayBook just got official, just as we predicted. Forget the codenames, such as BlackPad or BlackTab. The PlayBook is here, and packs more surprises than a Lady Gaga sex tape. The first is the operating system RIM has squeezed inside. It’s not BlackBerry 6… it’s a completely different OS made by QNX Software, which RIM bought earlier this year.
Another surprise: the BlackBerry PlayBook has several features ready to catch Apple on the back foot. Read on, and we’ll show you the PlayBook in action, and explain how it could launch a sneak attack on the iPad.
The BlackBerry PlayBook is a seven-inch tablet. It measures 9.7mm thick and runs a full WebKit browser capable of handling HTML5. So far, so iPad… albeit a little smaller. But here’s the kicker: the BlackBerry PlayBook supports full Adobe Flash 10.1 with hardware acceleration to boot, and even runs Adobe AIR apps.
See our gallery of BlackBerry PlayBook photos
Want another slap, iPad? The BlackBerry PlayBook has two cameras, one for taking photos and HD video (at 1080p, no less), and one for video conferences. Still smarting, Apple? The PlayBook will output 1080p video through a HDMI socket and even plays back DivX and WMV files. Reports also claim RIM has mentioned the PlayBook can also output video through USB, although if we’re honest, we’re not sure what that means at present.
Inside the BlackBerry PlayBook is a 1Ghz provessor and 16GB of storage. But here’s first bit of bad news: There’s no 3G built inside the PlayBook. Instead, it’ll pair up with a BlackBerry smartphone to hop online. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to do this, and from the look of RIM’s demo videos, it’ll also act as a jumbo screen for apps running on a paired smartphone.
The next bit of bad news? There’s currently no release date or price for the BlackBerry PlayBook. That’s right, RIM announced this thing… then forgot to lay out a timeline for it, potentially giving Apple time to regain ground. The full specs are below, as well as a video so you can see the BlackBerry PlayBook in action. Have a peep and let us know what you think in the comments section.
BlackBerry PlayBook specs
- Screen: 7 inch capacitive LCD, 1024 x 600 WSVGA resolution, with multi-touch
- OS: BlackBerry Tablet OS
- Processor: 1 GHz dual-core
- Camera: 3 MP front camera, 5 MP rear camera with 1080p HD video recording
- Video codec support: H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
- Audio codec support: MP3, AAC, WMA
- Wireless connections: 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- Wired connections: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
- Dimensions: 5.1 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
- Weight: 0.9 lb or 400g
