RIM's Blackberry Tablet might be seven inches, feature dual cameras and 1GHz CPU?

The rumor mill's been churning out quite the picture of RIM's Blackberry tablet over the past several months, and it's a research analyst who's most recently picked up the brush -- Ashok Kumar of Rodman & Renshaw, to be precise, who anticipates a 7-inch touchscreen device with a 1GHz processor, plus front- and back-facing cameras for video chat. Since that's a good 1.9 inches smaller than the slate rumored a couple months back, this latest spiel fills us with doubt... but hey, it's not like we had confirmation that RIM was even producing such a device, anyhow. It may be a while before we find out for sure, as Kumar told investors that even should the company succeed in an attempt to move up the schedule, the device still wouldn't launch until the end of the year.

[Air Force One Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:30PM]

That's all the world needs.... a tablet 4 years behind the rest

[imbuu Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:36PM]

@Air Force One Amen to that! I have a Blackberry Bold 9000, does what it says on the tin, but really would not mind it if RIM put some REAL research in motion.

[Air Force One Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:39PM]

@imbuu Yeah I've got the 9000 too and I loved it. I ended up getting a Nexus One though when RIM decided to make future "Bolds", neutered. A sad state of affairs in Waterloo.

[Tahu826 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:44PM]

@Air Force One

But they have two cameras. Doesn't that make them farther ahead than say... Apple?

[Air Force One Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:57PM]

@Tahu826 As much as I hate Apple, I have to say no. Apple releases a real product and I seriously doubt RIM will ever get past the trial balloon stage, which in my opinion is all this is.

[DougieBear Posted Jul 11th 2010 2:24PM]

Did we have tablets 4 years ago?

[hey buddy Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:05PM]

@Tahu826 "Two cameras" only puts you ahead if you care about two cameras. The iPad leads in so many other areas - OS, dev support, and "actually being a product that people can buy" is pretty big too. I'd say releasing a product, having it sell successfully, and getting devs on board actually puts Apple ahead in this category.

There's also the possibility that by the time this is actually released, the next iPad could have two cameras, or will be just a few months from release, with rumors and speculation on what's being added to the iPad2 killing any perceived advantage a RIM tablet might be generating.

[AcE17 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:31PM]

ooooohhh Seven inches you say? ;)

[AcE17 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:34PM]

@AcE17
Eh... imma downrank myself for that one.... Sorry guys...

[Information Central Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:40PM]

"imma"?

Take another - for that.

[AcE17 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:43PM]

@Information Central
I've been workin 12 hours... i dont feel like using proper grammar sir....

[AcE17 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:50PM]

@uckApple

Ha! =D

P.S. I like your name =]

[DefPoet Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:52PM]

@uckApple
have fun with the instant report button for all your post
douche!

[AcE17 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:55PM]

@DefPoet

Report him? why?.... Ok so he's a lil rude.... not Report status.... maybe....

[DefPoet Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:56PM]

@AcE17
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/10/rims-blackberry-tablet-might-be-seven-inches-feature-dual-came/comments/29199946/

thats why!

[AcE17 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:56PM]

@AcE17

I get excited when I see I got a reply in my email inbox only to realize that i replied to myself.... Damn low self esteem.....

[AcE17 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:58PM]

@DefPoet

Not the worst thing i've seen but fine i'll give you that... HIT THE BUTTON!

[uckApple Posted Jul 10th 2010 7:18PM]

@DefPoet

Do you get a sense of justification by moderating other engadget users?

Maybe to you thats what it feels like.

But to the rest of us, your now just another, useless, snitch.

[AlienSix Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:33PM]

Thats what she sai......oh whats the point, its RIM

[AlienSix Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:42PM]

@Teslanaut Win comment

[DefPoet Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:55PM]

@Teslanaut
If you insist. im ready when ever you are :D

[AlienSix Posted Jul 10th 2010 6:03PM]

@DefPoet Shit just got real xD

[Teslanaut Posted Jul 10th 2010 8:48PM]

@AlienSix Whoa, did I just get China'd?

[flyfebthas Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:33PM]

The last thing Blackberry needs to be working on is tablet.

[kpenning Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:33PM]

Ashok Kumar - Same guy who continued to say Verizon was getting an iPhone really really soon?
http://briefmobile.com/verizon-iphone-not-dead-after-all

Pfft.

[commenter7 Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:34PM]

@pple is poo

The title was building me up..

7 INCHES, 2 CAMERAS......1GHZ!!

and then I scroll down and you say "meh"

[HinduNinja Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:37PM]

Nothing more sedative than news about RIM catching up the rest of the industry.. one thing is for sure.. it will be boring.

I agree with @Flyfebthas - RIM should be working on their phones.

[uckApple Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:50PM]

@HinduNinja

RIM sells phones?

[Ignoramus Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:54PM]

@uckApple sign of a true consumer lololol -999

[DefPoet Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:54PM]

@HinduNinja
the new blackberry 9800 is a great device
full multi-touch screen with a really good browser
blackberry keyboard when slid up

[EggoEspada Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:38PM]

A touch screen tablet for a business-like OS?
Hows that work out?

[Information Central Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:41PM]

Yeah, because we need the shitty RIM OS running on a bigger screen.

Maybe they should spend their time making a competent browser on their mainstay devices before dicking around with tablets.

[pufflye Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:42PM]

I'm not trying to be disrespectful but the blackberry OS is outdated

[pappla Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:45PM]

i want a new webOS device..good lord. my pre is falling apart. :(

[GadgetNiall Posted Jul 11th 2010 6:54AM]

@pappla

I just want a webOS device. My HTC Magic is becoming old and ancient. :(

[djt Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:47PM]

@commenter7 Well if you think about it RIM hasn't been exactly innovative in the past few years. So I really don't blame him for not being overly excited. I hope I'm wrong but until I really see something, I will remain pretty skeptical.

[AWBrisebois Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:48PM]

@uckApple

Thank you for sharing with the class...

[codepink Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:48PM]

One word: F A I L

[DefPoet Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:50PM]

@Information Central
os6 has a very nice webkit browser with multi-touch for the blackberry slider and future touch devices Its no mobile safaris or Android browser but it on par or better than the pre's

[Ignoramus Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:51PM]

@uckApple I guess i need a 14" tabbook then...

[Ignoramus Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:58PM]

Make it .7 lbs, .35", and I'll bite.

[Plazmic Flame Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:58PM]

@pple is poo

Let me guess, this device will have 1 GB of device memory and have 512 MBs of app memory but onces the OS is loaded it will have 300 MBs of app memory or less.....

[flyfebthas Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:58PM]

Come on is there anything really innovative about the 9800?

[Andy Anonymous Posted Jul 10th 2010 10:59PM]

@flyfebthas The Bold-style keyboard is still the most comfortable to use, and RIM devices are generally solid, well-made and attractive, the 9800 included...plus BBOS6 looks to deliver on a bunch of the modern features people have been clamoring for. Who gives a crap about being innovative? That's the kind of word PR executives and gadget blog commenters throw around, but not regular people.

As long as they maintain their strengths with email and push services while improving the browser and the fit and finish of the interface, that's all that matters.

[google123 Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:34AM]

@Andy Anonymous

People thinking that RIM has the absolute best email experience is getting old now. Sure its so easy to setup a caveman can do it and sure it pushes to the device fast but if I cant manage and file away the hundreds of messages i get a day until I'm back on the computer then what the hell is the point??? I don't want to have to go to BES just to be able to use folders!!!!!!!!! Maybe they will include this functionality using BIS with 6.0 but I highly doubt it.

[Hydra Posted Jul 10th 2010 6:00PM]

video chat? lol! will never happen, the apps for RIM suck, they will never pull out of 1995, the user base will just claim they dont have such decent apps because they dont need them, what a joke

[POZ Posted Jul 10th 2010 10:51PM]

@Hydra -

Having a Black berry tablet is almost as exciting as having a touch-screen DOS/6.22 tablet. With a serial port.

Yeah baby, I went there. I went there big time without you.

[google123 Posted Jul 11th 2010 12:38AM]

@Hydra

Actually it will happen eventually except that with RIM, "Video calling" will actually mean "Postage size ultra-compressed slideshow" because they are all about using the least amount of bandwidth to help out the carriers. LOL

[lopata Posted Jul 10th 2010 6:02PM]

not android = not cool

[Firehazel Posted Jul 10th 2010 6:06PM]

@pple is poo Yeah, but seeing as it's a tablet, they should call it a BlackBush, not a BlackBerry.