BlackberryPlaybook2
Latest
RIM confirms PlayBook OS 2.0 delayed until February, still no BBM in sight
Well, we hope you weren't expecting to have PlayBook 2.0 up and running on your BlackBerry tablet any time soon, cause it's been officially delayed till at least February. Word has come straight from the mouth (well, keyboard) of David Smith, senior vice president for the PlayBook project. In a blog post Smith announced that RIM would be holding back on the release to ensure many of the new features, including native email and enterprise app deployment, work as advertised. The OS update will be getting a decently long beta test, with it rolling out to some in the Early Adopter Program "shortly." Sadly, it seems that some features have fallen by the wayside with the focus on polish -- namely, BBM. Since the messaging service relies on a one-device per-PIN model, getting it on the tablet has proved troublesome. For now users will have to rely on BlackBerry Bridge and their RIM handsets to get their BBM fix. Considering the company's track record, we wouldn't be shocked if the OS update slips even further into the future -- remember an email client was promised within 60 days of launch... that was back in April.
RIM scraps 10-inch PlayBook to focus on QNX-powered superphone?
BlackBerry PlayBook enthusiasts will want to cuddle up with their favorite blanket and a carton of ice cream, as the 10-inch version of RIM's tablet may have been given the axe. N4BB reports that its development was recently cancelled to focus on an upcoming QNX-based "superphone," said to feature a 1.2GHz single-core processor (same as on the Bold Touch 9900) and a 4.3-inch HD-quality display. It's no secret that phones powered by this platform are on the roadmap, but scrapping a PlayBook project in its behalf could indicate the company's elevated desire to get it to market even sooner than originally planned. Anything less than two cores, however, will be an unpleasant surprise; company reps have stated that a QNX-powered handset won't hit the market without a dual-core CPU inside. The motive behind this change of heart appears to be battery life concerns with the existing PlayBook's chip. The report doesn't completely rule out the possibility of an extra core getting thrown in, but we're not holding our breath. While tragic, the scrapped product will make room for other projects -- the already-announced 7-inch LTE variant is reportedly targeted for an October launch -- but since this is all hearsay, let's hold off on the eulogy for now.
