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RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook using a 1GHz OMAP 4430 processor
We already confirmed that RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook was deadly fast in use, but up until now, we've still been left to wonder what kind of silicon was powering it. According to a RIM representative that spoke to us just now on the CES show floor, a dual-core OMAP chip from Texas Instruments is doing the honors -- more specifically, it's the blisteringly fast 1GHz OMAP 4430. And now, you know.
BlackBerry PlayBook preview
We just played with a wonderful tablet, and it wasn't running Android, webOS, iOS, or even Windows. It was running a funky realtime operating system called QNX that RIM bought in April, combined with WebKit and a heaping helping of Flash, and plans on releasing to the world in Q1 of this year. The BlackBerry PlayBook is surprisingly polished and responsive at this stage, even though RIM says it has a lot of work to still left to do. In fact, the only thing frustrating about our roughly 30 minutes with the tablet (under the caring gaze of Mike Lazaridis) was the fact that you can't buy an actual BlackBerry phone right now that's anywhere near this enjoyable to use. Follow after the break as we talk through the product, along with a video walkthrough and stress test of that dual-core proc's multitasking chops. %Gallery-112880%
BlackBerry 4G PlayBook coming to Sprint network this summer, obviously 4G compatible
We finally have at least one carrier for RIM's new flagship tablet. The BlackBerry 4G PlayBook, as it's being called here, is heading to Sprint's 4G network (presumably WiMAX, which we guess isn't as big a buzzword) this summer. To be specific, according to the press release, it'll be "available exclusively from Sprint this summer," which leaves plenty of wiggle room for non-4G PlayBooks and other release windows. It also says it'll be the first PlayBook model to include 4G, so an LTE at least will be a little while longer (and a 3G one maybe earlier). Full presser after the break.
'Built for BlackBerry' program is ready to add another label to your BB and PlayBook accessories
Look for the logo, says RIM. Don't look for the distinctively BlackBerry-shaped case, car mount, screen protector, or holster ... look for the logo. Apparently, BlackBerry users have been struggling with picking out accessories for their smartphones, so RIM has decided to roll out a licensing program for specially certified "Built for BlackBerry" peripherals. Case-mate, Incipio, Speck and other manufacturers have already signed up for this authentic accessory program and you'll see a video loaded with marketing speak after the break explaining the synergistic benefits flowing from this industrial collaboration.
RIM shows off PlayBook's browser chops, SDK in latest round of teaser vids
It looks like RIM's really sticking to this "you don't need an app for the web" mantra for its hotly anticipated PlayBook -- at least according to the latest crop of videos the company has outed. In what is no doubt an attempt to drum up some buzz before a swarm of other tablets descends on CES, the company has chosen to highlight its latest browser improvements to prove just how "real" the web is on the PlayBook. HTML5 video playback looks super smooth, as does Flash video in the desktop YouTube site. Impressively, the entire Facebook experience works exactly like it does on the desktop -- even supporting Facebook chat, which the iPad's browser can't handle. They demonstrate Flash games working without a hitch, so you can breathe a sigh of relief, Farmville-addicts. The second video explores the SDK -- no doubt in an attempt to reiterate the ease of programming for the PlayBook -- and while there's a good bit of technical jargon, we have to say that the Fantasy Football app shown off looks pretty sweet. Why RIM can't somehow manage to bring these improvements to its already-shipping BlackBerry line, we still can't quite comprehend, but we'll be visiting the RIM booth as soon as the show opens to see the latest improvements for ourselves. In the meantime, peep the videos after the break.
RIM: BlackBerry PlayBook battery life is still being optimized, won't cause delays
If you've been keeping an ear to the techie ground, you'll probably have heard some analyst chatter suggesting RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook may be delayed due to issues relating to its supposedly poor battery life. That scuttlebutt has now turned out to be mostly unfounded, with RIM clarifying the situation through a communiqué sent to Erictric: "Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook's battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life." To be sure, it's not an outright denial that there may be PlayBooks floating about with disappointing battery performance, but the immaturity of the software on them is clearly such as to invalidate any conclusions drawn. Perhaps more important than the imprecise discussion of battery longevity (what does "comparable" even mean in this context?) is the note that the company is still on track to complete its software optimizations and deliver its first tablet on schedule. Guess we can all quit worrying now.
BlackBerry PlayBook will ship in March, assuming inertial momentum
RIM dropped an intriguing hint about a likely release date for the BlackBerry PlayBook during its Q3 earnings call this week -- namely, that the company expects the first revenue from the dual-core tablet to arrive in the first quarter of the company's fiscal year. "There are no PlayBook revenues included in our Q4 guidance, and we expect the first revenue impact from PlayBook will be in RIM's first quarter," a RIM spokeswoman said, adding that the PlayBook is still slated to ship in the first quarter of the calendar year. If that still sounds like financial gibberish, let us clarify a tad -- RIM's first fiscal quarter doesn't start till March, which happens to be when the first calendar quarter ends. Oh, RIM can certainly revise its guidance to shareholders and launch the BlackBerry PlayBook earlier or later if that's what execs deem fit, but if both of RIM's statements remain true, then March is when the PlayBook will ship. Isn't logic wonderful?
Editorial: RIM seems to be as lost as my BlackBerry
The only way to open this editorial is to admit something I've been rather shy about on the pages of Engadget: I've been an avid BlackBerry fan and user for about six years now. I mean a real addict -- the kind who wakes up each morning looking for a blinking red LED, the kind who's refused to give up push email and BlackBerry Messenger in favor of more powerful, polished, and progressive mobile operating systems like iOS, Android, and webOS. In fact, when my Verizon contract was up last year I opted to get a Curve 8530 instead of the Motorola Droid or Palm Pre -- to say nothing of making the leap over to AT&T for the iPhone.There were lots of reasons I didn't want to give up my BlackBerry, but five days ago I lost that very Curve in a San Francisco cab. Then coincidentally, a day later I saw RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis speak at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference, where he almost embarrassingly avoided every question about the company's immediate smartphone strategy. I had always known that RIM was behind the curve (always a great pun!), but I also always had hope that the company would catch up with modern smartphones of today. Sadly, watching Mike dodge questions on the D stage took that hope away from me -- it's crystal clear that RIM won't have a solution to compete with those powerful smartphones anytime soon. So, what happens to a BlackBerry diehard like myself? Where do I go from here?
All Things D posts full Mike Lazaridis video from D: Dive Into Mobile
By now you've no doubt heard about Mike Lazaridis' recent appearance at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference, where the RIM co-CEO arrived with his own personal reality distortion field and made statements like the surprising fact that RIM "arguably" invented the smartphone, and that the BlackBerry Torch is actually fast. Don't believe us? Well, thanks to All Things D, you can now watch the complete 40-minute appearance for yourself, which just so happens to also include a fairly lengthy demo of the PlayBook. Check it out after the break.
BlackBerry PlayBook app submission is a go, free tablet offer detailed
Adobe Air veteran: print out that code, fold it neatly into a secure envelope, affix two (or more) stamps, address it to Research in Motion, drop it in the nearest outgoing, and rejoice! The Haus of BlackBerry's now accepting app submissions for the upcoming Will.I.Approved PlayBook tablet -- and just as promised, it's giving free PlayBooks to developers who get their work accepted and ready for the App World store before the tablet launches in North America. Limit is one per registered dev no matter how many times you submit or how simple / complex the app is, so long as RIM gives it the thumbs up. Interested in the grand prize of full acquisition? Sorry, that seat's been taken.
Rogers adds 'data sharing' plans, will carry both WiFi and cellular versions of BlackBerry PlayBook
With the precedent the Galaxy Tab has set, it was an open question whether carriers would embrace the WiFi version of RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook -- after all, it's a little harder to fully monetize a data plan on a device that lacks its own cellular modem. Thing is, the WiFi version is the first one that's going to be available; RIM hasn't given much guidance yet on when the cellular version will follow on -- and RIM doesn't have much of a distribution channel outside its carrier partners. Well, Rogers has thrown its hat in the ring today at its TabLife event in Toronto, where it has been chatting up the success of the tablets it's sold so far (the Tabs apparently won't stay on shelves) and noting that it will be carrying both versions of the PlayBook as they become available. How's that going to work from a data perspective? Well, a concurrent announcement out of Rogers seems to hold the answer. A pair of new so-called "data sharing plans" can be tacked onto your existing smartphone plan, effectively opening up your data bucket to other devices -- so it's basically like the tethering plans we've started to see sprout up on American networks under a different name. One oddity, though, is the CAD $20 (roughly $20) data sharing plan that allows unlimited social networking on "popular sites" above and beyond your normal bucket of gigabytes -- sounds silly, but when we think about what percentage of our mobile time is spent on Twitter and Facebook, it might just be crazy enough to work. Follow the break for Rogers' press release and a quick clip of Rogers exec John Boynton with the PlayBook mention.
RIM buys TAT, BlackBerry UI in danger of becoming awesome
This is not a joke, in fact it's quite official. Research In Motion has just confirmed the acquisition of Swedish UI design company TAT, which will soon be "bringing their talent to the BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphone platforms." You'll be familiar with TAT as the team that helped polish the original Android interface on the T-Mobile G1 as well as from more recent UI design projects -- the important thing is that these guys have shown they know what they're doing. We have to admit, pairing the rock solid foundation of the QNX-built PlayBook OS with some top-level spit-shine from a company specializing in exactly that has us legitimately excited. Who knows, maybe we'll even see a BlackBerry with a user interface that someone other than a BBMer could love. [Thanks, Rasmus]
JPMorgan iPad distribution confirmed, says Bloomberg
According to an email obtained by Bloomberg, JPMorgan Chase & Co will be handing out free iPads to all associates in its global investment banking division (that's investment bankers for you and me). In a pilot program to last until May 2011, the bankers will trial the device to see how well it fares as an additional mobile tool as well as being allowed to take advantage of the device for personal use. "We believe there are real benefits in our working environment that can be realized using this device - as well as the personal productivity and enjoyment that come as part of the package," said two New York-based JPMorgan managing directors in the email. The news comes as the BlackBerry trend at Wall Street seems to be shifting more and more towards the iPhone and the iPad. It's no secret the Apple is pushing hard to expand from its well-established consumer market into the corporate world. Bloomberg reports that banks including Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse Group AG have recently revealed apps built for the iPad, and that Citi Group and Bank of America are considering the iPhone as an option for their employees. According to Brian Marshal, an analyst at Gleacher & Co, "Apple represents a clear and present danger for RIM going forward. For the first time you have a viable alternative to secure mobile communications and by and large we see people moving away from the BlackBerry platform in droves in favor of the iPhone and the iPad." BlackBerry's PlayBook, which is being touted as a real competitor to the iPad, is due out next year. RIM has got some serious catching up to do considering Apple's head start into the tablet-computing world. However, the question is, though the PlayBook seems to fare better against the first generation iPad, will it be able to compete as well with the iPad 2 (rumored for release early next year)? And whether Wall Street's BlackBerry faithful can hold out until next year for the the PlayBook's release?
Screen Grabs: BlackBerry Eyed PlayBooks (video)
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. Whoulda thunk that the third time we'd see the BlackBerry PlayBook on video, it'd be in the hands of cube-headed dopplegangster Will.I.Shill? Not us, but we're terribly excited to see the 7-inch tablet show off its augmented reality chops in the Black Eyed Peas' latest music video. We're not really sure what alternate reality hijinks turned the musicians into 8-bit portraits nor pixelated their world, but the BEP sure look adorable as Xbox LIVE-friendly avatars. Watch it after the break, or skip to 2:12, 3:16 and 3:54 if you just want to get your tablet on. [Thanks, Jamesy]
RIM's Jim Balsillie says 'you don't need an app for the web,' rejects Apple's appification of the internet
It's no secret that RIM doesn't exactly agree with Steve Jobs' characterization of the company's prospects, and Jim Balsillie has some more to say on the Apple vs. RIM front, particularly where it comes to apps. It's hard to imagine RIM catching up with Apple's 300,000+ apps, but Jim doesn't think that's the point: "We believe that you can bring the mobile to the Web but you don't need to go through some kind of control point of an SDK, and that's the core part of our message." The statement was made at the Web 2.0 Summit a couple days ago, and on further prompting Jim made it clear he rejects Apple's "appification" of the web. RIM's strategy is obviously riding on highly portable Adobe AIR apps and Flash support in the browser (much like Microsoft's Silverlight app strategy for Windows Phone 7), and we look forward to seeing just how well that playbook plays out in the PlayBook. Of course, "there's not an app for that, but our browser is fully capable of performing that functionality" isn't quite so catchy...
CEOs discuss Apple at Web 2.0 Summit
While the Web 2.0 Summit was under way from Nov. 15 through Nov. 17, there were a few inevitable pot shots at Apple from attending chief executive officers. This isn't really a surprise with the ongoing growth of Apple and Apple's overall value, but it's definitely interesting to see what those CEOs felt needed to be said. Shantanu Narayen is the CEO of Adobe Systems, and he told the Web 2.0 Summit audience that "there's a war happening for developers, there's a war to get the best applications for a particular platform." Narayen considered the conflict between Apple and Adobe to be an issue of control and that the two companies are on different sides of that line. When asked to define how Narayen saw the two sides of the conflict, he was willing to explain. "Apple would like to keep [the web ecosystem] closed and proprietary," claimed the Adobe CEO. Narayen opined that Apple wants to "ensure that applications created for the iDevices only work on the iDevices if they're native applications." By contrast, Narayen claimed that Adobe would prefer to create content across all the web and mobile platforms. As if that weren't enough, Narayen's finished off that depiction by declaring, "Let the games begin!" Jim Balsillie, who is a co-CEO of Research in Motion, was a little more direct when comparing Apple's iOS devices to the Blackberry. In a soundbite that's likely to be heard around the world, Balsillie said that users "don't need an app for the web." He claimed that RIM's upcoming tablet, the PlayBook, would be up to four times faster for browsing than the iPad. Balsillie felt that the "appification" of the web shouldn't be necessary and that websites shouldn't need to convert to some kind of mobile version to be accessed. Even more importantly, Balsillie predicted later in his Web 2.0 Summit discussion that the "appification" would soon be reversed, and that the era of the app would be passing soon. Check out the videos for yourself in the second half of this post. [via TechCrunch and The Telegraph]
BlackBerry PlayBook vs. iPad: The challenger looks fast so far
Over the past two years, RIM has been left in the dust by Apple and Google in the smartphone space, and RIM's first crack at a tablet device doesn't arrive until sometime in 2011. Despite the wait for the arrival of the PlayBook, RIM is trying to generate interest in an attempt to get consumers to forgo the iPad this Christmas and wait for its new toy instead. One of the numerous complaints about recent BlackBerries like the Storm and Torch is slow performance, so RIM has released a new video to show that the PlayBook can give the iPad a real run for its money. A developer from the browser group at RIM shows off the rendering speed of the PlayBook and iPad side by side, and the PlayBook certainly looks promising. Rather than a derivative of the classic BlackBerry OS, the PlayBook is running on QNX, and, like the iPad, the browser is powered by the WebKit rendering engine. Whenever a company produces a demonstration like this, it will obviously choose sites that show its hardware and software in the best possible light. Nonetheless, the PlayBook appears to load and render pages significantly faster than its Apple counterpart. The PlayBook also did a good job of playing back Flash content from Adidas.com, which the iPad obviously can't do. Both devices scored 100 on the ACID 3 compatibility test, but only the iPad showed some rendering artifacts. If the rest of the PlayBook works as well as the browser, it may yet have potential. Click "Read More" to check out the video itself and see how each device fared in RIM's test.
BlackBerry PlayBook first hands-on! (video)
RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie actually declined to show off the his company's tablet today on the Web 2.0 Summit stage, but in private he was more than kind, treating us to a nice long glimpse at the BlackBerry PlayBook in a quaint hotel hallway. We only got to heft the one-pound slate for a few seconds, but we got the basic feel of the device in the hand -- warm to the touch, solid if a little plasticky, with a responsive glass touchscreen up top and a bottom that's mildly rubberized. Balsillie didn't bother to locate the "module cavity" for us, but he did try to explain where those 5300mAh lithium ion cells might hide -- we suspect the CEO exaggerated only slightly when he told us "it's all battery and glass inside." He then wrenched the device forcefully from our unprepared hands (at least that's how we like to think it went down) and proceeded to let us film a brief film showing off the QNX and Air-based OS juggling a spreadsheet, photo gallery and some beautiful underwater footage all at the same time. Hit the break for that hastily-shot video.
Jim Balsillie says BlackBerry PlayBook has a 'module cavity,' hints at NFC capabilities
He unfortunately didn't have one on hand (or at least on stage), but RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie did make a bit of news about the BlackBerry PlayBook at the now-happening Web 2.0 Summit. The first is that the tablet packs what Balsillie described as a "module cavity" -- the most obvious use for which would be to add WWAN capabilities to the WiFi-only model (something Balsillie himself suggested), although the possibilities certainly extend far beyond that. Balsillie also later mused a bit about NFC capabilities, stating that "we'd be fools not to have it in the near-term, and we are not fools." That's obviously in relation to BlackBerry phones in general and not just the PlayBook, but it does seem like a prime candidate for that aforementioned "module cavity," which we really hope is not the final name.
BlackBerry PlayBook and iPad go head-to-head in a browsing showdown
We've only ever seen brief glimpses of the BlackBerry PlayBook in action so far, but a new video posted up by RIM comparing its tablet's web browsing performance to the iPad certainly has us hungry for more. Seriously -- PlayBook pretty much run laps around the iPad while loading pages, and even its Flash performance seems decent, which is a first for a mobile device in our experience. Of course, the video was made by RIM and we're sure the specific pages were picked to make the PlayBook look as good as possible, but that's fair enough -- now if we could just get our hands on one to verify these claims for ourselves, we'd be happy as clams. Video after the break.
