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RIM shows off TAT-developed BlackBerry PlayBook apps
We've been eager to see what The Astonishing Tribe (otherwise known as TAT) would come up with for the PlayBook since RIM acquired the design firm back in December, and we're now finally getting our first glimpse at a few of the things they've been working on. Those include a scrapbook app that takes advantage of four-fingered multitouch, and a weather app dubbed "Aura" that was built with the WebWorks platform and makes use of the PlayBook's accelerometer -- both of which are relatively simple, but are intended to demonstrate how easy and quickly developers can build applications for the PlayBook. Also on display at Mobile World Congress this week was fairly impressive media player that can be used when the tablet's connected to a TV via its HDMI port -- it will not only let you view videos, but play games (albeit just a Rubik's Cube in the demo) and even view 3D content as well. Head on past the break to check them out on video.
BlackBerry PlayBook to ship with full versions of Tetris and Need For Speed: Undercover (video)
EA Sports isn't one to give things away, but that's exactly what it's doing on RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook. We still haven't heard a concrete ship date for this thing, but EA swears up and down that these two titles will be finalized by the time it goes to market. Both Tetris and Need For Speed: Undercover will come pre-loaded on the device, with both being full, unabridged versions; in fact, NFS will feature a new mode specifically designed for getting into the game quickly on this very tablet. Smartly, there's even a "slo mo" mode which slows everything down to enable accurate control even during hectic rides on the subway. We've lauded the PlayBook before, but we were duly impressed with just how well this thing handled multitasking. Even with NFS running in the background, we were able to play back a video in the foreground with nary a bit of lag during the transition. Tetris was predictably Tetris, and it only works when holding the slate vertically. We've got to confess that the inclusion of these two titles is quite the gesture, and considering the first four letters of this product's name, we'd say it's more than fitting. Hop on down to see a demonstration video of both, showcased here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. %Gallery-116754%
RIM BlackBerry 4G PlayBook tablet now in delicious LTE and HSPA+ flavors (updated)
Count 'em, because RIM has now announced four varieties of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. As of today, we've got the PlayBook with WiFi + LTE and WiFi + HSPA+ models joining the previously announced PlayBook with WiFi and PlayBook with WiFi + WiMax. As such, there's a pretty good chance that your carrier will have a 7-inch dual-core PlayBook with the QNX-based BlackBerry Tablet OS on offer at some point in the future, no matter how it chooses to define "4G." Unfortunately, RIM says that its LTE and HSPA+ models won't be coming until the second half of 2011. Update: RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie was particularly chatty after the announcement of the new 4G PlayBook models. The takeaway is that RIM expects to price that BlackBerry tablet at less than $500 (WiFi-only model, presumably) -- much less with any carrier subsidies. He's also expecting to followup the Sprint deal in the US with similar signings of AT&T and Verizon Wireless. "All of our carrier partners want [PlayBook]," said Balsillie, referencing the 580 carrier partners that RIM enjoys in 165 countries. While Balsillie refused to comment on the PlayBook's rumored ability to run Android apps, he did confirm that RIM's new tablet was on track for a March or April release.
Bloomberg: RIM working to let BlackBerry PlayBook run Android apps, but Dalvik's not the way
We'd heard sweet, sweet rumors that RIM would include a Java virtual machine in the BlackBerry PlayBook and even bring Android apps on board -- and lo and behold, Bloomberg's corroborating those claims with no fewer than three anonymous sources. Where the new rumor diverges is that the Dalvik virtual machine used in Google's OS reportedly won't be part of the formula; RIM considered it, these sources say, but decided it didn't want to get involved in the Oracle / Google legal fracas. Apparently, the company's working on this secret project in-house and targeting a possible release in the second half of the year. We have to say, the ready availability of roughly 200,000 Android programs could be quite the shot in the arm if WebWorks and AIR don't produce killer apps right away.
WiFi BlackBerry PlayBook priced at $500 in Office Depot's systems
Now this is what we're talking about! Sure, we've been well aware of RIM's plans to take the PlayBook to Sprint (and maybe even Verizon), but if this Office Depot listing is to be believed, a 16GB, WiFi version of the 7-inch tablet will also be heading to some retailers for the very competitive price of $499.99. It's really the first solid PlayBook pricing we've seen, and we've got to admit, we're happy to see that RIM followed through on its word to offer the touchscreen slab for under $500. (And hey, it sure beats the leaked Xoom pricing we saw earlier this week.) Unfortunately, the screenshot above doesn't reveal much more, although it lists the QNX-powered slate as hitting Office Depot stores on "Week 17," which is the last week in April according to our calendar. That's a bit later than the March date we've heard before, but either way we're waiting for spring to start and hoping Office Depot's cut out its shady practices so we can snatch up one of these ASAP. [Thanks, Braden]
HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape
At last, the webOS-empowered TouchPad, HP's answer to the growing tablet market. And make no mistake, it's coming in with guns blazing -- specs-wise, the slate stands up pretty well to the competition currently in play (e.g. iPad) and the other up-and-comers not quite out the gate (e.g. Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook). Stacked side-by-side, it's clear Apple's entry is lacking a bit in both memory (256MB vs. 1GB for everyone else) and front-facing camera -- not that we expect that to be the case for all of 2011. When it all comes down to it, what'll set these slates apart will be the platforms and software themselves -- should make for an interesting summer, no? In the meantime, for the nitty-gritty on technical specifications, venture past the break.
BlackBerry PlayBook coming to Verizon too?
News that the PlayBook would be at least initially available only on Sprint surely elicited some mixed reactions -- hooray for WiMAX but locking your tablet to a single carrier is never any fun. Now Skatter Tech has uncovered a curious page that previously allowed people to join a sort of early-access program for a PlayBook on VZW. The page certainly looks official enough, and the ownership of the site -- a marketing agency that works for both RIM and Verizon -- also makes a compelling case. Of course, it could just be a fantasy dreamed up by this agency of its two clients working together, but we'll go ahead and hold out hope for a provider-agnostic PlayBook -- maybe even one with LTE.
RIM tilts BlackBerry PlayBook keyboard on side, drops hints about TAT, module cavities and battery life
<div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/preview/rim-blackberry-keyboard-battery-tat-module-cavity/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/02/2-3-11-blackberry-playbook-portrait-keyboard.jpg"/></a></div> RIM held a BlackBerry WebWorks developer event in San Francisco this evening, and while hard news was not in attendance, we did score a number of tidbits about the company's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/BlackBerryPlayBook/">BlackBerry PlayBook</a>. First and foremost, there's most definitely a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/blackberry-playbook-gets-demoed-in-portrait-mode/">portrait virtual keyboard</a> in the latest QNX tablet build, and we literally gave it a spin, watching as the landscape layout slowly switched to portrait mode as we changed the slate's orientation. Second, we may have gotten our first hint about what RIM's doing with the recently-purchased <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/02/rim-buys-tat-blackberry-ui-in-danger-of-becoming-awesome/">TAT</a> -- we overheard that the PlayBook's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/blackberry-playbook-preview/">bezel gestures</a> actually aren't quite finalized yet, and that the astonishingly silent UI design division may be lending a hand. On the all-important subject of battery life we don't have much to add beyond <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/24/rim-playbook-battery-life-will-be-equal-or-greater-than-the-ip/">earlier boasts</a>, but a staffer did tell us that RIM's shooting for a "full work day" of juice. Last but not least, we were told that Jim Balsillie's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/16/jim-balsillie-says-blackberry-playbook-has-a-module-cavity-hi/">module cavity</a> certainly exists, but it's not the user-upgradable slot or socket we'd hoped -- rather, it's a orifice deep inside the PlayBook for hardware enhancements at the factories where devices are built. Like <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/blackberry-4g-playbook-coming-to-sprint-network-this-summer-obv/">this one</a>, perhaps? Video after the break.
BlackBerry PlayBook gets demoed in portrait mode
It's brief and a bit blurry, but in the midst of a 14-minute demonstration of the BlackBerry PlayBook the folks from Lotusphere Podcasts scored something of a first: a demo of the tablet finally using portrait mode. Unfortunately, we don't get a look at much more than the home screen and the keyboard, and it appears that the functionality might not be perfected just yet -- the PlayBook used for the first ten minutes of the video was the usual horizontal-only deal, and the portrait-enabled model was quickly put back on the table after the brief demo. Hit up the source link below for the complete video, and look for the portrait mode to make an appearance around the 10:55 mark.
RIM shows PlayBook living in sweet harmony with BlackBerry Torch in new video
It's no secret that RIM's PlayBook is going to need a connection to a nearby BlackBerry phone to do much of its corporate heavy lifting, and a new video posted by the company today shows a little more detail on exactly how that'll look. The one-minute, 54-second spot spends much of its time in the tablet's email app, demonstrating how the Playbook and the Torch beside it are perfectly in sync -- read an email on one, it immediately shows read on the other, and so on. We also learn that any secured corporate data that you're using on the PlayBook while tethered is essentially on loan -- it'll disappear as soon as you disconnect, which is one of the reasons RIM's touting this as a bolt-on for any corporate BES environment that won't require any additional configuration or lines of data service. The video certainly doesn't do much to appeal to the casual BlackBerry user -- you know, the Curve and Pearl types of folks -- but it's an interesting watch nonetheless. Check it after the break.
BlackBerry Monaco Touch, Bold Touch, Sedona, and more leaked for CDMA
CrackBerry looks to have just gotten the inside scoop on everything RIM has planned for the CDMA side of the wireless divide in 2011 -- and as usual, it seems they'll be supporting it just as well as they do the GSM guys. Going chronologically, first up will be a CDMA PlayBook in the second quarter of the year; so far, Sprint's WiMAX version (sans CDMA support) is the only carrier-partnered version of the tablet announced. Next comes Montana -- a CDMA version of the Dakota -- which may come to market as the Bold Touch; as the name implies, you can expect the classic portrait QWERTY Bold form factor with the addition of a touchscreen. Look for that one in the third quarter alongside the Monaco (pictured above), which looks like a much sleeker Storm successor featuring a 1.2GHz Qualcomm core, a 3.7-inch WVGA display, and a 5 megapixel camera with HD video capture. Next, we'll get a CDMA flavor of the Apollo dubbed Sedona, a next-gen Curve with NFC support; that'll happen sometime around fall. Finally, looking into early 2012 we'll get a device codenamed Malibu that looks to be a full-screen Curve Touch with slightly lower specs than the Monaco. On the technology side, most of these new devices will be adopting a handful of technologies not seen on BlackBerrys before, including digital compasses, NFC, HD video recording and "management," and better HTML5 media support; they'll also be getting OpenGL support, mobile hotspot capability, 24-bit color, a better web browser, and an overhauled virtual keyboard by way of BlackBerry OS 6.1, which should be present in everything that gets launched here. Caught up? Given the lack of dual-core processors here -- the kind of CPUs Lazaridis says he needs to drop QNX on phones -- we'd say "no," but they might be getting within earshot. Follow the break for a shot of the full roadmap.
BGR: BlackBerry PlayBook to possibly use Android's Dalvik virtual machine, might run Android apps
RIM's been hyping AIR apps and web apps for the PlayBook for a while now, but there's a chance much bigger things are in the works: BGR says the company wants to add in Java compatibility for legacy BlackBerry apps, and that among other options it's considering using the Dalvik virtual machine found in Android to get there. That makes a lot of sense -- Dalvik is one of the most advanced Java(ish) virtual machines out there, and it's open-source, so RIM could conceivably take it and tweak it to work with existing BlackBerry apps, which are built in Java. Clever, clever. But that's not all: BGR goes on to speculate that using Dalvik will also allow the PlayBook and future QNX devices to straight-up run regular Android apps, which is obviously a much bigger deal than simply using the same virtual machine. Exactly how or why BGR's making that leap is unclear, since running Android apps on the PlayBook would require porting much more than just Dalvik, but it's out there. In fact, it's been out there since December 7, when Fortune picked up a note from Gleacher & Company analyst Mark McKechnie suggesting that RIM was planning to offer Android compatibility, so we're curious if this rumor's just taking another trip through the internet meat grinder. Honestly, our bet is that RIM is far too proud to offer Android compatibility and that it's just investigating Dalvik as a Java environment, but we'd love to be proven wrong -- we'll see what happens.
RIM: PlayBook battery life will be 'equal or greater than the iPad with smaller battery size'
Hey, can everyone please stop talking about the iPad? RIM's been skirting around Apple's tablet, saying only that its upcoming PlayBook slate would have "comparable" battery life, but now it's dropped all pretense and called the iPad out by name. Specifically, the Canadian company's senior business marketing VP Jeff McDowell has promised that the PlayBook will offer "equal or greater" battery endurance to Apple's device, while using a smaller cell size. The latter part isn't hard to achieve, considering Apple filled most of its slate's innards with Li-Pol juice packs, but the promise of matching its autonomy from the wall socket is a big claim to make. Many people consider that to be among the iPad's foremost strengths, so RIM is surely aiming high by pledging to not only match it, but potentially better it. The PlayBook we saw in person wasn't quite up to that level yet, but there's still time until that March launch for RIM to turn bold words into a beautiful reality.
BlackBerry Balance details emerge: available in two months' time, coming to PlayBook too
If you're champing at the bit to separate your work life and personal life into two distinct, impenetrable entities, RIM's got your back: it turns out that the Balance product announced a few days ago will be available in just a couple months' time. In a recent chat with Retuers, the company's senior VP of business and platform marketing revealed that Balance is already in testing with carriers ahead of a wide-scale launch -- and furthermore, it'll be available on the upcoming PlayBook as well. As a refresher, Balance seeks to let you do all your personal stuff on your BlackBerry while still giving the IT suits in your office unfettered access to the secure stuff -- corporate email and the like -- which means you can carry a single device (as long as you're okay with that one device being a BlackBerry) where you might have previously carried two. Of course, if you've got a phone and a PlayBook, we suppose you'll have two devices anyhow -- but regardless, at least you'll be able to Facebook your face off without corporate security getting in the way.
RIM exec talks PlayBook, App World, QNX on phones, and more
While we wait for the PlayBook to released in its WiFi- and WiMAX-equipped forms over the next few months, RIM's taking every opportunity it can to talk about the platform -- and the latest comes from an interview between FierceDeveloper and the company's veep of developer relations, Tyler Lessard, who played a prominent role at BlackBerry DevCon '10 a while back where the PlayBook was first announced. When asked about RIM's decision to partner up with Sprint and deliver a WiMAX version first before looking at bigger carriers with more broadly-used technologies, Lessard says that they "were really excited about was Sprint's interest and excitement in coming to the table and working with us on a product like that" -- which we take as code for either "they paid us the most" or "no one else bit." Either way, interesting verbiage to say the least -- though he does say that there are other versions in the pipe. On App World, Lessard notes that BlackBerry's third-party app platform has taken in some 5,000 apps in the last couple months alone -- not a big number, necessarily, until you consider that they're only up to 17,000 total, so they're definitely seeing some nice growth percentages there. Turning the attention to the perennial question of when QNX will come to smartphones, he basically echoes a sentiment first shared by bossman Lazaridis back at D: Dive Into Mobile: dual-core processors are key, so the new platform won't filter down until the hardware gets beefier. He says that "we really want to make sure we don't back-step from that and offer a degraded experience because hardware is not ready or the performance isn't there," which is arguably odd wording considering that BlackBerry 6 is already well behind the curve -- how much worse could QNX on a single-core 1GHz-plus processor really be? [Thanks, Ben]
RIM: PlayBook is a 'great standalone tablet,' not 'reliant on a BlackBerry'
We're sure RIM would still prefer that you own both a BlackBerry smartphone and a PlayBook, but it looks like it's now going some way to address the potential misconception that you actually need a BlackBerry for the tablet to be of any use. Speaking with Forbes, RIM senior product manager Ryan Bidan insisted that "on its own, this is a great standalone tablet," and that "this is not a device that is reliant on a BlackBerry." As Forbes notes, however, it is true that the PlayBook needs to be tied to a BlackBerry for most PIM functions like contacts and calendar management, but Bidan says those features will come to the PlayBook separately "as the platform evolves" -- he didn't get much more specific than that, unfortunately.
RIM's WebWorks SDK: make apps compatible with both PlayBook and BlackBerry 6
RIM's adding yet more incentive for developers to give its PlayBook tablet a chance. The company's just launched a beta of WebWorks SDK, a collection of tools that lets you package up your web applications, with access to the hardware capabilities, as apps compatible with both the PlayBook and BlackBerry 6 smartphone devices. RIM also released a handful of new SDKs and extended the free PlayBook offer to March 15th. If you're the sort who dreams in binary, hit up the relevant links below.
Best of CES 2011
Maybe, just maybe, you've noticed that Engadget relocated this past week to the City of Sin for CES 2011. Oh yes, we set up camp in a double-wide trailer, liveblogged our hearts out, combed the show floor, and worked our rear ends off to bring you more gadget news than you ever thought possible. It's true, we've written over 720 posts (40 or so about tablets alone!), shot more than 180 videos, and brought you over 350 photo galleries in the last seven days. That's a ton of technology news and products, but naturally, only certain ones have been able to rise above the rest and stick out in our scary collective hive-mind. With that said, we've complied our annual best of list for you, so hit the break and feast your eyes on what are bound to be some of the best products of the new year.
QNX Car concept with PlayBook integration hands-on (video)
Okay, we've seen an iPad on a dashboard. Ready for some in-car PlayBook action? Recent RIM acquisition QNX is all over it, showing off what it calls simply QNX Car. It's a basic reference implementation of some technology that will be running the infotainment systems of cars in the coming years -- though they'll surely look very different than this by then. QNX is showing how it can pull media from multiple sources, like an iPhone, use Message Access Protocol Bluetooth to pull data from a BlackBerry, and even use Terminal Mode to replicate the UI of something like the PlayBook. Plus, the PlayBook was able to change climate control settings in the car. The company is also working on what it's called the Simple UI Protocol. It's basically a lowest-common-denominator smartphone integration -- something like Ford's AppLink that, in theory, will work regardless of the app or the hardware on the car. It's very limited, allowing just two lines of text and a few icons to be sent from the phone to the car, and just two buttons (left and right) to be sent back to the phone as controls. The idea is to remove any aspect of driver distraction and to provide AppLink-like functionality in a standard, non OEM-specific way, which we like. But, it's so limited in scope we're not sure just how useful it would be. See for yourself after the break. %Gallery-113595%
BlackBerry Bridge for PlayBook tablet preview (video) (updated)
You've surely checked out our BlackBerry PlayBook preview by now, so you know that we're very impressed with the state of the tablet at this point in time. Still, we're somewhat dumbfounded by the lack of native messaging and calendar clients, and until now we've been in the dark on exactly how RIM planned to execute this. Enter BlackBerry Bridge -- the app suite that allows your Bluetooth-tethered BlackBerry device to manage your Messages, Calendar, and -- yes -- BBM. Head past the break for a video of these in action (sorry it's a little shaky and loud, we were on the floor), as well as a quick rundown of some of the basics -- and we've got a bonus gallery of some first-party PlayBook accessories thrown in for good measure. %Gallery-113486% %Gallery-113485%
