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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.
Next PlayBook to have 10-inch screen, 4G radio, and white color option?
A 10-inch followup to the BlackBerry PlayBook seemed inevitable and indeed, tidbits about a rumored larger-screen version are starting to flow fast and furious. N4BB, which recently managed to spy the 9900 before it was unveiled, is citing anonymous sources who claim it will have a thinner bezel, a SIM card slot, a white color option, and, like the soon-to-be upgraded 7-inch version, 4G / WiFi connectivity. What's more, these sources assure us this new PlayBook will have native email and calendar apps and be able to connect to BlackBerry Enterprise Server without the help of BlackBerry Bridge -- a confounding quirk on the current model. That's all well and good (and fairly realistic), though we'll just have to wait until that rumored holiday launch -- or a more unequivocal leak -- to see what RIM has up its sleeves.
