RIM announces the Playbook

New tablet expected to rival Apple’s iPad

RIM has finally revealed its answer to Apple’s iPad: the Playbook. The tablet was unveiled the company’s developers conference in San Francisco on Monday. RIM’s tablet will be the first business-centric device to enter the market. Analysts say that by emphasizing its business potential, the Waterloo-based company has made a smart move. The playbook will have a 18 cm screen with two cameras to enable video conferencing. It will not use the current Blackberry OS, but a custom one developed by QNX, which was recently acquired by RIM. It is expected to be commercially available by 2011.

BBC News