The company that gave us the BlackBerry–still the dominant phone in corporate circles–thinks its business customers will have room in their briefcases for at least one more device: the PlayBook.
Research in Motion showed off the tablet for the first time Monday and is set to launch it in the U.S. early 2011, with an international rollout later in the year. With it, RIM is betting on a smaller, lighter device than Apple’s iPad, which kicked-started the tablet market when it launched in April.
The PlayBook will have a 17.8-centimetre screen, making it half the size of the iPad. It has a weight close to the iPad’s. Unlike the iPad, it will have two cameras, front and back, both capable of high definition.
The PlayBook will be able to act as a second, larger screen for a BlackBerry phone, through a secure short-range wireless link. When the connection ends, no sensitive data like company emails are left on the tablet. Outside of Wi-Fi range, it will be able to pick up cellular service to access the web by linking to a BlackBerry.
But the tablet will also work as a standalone device. RIM co-chief executive Jim Balsillie said its goal is to present the full web experience of a computer, including the ability to display Flash video and interactive formats. That means the tablet will be less dependent on third-party applications or “apps,” Balsillie said.
“I don’t need to download a YouTube app if I’ve got YouTube on the web,” said Balsillie, who leads the company along with co-CEO Mike Lazaridis.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has resisted allowing Flash on any of the company’s mobile gadgets, arguing the software has too many bugs and sucks too much battery life.
“Much of the market has been defined in terms of how you fit the Web to mobility,” Balsillie said. “What we’re launching is really the first mobile product that is designed to give full web fidelity.”
In part, the PlayBook is a move by RIM to protect its position as the top provider of mobile gadgets for the business set. Balsillie said he had briefings with company chief information officers and “this is hands-down, slam-dunk what they’re looking for.”
Analysts agree that RIM’s close relationship with its corporate clients could help the company establish a comfortable niche in the tablet market despite Apple’s early lead.
“We do think that RIM has a play with enterprise customers because it has established relationships with so many businesses, and its technology is so deeply integrated with their IT departments,” IDC analyst Susan Kevorkian said.
RIM doesn’t want the PlayBook to be just for work–the company invited video game maker Electronic Arts to help introduce the PlayBook at an event in San Francisco on Monday–but it’s clear that its advantages will lie in the work arena.
The iPad has prompted a wave of competitors, so RIM won’t be alone going after the tablet market. Computer maker Dell came out with its own tablet computer in August called the Streak. Samsung Electronics plans to launch the Galaxy Tab next month and has already lined up all four major U.S. carriers to sell it and provide wireless service for it. Cisco Systems is also going after business customers with a tablet called the Cius early next year.
