Game on—RIM launches the PlayBook

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the e-publishing waters with your iPad, RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry has launched the PlayBook, an e-reader that uses a 1 gigahertz dual-core processor to enable not just reading, but a heap of multi-tasking as well.

In fact, its 1 Gb of RAM is twice that of Samsung's Galaxy Tab and four times what’s under the hood in the iPad.

Although we don’t have a local launch date or even local pricing, it is known the PlayBook has two cameras that allow videoconferencing, while the iPad doesn't even have one camera for such a purpose.

The full specs include:

  • a 7-inch touchscreen and,
  • • 1 GB RAM • HD video playback and HDMI video output
  • • Bluetooth 2.1
  • • MicroHDMI and microUSB ports
  • • Full support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1
  • • 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ in size
  • • 400g in weight
  • • The ability to connect to BlackBerry Enterprise Servers and all BlackBerry handsets

In other words, what RIM has done is taken a page out of Apple’s game plan- it has invented an e-reader that is designed for play first and business later- the exact opposite of how it launched its BlackBerry phones.

The iPad not only now has a serious competitor- it actually has surpassed Apple’s e-reader to the point where we could safely say the PlayBook is a second-generation e-reader with its powerful specs and attached bells and whistles.

So its game on now in the e-reader world- and its taken a company like RIM that many had written off as a has-been to come up with a gadget that is very much miles ahead of its competition.