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Research In Motion’s Blackberry PlayBook tablet will go on sale in Australia in June 20 at identical prices with Apple iPad models, RIM revealed yesterday.
Research In Motion’s Blackberry PlayBook tablet will go on sale in Australia in June 20 at identical prices with Apple iPad models, RIM revealed yesterday.
While not generally seen as a consumer device, the PlayBook will be marketed initially through Harvey Norman stores as well as all three major carriers: Optus, Telstra and Vodafone. But HN doesn’t appear to have an exclusive: RIM Australia has said it is working with other retail groups on launch plans for the PlayBook tablet which needs owners to own a Blackerry phone to access the Internet.
The Canadian company appears to face considerable problems in promoting the PlayBook, which runs under the QNX operating system, meaning there are relatively few apps dedicated to that system available for download.
It also has a 7-inch screen, which has not been as popular with tablet buyers as the 9- and 10-inch displays favoured by Apple and Android tablets, including Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Motorola’s Xoom.
And to have full functionality, including downloading e-mail, contacts and calendar appointments, users must also possess – and “tether” the device to – a Blackberry smartphone and use software called Blackberry Bridge. That’s awkward, but probably not a big problem in business circles, though rare among consumers.
The basic 16GB Blackberry PlayBook, with Wi-Fi connections will sell in Australia for $579, the same price as a Wi-Fi-only 16GB iPad. A 32GB Wi-Fi PlayBook will go for $689 and a 64GB model will be $799 – also identical with Apple iPad pricing.
