LAS VEGAS—RIM hasn't exactly kept the BlackBerry PlayBook under wraps—its specs have been available to the general public on the BlackBerry website for some time now. At CES 2011, however, RIM announced one spec it had been keeping secret: the PlayBook will be a 4G device.
PCMag got a close look at the tablet device, which, unlike the vast majority of iPad competitors, does not use Android as its operating system. The PlayBook will run on the BlackBerry Tablet OS, which uses "powerful, user-friendly QNX technology" and supports multi-tasking. It will come in multiple capacities—we played with a 16GB device. Pricing and availability are still being determined, but early 2011 is the target release time. Check out our hands-on pictures below.
Here is what we know about the BlackBerry PlayBook thus far:
- It is a 4G tablet
- 7-inch, 1024 by 600-pixel multi-touch capacitive screen
- The PlayBook measures 5.1 by 7.6 by 0.4-inches (HWD) and weighs 0.9 pounds
- Features a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM
- The front-facing camera shoots 3MP, and the high-definition rear-facing camera takes 5MP shots.
- 1080p video playback is supported, but the screen resolution won't be 1080p.
- HDMI video output for full 1080p viewing experience on a television or monitor.
- Adobe Flash 10.1 enabled, built-in HTML 5 support—so gaming and video-streaming websites should fully load and playback normally.
- Video conferencing with stereo audio.
- 3G access via existing BlackBerry phone plans, and compatibility with BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
For a idea of how the PlayBook's OS will work, and what apps will look like, check out our video hands-on.
PCMag should have a review units in the labs sometime soon; look for our full review of the BlackBerry PlayBook in the near future.