In the wake of Apple's surprising runaway success with the iPad, a number of companies are said to be scrambling to bring their own tablets to market. Case in point? Research in Motion, which is reportedly prepping a "Blackpad" tablet.

Hewlett-Packard, which unveiled a tablet prototype at CES in January, reportedly killed, then resuscitated its Windows 7 Slate, but may also launch a tablet running Palm's webOS.

There's no shortage of other Windows 7 tablets, however. Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer recently confirmed that Asus, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, and Sony are all working on tablets running that OS. And then there's the upcoming deluge of Android and Chrome OS tablets. The market looks to be generally overcrowded, despite the fact that, at present, there's really only one major contender.

According to a new rumor, BlackBerry manufacturer, Research in Motion (RIM), is also looking to enter the space with the BlackPad. The company isn't responding to inquiries at the moment, but Bloomberg cited "two people familiar with the company's plans," stating that such a device is slated for a November release.

According to the sources, the device will be built largely around BlackBerry's e-mail services and secure messaging. The device will also be Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled and will feature front- and back-facing cameras for teleconferencing.