While Apple has steadily chipped away at BlackBerry's share of the smartphone market, Research In Motion (RIM) will be playing catch up in the tablet space this month, with the release of its BlackBerry PlayBook in the US.
The tablet is being eagerly awaited by SA's strong BlackBerry market and it looks set to be released locally in either April or May.
RIM showcased the PlayBook at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), in Barcelona, recently. The first release will see WiFi-enabled PlayBooks reaching the market, while Playbooks supporting WiFi/HSPA and WiFi/LTE will come out in the second half of the year.
Space-grade OS
The Playbook runs on a QNX operating system (OS) called the BlackBerry Tablet OS.
According to QNX, its operating systems have been proven in everything from the space station and the world's highest capacity router, to millions of in-car systems.
“It brings capabilities to the mobile market that are absolutely unique,” says QNX, adding a promise of “space-grade” reliability.
The PlayBook has a 1GHz dual-core processor that enables it to run the multi-threaded and multitasking OS, together with support for Flash, HTML5 and open Internet standards.
With 1GB RAM, seven-inch display, a three-megapixel front-facing camera, as well as a five-megapixel rear lens, the PlayBook is capable of 1 080p HD video and comes with a built-in HDMI port for big screen viewing.
As demonstrated at the MWC, the tablet comes out of the box with Need for Speed and Tetris. The games make use of the multi-touch and accelerometer capabilities of the PlayBook.
'True' multitasking
RIM CEO Jim Balsillie emphasised the PlayBook's “true multitasking” as its key selling point.
This multitasking capacity was demonstrated with Need for Speed, Call of Duty and a browser window all running simultaneously on the tablet.
During the demonstration, it was also shown that Web browsing on the PlayBook allows for the full sites to be displayed. “You won't be getting a scaled-down mobile version; you're getting the real version in an uncompromised experience.”
BlackBerry in SA
While the iPhone dominates other markets, BlackBerry has enjoyed a sizeable chunk of the South African smartphone market.
The Mobility 2011 brand momentum calculations showed a strong move towards smartphones in the local market, and BlackBerry in particular, with the number of users expected to increase by six times the current amount.
Twenty-four percent of respondents in the current mobile market claim their next phone will be a BlackBerry. BlackBerry currently accounts for 4% of the market.
The rise of the BlackBerry in SA has been attributed to the mass appeal of the BlackBerry Messenger service to the youth market. A relatively small 3% of users plan to upgrade to an iPhone.
Tethered advantage
The growing mobile market share of BlackBerry in the country could provide the necessary selling point of the PlayBook locally, due to the tethering of BlackBerry phones to the tablet.
BlackBerry Bridge allows a PlayBook user to access content that lives natively on their BlackBerry phone. Using a secure Bluetooth connection, one is able to interact with content on the tablet, while keeping it running securely on a BlackBerry - including BBM services.
“We're calling the PlayBook the first professional tablet for people that want to get things done,” says RIM.
“Many other tablets are very consumption-oriented, while the PlayBook can be used to create content and allow users to access e-mail within the enterprise. It can also serve as a companion device so that business people don't need to carry a laptop to remain productive.”
Apps and Android
The PlayBook will also support Android apps, a move that has led to some speculation over whether BlackBerry App World is simply not getting enough developers onboard.
BlackBerry representatives are quick to defend it though, saying the decision to support Android apps was simply one that ensures maximum usability and crossover appeal for users.
BlackBerry App World is said to have reported very high growth, and is now present in over 100 countries. “We have 20 000 quality apps, and 200 million downloads everyday.”
With announcements of the iPad 2 expected this week, RIM will have its work cut out carving a place for itself in the market.
There is still no word on the pricing of the BlackBerry PlayBook, other than that it will be “competitive”.
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