BlackBerry PlayBook 16GB for $499 at Office Depot

By Rue Liu/Feb. 9, 2011 6:57 pm EST

More and more details about availability and pricing for BlackBerry's PlayBook are popping up and the latest is from Office Depot where the 7-inch tablet can be yours for $499.99. The release date says "week 17" which puts it around the last week of April.

The PlayBook will have 16 GB, WiFi, and is capable of 3G speeds when tethered to a Blackberry phone. The pricing is competitive with Apple's iPad but still higher than many Android powered tablets out on the market. This is the first real solid price for a PlayBook so it's good to see RIM keeping it relatively moderate and under $500.

There are plenty out there who are eager to see what PlayBook can do and make sure its not just an oversized BlackBerry smartphone. RIM needs to get the PlayBook out as soon as it can before Apple's iPad 2 hits the market. Though unconfirmed thus far, many know that Apple's second generation of the tablet will land soon and make big waves again in the tablet market. RIM can't afford to lose anymore ground to Apple in the enterprise market as more corporate execs switch from their BlackBerrys to iPhones and iPads.

[Via CrackBerry]