Verizon Undecided About Carrying BlackBerry PlayBook

RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook just launched yesterday without much fanfare and doused with lukewarm reviews. And now, it may have a difficult time getting carriers to take on the product. The PlayBook released yesterday was only the WiFi version, with plans for a 4G version to come later. RIM has said that it expected Verizon Wireless to be a distribution partner for its PlayBook, but today the carrier said that it has not yet confirmed the decision.

"We're still evaluating the BlackBerry Playbook and have not made a determination as to whether we're going to distribute it," said Verizon Wireless Spokeswoman Brenda Raney.

The 7-inch tablet has been dinged on its half-baked firmware and panned as a rushed product with many essential apps such as mail, calendar, and contacts only working in tandem with a BlackBerry smartphone.

The first day sales numbers are estimated at around 45,000 units according analysts, with roughly 20,000 units coming from retailers and 25,000 units coming from pre-orders. Compare that to the Apple iPad 2, which is believed to have sold around 500,000 units on its first day, and it seems pretty glum for the PlayBook. However, analysts believe that compared to the other Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet, the Motorola XOOM, the PlayBook will likely surpass its sales numbers thanks to enterprise support.

[via Reuters]