RIM PlayBook

RIM has issued an official statement saying that it has determined that one thousand BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, the 16GB model shipped with an OS build that resulted on the devices being unable to properly load software on initial set-up. This is another hiccup in the somewhat rocky launch of the PlayBook (review here), calling into question the confident tagline RIM is using: "Amateur hour is over." More on this story after the cut.

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Yesterday, all the excitement was at the AT&T/Samsung event where the Samsung Infuse was unveiled. Vince here at SlashGear posted a hands-on in record time, and Burnsy has now posted his over at Android Community. Watch for full reviews coming soon. So far, the 4G speeds have been just ok. Also, news that Apple may be ditching Intel for ARM, after news yesterday that ARM chips will be in 13% of computers by 2015. Plus, Chris Davies' thoughts on the subject. In other MacBook news, OWC's Mercury Aura Pro Express will give you more storage space, but it'll cost ya, bigtime. Plus, security, shortages, intersting keyboards, and T-Mobile's burning platform after the cut.

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This morning my friend Robert Evans over at i4u got his grubby hands on one of BlackBerry's Playbooks. It showed up today and for some strange reason he decided to actually read the EULA instead of ignoring those walls of legalese like everyone normally does. I don't know why he decided to take road less traveled and eschew the phrase, "too long, didn't read" today. But because of his strange life choices he found a few interesting and amusing points.

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If you are anxious to see the BlackBerry PlayBook, you can get a little preview from a leaked guide for retail salespeople. The guide is quite thorough, and includes information about everything from hardware features to usability to accessories. It also reveals (not surprisingly) that RIM is positioning the tab for consumers, not just its business users. See the guide and read more after the cut.

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It appears that some leaky ladies or gentlemen have stepped up to Engadget and shared with them some booty with a double "B" attached. In the images you see below, you'll see both a tiny display showing the BlackBerry PlayBook in a Future Shop in Canada with a very incorrect header (Motorola XOOM) and a few details on multitasking. This ad notes "it's what's on the inside that counts," making us feel like it might have gotten dropped as a child. On the other hand, we WOULD like to get our hands on this sassy little number, so we're grateful for any updates on when it'll actually be in our claws for tapping.

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Well would you take a look at that! What we've got here is nothing less than a full roadmap of the more important software updates planned by RIM for their BlackBerry platform. Inside you'll see several versions of Facebook, Social Feeds, Flickr, Twitter, and even the next big fat version of BlackBerry OS: QNX, more than likely OS 7.0! In addition to the roadmap you see directly below this paragraph, we've got a few more one-sheets including a "BlackBerry News," one for Ticketmaster v2.0, and another for Social Feeds. All of these items come courtesy of our friends at n4bb.

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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.

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RIM has outed another BlackBerry PlayBook demo video, this time showing the QNX tablet's browser in action. As well as streaming HTML5 video, the demo shows Flash-based gaming and social networks like Facebook, including support for things like Facebook chat.

Video demo after the cut

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And people said the iPad wasn't enterprise ready. Sounds like they might be changing a tune. A November ChangeWave survey of 1,641 business IT buyers shows the numbers clear as day: businesses want tablets, and they want Apple's iPad the most. A notable 7% of businesses responding to the study said they currently provide their employees with tablet devices, while a monsterous 14% say they'll be purchasing tablets in the first Quarter of 2011! That's what's called a surge.

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RIM has confirmed that its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet - set to arrive in 2011 - will be priced at under $500. According to co-CEO Jim Balsillie, "the product will be very competitively priced" when it drops in North America in Q1 2010; it will then spread globally through Q2.

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RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet won't be reaching the market until 2011, but the company has shared a few more hardware details at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) this week.  According to RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie, the PlayBook will be available in a 64GB version as well as the 16GB and 32GB models already confirmed, and use a 5,300 mAh battery.

Video after the cut

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Talk of the BlackBerry Storm 3's cancellation may have been premature, according to analysts Jefferies & Co., who blame multiple SKUs of the third-generation touchscreen smartphone for the confusion.  They claim RIM was working on three BlackBerry Storm 3 devices, a haptic touch model that has indeed been cancelled, a non-haptic version "with similar thickness, more memory, and [BlackBerry 6]" which is still on course for a release by the end of November, and then a Storm 3 with a "new iPhone-like form factor, but slimmer," that could run QNX.

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