The tablet wars heated up Monday with Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook making an impressive debut. Apple, the undisputed leader with its iPad, now faces a challenge from RIM and Samsung and its Galaxy Tab introduced earlier this month. The three competitors each approach the tablet market differently: offering three distinct mobile operating systems, three different target markets, and varying pricing models.
[ Slideshow: A visual guide to the BlackBerry Playbook ]
The 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook represents a fresh start for RIM. It features a new OS called BlackBerry Tablet OS, (the result of RIM's acquisition of QNX earlier this year), and is packed with hardware goodies. For starters the PlayBook sports a dual-core 1GHz processor (1Ghz single-core on the iPad and Galaxy Tab), and boasts a whopping 1GB RAM (twice as much as the Tab and four times as much as the iPad).
[See how the PlayBook compares to the Galaxy Tab and iPad - click here or on the chart below to expand]
Click to ZoomLike the Galaxy Tab, the PlayBook has two cameras, but with almost double the pixel resolution (5MP back, 3MP front on the PlayBook, 3MP back, 1.3MP front on the Tab). Even better, the PlayBook will be able to record 1080p HD video with the camera on the back, while Apple's iPad has no cameras whatsoever. The HD videos you record with a PlayBook can also be played on an external display via the built-in microHDMI port (Tab can do the same, but only via a separate dock).
High Hopes For New BlackBerry Tablet OS
RIM targets the PlayBook for the corporate folk, but there are plenty of multimedia features to keep consumers happy. The new BlackBerry Tablet OS looks like mashup between the latest BlackBerry OS 6 (found on the new BlackBerry Torch) and Palm's WebOS (now owned by HP), including the cards metaphor used for multitasking.
RIM and Adobe also integrated Adobe Flash Player 10.1 on the PlayBook, as well as Adobe AIR apps. Taking another leaf from Palm's playbook, RIM's upcoming tablet can mirror a BlackBerry phone's data via Bluetooth tethering (anyone remember the Foleo?). RIM now needs to get developers on board to create apps for the PlayBook. New incentives have been added like in-app purchases, as well as access to proprietary APIs for apps like BBIM. Amazon already announced its Kindle reading software for the PlayBook.
Crunch Time: What We Don't Know
RIM has left unanswered a few important ingredients to the PlayBook's success. There is no word on pricing (similar to the Samsung Galaxy Tab pricing dilemma), especially as the device won't have 3G capabilities at first, and no carrier subsidies are in sight. RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G PlayBooks, but there was no specific time frame.
The BlackBerry maker didn't mention how much storage will come on board of the PlayBook, but reports say the tablets showcased at the launch event had 16GB and 32GB on board. Battery life is also a mystery, and again, unconfirmed reports put this figure at around eight hours, more than the Galaxy Tab, but less than the iPad.
Finally, the availability of the BlackBerry PlayBook is unknown. RIM said it would arrive sometime next year, thus missing on the crucial holiday season this year. However, a Spring 2011 launch can spell trouble for the PlayBook.
Despite superior hardware performance over the iPad right now, Apple is expected to refresh the iPad with cameras, more RAM, and more processing power around the same time as the slated arrival time of the PlayBook. So by the time it arrives, the PlayBook won't have to fight with the current iPad, but with the second generation of Apple's tablet.

iPad vs. Blackberry Tablet PC: Blackberry’s Tablet Will Feature a Fast 1GHz Processor!

Apple iPad vs Blackberry Tablet PC? Nice heads up, right? A tech industry analyst Ashok Kumar has went on record claiming that the upcoming Blackberry Tablet PC is already under final touches by Research In Motion (RIM). Kumar is saying that his source within the company has told him this tablet computer will no longer be a mere companion device for Blackberry phones. It will be a real competitor to the the iPad. The source hinted that as of the moment, the Blackberry tablet project is codenamed Cobalt and its manufacturing blueprint requires it to have a speedy 1GHz processor.

The Upcoming Blackberry Tablet PC is codenamed "Cobalt"

Kumar said this need for a fast CPU is most probably because the Cobalt will have two cameras, one forward-facing and one at the back. This double-camera feature alone makes the Blackberry Cobalt is a better option than the Apple iPad, which lacks any camera. Blackberry officials want to integrate video calling on their first tablet pc product. Perhaps envious of Apple’s big profits on the massive sales record of the iPad, Blackberry has decided to create a full-pledged multimedia Tablet PC in the Cobalt. The speedy processor alone is a strong clue that the Cobalt will be capable of playing 3D video games and HD videos.
Another feature revealed by Kumar is that the Blackberry tablet’s screen will be smaller than the iPad at only 7-inches. But he says this will be multi-touch capable like what the iPad has. Research In Motion has refused to comment on this revelation. But Kumar insists that the Blackberry-maker plans to debut the Blackberry Cobalt this December or at CES 2011 in Las Vegas next year. The Blackberry Tablet PC release date could be on the first quarter of 2012. What do you think? Is Blackberry Tablet PC an actual product in the making or is it just another vaporware?

What a day -- yesterday, that is. Research in Motion finally announced its long-awaited BlackBerry tablet, the 7-inch PlayBook (thankfully not named the BlackPad). While there's still quite a few missing details, and nary an unit in site for us to try first-hand, we've still got a sampling of specs for this little guy to go tête-à-tête on the quantitative field of proverbial battle, at least as it can be seen so far (that early 2011 release date is still a ways off). Looks very promising so far, lined up against Apple's iPad, Samsung's Galaxy Tab, and the Dell Streak, but our known unknowns -- i.e. price, app support, and overall feel of using the QNX-built operating system -- are what will really make or break the slate. Until that time, enjoy our number-crunching below:

	BlackBerry PlayBook	Apple iPad	Samsung Galaxy Tab	Dell Streak
Screen size	7 inches	9.7 inches	7 inches	5 inches
Resolution	1024 x 600	1024 x 768	1024 x 600	800 x 480
Pixel density (approx.)	170	133	170	187
Platform	BB Tablet OS	iOS 3.2.2 (4.2 in November)	Android 2.2	Android 1.6 (2.1 / 2.2 in future)
Adobe Flash support	10.1	Not Supported	10.1	Not supported
Processor	1GHz dual-core Cortex A9	1GHz Apple A4 (ARMv7)	1GHz Cortex A8	1GHz Snapdragon
Graphics	Unknown	PowerVR SGX 535	PowerVR SGX 540	Adreno 200
RAM	1GB	256MB	512MB	512MB
Internal Storage	16GB / 32GB (unconfirmed)	16GB / 32GB / 64GB	16GB / 32GB	2GB
Expansion	Unknown	None	microSD	microSD
Connectivity	802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR	802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR	802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0	802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Cellular data	3G and 4G promised for future	3G optional (GSM)	3G (all carriers)	3G (sold via AT&T)
GPS	None	3G models only	Yes	Yes
Camera	3MP front, 5MP rear	None	1.3MP front, 3MP rear	VGA front, 5MP rear
Weight	0.9 lbs	1.5 - 1.6 lbs	0.84 lbs	0.49 lbs