Creators of the BlackBerry, Research in Motion (RIM), have announced that they will reveal their foray into tablet computers this week. RIM is stated to finally unveil the BlackPad at the Developers Conference being held in San Francisco, California.
Rumor has it, that the RIM tablet computer will be released sometime before the end of the this year. The BlackPad, as it has been nicknamed, will boast a seven-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth and broadband connections, and built-in camera capabilities. The BlackPad will also feature a new operating platform built by their recent acquisition QNX Software Systems.
Due to the success of the iPhone and smartphones operating with the Google Android system, RIM has seen its market share slowly get eaten away. With the BlackPad, RIM hopes to capitalize on the current tablet computer trend. After all, if the iPad was able to sell approximately three million units during its first 80 days on the market, who’s to say that the makers of the popular Blackberry can’t do the same?
Earlier this month, Samsung launched its Galaxy Tablet, which features dual cameras, Adobe Flash, expandable memory and phone/video call capabilities.
Additionally, Toshiba announced the launch of their tablet the Toshiba Folio, which also looks to compete with the iPad by leveraging features such as a 10.1 inch display, 3g network, and the Android operating system.
With numerous organizations jumping on the bandwagon built by the iPad, RIM’s BlackPad will be facing some heavy competition in the tablet market. However, until its unveiling later this week it’s too early to speculate on how the BlackPad will stack up against the other tablets on the market.
[Photo courtesy of cultofmac.]