According to an internal document at Bell Canada, BlackBerry will introduce a device July 31, 2012 that will have full 4G LTE capability. Although this post is the result of a Bell document, we fully expect PlayBooks to be made available from other carriers as well.
According to the aforementioned document, the new 7” device has a listed price of $549.95. It features 1GB RAM, a 1.5 GHz dual core processor, 1024 x 600 pixel screen and 32 GB storage. It also features a 5 MP rear camera with 1080p recording capability and a 3 MP front camera. Full support is available for 4G LTE and HSPA+. Such a device would be quick, sleek and possess a desirable amount of storage space.
Although RIM’s financial numbers have been less than stellar (to put it lightly), this might represent a bit of good news for the Waterloo, Ontario company. At 7” device size, the market is quite fierce with the popular and well received devices such as the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire. The one advantage the PlayBook possesses is that neither of those devices are data capable, relying solely on wireless for full functionality. A drawback however is the price point, as the Nexus and Kindle Fire retail for approximately $200.
The main competition may take a little while to enter the fray. The proposed 7-8” iPad Mini will be hotly anticipated and will most likely sway a lot of people from PlayBooks due to the effect Apple has on users and consumers.
Although RIM’s focus for the tablet has been on the business crowd, this announcement along with the expansion of RIM’s PlayBook Video Store shows an interest in attracting more consumers, who have shown themselves to be the driving force behind mobile device sales.
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