RIM Unveils PlayBook Tablet as BlackBerry Maker Chases IPad

Sept. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Research In Motion Ltd., whose BlackBerry smartphone rose to prominence on Wall Street, is now targeting business customers with a tablet computer to compete with Apple Inc.’s iPad and add a fresh source of revenue.

The device, called the BlackBerry PlayBook, has a 7-inch (18-centimeter) screen, RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said in an interview in New York. That’s smaller than the iPad’s 9.7-inch display. The PlayBook is also slimmer and lighter than the iPad.

“The principal market for this is busy working people,” Balsillie said. “We’re not trying to say this is all things to all people.”

RIM is racing to get its tablet into stores as Hewlett- Packard Co., Samsung Electronics Co. and Motorola Inc. build similar devices in a bid to emulate the success of the iPad in filling the gap between smartphones and laptops. Apple sold 3 million iPads in the first 80 days after the device’s April debut, eclipsing sales of its iPod music player.

“RIM needs a tablet device because it’s necessary for all the device makers to have a multiplatform strategy to compete in the long term,” said Scott Sutherland, an analyst at Wedbush Securities Inc. in Los Angeles. “With new devices coming out on multiple operating systems, it’s as much defensive for RIM to have a tablet as it is offensive.”

The tablet will be available in the U.S. in early 2011 and in other countries in the second quarter, RIM said. The company didn’t give a price for the device.

RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, fell 51 cents to $48.36 yesterday on the Nasdaq Stock Market before the announcement. The stock has lost 28 percent this year, compared with a 38 percent gain for Apple.

Shrinking Market Share

“The smaller screen allows a little more portability than an iPad, making it easier to carry in your briefcase,” Matt Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities LLC in Boston, said in an interview.

That may be a deliberate strategy to counter the success of the iPad among business users. Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said in July that 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies are providing the iPad to employees or testing the tablet computer.

RIM is counting on the tablet to increase revenue as the BlackBerry loses ground. The company’s share of the smartphone market slid to 18.2 percent in the second quarter from 19 percent a year earlier. Apple’s iPhone boosted its share to 14.2 percent from 13 percent and devices based on Google Inc.’s Android software surged to 17.2 percent from 1.8 percent, according to researcher IDC.

Flash Video

The PlayBook has been built with the BlackBerry’s security features that made it popular with governments and Wall Street banks, differentiating the tablet from the competition, Balsillie said. The device’s Web browser is compatible with Adobe Systems Inc.’s Flash technology to allow customers to watch a broader range of video content from the Internet, he said. The iPad doesn’t run Flash video or animation.

By promoting the PlayBook’s compatibility with Flash, “absolutely they’re trying to differentiate some of the advantages of going with the PlayBook platform,” said Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw in San Francisco. He rates the company “market perform.”

“The initial low-hanging fruit for the company is to go after the installed subscribers base of 50 million and over the longer term expand the opportunity beyond that,” he said.

Music, Media

Balsillie said the PlayBook, which weighs 0.9 pounds (400 grams), includes a front- and rear-facing camera and will be sold through wireless carriers and retailers, without providing specifics.

The tablet uses Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet wherever the wireless technology is available, including a home or office. When not near such Wi-Fi “hotspots,” people can connect wirelessly to their BlackBerry with Bluetooth technology and then to the Web. The device won’t be able to connect directly to the mobile-phone network the way some iPads can, though RIM plans later versions that will be able to do that.

RIM is building the device based on software built by QNX Software Systems, a company RIM bought in April for $200 million. That marks a shift away from BlackBerry 6, the latest version of the BlackBerry operating system, used in its Torch phone released in August.

At least one person familiar with RIM’s tablet plan said last month the company opted for QNX because BlackBerry 6 includes legacy software code from older BlackBerrys that limits what devices can offer consumers.

While QNX’s software is used to help control the music and media features in BMW and Porsche sports cars, it is also used in the control systems for nuclear power plants and the U.S. Army’s unmanned Crusher tank.

That will give it a higher level of reliability than rival operating systems built for smartphones and adapted for tablet devices, Balsillie said.

Sony's Wii Avatar

The PlayStation Move will get even serious gamers off the couch

The living room workout has come a long way since the days of Jane Fonda in spandex. In 2006 the interactive Nintendo Wii system successfully bridged the gap between hardcore gamers and those looking for a cheap sweat. Four years and 30 million units sold later, other companies are looking to get in on the action.
Sony's entry in the category, the PlayStation Move, isn't technically a new console. The Move, released on Sept. 17, can be purchased as a set of hardware add-ons for the existing PS3 system. The $100 starter pack includes a controller, a mounted camera, and a copy of the Sports Champions Blu-ray game package, which includes six games, from bocce to beach volleyball. Those without a PS3 can pay $400 for the console plus the Move accoutrements.
The Wii's success was founded partly on Nintendo's ability to position it as a device for everyone. The Move, however, is designed to convince couch-bound players of the power of upright gaming. The system's seriousness is encoded in its electronic DNA: The remote's innards contain an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and even a high-tech compass. It's also topped by a glowing plastic sphere that helps the PlayStation Eye Camera, which sits on or below your TV, track your movements. (The Eye connects to the PS3 console via a USB cable.)
The result is a highly accurate remote that can register a wide array of motions. In the volleyball game, there are discrete motions to set, spike, dive, serve, and even block an opponent. However, the greater accuracy makes it far less forgiving than the Wii. The Eye may interpret a table tennis backhand a little too authentically for some.
As a functioning video camera, the Eye blends the real and virtual worlds in ways the Wii can't. The game that best explores this capability—known as augmented reality—is called EyePet, which uses the camera to display your living room on the TV screen. Players sit on the floor, where their onscreen images hatch, feed, and play with a virtual pet. (Don't worry, the game is intended for kids.)
The Move goes further than any other system to date in bridging the physical and virtual worlds. Though perhaps not for long: Microsoft's Kinect system, timed for release during the pre-Christmas stampede, does away with controllers altogether and simply interprets hand and body movements. Regardless of which poses the largest threat to Wii, the days when the thumb was the most important part of a gamer's body are all but over.

“There's no way a 1.5-inch touch-screen is going to work.”
Famous last words.
Apple's iPod nano has always been in an awkward position as the middle child in the iPod family. It's never had the capacity, flair or diminutive size of its brethren but the sixth generation nano is something different. Think of it like the Frankenstein of iPods. (That's a good thing, BTW.)
Let's start off with the obvious, the nano is considerably smaller than its predecessor and now rivals the shuffle as the smallest iPod and the touch as one of the coolest and “funnest” iPods ever made. It has the same anodized aluminum frame as the previous generation nano but it now houses a 1.54-inch multi-touch touch-screen (240x240) with an iOS-like interface, a built-in clip and comes in seven different colors. It weighs close to nothing (21g) and is barely noticeable once it's clipped onto your pants, for instance. If it weren't attached to a set of headphones, you'd likely forget that it was even clipped on.
(More: Apple iPod touch (2010) Review: Don't Want an iPhone? Get This!)
Everything you knew about the previous generation nano is all but forgotten. No more clickwheel, camera, mic, or speaker. You can check out photos or listen to audio. The latest sports just three hard buttons: volume up, volume down and power/sleep. Simplicity reigns supreme.
Sure, the screen is small but it's not very difficult to navigate and the multi-touch, while limited, works great. You can rotate the screen with two fingers depending on the orientation of the nano or double tap to zoom in on photos. Like all other Apple touch-screen devices, the nano is extremely responsive. As I mentioned before, the UI is reminiscent of any other iOS device but its not actually running iOS, says Apple. You won't be able to add apps or games but the existing slew of shortcuts or apps can be moved around based on your preference. A series of dots at the bottom of the screen indicate how many pages there are and which page you are currently viewing whether you're just navigating the menu system or within an app like Fitness or FM radio. Long pressing from any screen will shoot you back to the homescreen and swiping to the right within certain functions, like the Fitness app will bring you back to the previous screen.
Editing existing playlists is possible but you'll have to scroll down within an existing playlist to see the hidden dialog. It doesn't appear as though “On the Go” playlist creation is possible, though. The FM radio feature has been carried over and it still allows you to cache live streams. To access that particular functionality you have to launch the radio, pick your preferred channel and swipe to the next page to pause, play, fast forward or rewind the stream. The Fitness app can be synced with Nike+ and the pedometer keeps track of your steps. You can set daily goals and input your weight, as well. The built-in clock includes a stopwatch and timer and Apple allows you to set the clock as the default screen when you wake up the nano. A voice recorder app is also present on the nano but it won't show up until you plug in a set of headphones that include a mic. (More on Techland: Ten Apps That Break Apple's App Store Guidelines)
While the previous nano tried to do too much, the current generation nano is focused on one thing and one thing only - music. It may have lost a number of features but if you're already deeply engrained in the world of Apple, the nano is a perfect addition to your arsenal of fruit products. And if you're not, it's a simple way to dip your toes into Apple's touch-screen family of devices to test the waters. The 8GB and 16GB models are priced at $149 and $179, respectively, which isn't the cheapest available option to replace should you lose it but its small stature and intuitive UI make it stand out from the rest.