RIM shows off PlayBook, a BlackBerry tablet

By Jeffrey Van Camp October 26, 2010

rim-blackberry-playbook-tablet-first-demo — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mike Lazaridis, CEO of Research in Motion, showed off the smartphone company’s first tablet at the Adobe Max conference. Named “PlayBook,” the device is intended to compete with the iPad and growing number of Android tablets hitting the market. Video is below.

The PlayBook was announced in early August and makes use of a new operating system dubbed BlackBerry Tablet OS from QNX, which the veteran smartphone company hopes will help it stave off the onslaught of iPhone and Android sales and bring momentum back to BlackBerry. Unfortunately, from this demo, the user interface (UI) seems laggy and unresponsive when performing simple tasks like browsing photos. It also appears necessary to sift through two menus to get to an Internet browser.

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During the final portion of the demo, Lazaridis explains that he doesn’t plan on dumbing down the Internet for his device, but instead the PlayBook is powerful enough to fully experience the Internet. He then shows that the tablet can run HD quality YouTube videos, but does so with some lag. Still, “it’s actually running,” he says.

To learn more about the PlayBook, check out the opening announcement. Interested in the PlayBook? The company is certainly trying to remain relevant. Is it enough?

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Jeffrey Van Camp

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…

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