RIM DROPS PLAYBOOK PRICES $300

In a desperate attempt to increase sales on its maligned Blackberry Playbook, RIM has cut the price by $300. The new price for the 16GB model is just $199.99 and $299.99 and $399.99 on the 32GB and 64GB respectively.

After selling 500,000 PlayBooks into channels during the tablet’s first quarter of availability, RIM sold just 200,000 units to distributors last quarter. Analyst checks indicate that sell-through is stalling as well, so a huge sale like this could be a last hurrah for the tablet. Users might enjoy the PlayBook if they give it a test drive, but a lack of apps, no PIM or email support and a lack of compelling features compared to the competition have kept the ball in Apple and Google’s court. Now, with a $199 Kindle Fire and $249 Nook Tablet having been released, the PlayBook’s odds drop even lower.

RIM CONFIRMS PLAYBOOK OS 2.0 DELAYS UNTIL FEBRUARY, WILL SHIP WITHOUT BLACKBERRY MESSENGER

BGR is reporting, and RIM has confirmed, that the Blackberry Playbook OS 2.0 that was recently announced has been delayed until at least February 2012. The delay is due to serious challenges RIM has encountered getting native apps such as email, Blackberry Messenger and more working on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Additionally, RIM also relayed issues with BlackBerry Messenger integration, noting that BlackBerry Messenger will not be included in the native apps bundle of PlayBook OS 2.0, instead coming at a later date.

The company confirmed a workaround where the BlackBerry Messenger can still be used by connecting an existing BlackBerry smartphone with data plan over Bluetooth to the BlackBerry PlayBook using BlackBerry Bridge.

NEW BBX 2 VIDEO SHOWS ANDROID APPS RUNNING ON BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK

Earlier this week, Research In Motion introduced the developer beta of BBX OS 2.0, which supports the Eclipse Android development platform on the company’s BlackBerry PlayBook. On Friday, one developer released a video that shows a number of Android applications running on a tablet. We’ve seen a clip of a PlayBook running Android apps from RIM before, but now we have raw footage from an outside source. The video shows a folder on the main home screen called “Android Apps” that is populated with IM+ Pro, IMDb, Gmail, Amazon Kindle, Kik Messenger, Google Places and more, which suggests that a wide range of apps will work on the device. We’re impressed with what we see so far; the apps run without any issue and take just a few seconds to load. We last heard Android support was delayed until late fall and, since it was just pushed to developers, we may have some time left to wait until the feature is released to consumers.

RIM TO OFFER REBATES ON THE BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK

During RIM’s second-quarter earnings call, co-CEO Jim Balsillie noted that the company plans to offer price cuts on the not-so-popular BlackBerry PlayBook in the form of rebates, and an incentive program for enterprise sales. Additionally, Balsillie mentioned that there will be a major software update for the PlayBook coming soon. RIM reported during its earnings call on Thursday that it only sold 200,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets into channels during its August quarter, after having shipped 500,000 units in the fiscal first quarter. Wall Street was expecting PlayBook shipments to total 700,000 units in the quarter.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS GIVE EACH PLAYER AN iPAD WITH PLAYBOOK AND VIDEOS

The NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done away with the playbook...well the paper kind anyway. They have given each of their 90 players iPad 2s filled with plays and videos. "It's crazy how much technology has changed the game," second-year safety Cody Grimm said. "Back in the day, I think probably the whole team had to sit down with a projector and a reel, and watch the film together. They'd have the whole offense in the same meeting room. Now we all have our own iPad. Stuff that we used to come in here to see, we can sit on our couch at home and have access to it 24-7. It's awesome."

The idea to download playbooks on an iPad was hatched by coach Raheem Morris, who used one to watch video of draft prospects with general manager Mark Dominik and player personnel director Dennis Hickey. The people responsible for turning Morris' vision into reality were team director of football technology Chris Wells and video director Dave Levy.

It's also a perfect study enticement for the youngest roster in the NFL, a group of 20-somethings who are gadget-giddy and technologically savvy to begin with.

BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK TO FINALLY RUN ANDROID APPS BY LATE FALL

RIM previously announced that its Playbook tablet would be able to run Android apps by the summer, but a reliable source states this highly anticipated feature of the Blackberry slate now won't arrive until "late fall." With RIM struggling against ever-stronger competition, delays like this are bad news.

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT MAY BAN iPAD IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES

The Russian government is considering disallowing the use of Apple’s iPad tablet within government agencies due to security concerns, Russian-language business news site RBC Daily reports. Instead, it is investigating various alternative tablet options including RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook, Android-powered tablets or even a new device created by a Russian agency.

Government security experts are reportedly looking for more “cryptographically secure tablet PCs” than Apple’s iPad tablet, and if the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s recent certification is any indication, the BlackBerry PlayBook could fit the bill. RIM announced last week that its PlayBook tablet received FIPS 140-2 certification, thus allowing it to be used by U.S. government officials. No other tablet has received FIPS certification to date.

RIM RECALLS AT LEAST 900 PLAYBOOKS

An inside source is saying that nearly 1,000 faulty tablets were shipped to Staples, and now they're being recalled. We're hoping that Staples (and any other affected retailers) will reach out to customers and inform them of the problem right away, but just in case that doesn't happen, click here for the list of serial numbers.

BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK NOW AVAILABLE IN US AND CANADA - ONLY $500

Today is the day in BlackBerry land. The wait for a dual-core device with an up-to-date operating system and that stylized BB logo is now over, and a vast array of stores in the US and Canada are now ready to sell you your PlayBook.

Whether you'll actually want to buy one is less clear-cut, however, as basic productivity apps like native email and calendar aren't yet available, Android app compatibility hasn't yet been rolled out, and the PlayBook has an unfavorable dependency on having a BlackBerry smartphone nearby in order to be the best tablet it can be.

Still, if you believe in RIM's ability to overcome those early software hurdles, the PlayBook's ready for ownership in exchange for $500 for the 16GB model, $600 for the 32GB version, or $700 for the 64GB-equipped top option (prices are the same in both US and Canadian dollars).

RUMOR: APPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR RIM'S BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK DELAY

Research In Motion will finally launch its anticipated BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on April 19th, though most had initially expected it to reach consumers well before that date. According to a new report from DigiTimes, Apple may have been behind the rumored delays. The report states that RIM’s touch panel supplier, Foxlink, was so inundated with display orders from Apple that it wasn’t able to meet RIM’s manufacturing needs on time. “Sources from touch screen panel makers also pointed out that PlayBook shipments were postponed for about a month from the original schedule due to a delay in software testing as well as shortage of touch panels because Apple already booked up most of the available capacity,” the report claims. RIM’s late launch could have a significant impact on PlayBook sales, though several analysts believe the BlackBerry tablet will still sell quite well in its debut year.

BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK TO RUN ANDROID APPS

Bloombergis reporting from multiple sources that the BlackBerry PlayBook will run Android applications. Earlier reports had the PlayBook running the Java VM Dalvik. Bloomberg has reported that RIM won’t be using Dalvik, but is looking elsewhere. With this news and RIM’s recent strategic moves, heavy rumors and sources say that the Playbook will have the ability to run over 130,000 Android applications.

RIM may be able to woo customers who would otherwise opt for alternative devices, said Chetan Sharma, an independent wireless analyst in Issaquah, Washington.

“It will be a shrewd move to let Android apps run RIM without any performance or user interface hiccups,” said Sharma in an interview. “It will make the RIM platform attractive to consumers as it lacks the strength of the rivals from an apps perspective.”

Marisa Conway, a spokeswoman for RIM, declined to comment. RIM has said it plans to introduce its tablet in the U.S. in the first quarter and then overseas.

RIM'S PLAYBOOK BATTERY LIFE TO EQUAL OR EXCEED iPAD'S AND BE SMALLER

A few weeks ago we posted a rumor that RIM's new Playbook tablet was being delayed due to battery life issues. RIM denounced those rumors at the time saying the OS used to prompt that rumor was unfinished and not optimized.

Now, senior business marketing VP Jeff McDowell has promised that the PlayBook will offer "equal or greater" battery endurance to Apple's device, while using a smaller cell size. The smaller size battery should be fairly easily attainable, but matching and potentially exceeding the iPad's time off the grid is aiming fairly high.

The Playbook is expected to launch in March, so they still have some time to make sure they are able to meet McDowell's statement.

RIM RESPONDS TO PLAYBOOK BATTERY ISSUE RUMOR

RIM has responded to the rumors the BlackBerry Playbook is being delayed due to battery life issues and released the following statement to Erictric:

Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook's battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life.

While this is not an outright denial of the rumored issues, it does make it clear that the software being implemented was not in a mature state and any testing was premature.

RIM BUYS THE ASTONISHING TRIBE FOR UI HELP

RIM, the parent company of Blackberry, has acquired UI design company The Astonishing Tribe, better known as TAT.  TAT specializes in interface design for mobile devices, but their designs are also used in the automotive industry. Most recently TAT designed the Android OS UI as well concepts that may be used in future builds of the Android mobile system.  The TAT website describes them as:

We create the best performing, most astonishingly beautiful user interfaces for any screen and any device. We do this using awesome design, optimized technology, and constant experimentation with emerging technologies and paradigms.

RIM will use TAT to help make its forthcoming Playbook user friendly and also differentiate it from the Android and iPhone devices. [Engadget]

SAP EMBRACES RIM'S PLAYBOOK

SAP, the world's leading maker of enterprise resource management, or ERP, software that many companies use to run basic functions such as finance, human resources and manufacturing is readying its software to run on RIM's Playbook tablet. According to Oliver Bussmann, CIO of SAP, "SAP is definitely supporting the RIM Playbook," and "All of the ERP apps will come out on the Playbook,".

RIM lags well behind Apple and Android in the number of apps available on its operating system. But the company is betting a more modest but high quality menu of business apps could help it catch up in the tablet market, the next big battleground in mobile computing. Although RIM once dominated the smartphone market, the Waterloo, Ontario, firm is coming late to the tablet game.
Apple's iPad leads the tablet market. As of the end of September, six months after launching the device, Apple had sold 7.5 million iPads. In addition, Apple said that over 65% of the Fortune 100 is already deploying or piloting its tablet. This fall, the first Android-based tablet, Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Tab, began rolling out.
"The penetration of the RIM Playbook will depend upon the apps," said Mr. Bussmann. "Apple has more enterprise apps ready. That is an advantage."

A 7-inch tablet computer, the Playbook will run on software built by QNX Software Systems, a Research in Motion unit that makes software used to run everything from cars to nuclear reactors. Research in Motion bought QNX earlier this year, and has been working to adapt the software for mobile phones.

Although it won't be available in North America until the first quarter of 2010, the PlayBook is starting to attract interest from some big companies. Executives at TD Bank Financial Group and Sun Life Financial Inc. said they plan to place orders for the tablet computer. Others, including the operator of Denver's airport and a school district in Austin, Texas, say they are evaluating uses for the tablet. [WSJ]

RIM PLAYBOOK VS. APPLE iPAD

RIM has released a video of their Playbook being put through a number of tests vs. the iPad. RIM is boasting about the devices superior web-page rendering speed, super Flash performance, a perfect score on the Acid 3 browser test with no rendering artifacts, and JavaScript fluidity. Check out the video below. [BGR]

NEWSPAPERS LOOKING TO GALAXY TABLET AND PLAYBOOK

When the iPad was announced one of it's biggest fans were the magazine and newspaper publishers.  They were looking to this new device to help save their dwindling subscriptions.  Now, they are looking at both the Samsung Galaxy tablet and RIM's Blackberry Playbook.  The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today are rumored to all be working on Galaxy apps while The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times are investigating the Playbook.

The New York Times on the Galaxy tablet is suppose to come pre-loaded on some carriers versions and be free until January of next year when The Times starts charging for its website [Engadget]