14 DAY TRIAL // A new tablet PC is set to become available for purchase through wireless carrier Sprint in the United States before this week is over, namely the BlackBerry PlayBook from Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion.
The device would arrive on the market via all Sprint direct ship sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Business Sales, the carrier's online store, and Telesales featuring only WiFi connectivity capabilities, and 16 GB of internal memory.
Moreover, the wireless carrier announced that the tablet PC will sport a price tag of $499.99 plus tax attached to it.
“BlackBerry PlayBook delivers a professional-grade, consumer-friendly experience that redefines the possibilities of mobile computing,” the wireless carrier explains.
“This ultra-portable tablet, measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound, looks and feels great. It features a vivid 7-inch high-resolution display that is highly-responsive with a fluid touch screen experience.
“It also offers industry-leading performance, uncompromised web browsing with full Adobe Flash support, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features and out-of-the-box enterprise support.”
The tablet PC comes with a 1GHz dual-core application processor packed inside, 1 GB RAM memory, the said 7-inch 1024x600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen, 1080p HDMI output, and Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, along with GPS receiver.
Moreover, the tablet sports a 5 megapixel rear-facing photo snapper with 1080p HD video recording, as well as a 3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calling. Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer) were included into the mix as well.
The tablet PC runs under BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing, and offers connectivity with BlackBerry smartphones running OS 5.0 or higher, through the BlackBerry Bridge, via a secure Bluetooth connection.
“The secure connection allows the user to access their BlackBerry smartphone's email, address book, calendar, memo pad, task list, BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) and browsing functionality using the large display on the tablet,” the wireless carrier continues.
The BlackBerry Bridge can be downloaded from the BlackBerry App World. Sprint unveiled plans to support the feature on its BlackBerry smartphone data plans at no charge.