Waterloo, Ontario
– Research In Motion (RIM) is adding a cellular-enabled PlayBook tablet to its
Wi-Fi tablet lineup.
The 4G LTE and
HSPA+ equipped model, offered only in a 32GB version, will be available
initially in Canada on Aug. 9 through carriers Bell, Rogers and Telus. RIM
expects models supporting a variety of high-speed cellular networks to be
available in the coming months from carriers in the U.S., Europe, South Africa,
Latin America and the Caribbean.
The tablet, whose
Canadian price wasn’t revealed, also adds a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, whereas
the Wi-Fi versions feature a 1GHz dual-core processor. RAM remains the same at
1GB.
The cellular model ships with the PlayBook 2.0
OS, which was made available earlier this year as an upgrade for the company’s
Wi-Fi tablets. Those tablets launched in 2011 and are currently available in
16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions on RIM’s website at $199, $249 and $299,
respectively.
The 2.0 OS add
built-in calendar, contacts and messaging apps. Previously, BlackBerry’s Wi-Fi
tablets accessed those applications via a Bluetooth connection to a BlackBerry
smartphone. The updated OS also offers a unified in box and lets consumers use a
BlackBerry smartphone as a keyboard and mouse for a PlayBook tablet.
The tablet is promoted as enterprise-ready and
lets consumers use the device for work and personal reasons by keeping corporate
information secure and separate from personal information, the company said.
