BlackBerry PlayBook starts at US$499, same as iPad 2
NEW YORK, United States — RESEARCH In Motion says its tablet computer, the BlackBerry PlayBook, will start selling in the US and Canada on April 19 for US$499 to US$699.
RIM said yesterday that customers can start pre-ordering the gadgets — its answer to Apple Inc’s popular iPad devices — through consumer electronics retailer Best Buy. The PlayBook has a seven-inch (17.5-centimetre) screen, smaller than the iPad.
It runs BlackBerry software and can connect to a phone, acting as a bigger screen for it. Research In Motion Ltd calls it the first “professional-grade tablet”.
The iPad 2, which went on sale earlier this month, also starts at US$499. The US$499 PlayBook comes with 16 gigabytes of memory. For US$599, you get 32 gigabytes and for US$699, 64 gigabytes.
RIM reports fiscal fourth-quarter earnings Thursday.
