Top

RIM prepping 8.9-inch Blackberry tablet?

April 9, 2010 at 9:05 pm

Blackberry TabletEveryone else is jumping on the tablet bandwagon, why not RIM? That is what an industry research firm is claiming after sources in the component supply chain have said that Research in Motion has placed an order for an 8.9-inch tablet from Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn) that will ship in late Q3 2010 or early Q4 2010.

The report doesn’t reveal anything else, but I’d be a bit surprised if it were true. RIM aren’t known for jumping into any old device category unless they felt it would enhance their portfolio. Also, RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis recently told Walt Mossberg that, “I don’t see the benefits of a tablet over a notebook… A lot of technology falls in the middle.” Read more

RIM CEO: No ‘Blackberry’ netbook plans

May 19, 2009 at 10:57 am

RIM's BlackberryResearch In Motion’s co-CEO, Jim Balsillie, has ruled out any plans for a future netbook. The Blackberry manufacturer says that it wants to focus on diversifying the range of handsets it offers rather than jumping on the netbook bandwagon.

RIM is looking at expanding the typical Blackberry range with candy-bar handsets, phones with touch-screen controls as well as those with mini-QWERTY keypads. “Form factor is a personal preference but it’s got to be something that lasts the better part of the day and you can hold up to your ear and clip onto your belt. Those are a very tight systems constraints for a netbook,” said Balsillie.

When questioned about the trying to cram too much into a phone’s dimensions he said, “if you want richer keyboards and richer displays you can just use peripherals and Bluetooth.” It looks like RIM is taking a modular approach rather than providing an integrated solution.

Via Pocket-Lint.

Bottom