Word on the street is that pricing for the BlackBerry PlayBook will start at $399 for the 8GB model. Research in Motion will also release 16GB and 32GB models that will retail for $499 and $599 respectively. The BlackBerry PlayBook doesn’t come in a variant with a wireless radio, so, users must have access to Wi-Fi or use their BlackBerry device to tether the PlayBook in order to gain internet access. The big question for me is if wireless carriers will charge an additional fee to BlackBerry users tethering their BlackBerry PlayBook to their BlackBerry devices?
I really hope there is no tethering fee, or if there is it is minimal (like $5 a month). As of right now, that will be the deal breaker for me.
That might be a deal breaker for many…
Forget the carriers, I’m hoping Tether will come up with something for the playbook. I mean, how much work would it be? They already have the blackberry side of the app just rewrite the desktop side of the app for QNX….?? I’d be more than willing to pay for another license code.
My guess is that tethering will not cost a dime. I base that guess on the fact that I own a BlackBerry Curve 8530 on the Virgin Mobile Pre-Paid Plan for $50.00 flat per month, and I already tether my device to my ASUS Eee PC for totally unlimited internet access and the only cost has been the initial cost of the tethering app.
If this app does not work with the Playbook, and RIM or the carriers come up with an app that will carry a monthly fee, I’m sure an app that will work and won’t carry a monthly fee will become available shortly there after.
By the way, I still can’t understand why so many Americans do cell phone contracts. They are becoming a thing of the past.
Most Americans still can’t fathom paying the full retail price of a cell phone up front. Carriers subsidize the price of the phone in exchange for you signing up to a contract and they don’t really offer discounts in the price of the service plan if you bring your own phone to the table.
I think charging a fee for tethering will be phased out over the next couple of years. We are already seeing that with the newer Android and iOS devices.