Is The BlackBerry PlayBook The Next BlackBerry?

Posted on Written by 15 Comments

There is no question that a huge point of focus for Research in Motion at CES 2011 will be the BlackBerry PlayBook.  Even though the show officially doesn’t start until today, RIM has already let bloggers to play around with the device and a Sprint 4G BlackBerry PlayBook has been officially announced and is supposed to come out this summer.  This has kind of got me to wondering, is the BlackBerry PlayBook actually the next generation BlackBerry?

One of the things that I really like about the BlackBerry PlayBook is that it is small enough to fit into the breast pocket of a man’s sport coat.  This is, in my opinion, just one of the huge advantages over the current iPad (a glorious device by the way).  There are places that I just don’t take my iPad because I have to actively carry it, but the PlayBook can fit into my jacket pocket.

Now that we know that Sprint is sticking 4G into the PlayBook there is no reason to believe that you couldn’t make a phone call from it.  We don’t know if Sprint or RIM will actually make voice a priority for the 4G PlayBook, however, the ability clearly would be there if the carrier allows it.  A 7-inch tablet is still a bit too big to be a primary phone, but, how hard would it be for RIM to shrink the PlayBook down to, say,  4.7 inches?  Maybe 4.3 inches?  Something tells me that RIM probably already has…

Gang, I think that the BlackBerry PlayBook may actually be the next BlackBerry smartphone…

  • Truthful Noble

    The Playbook as the next gen Blackberry is a nice thought but I’m holding out till I have proof. RIM has burned me one too many times. Seeing will be believing.

  • Frank

    Yeah, this would be pretty sweet. And who knows, maybe people will actually get to the point where they want to carry their tablets everywhere. Much like we do now with our cell phones. And maybe some of these people may like to opt out of the cell phone all together and just plug in a hands-free or blue-tooth device and make calls from their Playbook.

    The Playbook has the potential to be the go-to device. Web/emial, gaming, social connectivity, media and now we hear that it will have 4g. How many people carry a Blackberry and an Apple Touch? How many will need to carry two devices now?

    This changes everything. Wait, isn’t that one of Apples motos?

  • Sammy Tibidoe

    I think that you hit the nail right on the head with this one. If they can shrink the Playbook down to the size of the Droid X, who, would ever want to use the old traditional BlackBerry. I wish that RIM would admit that this is what they are doing go do like Microsoft did and just announce that the old BlackBerry OS is going away and truly focus on the QNX BlackBerry.

    • http://www.rimarkable.com Robb Dunewood

      RIM won’t pull a Microsoft because, unlike MS, they are still selling a ridiculous amount of BlackBerry devices. I know that there numbers are down and that they have fallen to number two behind Apple (soon to number three behind Android), but, they still sell a lot of smartphones comparatively speaking and can’t afford to wound that revenue stream already more than it is…

    • gquaglia

      Believe it or not, there are many BB fan bois that like the BB just like it is. Go over to BB Forums and there are tons or them. Making excuses, like “my BB does everything I need it do” and other cop outs for their woefully behind OS.

  • Norman R.

    Can you imagine if RIM announced that the BlackBerry Storm3 running QNX would be coming out on Verizon sometime in the Spring or early Summer? Really the only thing that would eclipse that would be the Verizon iPhone announcement.

    • gquaglia

      No, because it’s not going to happen.

    • http://www.predictiveresults.com Steve Waterhouse

      I hope your prediction is right. I’s love to upgrade my Storm 2 with QNX.

  • Paul Hartfield

    Nope… I can’t imagine that… But, it is the only that will keep on BlackBerry because my contract is up at the end of the month and I’ve got my eye on those new LTE Droids coming out from HTC on Verizon….

  • Kells

    You know I am starting to wonder the same thing. I have been using a HTC EVO as my personal phone since the summer, but, would consider using a 4G PlayBook as my secondary device and going back to my BlackBerry as my primary device. I am still using my BlackBerry Tour on Sprint, really only for voice, email, and IM.

  • Brian

    The PlayBook will not do very well until you can get true email and calendar without a BlackBerry Smartphone. I was waiting for RIM to mess up this sweet device, and I think they did! Good job co-ceo’s. You just know they are behind this. Boy what a gaff!

    • ja2bk

      I take it you overlooked the announcement of the 4G playbook from Sprint. I would imagine that is without phone. Not to mention WiFi is also without phone.

  • Mark McA

    Not being able to record (our own) phone calls is costing RIM more BB sales than they can possibly imagine. I know of entire companies which don’t use BBs for that one and only reason.

    And it includes me. After Bold, going to Android just for that one feature. A real shame!

  • dalia

    i just need to ask a simple question
    are we going to be able to make calls from play book or no?
    well if not i dnt think i woul like to own a play book..prefer staying on bold 3

  • dalia

    by the way i have an iphone also and in the phone company they gave me a pin and i am able to bbm other blackberries.
    ps(the company is called orange cameroun