Blackberry launches Playbook rival to iPad

Mike Lazaridis of Research in Motion outlined some of the PlayBook's key features

The company unveiled its tablet computer to much anticipation at its developer conference, DEVCON, in San Francisco.

This is the first business-centric device in the tablet market.

It is seen as a clever move by Blackberry maker Research In Motion whose smartphone is seen as the phone of choice among this sector.

'Cutting edge'

"This is one of the most exciting times in our history," said Mike Lazaridis, RIM chief executive officer.

"RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cutting-edge hardware features and one of the world's most robust and flexible operating systems," added Mr Lazaridis.

Mr Lazaridis says it is an "exciting time" for RIM

Analysts have said the Playbook will give RIM an opportunity to dominate in a market it is familiar with and where it enjoys a solid reputation.

"RIM's Blackberry Playbook tablet looks to be a real challenger to Apple's iPad, playing on its business credentials, rather than being just another joy machine',"

Stuart Miles, editor of mobile technology website Pocket-Lint told BBC News.

"Whether RIM can deliver what it promises in the business environment with a selection of new apps on yet another operating system will be the real test though.

Either way, it's clear that the battle of the tablets is now full steam ahead."

QNX software

In the smartphone arena, RIM maintains a comfortable lead with a 39.3% share according to research firm ComScore.

The iPhone's share of the US market was 23.8% and Google's Android was 17% for the quarter ending in July.

The Playbook will have Bluetooth and WiFi.

The Playbook will have a 7-inch screen with front and rear facing cameras to enable video conferencing, an important feature that will appeal to the business market.

The operating system will not use the new Blackberry OS 6 but has instead opted for

QNX software, which was recently acquired by RIM and has extensive expertise in embedded systems for the car.

The new OS is designed specifically for the tablet size computer and will avoid the difficulties that come from adjusting a smartphone OS to the tablet platform.

The Playbook will have Bluetooth and WiFi. It will have no 3G capabilities but will enable 3G data connecting by tethering to a Blackberry smartphone.

'Exciting'

RIM expects to ship the device to corporate customers and developers in October.

It will become commercially available early in 2011.

RIM has yet to set an exact price but says it will fall in the lower range of prices for consumer tablets already in the suddenly congested market.

"It's by far the most exciting thing we've seen from BlackBerry for a while and for once the buzz seems to have been justified," said Kate Solomon of mobile news and views site Recombu.com.

What remains to be seen is whether RIM can keep the price realistic for everyday users - despite all the high quality features, a high price tag will put a lot of people off and convince them that a tablet is a superfluous gadget that they don't really need."

Tablet market

The launch of the Playbook comes as the tablet market becomes an increasingly competitive and crowded field, energised in no small part by the iPad.

Since its April launch, the iPad has dominated the space with research firm iSuppli predicting sales of 12 million by the end of the year.

Another research firm, UBS, put iPad sales at 28 million by 2011.
One contender looking to put a dent in the iPad's lead is HP.

At a nearby conference called TechCrunch Disrupt, Todd Bradley, the company's executive vice president for the personal systems group said tablets are going to be a huge market.

Mr Bradley told attendees that he estimates that in the next few years tablets will be a $40bn market.

Samsung recently introduced its Galaxy tablet as did Dell with the 5 inch Streak.

Other companies waiting in the wings with their versions include Lenovo, Asus, HTC, and Acer as well as Google and Microsoft.

A possible contender for the business customer is likely to come in the form of Cisco's Cius tablet.

Source: www.www.bbc.co.uk
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Apple iPhone 4 in short supply for China launch

China Unicom did not have enough supply of Apple Inc's iPhone 4 during its launch weekend for the phone, according to a Wall Street Journal Story.

Citing the Chinese telecom operator, the story said that China Unicom had received more than 200,000 pre-orders for the phone by early Saturday, when the phone went on sale.

The story said that more than 40,000 iPhone 4 buyers got the device on Saturday. This compares to Unicom's 2009 iPhone launch after which the operator sold 100,000 handsets in about six weeks after its debut of the phone.

Apple declined comment on the numbers cited in the story but spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said that more phones would be available soon. She suggested that customers check back with their local store or online for availability updates.

A China Unicom representative was not immediately available for comment.

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Zuckerberg Gives $100 Million to Newark

The billionaire announced the grant on Friday on the Oprah Winfrey television show. He denied suggestions the timing was aimed at deflecting attention from a movie that depicts the 26-year-old in an unflattering light.

“I’ve had a lot of opportunities in my life, and a lot of that comes from … having gone to really good schools. And I just want to do what I can to make sure that everyone has those same opportunities,” Zuckerberg told Winfrey about his gift to a city once the backdrop for Philip Roth novels but more recently struggling with crime, corruption and decay.

On a conference call for reporters with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Zuckerberg said he chose Newark — a city to which he has no tangible connection — after meeting Booker at a conference this summer.

He said he was simply impressed by the mayor’s plans.

The gift brings together two of the Garden State’s rising political stars from opposite sides of the political divide.

Youthful Democrat Booker is a former Rhodes scholar and Yale Law School graduate whose first run for mayor was shown in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Street Fight.”

In less than a year as governor, Republican Christie has earned a reputation as a tough-talking politician who will do whatever it takes to get New Jersey’s fiscal house in order, pushing through his agenda despite a Democrat-controlled legislature.

During Friday’s conference call Christie called Newark “a city in desperate need of transformation.”

Booker told Winfrey, “I think that Newark is going to change the paradigm for urban education.”

As part of the deal, Christie will cede some control of the schools to Booker, including choosing a superintendent. Christie retains the right to take back control.

“He’s investing in the vision that Cory has. I’m investing in Cory’s vision as well. And together Mark and I are going to help Cory make sure we execute and implement that vision to improve the lives of the families in the city of Newark,” Christie told reporters.

Zuckerberg’s donation funds his Startup: Education foundation, which will disburse the cash. He said he hoped to be involved in many more charity efforts in the coming years.

Newark’s 40,000-plus student school system is among the worst in New Jersey — only 40 percent of students are able to read and write by the end of third grade. The state took control of the schools in the mid 1990s but the hoped-for improvement has failed to materialize.

Zuckerberg said the gift will come from the sale of shares of privately held Facebook, the world’s No 1 Internet social network, and distributed to Newark over five years.

Facebook, one of the Web’s fastest growing companies, was valued at $23 billion in June when private equity firm Elevation Partners invested $120 million in the company, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Booker said the deal came with clear benchmarks and told Zuckerberg to halt his donation if Newark falls short.

The grant is the largest yet for Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook in his Harvard dorm room in 2004. The social networking service now boasts more than 500 million members.

Zuckerberg, who reportedly still lives in a modest rental home in Palo Alto, California, and dresses in blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, is the 36th richest American with a net worth of $6.9 billion, according to Forbes.

“The Social Network,” a movie about Facebook’s creation, based on a book by Ben Mezrich, opens nationwide on October 1.

The movie depicts Zuckerberg as a socially awkward genius who is at times arrogant and ruthless.

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