We had heard early rumors, but now it’s official — the 16GB Wi-Fi edition of RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook is now available from Sprint for $499.99. If you’re unfamiliar with the specs, here’s a quick rundown of what the tablet has to offer: the PlayBook sports a 7-inch 1024 x 600 WSVGA display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, support for 1080p HDMI-out, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, 1GB of RAM, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR support. If you’re looking for 4G speeds on the go, Sprint has also said that it expects to launch a WiMAX version of the tablet sometime this summer. Hit the jump for the full press release.
BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi Available from Sprint on June 5
The much anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet with Wi-Fi® connectivity and 16 GB of storage will go on sale in all Sprint direct ship sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Business Sales, http://www.sprint.com and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) on Sunday, June 5, for $499.99 (plus tax).
BlackBerry PlayBook delivers a professional-grade, consumer-friendly experience that redefines the possibilities of mobile computing. This ultra-portable tablet, measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound, looks and feels great. It features a vivid 7-inch high-resolution display that is highly-responsive with a fluid touch screen experience. It also offers industry-leading performance, uncompromised web browsing with full Adobe Flash support, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features and out-of-the-box enterprise support.
Customers that have a BlackBerry smartphone can also benefit from BlackBerry® Bridge™, a unique feature that allows the user to wirelessly and securely connect their BlackBerry smartphone, running OS 5.0 or higher, to the BlackBerry PlayBook over Bluetooth®. The secure connection allows the user to access their BlackBerry smartphone’s email, address book, calendar, memo pad, task list, BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger™) and browsing functionality using the large display on the tablet.
BlackBerry Bridge is available as a free download on BlackBerry App World™ and will be supported on BlackBerry smartphone data plans from Sprint for no additional charge.
BlackBerry PlayBook features include:
7-inch 1024×600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
Ultra-portable at less than a pound and less than one-half inch thick: 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1″ x 7.6″ x 0.4″ (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
1GHz dual-core processor
BlackBerry® Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback
Support for high resolution video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV)
1080p HDMI output
Two 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture – 3 megapixel front-facing and 5 megapixel rear-facing
1 GB RAM memory
16 GB internal storage
GPS, Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
Stereo speakers and stereo microphones
Wi-Fi® (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR support
In addition to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with Wi-Fi, Sprint and RIM are working together on the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook tablet.The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.
