RIM has already trademarked ‘BlackPad’ and ‘SurfBook,’ and it is likely that the new tablet from the company could carry one of these names.

Last month, Chinese paper Apple Daily reported that RIM has chosen Taiwanese notebook manufacturer Quanta to produce at least two million tablets this year. RIM and Quanta were said to be targeting a $500 price tag for the BlackPad to make it competitive against Apple’s iPad.

RIM’s new tablet announcement, if it happens next week, will come just weeks after the debut of the Samsung’s 7-inch tablet called the Galaxy Tab.

Since Apple introduced the iPad in April, tablets have made a big comeback and become the hottest consumer gadgets of the year. Apple has sold more than 3 million iPads. In June, Dell launched the Streak, a tablet with a 5-inch screen. Samsung has already said its tablet will be available on all four major U.S. carriers — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile–but hasn’t announced exact pricing or availability.

BlackBerry’s new tablet will be different from its peers. It will support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity but through tethering the device to a BlackBerry smartphone (whereas other tablets have these connectivity features built in). Essentially, the BlackBerry tablet has been designed as a “companion” to the phone, according to earlier reports.

The BlackBerry tablet will likely have a 7-inch screen and run a new operating system designed by QNX Software, a company that RIM acquired earlier this year, says the Journal.

RIM has been trying to go beyond its core audience of business users and attract more consumers, especially with the launch of devices such as the recent touchscreen phone Torch.  A BlackBerry tablet seems like yet another step in that direction.

See Also:

• BlackBerry Tablet ‘BlackPad’ Readies to Take On the iPad
• Research In Motion Is Testing a Tablet
• Cisco Announces the Cius, the BlackBerry of Tablets
• Samsung Introduces 7-Inch Tablet to Rival iPad
• Samsung Tablet to Debut on Big Four U.S. Carriers

Photo: (Sean Hobson/Flickr)

Authors: Priya Ganapati

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