BlackBerry maker Research In Motion had showcased its PlayBook tablet at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2011 and launched a Wi-Fi version later in the year. While the tablet was unable to catch the fancy of consumers initially, when it reduced the price of 16GB version to $199 (in India to Rs. 13,490 while the original price was Rs. 27,990), its sales showed a positive trend giving some respite to the company.
It now seems that BlackBerry maker is all set to launch 4G LTE-enabled BlackBerry PlayBook tablet very soon. There have been rumours regarding this tablet being in the works, and even a few spottings in the wild, but one could never be certain if the tablet would ever see the light of the day. Well, that time may finally be here.
According to a report by
Mobile Syrup, 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook will be launching in Canada via popular operator Bell on July 31, 2012. This information is based on an internal Bell document that the website had received. Furthermore, the document indicates, 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook will carry a price tag of $549.95. It is expected that a few other Canadian operators apart from Bell too might start offering this version of PlayBook soon.
Just like its predecessor, 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook too will sport a 7-inch display. It will have a display resolution of 1024 x 600, and a 4800 mAh battery. Powered by 1.5GHz dual-core processor, LTE Playbook will have 1GB RAM, and runs on OS 2.0. There is a 5MP rear camera that can shoot full 1080p HD videos and 3MP front-facing camera.
The original BlackBerry PlayBooks came in three variants of 16GB, 32GB and 64 GB but it is being speculated that the LTE version will come in a 32GB version.
India has emerged as one of the key markets for RIM and its PlayBook. However, given that LTE technology does not seems on cards in the near future, it is unlikely that this version of PlayBook will reach Indian shores anytime soon.