The Playbook Gets Pricing and Release Date

RIM today announced the release date and pricing for its tablet, the Playbook. The Playbook will be available starting April 19, which is not too far off, for a price of $499, which translates to approximately Rs. 22,500. This price is for the basic 16GB WiFi model. The 32GB and 64GB versions will retail for $599 (Rs. 27,000) and $699 (Rs. 31,000) respectively.

April 19th, here I come!

In case you’ve forgotten, here are the Playbook’s specs:

• 7-inch 1024x600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
• 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1-inch x 7.6-inch x 0.4-inch (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
• 1 GHz 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
• Dual 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture (3MP front and 5MP rear)
• 1 GB RAM memory
• Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)
• 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

The Playbook was announced way back in September last year, following which there have been some marked changes and improvements in tablets’ specifications. It’ll be interesting to see how the Playbook holds its own, if it does at all, against its competitors.

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