BlackBerry Hopes To Eat Into Apple iPad

The company behind BlackBerry smartphones has unveiled its answer to Apple's iPad at a Las Vegas show billed as the largest gadget playground in the world.

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PlayBook: RIM hopes its tablet will attract younger buyers

Research In Motion (RIM) is hoping to cash in on the success of its arch-rival's flatscreen device by launching its own take on the tablet, the PlayBook, at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

RIM hopes the device, which can be synchronised with a BlackBerry, will attract young buyers who want speedy web access and the ability to play video with a single touch on the screen.

Executives are looking to persuade diehard fans of the BlackBerry brand to stay loyal when choosing a tablet.

The tablets, which are less than 1cm thick, could be available by the end of the year.

The PlayBook is set to be cheaper than its iPad rival, which retails from £439, and technology experts have praised its fast performance.

Customers in Las Vegas test out the PlayBook

See more pictures from the CES, including Lady Gaga showing off Polaroid's new camera sunglasses.

But questions have been raised over whether its battery life will match up to the iPad's ten-hour charge.

It also faces tough competition in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

The iPad has sold more than seven million units since it launched last April.

Stuff, the world's leading gadget magazine, has scoured the CES, which ends on January 9, to name the top ten hottest products of 2011.

The world's best technical journalists whittled down more than 20,000 innovative entries into ten final products including the smallest headphones and the most powerful smartphone in the world.

source : skynews