Sunday, January 22, 2012

BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 Said To Launch February 17th




It seems like RIM has been promising to release the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 update forever. Now, a source described by Berry Review as being "solid" is telling the site that RIM is indeed committed to launching the firmware update and says that it will be launched on February 17th. Whether or not the improvements that the update will bring are enough to generate some much needed sales for the tablet are another kettle of fish entirely.

The improvements in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 bring a new e-mail client to the device along with a calendar app and a contacts list that is integrated with LinkedIn. Additionally, some new enhancements have been made to the BlackBerry Bridge. When we showed you a video demonstration of the OS earlier this month, we told you that some Android apps were running on Playbook 2.0 and we were told that existing Android apps can be submitted by developers to BlackBerry AppWorld.

If RIM does rollout the PlayBook OS 2.0 update on February 17th, it would be nearly 10 months after the launch of the actual BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. That really seems too long to wait to make much-needed improvements to the device. With RIM's recently leaked roadmap showing that the Canadian manufacturer plans on releasing two tablets this year, including a first anniversary BlackBerry PlayBook refresh, RIM will need to prove that it can produce a tablet that can compete in a highly competitive market.

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