Speculation has increased recently about Research in Motion’s rumoured tablet computer as more details about the device surface online.
The latest is that the tablet, which has been codenamed ‘Cobalt’, will sport a 7 inch display (some rumours have it at 8.9 inches), will come with both back and front facing cameras for video conferencing, and will support Adobe’s Flash.
There’s also speculation that the RIM tablet would feature RIM’s latest version of BlackBerry 6 operating system.
The thing is will a RIM tablet be worth having? Well Apple’s hugely successful iPad doesn’t support Flash and doesn’t have a camera so there are two things which will give it a bit of an edge on Apple’s magical creation.
Rumours about a RIM tablet have been doing the rounds for months but the latest information appears to have started with a research note by Ashok Kumar of Rodman & Renshaw which Cnet reported on last Friday.
Kumar said that the tablet will be powered by a Marvell processor which has led to speculation that there would also be a 1 GHz Armada 610 processor, which is aimed at tablets, mobile Internet devices, and e-readers and allows for full HD 1080p playback.
It is also the main processor for the BlackBerry Bold 9700.
Of course until RIM say something, and so far they’ve said zilch, it’s all speculation but there are others that appear to be in the know.
Beta News has apparently spoken to a RIM source who wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, who has confirmed much of what has been said.
What isn’t really clear is whether the RIM tablet will be a companion device for Blackberry SmartPhones or if it will be a stand alone device like the iPad.
The Wall Street Journal quotes sources “familiar” with the matter and reported that the RIM tablet would “connect to cellular networks via a BlackBerry phone” and as such will act as a companion for BlackBerry phones.
If it is a companion device then it could end up going the same way that the Palm Folio went, basically nowhere. For a start, why would anyone want to have to carry around two devices?
Apparently RIM will be pulling forward the launch of the tablet so that it will be available by the end of the year, just in time for the holiday shopping period, but until there’s an official word from RIM, we know nothing for sure.
