BlackBerry has officially announced it’s entry into the tablet market, the BlackBerry Playbook. This tablet PC features a 7″ (1024×600) touch display, a dual-core processor, Flash 10.1 and a micro-USB connector that is nowhere to be found on the iPad (without an adapter).

To make the Playbook tablet a more viable platform, RIM is introducing an advertising platform and a ton of developer-related SDKs and tools for it’s shiny new gadget. Here’s a couple videos of the PlayBook courtesy of NetbookNews.

BlackBerry Playbook Specifications

• 7-inch LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable:
• Measures 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
• Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
• RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.
• Pair with any Blackberry Device ( min OS 5.0 device)  via Bluetooth for Push Email , Calendar , Docs and BBM

Pricing was not included in the announcement and no doubt it will play a key role in the Playbook‘s success or failure against the iPad.

source: BlackBerry