Now, RIM plans to enter tablet PC market

BANGALORE, INDIA: To make hay in the thriving tablet PC market, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is also reportedly planning to unveil its new tablet computer — as well as the operating system that will power it — as early as next week at a developers' conference in San Francisco.

The tablet, which is named the BlackPad, is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday quoting some sources in the company.

BlackBerry smartphones have been under pressure from Apple iPhones and handsets running on Google-backed Android software.

The new tablet PC will feature a seven-inch touch screen and one or two built-in cameras, apart from Bluetooth and broadband connections. However, it will only be able to connect to cellular networks through a BlackBerry smartphone, said the report.

The RIM tablet is being manufactured by Quanta Computer Inc. of Taiwan, and will run on chips from Santa Clara, Calif.-based Marvell Technology Group Inc., according to the report.

In the recent times many PC makers have announced their plans to enter the tablet market dominated by Apple iPad.

This week Motorola had announced its plans to launch a tablet PC, as is the case of Samsung, which is entering the tablet PC market with Galaxy Tab. Dell has already debuted its Streak tablet computer, while Asustek, Acer, Lenovo and Cisco are also said to be in the race.