Before there was Apple and Google, Research in Motion was the undisputed king of the smartphone. Now the BlackBerry maker is trying to find its way back on top with the PlayBook.
eroded by the iPhone and Android devices, is holding on by its high margins and still-dominant corporate email services. But even that stronghold is crumbling.
Consumers and investors alike are seeing opportunities for Apple and Google to introduce more secure products that rival RIM's encrypted platform. The PlayBook, to launch on April 10, will be the first device to run on its beefed-up new operating system, dubbed QNX, which RIM plans to integrate into a series of super-smartphones.
In June, RIM paid $200 million for the QNX platform, getting an industrial-strength microkernel, rather than a typical monolithic kernel. The software is the brains behind many nuclear power plants and massive Internet routers, and also controls several entertainment systems in cars, as well as dashboards. And it's the backbone to RIM's strategy for a turnaround.
But RIM is facing two issues which could be a critical battle for its survival. The first is Apple and its CEO Steve Jobs, who blindsided the industry with the popularity of the iPhone. It now has a growing developer community building every conceivable app to improve the iOS experience.
The second is in Google, which recently surpassed both Apple and RIM in smartphone market share. Google gives Android away to anyone who wants to develop products for it, and companies like Motorola and HTC have staked their fortunes on the growing software.
Both Apple with 350,000 apps and Android with 200,000 now have thriving ecosystems with third-party programmers busy churning out new software to support the platforms. RIM has developers working on its BlackBerry software, but it is rapidly losing ground.
With the PlayBook, RIM is developing software that would allow the tablet to run Android apps, increasing the number of programs by piggybacking on Google's success. It's also working with game developers like Electronic Arts to add popular titles such as "Need for Speed Underground" and "Tetris." It's also integrating an iTunes-like music store.
The PlayBook has a 7.0-inch touch screen, compared with the iPad's 9.7-inch display and weighs under a pound, versus the iPad 2's 1.3 pounds. It also features front- and rear-facing cameras for video conferencing and Adobe's Flash software.
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