Business

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

PlayBook 2.0 apps too late, analysts say

Now owners can finally open email on it

By: Michael Oliveira

Posted: 02/22/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Tyler Anderson / Postmedia News archives The BlackBerry PlayBook debuted last April. New uses have been added.

TORONTO -- Ten months after the release of Research in Motion's first tablet, the device finally has an app to access email.

But analysts say it may be too late for the Waterloo, Ont.-based company to make a dent in the tablet market, particularly with a new iPad rumoured to be on the way, possibly within weeks.

RIM released an update for its PlayBook tablet Tuesday, adding a host of features including the ability to access email without connecting to a BlackBerry or using a web-based account. The email app can consolidate corporate and personal accounts as well as messages from social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

"I think it's nice, but as most would say, it really should've been there a year ago when they initially launched. And I don't think that (update) alone really changes the game," said Mark Tauschek, lead research analyst for Info-Tech Research Group.

The 2.0 version of the PlayBook operating system also includes web browser enhancements, new calendar, contacts and video chat apps, and an updated version of BlackBerry Bridge. That app allows users to control a BlackBerry as though it were a remote control for a PlayBook. Users can also open a document on a BlackBerry and have it viewed on a PlayBook.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky said Tuesday's software update is in line with expectations but still lacks at least a couple of important features, including the ability to use RIM's popular BlackBerry Messenger app and backwards compatibility with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

About 11 per cent of anglophone Canadians said they owned a tablet late last year, according to research by the Media Technology Monitor, which conducted surveys between Oct. 3 and Nov. 20, 2011. The vast majority, about 71 per cent, said they owned an iPad and 13 per cent said they had a PlayBook. Another 13 per cent said they had a competing tablet device and three per cent said they didn't know the brand of their tablet.

RIM continues to sell the PlayBook at a discount, with the cheapest 16-gigabyte version typically going for about $20, compared to the $500 it was priced at last spring.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 22, 2012 B4

(You must be logged in to post your reaction)

Your reaction?

More Business

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.