BlackBerry PlayBook gets officially priced and dated

BlackBerry PlayBook to be available in over 20,000 Retail Outlets in the U.S. and Canada

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced plans to make the highly-anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet available in more than 20,000 retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada.

“The BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet that is already being widely praised as a multi-tasking powerhouse with an uncompromised web experience and an ultra-portable design,” said Mike Lazaridis, President & Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “Given the high level of customer interest in the BlackBerry PlayBook, we are particularly pleased to be working with such an amazing lineup of retail partners.”

The BlackBerry PlayBook delivers professional-grade, consumer-friendly experiences that redefine the possibilities of mobile computing. This ultra-portable tablet looks and feels great, measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound. It features a vivid 7-inch high-resolution display that is highly-responsive with a fluid touch screen experience. It also offers industry leading performance, uncompromised web browsing with support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a robust development environment.

The BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi will be available in three models and will feature a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $499 in the United States and Canada. The lineup of retailers and wireless carriers currently expected to carry the BlackBerry PlayBook in the United States and Canada includes the following companies.....

BlackBerry PlayBook

Great news! Today, we announced pre-orders, pricing and in-store availability date of the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet with Best Buy.

The BlackBerry PlayBook will be available in Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, Best Buy Canada and Future Shop stores April 19th in the following models and price points:

• 16GB Wi-Fi, $499
• 32GB Wi-Fi, $599
• 64GB Wi-Fi, $699
You can pre-order your BlackBerry PlayBook from Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores in the United States and Best Buy Canada and Future Shop in Canada right now by clicking the links below.

Best Buy BlackBerry PlayBook Pre-Order Page
Best Buy Canada BlackBerry PlayBook Pre-Order Page
Future Shop Canada BlackBerry PlayBook Pre-Order Page

The Inside BlackBerry team has a bunch of content planned to ensure you’re prepared to get the most out of your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet from day one! So stay tuned to Inside BlackBerry for more posts, and make sure to visit www.blackberry.com/playbook for the latest information.

BlackBerry PlayBook priced at $500 for 16GB WiFi model, pre-orders begin today

In the dead of night ... pre-orders happen. RIM has snuck out the first official pricing for its 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and, true to its promise, it costs less than $500. A cent less than $500. The 16GB WiFi-only PlayBook is now up for pre-order at Best Buy and is coming to a vast list of other retailers soon. Staples, Office Depot and RadioShack are among the popular US store chains, while AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will also carry the tablet. No T-Mobile on that list. Canadian pre-orders for the same model are now live as well, also at $499.99, albeit in the local dollar currency. A 32GB WiFi model will set Canucks back C$600 and the 64GB model is C$700, which might be indicative of US pricing too if price parity is maintained throughout the range. The almost full press release (still no release date) follows after the break.

Barack Loves His BlackBerry

No He Can't. Keep his BlackBerry, that is.

"I'm still clinging to my BlackBerry," says the President-elect in an interview with CNBC and the New York Times when asked about being forced to surrender his old cell phone upon taking office.

Although a new phone is necessary for security reasons, Barack is not thrilled about the idea. "They're going to pry it out of my hands," he jokes.

They say talk is cheap, but his remarks could have earned him a pretty penny. Should Barack have charged the company for his endorsements, he could have made over 25 million dollars according to advrtising experts. Doug Shabelman, the president of a company that arranges such celebrity endorsements says, "This would be almost the biggest endorsement deal in the history of endorsements."