The 3G version of the Blackberry PlayBook is now available in the UK, CrackBerry reports. The new, more pwoerful tablet has a 1.5GHz processor, up from 1GHz chip that can be found inside the Wi-Fi-only model.
Head to the UK BlackBerry site and you'll see the PlayBook 3G+ and Wi-Fi is up for grabs now. Just tap up Insight UK or Misco UK and get your money ready. It's only available in 32GB size, costing £415.19 including VAT from Insight, or £424.79 from Misco.
That's certainly a lot cheaper than the 32GB iPad with a data connection. Which is great, except that us Brits now have a 4G service from EE (in some cities anyway). It's just like RIM to launch a device just as some better technology becomes available. RIM has a 4G LTE version of the PlayBook available overseas too, so it's not as if it couldn't launch that over here as well.
The PlayBook hasn't been a huge success so far, with the lack of a 3G option being a big part of the reason. We gave it a rather lukewarm review, noting that video calls only work between PlayBooks, and there are far fewer apps available than for the iPad or Android tablets.
RIM has been keen to boast about how popular its BlackBerry App World store is. This summer it passed 3 billion downloads, with more than 90,000 apps available. Admittedly that's nowhere near as many as Apple's App Store, which passed 25 billion downloads in March, and has 700,000 apps. Google Play has about the same number.
RIM has been struggling of late, with disastrous financial results meaning job cuts. Next year it'll launch BB10, its new mobile OS, which many think will make or break the company. Here's hoping a 3G PlayBook helps revive its fortunes in the meantime.
What do you think of a 3G PlayBook? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 7
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anonymous 4 November, 2012 12:40
Too little too late.
anonymous 4 November, 2012 14:09
Haven't RIM gone bankrupt yet? It's starting to get old. lol :-D
CaptainPicard 4 November, 2012 22:46
This is clearly an overpriced piece of crap. They couldn't even get their famous messaging software on it, and their products in generals have faults.
anonymous 5 November, 2012 03:57
The playbook is a cracking tablet but I wouldn't pay that much for a 3g version when the Wi-Fi only models are going for as little as £129. I just tether mine to my phone when I'm out and about.
anonymous 5 November, 2012 07:13
A little odd really. Probably only released for business sales. I love my Blackberry Tablet it is a cracking bit of kit.
Here's hoping BB10 does the trick with phones. Rim need to survive.
anonymous 5 November, 2012 19:14
I have a playbook (£129 for 64gb seemed like a steal at the time), I've tried really hard to love it but the lack of good quality apps (no Kindle app... no good photo editor, no decent comic viewer), the slow web browser, the weight.... well all that made it really hard for me to really embrace it.
So I'm now leaving it for a Nexus 7 which seems much more potent to me.... Maybe the next update will bring us closer together... Who knows....
Cat San 6 November, 2012 20:37
Hmm it do's have a Kindle app, remember you can sideload android apps onto the Playbook. So that also includes all the other apps that you need from the Android store. So apart from the Nexus being a faster web browser the PB will run all the same apps.