BlackBerry to Unveil iPad Rival

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is preparing to unveil a new tablet computer as early as next week—and internally, they’re calling it the “BlackPad,” sources tell the Wall Street Journal. The device will have a 7-inch screen, one or two cameras, and a brand new operating system. It’ll have both Bluetooth and broadband connections, but will only be able to connect to cellular networks through a BlackBerry smartphone.

The new operating system will eventually migrate to BlackBerry smartphones as well, sources say. It was developed in part because of complaints about the slow and buggy Blackberry 6 OS, and early users say it's a big step in the right direction. "It was (designed) from the ground up never to go down," says one software developer. (More iPad stories.)