BlackBerry to Unveil iPad Rival

Internally, they're calling it the 'BlackPad'
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 22, 2010 9:12 AM CDT
BlackBerry to Unveil iPad Rival
In this Jan. 27, 2010 file photo, the iPad is shown after it was unveiled at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, FILE)

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.)

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