(Thumbnail Image: BlackBerry)

BY GRACE MEINERS

“Introducing the world’s first professional tablet, the Blackberry Playbook.” (CNET)

First the iPad, then the Galaxy, and now Research in Motion has released the Blackberry Playbook. The rush to join the tablet market is on.  So, is RIM late to the dance?  Or has it found its perfect niche?

First to the specs. The Playbook has a 7-inch screen, which is a little smaller package than other tablets in the market. Like the iPad, the Playbook has an HTML5-capable Internet browser, but unlike the iPad the Playbook has a front and rear High Definition camera, an HDMI output cable, and to the delight of many app developers, Blackberry calls it “flash loving”. (Video: NetbookNews)

RIM is trying to appeal to business types by allowing them to sync their information from their Blackberry phone to the tablet via Bluetooth. That way, Fortune reports, a company’s IT department can keep tabs on the information, wherever it may be.

“The data in the email, in the presentation, whatever you got, will be sucked down temporarily and cached to the tablet, and then you can read your email, show the video, and show the presentation while you’re using the tablet. And then for security reasons that information gets sucked into the blackberry or really the server that its associated with and resides there permanently.”

But the question still remains, with all these tablets coming to the market, is the Playbook really necessary? CNBC says yes, but it all comes down to the apps.

“I think it's important to keep in mind or consider that both RIM and Apple are really the only two players that have an ecosystem. Apple has its content iTunes consumer ecosystem. RIM has the professional ecosystem and the corporate ecosystem to leverage to do with when you get these pads. And to make them actually useful beyond a neat device that looks cool with perhaps an android OS or different OS.”

The tablet is slated for release the first quarter of 2011. And there are still many unknowns, like pricing, that can make it or break it. PCWorld says if the tablet is reasonably priced, iPad could have a run for its money.

“It looks as if RIM has raised the bar for tablets. Organizations that are considering the Apple iPad as a mobile computing platform… will want to delay that decision and take a closer look at the PlayBook.”

But as Bloomberg reports, marketing only to the corporate crowd might not be enough to make the Playbook a homerun.

“They have to find a way to make their way into the hearts of consumers because just having all the Chief Information Officers, the IT managers on your team likely won’t be enough when Apple is selling those iPads as quickly as they are selling them right now.”

So what do you think? Is a touchdown in store for the Playbook? Or is it a risky Hail Mary for Blackberry?