Blackberry Playbook 3G now available

Dakota Torres  By on 09 Jun 11

A recent rumor indicated that Sprint would be releasing a 4G WiMax version of the Playbook after a a hidden product page was found due to a Google search of “4G playbook.”

Unfortunately, it was revealed today that the playbook has 3G connectivity rather than 4G for now. Although, Rim had initially planned for having all three major US carriers sell their own 4G version of the tablet, but the half-baked software made the carriers hesitant. Verizon even mentioned that they were uncertain about whether or not they would carry the tablet.

Initial reviews of the Playbook revealed that the tablet had potential, but it is a half finished product. Blackberry has already started  rolling out the first update for the tablet. It would also be nice to see a new 10-inch Playbook with none of the mistakes from the original. The 3G version is now available both online and in retail stores. We will keep you updated on the status of the 4G Playbook.

Wired

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  • pcar

    don’t think it’s 3G either – wifi only

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BQAKT4CAIOQ4AOBGY3MS3GANMM J-Credible

    “…but the half-baked software made the carriers hesitant.”  While the software was not ready for prime time at release. (apparently it is now though)  this is not why carriers were unsure about selling the tablet.  

    The fact is the Playbook can be bluetooth bridged to a Blackberry Smartphone, and can not only access the data on the Smartphone, but also the internet + e-mail through the smartphone.  This means that a customer can get a Blackberry device with an inexpensive unlimited Blackberry plan, but NO actual 3G dataplan—and still use the Playbook to access the internet for free.  Because of the secure encryption, the carriers have no way or knowing if the websites/data accessed are done so on the mobile phone, or through the tablet.  Good for the customer who wants to access the internet from anywhere—without an actual internet data plan, but bad for the mobile carriers that want to charge extra for a data plan.

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