RIM readies 7in, 10in BlackBerry tablets for 2012

Second time lucky?

RIM seems unwilling to give up on tablets, if what's claimed to be a leaked roadmap is correct.

According to the tabulation of the BlackBerry company's plans, a revamped 7in PlayBook will be out in April. It will sport improved, 3G HSPA+ connectivity, fansite 3NBB reports.

By Christmas, RIM will have released a 10in PlayBook, this one with LTE connectivity in countries that have the cellular infrastructure to support the technology.

Crucial to getting it right this time round, will be PlayBook OS 2.0. Demo'd at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, this software update finally brings native email, calendar and contacts apps to the platform.

PlayBook 2.0 will support remote management with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion - out in April, according to the leak - and separate work from personal stuff with BlackBerry Balance.

PlayBook 2.0 will be out in February, apparently. Why wait until April to ship a tablet that uses it? Good question, and one that's tricky to answer. You'd have thought RIM would want to get kit out pronto, but maybe it's holding back to see what Apple really comes up with when the Mac maker introduces the iPad 3.

RIM is said to have scheduled the release of PlayBook Admin Service for big businesses in the summer.

The first smartphones based on the BlackBerry 10 operating system will be out in September, it's said, though this had been rumoured to be taking place in May. ®