I have been dying to hear RIM talk more about why they call the BlackBerry PlayBook the first “Professional Grade Tablet.” So far RIM has been very coy on the subject though we have been able to glean a bit here or there on IT policies and management. So far most of the videos RIM has put on YouTube have been showing off the PlayBook to both consumers and enterprises but they just put up a video titled “BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet for Business” as a sort of fluffy infomercial. It is light on details but Jim Tobin, SVP of Software and Business Services Unit at RIM, throws around some interesting catch phrases like:
- Built for CIOs with CIOs
- (The BlackBerry Tablet will) profoundly change the way people work
- First Professional Grade Tablet
Check out the video here:
I really wish RIM would expound more on these features beyond saying it will have amazing security and provide a platform for instant data. I want to be able to point to some PlayBook features that no other tablet has. Here are some examples of what I want RIM to touch on:
- IT Policies and enterprise security features
- Remote wipe
- Enterprise deployment capabilities
- Access to internal servers over MDS/VPN or such
- Segregating work and personal information and applications
From what I have been hearing some of these features will only be ready a month or two after launch which could be why RIM is not talking about them yet. Still I know many enterprises that are considering the PlayBook are wondering what exactly RIM is offering to make the PlayBook a “Professional Grade Tablet.” The inclusion of Flash/AIR and Adobe’s almost monthly critical security updates would be a great place to start to assure CIOs. It would also be great to see more of how RIM envisions the Tablet fitting into the mobile employees portfolio and how it compliments BlackBerry Smartphones beyond the Bluetooth Bridge. In short I know many CIOs are asking themselves what exactly does the PlayBook bring to the table that we cannot get in an iPad or Android tablet. I am sure there are a whole slew of reasons I just don’t want to wait until May for BlackBerry World to find out!
What do you think?
Terrence T ( View Profile) - Posts: