BlackBerry Bridge IS One of the BEST PlayBook Features! Here is Why!

There are a few things that have not been stressed about the BlackBerry PlayBook Bridge that I feel need to be addressed. The BlackBerry Bridge allows you to connect your BlackBerry PlayBook to your BlackBerry Smartphone (with a Bridge app installed) to access information from it. Until now we have known this will give us access to the BlackBerrys Messages, Contacts, Calendar, BlackBerry Messenger, Tasks, and Memos. Keep in mind it does all of this through the connection to the BlackBerry and is NOT considered tethering. The thing is there is one feature missing off that list that I think is a real game changer for RIM.

I have confirmed at the BlackBerry PlayBook launch event yesterday that the BlackBerry Bridge will also allow users to browse the web! Through the BlackBerry Bridge users will be able to browse both Internet (BIS) and Intranet (BES) websites through the connection to their BlackBerry smartphone. This traffic will be piped to the RIM NOC APN directly just like BlackBerry smartphone traffic. That means you will be able to browse the web without a tethering data plan!

Essentially this boils down to the fact that with the BlackBerry Bridge and a BlackBerry Smartphone you will be able to perform all the following functions without tethering:

1. Read and respond to your email
2. Place a new calendar entry and have it synched to BES or Gmail/Yahoo
3. Chat with friends on BBM
4. And last but not least browse the web

The only thing really missing off the list is the ability to use applications and allow them to connect through that Bridge. I am not sure if that will happen but something tells me it will because RIM needs a way to pipe internal BES protected data to a PlayBook and this would be an easy route for that.

Currently I have not managed to get BlackBerry Bridge on my BlackBerry Torch but a good source confirmed that this is the case. RIM has not been releasing the BlackBerry smartphone app required for the Bridge since it is still a work in progress but this is a HUGE development.

Think about it. Name one tablet or even laptop that can do all 4 of those things without a tethering or tablet data plan?