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RIM could unveil 'BlackPad' tablet as soon as Monday, reports claim

Wed Sep 22, 3:05 pm ET

There s been a steady drip of rumors about a BlackBerry tablet for months, and

now comes word that we might finally lay our eyes on the mythical, 7-inch

device as soon as Monday.

So say ZDNet and the Wall Street Journal, which both report that Research In

Motion could take the wraps off the so-called BlackPad on the first day of its

developers conference in San Francisco next week.

Larry Dignan of ZDNet thinks the unveiling will happen at a "big" but still

hush-hush press event on Monday (speaking of which, where s my invite?), while

the Wall Street Journal which first began rumormongering about the BlackBerry

tablet back in June seems pretty confident that the device will arrive in

stores in the fourth quarter, before the year is out.

Most of the other details in the Journal article is stuff that we ve heard

before that it ll likely be called the "BlackPad" and boast a 7-inch display

(check), one or two cameras (check), and the ability to connect to the Internet

by tethering to a nearby BlackBerry handset (double-check).

The Journal piece also notes that the BlackPad (or whatever it ends up being

called) will come with Bluetooth and "broadband" connections, but won t be able

to connect to cellular data networks without the help of a BlackBerry

smartphone an odd statement, given that a "broadband" connection implies an

embedded 3G chipset. Perhaps the Journal writers are refering to Wi-Fi; in any

case, though, all previous indications have pointed to a tablet with Bluetooth

and Wi-Fi but without 3G.

As far as operating systems are concerned, the Journal repeats an earlier

nugget from Bloomberg, which reported in August that RIM would bypass the

just-released, touch-friendly BlackBerry 6 OS in favor of an all-new platform

developed by QNX Software Systems. RIM bought QNX back in April for a cool $200

million, by the way.

The Journal adds that RIM might end up eventually ditching its legacy

BlackBerry OS altogether, and move to a QNX-based platform for future

BlackBerry handsets interesting.

In any case, it looks like the so-called BlackPad assuming it s real, of

course is shaping up as a 7-inch, tablet-sized companion for existing

BlackBerry users, presumably good for typing e-mails, scheduling appointments,

watching videos, and surfing the Web on a large screen.

The BlackPad might also have a leg up on the iPad in terms of its built-in

camera and ability to tether with your BlackBerry for 3G access, but I ve got a

bad feeling that cellular carriers would demand you pay an extra data fee for

the privilege say an extra $10 or $20 a month, similar to the charges users

are paying for iPhone tethering or 3G mobile hotspot features. That s just a

hunch, though.

It goes without saying (but I ll say it anyway) that the BlackPad is still very

much a rumor, and that RIM s only comment about it (according to the Journal)

is, essentially, no comment.