Tablet Market Expands With New Competitors

RIM and Samsung have announced release dates for their versions of the tablet computer, with the RIM Blackberry Playbook on sale on April 19th and the new Wi-Fi version of the Samsung Galaxy tablet line launching June 8th.

Both companies are looking to grab a hold of a piece of the iPad-dominated tablet market. Apple’s second version of the iPad was unveiled in San Francisco on March 2nd, and shipped March 11th. Reportedly, Apple sold 14.8 million iPads in 2010.

The RIM PlayBook will feature a 7 inch screen, Flash compatible video and front and rear cameras. The 16GB version will be available for $499, a 32GB for $599 and a 64GB with a price tag of $699.

The PlayBook will have Wi-Fi capabilities, but they cannot utilize 3G without being connected through a Blackberry phone.

The 8.9 inch version of the Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab will be available for $469 (and $569 with extra storage memory). The 10.1 Galaxy Tablet will be sold from $499 to $599. The new tablets were unveiled Tuesday morning in Orlando, and is thinner than the iPad 2 by .2 mm.

2011 is shaping up to be the year of the tablet. A study conducted by PRTM claims that there are 104 tablets currently for sale or in development. With 17 million tablets sold in 2010, PRTM forecasted 200 million tablets to be sold annually for 2014.

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