Update #4: Wednesday, Aug. 4, 13:33 German time
TAKEAWAY: It is only a matter of time: BlackBerry may introduce its own tablet. The rumors about this have circulated since May, but now they accelerate, prompting us to believe that this tablet may be in the market before the end of the year, creating possible competition for Apple’s iPad. ALSO: the aPad is “made in China” and goes Android.
Is this how a possible BlackBerry tablet will look like?
The rumors have been around since May : BlackBerry will come out with its own tablet, to go head on with Apple’s iPad and whatever other tablets may come along.
A CNN report during Quest Means Business Tuesday evening had a quick mention of the “possible tablet” from BlackBerry. I have no doubt that this may be the one tablet to make a grand entrance. Many of those who have rushed to buy iPads are people who already own an iPhone; if the comparison holds, then many BlackBerry phone users will tend to move to a BlackBerry tablet. But, although BlackBerry dominates in market share, Apple dominates so far in the tablet market. Tough race ahead for BlackBerry
At the same time, competition should be welcome, and it will probably help to make the relationship between publishers and Apple., well, less strenous. There is no question that Apple does have the upper hand in deciding what apps to include in its Apple Store. Experience also tells me that any publisher who really wants to succeed when presenting a demo of their proposed app to Apple, better be prepared to defend all decisions, especially those involving how users will pay for content. A serious competitor, such as BlackBerry, could probably help matters in this area.
What do we know about the BlackBerry tablet, if anything?
One source said that the BlackBerry tablet will indeed include Flash, and will have a hardware-based Flash accelerator. This is likely to make the BlackBerry tablet——is there a name of it, I wonder?—-very desirable for those who feel life on a tablet is NOT the same without Flash.
The reports right now are sketchy, and nobody can confirm whether the BlackBerry tablet will be available on time for December and the Christmas shopping season.
The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported about the BlackBerry tablet, stating that:
This is not the first we’ve heard of a BlackBerry tablet—in mid-May, Boy Genius Report brought some exclusive information about the rumored tablet device to the table. According to BGR, “multiple sources” confirmed that the tablet would be 8.9” (diagonally), and that it would be “strictly a ‘companion’ device” (it will only be able to connect to the internet with a Bluetooth tether to your BlackBerry, or through Wi-Fi). BGR said the tablet was slated to arrive December 2010, but that RIM was looking to try to get it on the market sooner than that.
Let the tablet competition begin (read below)
Of related interest:
– RIM’s Latest Is Not Good Enough To Get Android Or iPhone Users To Defect
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-rims-latest-is-not-good-enough-to-get-android-or-iphone-users-to-defect/
– BlackBerry Maker Resists Governments’ Pressure
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/technology/04rim.html?ref=technology
In other tablet news….
Meet the aPad
Meet the aPad iRobot Android
Here is one imitator of Apple’s iPad, but “made in China” and looks very familiar. It uses Android, and users can listen to music, see videos, surf the Internet or read a book. Let the fingers touch the screen and do the rest. Any newspaper apps here?
For more information:
http://irobotgroup.com/product2.php?id_product=10
Microsoft tablets?
This commentary from Forbes suggests that Microsoft is reportedly “feverishly working with its partners on Windows 7-powered tablets. Some think this is an attempt to catch up to Apple by creating an iPad killer.”
iPad killer, eh? Well, I can only imagine how many engineers worldwide have been hired as “hit men” to kill the iPad. With over 3 million sold, and waiting lists at every Apple store worldwide for iPads, I assume the task gets more difficult for the iPad killers by the hour.
Read the entire piece:
http://mobile.forbes.com/device/article.php?CALL_URL=http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/03/ipad-windows7-apple-technology-cio-network-microsoft.html?partner=yahootix
Axel Springer iPad kiosk keeps growing
This press kiosk for the iPad is in constant evolution with additions
That press kiosk that Axel Springer has started for the iPad keeps adding titles faster than we can keep up with them: Right now four magazine supplements have joined the kiosk family for the iPad. In addition to the dailies: Bild, Die Welt, Welt Kompact, Welt am Sonntag, Berliner Morgenpost and Hamburger Abendblatt, now iPad users can also read Berliner Zeitung, Computer, Sport Bild and Auto Bild.
Many more to come, my AS contacts tell me. Also, look for a very dynamic Bild application on time for start of football season in late August, with second versions of the other newspaper apps as well. It is real evolution for Axel Springer’s titles, among the most progressive in terms of tablet participation for Germany and up there in the top 10 worldwide.
Murdoch and tablets
It is no secret that Rupert Murdoch has a love affair with the iPad, and in a speech in Sydney, he again, expressed his adoration for Apple’s magnificent gadget. Describing the iPad as ““a perfect platform” , he continued to forecast that Apple will sell about 15 million iPads before the end of this calendar year, and more than 40 million by 2012.
Read the entire piece in The Guardian:
– Murdoch: Tablets are the future for News Corp
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/aug/03/rupert-murdoch-ipad-paywalls
Using NY Times software for tablets
The New York Times is making available to other newspapers software they can use to support iPad and iPhone content distribution.
The software, dubbed Press Engine, will be available later this year. A.H. Belo – which publishes The Dallas Morning News and Providence (R.I.) Journal – The Telegraph Media Group and regional dailies owned by The New York Times Co. will be among the first newspapers to use the platform, The Times said.
Banking on the iPad
Credit Suisse Launches “bulletin” for the iPad
It is only a matter of time before we will begin to see the iPad and other tablet platforms utilized for publishing in a variety of formats, and not limited to traditional newspapers and magazines.
In fact, in one of my seminars at a regional newspaper in Germany this week, I was mentioning the tremendous business and editorial potential that other areas of publishing offer in the tablet, starting with the publication’s archives—-usually rich in information that is already there, and that many may be willing to pay for.
Today, news that Credit Suisse is launching a financial magazine of its offerings, “bulletin” for the iPad. It makes sense to do this in a platform that will make such information more accessible.
As per Credit Suisse’s release:
“bulletin”, a multiple international award winning customer magazine published by the global financial services provider Credit Suisse, is now also available for the iPad. The deep integration of the Cross-Media Publishing Platform vjoon K4 and Adobe Digital Magazine Solution enabled the service providing agency to deliver the iPad edition very quickly despite its sophisticated design and content. Multimedia features such as 360-degree animation, videos (within the layout or in full-screen format), remarkably diverse picture galleries, live content, hotspots (hyperlinks to websites that open without quitting the app), and the intuitive navigation system also used by the K4 customer WIRED add value and treat audiences to an experience beyond the simple pleasure of reading.
TheMarioBlog post #608