BlackBerry Tablet Arriving in 2011?

There's new talk that RIM's rumored BlackBerry tablet will arrive after WES 2011.

Website BlackBerry Leaks is convinced that Research in Motion is currently working on a tablet. The overall rumor that the company was creating an iPad rival sparked from RIM's purchase of 8.9-inch displays from Hon Hai last month. But now unnamed insiders are confirming its development, and is said to be smaller and thinner than Apple's current tablet offering.

Going by the codename "BlackPad" or "Cobalt," the supposed upcoming tablet will have full BlackBerry OS compatibility however it's unclear what software will actually run the device. It's also speculated that the BlackPad won't see a retail release until after it's officially revealed at WES 2011. Unfortunately, no other details were provided, and as it stands for the moment, everything is speculated and unofficial.

It will be interesting to see how RIM can pull off a BlackBerry-based tablet. After all, it's approach is similar to Apple in regards to application restriction and security. It's presumed that a BlackBerry device would be geared towards the business sector given RIM's approach with its line of smartphones. This tablet may be more suited for large companies wanting explicit control over a device suited for high productivity rather than multimedia, gaming, and general entertainment. Although current BlackBerry devices do offer many apps for the general consumer, RIM's enterprise-based focus is clearly obvious to both the business and mainstream sectors.

As always, stay tuned for more in the coming months.