Blackberry launches Playbook rival to iPad

The company unveiled its tablet computer to much anticipation at its developer conference, DEVCON, in San Francisco. This is the first business-centric device in the tablet market.

It is seen as a clever move by Blackberry maker Research In Motion whose smartphone is seen as the phone of choice among this sector.

"This is one of the most exciting times in our history," said Mike Lazaridis, RIM chief executive officer."RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cutting-edge hardware features and one of the world's most robust and flexible operating systems," added Mr Lazaridis.

Analysts have said the Playbook will give RIM an opportunity to dominate in a market it is familiar with and where it enjoys a solid reputation.

"RIM's Blackberry Playbook tablet looks to be a real challenger to Apple's iPad, playing on its business credentials, rather than being just another joy machine'," Stuart Miles, editor of mobile technology website Pocket-Lint told BBC News.

The Playbook will have a 7-inch screen with front and rear facing cameras to enable video conferencing, an important feature that will appeal to the business market.

The operating system will not use the new Blackberry OS 6 but has instead opted for QNX software, which was recently acquired by RIM and has extensive expertise in embedded systems for the car.

The new OS is designed specifically for the tablet size computer and will avoid the difficulties that come from adjusting a smartphone OS to the tablet platform.