ORLANDO—RIM today announced a video chat app for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, but it will only allow PlayBook owners to talk to each other for now.
The BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat app will be available on May 3, according to RIM, allowing for one-click video calls between PlayBooks using Wi-Fi networks. The app also features a picture-in-picture display, its own contact list, and a call log, among other ordinary phone-call-type features.
We criticized the BlackBerry PlayBook on its launch for being incomplete. It didn't have email, calendar, or a contacts list; it also lacked a native software developer's kit. Video chat was another missing app, but that lacuna is now filled.
We'll get a demo of the new video chat app today at the BlackBerry World trade show.
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Another upcoming app is Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook, which will provide the social-networking experience optimized for 7-inch tablets, RIM said.
Earlier today, RIM also announced two powerful new BlackBerry phones with high-res touch screens, fast 1.2GHz processors, and a new OS that offers better graphics than BlackBerries had before.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 are the HSPA (AT&T/T-Mobile) and CDMA/HSPA+ (Verizon/Sprint global) versions of the same thing: a stretched-out BlackBerry Bold with a 2.8-inch, 640-by-480 touchscreen. That isn't high resolution compared to other top-of-the-line smartphones, but it's a very rich, dense screen for its small size.
The BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat app will be available on May 3, according to RIM, allowing for one-click video calls between PlayBooks using Wi-Fi networks. The app also features a picture-in-picture display, its own contact list, and a call log, among other ordinary phone-call-type features.
We criticized the BlackBerry PlayBook on its launch for being incomplete. It didn't have email, calendar, or a contacts list; it also lacked a native software developer's kit. Video chat was another missing app, but that lacuna is now filled.
We'll get a demo of the new video chat app today at the BlackBerry World trade show.
.
Another upcoming app is Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook, which will provide the social-networking experience optimized for 7-inch tablets, RIM said.
Earlier today, RIM also announced two powerful new BlackBerry phones with high-res touch screens, fast 1.2GHz processors, and a new OS that offers better graphics than BlackBerries had before.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 are the HSPA (AT&T/T-Mobile) and CDMA/HSPA+ (Verizon/Sprint global) versions of the same thing: a stretched-out BlackBerry Bold with a 2.8-inch, 640-by-480 touchscreen. That isn't high resolution compared to other top-of-the-line smartphones, but it's a very rich, dense screen for its small size.
