Earlier today, there was a leaked file for BBM on the BlackBerry PlayBook, but it’s a bit of a moot point now, as RIM has announced the the signature instant messaging app will be included in a software update going out tomorrow, and like many core apps, will be dependent on Bridge. Included in the update is video chat, as was announced earlier, but there will also be document editing via Bridge. This means sensitive documents that are stored locally on your BlackBerry smartphone will be able to be edited on the big screen through the PlayBook’s native Documents and Spreadsheets to Go. This nice thing about this setup is that if you’re on an everyday BIS account, you can save your documents to either the PlayBook or to your BlackBerry’s microSD card. If you’re on an enterprise server, however, it has to stay locked to the phone. The PlayBook software update will also let you save bookmarks on your home screen – a great option for a device that relies so much on the browser to compensate for a lack of apps.
The BlackBerry PlayBook launched a few weeks ago to mixed reviews, mostly due to gaps in the software. The hardware is respectable, however: it has a sharp 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, a dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, GPS, and 3G when tethered to a smartphone via Bluetooth (though 3G will be built into future models this summer). Check out my review over here.
Combined with BlackBerry Messenger and video chat, this is a pretty significant update to the PlayBook, and if RIM keeps filling the gaps this quickly, the tablet will soon outgrow its half-baked status. I’m still en route to the BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, but we’ll be sure to get some video of the update in action, and prod RIM about what’s next.
[via Inside BlackBerry]