Sprint is the first out of the four major US carriers to call dibs on the BlackBerry PlayBook, and a 4G version at that. Sprint announced by the way of a press release that they will release their 4G WiMAX version of the PlayBook as a Sprint exclusive in the summer. For all of you non-Sprint subscribers don’t get discouraged yet, there’s always 3G and Wi-Fi models that can arrive to your favorite carrier or retailer. Check out the official release belwo after the break.
BlackBerry 4G PlayBook Coming to the Sprint 4G Network
New 4G Tablet to Deliver Unmatched Power and Web Performance ‐
Available Exclusively from Sprint this Summer
January 6, 2011 – CES 2011, Las Vegas, NV – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM;
TSX: RIM) and Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced plans to launch a new BlackBerry®
PlayBook™ tablet model featuring connectivity to the blazingly fast Sprint 4G network.
The BlackBerry 4G PlayBook™ will be the first BlackBerry PlayBook model to include
wide area wireless connectivity, featuring Sprint 4G to give customers download speeds
up to 10 times faster than 3G1. This new 4G model is expected to be available from
Sprint in the summer.
The BlackBerry 4G PlayBook is a professional‐grade tablet that’s set to redefine the
possibilities of mobile computing, giving users an ultra‐portable design with industry
leading performance, uncompromised web browsing, true multitasking and HD
multimedia, as well as advanced security features and out‐of‐the‐box enterprise
support. Together, the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook and the Sprint 4G network will provide a
high performance platform that will enable a mobile services revolution for both
application developers and customers.
“RIM believes a significant portion of the tablet market will want a higher performing,
multitasking, professional‐grade tablet and that is why we chose to design the
BlackBerry PlayBook for premium performance with a powerful dual‐core processor and
multitasking OS. Together with Sprint, we are now building on that performance
advantage with 4G and providing an unparalleled mobile experience for users,” said
Mike Lazaridis, President and Co‐CEO at Research In Motion.
“We are excited to bring this powerful new product to our business customers and
consumers who rely on Sprint for industry‐leading devices as well as one of the best
values in wireless,” said Steve Elfman, president of network operations and wholesale
for Sprint. “This tablet is a great example of Sprint’s strong partnership with RIM in
continuing to bring customers powerful devices to enhance their mobility. We are
confident the BlackBerry 4G Playbook from Sprint will be one of the most anticipated
tablets in 2011.”
In addition to Wi‐Fi® support, the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook features a 1 GHz dual‐core
processor, 1 GB of RAM and the new BlackBerry® Tablet OS. The ultra portable, ultra
thin tablet will offer an uncompromised, high‐fidelity web experience with support for
Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, Adobe® Mobile AIR® and HTML‐5 enabling customers to
enjoy all of the sites, games, media and richness of the full Internet, delivered at 4G
speeds. Additional details and pricing will be released closer to launch.
Sprint 4G is currently available in 71 markets2 across the country, including Atlanta, San
Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City. Sprint first launched
4G in Baltimore in September 2008 and continues to build it’s 4G service for consumers
and business users across the country. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.
For more information about the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook, visit
