To Save a Failing Tablet, RIM Releases a Keyboard

[Sam_Reynolds]

RIM’s Playbook has been an unmitigated disaster for the company, but the announcement this morning of a keyboard dock for the tablet may stop the Playbook from worsening into a catastrophe.

Read more here: To Save a Failing Tablet, RIM Releases a Keyboard | Hardware Canucks

[moocow]

Hmm I wonder if people on XDA-Developer will hack it on Kindle Fire.

[Sagath]

Isnt this a bit...sensationalist? Touchpad caved and discontinued at massive discount...I dunno. Some how relating a keyboard to a 'failing tablet' seems a little over the top.

*shrug*

[bigFOIG]

Wasn't there another tablet that also had this add-on-keyboard-laptopey kind of thing?

[Mayoo]

Already exists for the Asus Transformer and no one purchases it. Having a tablet with a keyboard is more expensive than a laptop, takes the same space and does significantly less than a laptop.

RIM is dead in two years. Blackberry users will have to buy IPhone, Android or Windows phone and they will just cry for three weeks when they realized they bought crappy technology for all theses years.

[Arinoth]

I got something like this for half or a third of the price from a third party back during boxing day week sales. Don't know why they are bothering with this as the 3rd party one works great and doesn't cost as much at retail price too..

[BlueByte]

Its like watching fox news, surprised he didn't mention that the playbook likes little boys and beats old ladies for their laundry change. Granted the playbook is not doing well for sales in general. Just to top us back up to neutral news reporting the playbook outsold the ipad at futureshop a week or two ago. granted everyone knew that the ipad 3, or new ipad or 3rd generation ipad was coming out and the playbook has been slashed to where all tablets should be starting at.

If this was $50-ish I would buy it for my wife's playbook, at $100 it is a bit much.

[Mayoo]

Sales number isn't representative. In 1999, they sold screens that were "Safe for 2000 bug". People bought them over "regular" screen even though there is no frikkin' date stored in it.

Apple could sell a Toaster called IToast and it would outsell Android phone sales I'm pretty sure.

[SKYMTL]

I don't call it sensationalist at all. I'm the happy owner of a Playbook and even I think it is an epic flop.

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by Mayoo

Already exists for the Asus Transformer and no one purchases it. Having a tablet with a keyboard is more expensive than a laptop, takes the same space and does significantly less than a laptop.

RIM is dead in two years. Blackberry users will have to buy IPhone, Android or Windows phone and they will just cry for three weeks when they realized they bought crappy technology for all theses years.

One of the key selling points for the Transformer IS the keyboard. More than a laptop? Not really. Your about the same price as a decent entry level laptop when you factor in keyboard and tablet. Also with the keyboard you get additional spots for adding stuff on AND the ability to have much longer battery life.

The keyboard for the Transformer is a win win.