RIM Releases E-Mail for PlayBook 10 Months After Device Debut
February 23, 2012, 12:05 AM ESTBy Hugo Miller
Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Ten months after the BlackBerry PlayBook’s debut, Research In Motion Ltd. released new software for the tablet computer allowing users to get built-in e-mail without having to tether the device to a BlackBerry smartphone.
The software also provides dedicated calendar and contacts programs and lets users integrate messages from social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to their inbox. RIM said in a statement today that it is also adding “thousands” of new downloadable applications to its App World store.
The lack of native e-mail earned the PlayBook stinging reviews when it debuted in April and repeated delays in introducing the promised e-mail software upgrade hurt sales further. RIM shipped 150,000 units in the quarter ended Nov. 26, down from 500,000 in the quarter of their debut, prompting RIM to book a $485 million pretax charges to write down the value of its PlayBook inventory.
By contrast, Apple Inc. sold 15.4 million iPads in the fourth quarter. RIM said in October that the PlayBook OS 2.0 upgrade wouldn’t include BlackBerry Messenger, the free instant- messaging service that has fueled sales outside North America. There was no mention of Messenger in today’s statement.
RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, rose 1.1 percent to $15.24 in early trading today after closing 2.1 percent lower at $15.07 on Feb. 17 in New York.
--Editors: Cecile Daurat, Niamh Ring
To contact the reporter on this story: Hugo Miller in Toronto at hugomiller@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ville Heiskanen at vheiskanen@bloomberg.net
