More news surrounding the supposed Blackberry tablet have surfaced, indicating that the device may include dual cameras (one front, one back) for video conferencing, a 1 GHz processor, and built-in support for Adobe Flash. The tablet is also expected to hit the market by the end of the year, pushed up from its original Q1 2011 projected release thanks to the iPad and Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 tablets.
The first bit of Blackberry news came Friday from Ashok Kumar, an analyst and managing director at Rodman & Renshaw. Kumar claimed that the 7-inch touch-screen tablet (and not 8.9-inches as previously believed) will feature a processor from Marvell. Although no specific model or speed was given, one proposed candidate was the Marvell 1 GHz 610 processor that boasts advanced 3D graphics, full HD 1080p playback, and 16-megapixel image captures.
News of Adobe Flash support arrived on Monday. A source "close to RIM" confirmed Kumar's statements and added the additional Flash info. As we've previously reported, Flash Player 10.1 was just released to mobile platform partners and included support for Android, LiMo, MeeGo, Symbian, webOS, Windows Phone, and Blackberry. Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen also confirmed that Flash would hit Blackberry in the second half of 2010.
Although RIM has yet to confirm or deny a Blackberry tablet, the Wall Street Journal said last month that the device would connect to cellular networks via a Blackberry phone. However Friday Kumar said that the device would come packed with embedded Wi-Fi and 3G support, eliminating any previous "companion" conceptions.
If RIM definitely plans to release a 7-inch tablet by the end of the year, then expect something more official to appear before Microsoft goes public with it own Windows 7-based tablets.
