PlayBook is a 'great standalone tablet,' not 'reliant on a BlackBerry'

We're sure RIM would still prefer that you own both a BlackBerry smartphone and a PlayBook, but it looks like it's now going some way to address the potential misconception that you actually need a BlackBerry for the tablet to be of any use. Speaking with Forbes, RIM senior product manager Ryan Bidan insisted that "on its own, this is a great standalone tablet," and that "this is not a device that is reliant on a BlackBerry." As Forbes notes, however, it is true that the PlayBook needs to be tied to a BlackBerry for most PIM functions like contacts and calendar management, but Bidan says those features will come to the PlayBook separately "as the platform evolves" -- he didn't get much more specific than that, unfortunately.

BGR Forbes / ENDGADGET

Blackberry Playbook update

We already confirmed that RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook was deadly fast in use, but up until now, we've still been left to wonder what kind of silicon was powering it. According to a RIM representative that spoke to us just now on the CES show floor, a dual-core OMAP chip from Texas Instruments is doing the honors -- more specifically, it's the blisteringly fast 1GHz OMAP 4430. And now, you know.

courtesy of endgadget

Control Pad for the iPad.

Ask any real gamer about gaming on a touchscreen, and the first thing you'll hear is he or she lamenting over the lack of physical buttons. Ten One Design aims to remedy this legitimate complaint with its Fling joystick add-ons for the iPad. The product is simple enough, a twisted piece of plastic with capacitive contact points in the center and suction cups to stick it to the screen. They feel quite like the joysticks on a PSP, and make gaming on the device seriously more enjoyable -- not to mention natural feeling -- and other than that there's not much else to say. Oh wait, did we mention they cost $25... each? Yeah, total buzzkill.

courtesy of Endgadget

Motorolla is not playing, making fun of iPad and Samsung (video)

It's on, suckers. Motorola just sent us this "Tablet Evolution" teaser video for their CES 2011 announcements, and it doesn't mince any words -- it calls the iPad a "giant iPhone" and says the Samsung Galaxy Tab is running Android "for a phone" before closing out with a buzzing bee over that new red Motorola logo. That certainly suggests some Honeycomb action to us -- and it fits perfectly with Andy Rubin demonstrating the next-gen version of Android on a Motorola tablet back at D: Dive Into Mobile. You know, the tablet that's since leaked out with a Verizon logo on it. Yeah, we're ready for this to go down -- and you know we'll be there live as it happens.