Introducing the BlackBerry PlayBook

BlackBerry has long been a recognized name in the world of smartphones but now

Research in Motion

has released the BlackBerry PlayBook, which is an all

new BlackBerry tablet

. There were some delays behind the release of the PlayBook, which caused people to wonder whether it could compete with other tablets on the market. Here, we'll show you what the PlayBook is and what it can do so you can decide yourself whether it was worth the wait.

The BlackBerry PlayBook comes with a 7-inch

widescreen display

that makes it considerably

smaller and lighter than the iPad

. It also doesn't have any buttons on the front. The combination of a smaller display and a lack of buttons makes interacting with the PlayBook a little different than interacting with other tablets, but we'll get into that in a later episode.

The PlayBook comes equipped with two cameras: one front-facing 3MP camera and one rear-facing 5MP camera. These can both be used for video conferencing and allow you to take high quality pictures and video. You'll also notice that the back plate cannot be removed so you can't swap out batteries if you're low on power.

Along the top, you'll find a power button and buttons for controlling volume and media. You'll also find a headphone jack. The bottom of the PlayBook features a micro-USB port and a micro-HD port as well as a proprietary port for connecting to docks and accessories. You'll also notice a number indicating how many gigs of memory your PlayBook has. Currently there are 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models available.

The BlackBerry PlayBook connects to Wi-Fi as it's primary method of accessing the Internet. It's somewhat odd that the tablet can't connect to 3G networks but it can connect to the Internet through other devices via BlueTooth. Also included with the PlayBook are a USB cord to connect the PlayBook to your computer, another cable for charging the PlayBook and a neoprene sleeve for protecting your tablet.