Artist rendition of the new BlackPad Tablet by Blackberry

The race for technology in the palm of our hands is akin to the arms race amongst nations. Research in Motion, Blackberry's parent company has reportedly taken an entrance in the race. The iPad set a bar that several companies are vying to match and overcome. Blackberry is slated to release their competition in November, no doubt to raise sales in the Christmas season. This has been cited from Bloomberg, which has two anonymous sources reporting the company's plans.

Of course, Research In Motion is slow to confirm any suspicions. One compelling piece of evidence shows they have registered the domain blackpad.com. The rumors leaking out state this is the new code name for the competitive device going head to head with Apple. The question on the web now is not whether or not the "blackpad" exists, but what can it do. Or better yet, how is it better than the iPad? Several speculations have popped up on what improvements could be made, or how to beat Apple at their cutting edge game.

The truth remains to be seen. Several sources point out what the newest handheld device could boast. One potential overthrow to the Apple giant is a camera. In fact, this device may come with two cameras, one forward mounted for video conferences, the other back mounted. The device will more than likely be completely wired to handle Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. A rumored feature will be a tethering module for Blackberry phones to allow access to the internet. All of this available for the low price of $499.

Will the Blackpad Stand Against It's Competition?

This new gadget may stand toe to toe with Apple. It will speculatively boast the same size screen and have a lot of the same features. Aside from the camera aspect, how does RIM have a hope to really launch a campaign against Apple? Statistically speaking, Apple has over 200,000 apps in the stores, not to mention all of the non advertised ones. RIM has six thousand. That is dramatically less than half of a percent. The "Blackpad" has a small hill to climb to launch a successful campaign.

Competition may be a good thing for Apple. Currently though, RIM only has one strong tool against the giant. That is the image the Blackberry carries. The iPad is quietly regarded as a toy. It has the games, it has the goofy, it has a lot of fun, quirky apps that can be entertaining. What it lacks is a solid base of customers in the business world. Apple appeals to the younger generation with a sleek, glowing look. They unfortunately cannot touch the Blackberries functionality in the business world. The "blackpad" may have a niche with the business tablet. Only time will tell.