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Research In Motion debuted a brand new tablet device at its developer conference in San Francisco. It's not a phone, but it has many phone-like features and still uses phone-based data for the internet.

Unfortunately, the PlayBook was locked up behind glass, so there was no chance to actually touch it to get real hands-on impressions. Even so, we're offering our thoughts based on what we were able to see behind the glass.

First, it is small and thin. RIM did a good job with the design. Because it has a 7-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio display, it is more rectangular than square. There were two models on display, one with black accents and one with light blue accents. Both versions looked sharp and professional — definitely more business-oriented than the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Tab.

PlayBook  

The are some controls placed around the outer edge of the PlayBook. Along the bottom are all the ports, including microUSB and microHDMI. RIM wisely placed them right in the middle, which will help the PlayBook work well with docks and other accessories.

There is nothing along either side of the device, but the top hosts the 3.5mm headset jack and dedicated media controls. I didn't see a volume toggle or any sort of Home button.

The 7-inch display, which packs 1024 x 600 pixels, looks really nice. Even under the glass, it was bright, crisp, and sharp. It is rimmed by a large frame similar to the iPad's. This will make it easy to hold without necessarily gumming up the screen.

RIM says the device is 9.7mm thick. It looks very thin and light. It is very close to the Samsung Galaxy Tab in terms of overall shape and size, making it easy to carry around, but not phone-easy. It's still too big for casually bringing it anywhere without a backpack or purse.

RIM had loaded three different models with UI demos. It was really hard to get an idea of how the operating system is going to work, because everything flew by so fast. We can safely say that it will be a great device on which to watch movies.

The browser also looked top notch, with embedded content playing easily within the browser itself.

As for wireless connectivity, it is somewhat limited. The version of the device that ships first will NOT have a 3G cellular radio inside. Why is that? It's because the QNX software does include the software necessary to interface with a cellular radio. RIM is still working on that part. That's why the 3G/4G versions of the PlayBook aren't shipping until the second half of 2011.

Until then, users will have to rely on Wi-Fi for connectivity most of the time. The one interesting thing that RIM has done is given the PlayBook the ability to tether to BlackBerries for cellular data via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see a demo of it in action. In theory, however, PlayBook users can access the internet through a BlackBerry data connection. Otherwise it is limited to Wi-Fi.

RIM said 3G/4G versions are in the works, but didn't elaborate about what sort of radios will be in those products. Will RIM make CDMA, GSM/UMTS, WiMax, or LTE variants? RIM didn't say.

The tablet space is quickly becoming more crowded, with entrants from Apple, Samsung, RIM and soon others to be lining store shelves. With so many of them based on phone operating systems, it will be interesting to watch how tablets and phones evolve over time, and how (or if) their roles change.

Eric has been covering the mobile telecommunications industry for 17 years at various print and online publications. He studied at Rutgers Newark and University of Kentucky, and has a degree in writing. He likes playing guitar, attending concerts, listening to music, and driving sports cars.

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