BlackBerry’s tablet is here

BlackBerry’s Playbook is a multi-tasking and ultra portable device.

Considering all the negative reviews it’s received even before its launch, the BlackBerry tablet, PlayBook, sold more than expected early this week, according to figures. Analysis of the sale figures shows, Research In Motion (RIM) might have sold 5,00,000 tablets on launch day.

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Though these figures are just one-sixth of the 3,00,000 iPads sold by Apple on launch in April last year, the PlayBook’s first-day sales are much better than those of other tablets such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Motorola’s Xoom. Future Shop, Best Buy, Sears and Staple are the major chains selling the PlayBook in North America.

The PlayBook has been trashed for lacking access to email, content and calendar unless the buyer is a BlackBerry subscriber because he can tether it to his smart phone with BlackBerry Bridge software. But the BlackBerry Bridge software is not yet available on AT&T which accounts for eight million of over 60 million BlackBerry subscribers.

Though the tablet can connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi, tethering via BlackBerry Bridge is needed to use its native Blackberry email and calendar apps. All BlackBerry carrier networks offer tethering free. RIM has promised 3G version and more models later this summer.