RIM's Playbook to go on sale April 19 in North America

The new Blackberry PlayBook, a seven-inch tablet, at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

TORONTO - RESEARCH In Motion's long-awaited tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook, will go on sale in the United States and Canada on April 19 at a base price of US$499 (S$633).

RIM said on Tuesday it plans to sell the PlayBook through retailers and wireless carriers including Best Buy, AT&T, Verizon, Radioshack, Sears Canada and Wal-Mart.

The company's news release did not set a date for the launch but Best Buy in its own statement said it has already begun accepting pre-orders for the device and would begin selling it on April 19.

The Wi-Fi-enabled PlayBook, which will compete against Apple's iPad, will come in 16 gigabyte, 32 gigabyte and 64 gigabyte versions priced at US$499, US$599 and US$699 respectively.

RIM announced plans to launch the long-awaited device, with a seven-inch screen, in 2010. The tablet will be able to stream a high-definition video to a television screen via a HDMI cable, while allowing users to run other applications at the same time. -- REUTERS