BlackBerry PlayBook to get email app within two months

A smartphone or tablet without a dedicated email client is the epitome of 'half-cocked'. But RIM's PlayBook, available April 19, isn't being billed as a standalone device...yet. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie defended the PlayBook from its recent critical reviews.

Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal recently described the PlayBook as "codependent", in that it depends on a BlackBerry smartphone in order to access email, contacts, the calendar, memos, and BBM. But Balsillie defended the Bridge system as a security measure for enterprise clients, rather than a failure to fully develop the device.

Luckily, Balsillie didn't just blindly defend the PlayBook's debatable shortcomings. He guaranteed that the PlayBook would be receiving a standalone email app within the next 60 days, which should coincide with the release of the 3G and 4G PlayBook models.

If you've ever had a BlackBerry, you know that they charge their own fee for service. Balsillie described the PlayBook as a "free extension" of BlackBerry service. We assume that only applies to BlackBerry smartphone owners. If you're smartphone isn't a BlackBerry, we imagine you'll pay the standard Client Access License fees for your PlayBook.

source: Wall Street Journal via IntoMobile