RIM to Sell PlayBook Tablet for Under $500

RIM has announced that it plans to sell the PlayBook tablet for under $500, according to a BusinessWeek report.

Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, said it will begin selling a tablet computer in North America in the first quarter for "under" $500 as it takes on Apple Inc.'s iPad.

"The product will be very competitively priced," Co-Chief Executive Officer Jim Balsillie said in an interview in Seoul today, declining to be more specific. Sales of the BlackBerry Playbook, unveiled in September, will expand globally from the second quarter, he said.

While the iPad starts at $500 it has a considerably larger screen at 9.7" compared to the 7" PlayBook. RIM recently demoed the tablet at the Adobe MAX conference.