BlackBerry rumours suggest ‘BlackPad’ in the works

This is due to the website Mobilecrunch discovering that RIM had registered the Blackpad.com domain. Considering the device with the name iPad has made such a stir, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Rumours have already circulated around the web about the device. Earlier this month, Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar suggested that RIM was trying to pull forward the launch of a device from early next year to the end of 2010.

A prospective device would carry Wi-F connectivity as well as tethering with BlackBerry smartphones using Bluetooth.

RIM will be one of the many tech companies now working towards bringing out a tablet-style device, with the iPad and Dell Streak being successful as touchscreen tablet devices capture the imagination.

With the possible release of a tablet, the end of 2010 is going to be crucial for BlackBerry, which also has an its BlackBerry 6 operating system due out as well for a new batch of smartphones.

The iPhone 4 has of course blazed a path in the last few weeks, while RIM still faces competition in Android with many of the big smartphone manufacturers looking at it as their OS of choice.

Windows Phone Series 7 is also due, which may take a big chunk of the business market BlackBerry thrive on if successful.