RIM's 'iPad' rival tablet unveiled next week?

The Blackberry tablet info should be coming in the next seven days, release in Q4

Research In Motion is getting ready to take its swipe at the iPad, or at least, that is the word on the street. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that RIM is getting ready to release its new tablet computer, and an associated operating system.

The announcement is supposed to be made at a developers' conference in San Francisco next week.

The tablet, which some people close to the company are calling the BlackPad, is expected to have a 7-inch screen, and either one or two built in cameras on the device.

Now, onto what you really want to know - the Internet connection, since no tablet is complete without access to the Internet. The device will have, according to reports, access to both a Bluetooth, and broadband connection. The device will also able to connect to a cellular network, but only through a BlackBerry smart phone.

The device is not reported to have a standalone service plan for Internet connection. This means that there will be no way to connect without using a Blackberry-based phone, with a data plan. This could potentially limit the market for these devices, since users who want the tablet may not have the required phones. There is also no word on which cell phone carriers, or retail locations, will carry the device in stores. If RIM chose to let only one cell phone carrier sell the device, in a deal similar to the one that Apple has with AT&T, for the iPhone, and iPad's 3G service, then this could further limit the market for the device.

It is already known that they device will not feature the BlackBerry 6 operating system, despite its recent update. Instead an entirely new platform built by QNX Software Systems, will be on the device. It has been reported, that the Blackberry phones will also be switched over to this operating system, at an undisclosed point in the future.

The tablet is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of this year. In addition to the iPad, the RIM device will have to compete with Dell's Streak, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. In addition, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and Cisco all have tablet devices, with anticipated release dates between fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2011. Once all of these devices are out, the RIM device will face some serious competition.

RIM was not available for immediate comment.

(Image from Phone Concepts)