Having the ability to stream data from a computer or a tablet to a person’s television has long been something that is sought after when it comes to consumer electronics. It appears that RIM is wanting to jump into that particular pool now as well.
Reports are surfacing that the well known Blackberry maker RIM is looking into offering up their own version of the Apple TV product. Of course they are hardly the first to want to get into this particular area. Slingbox is well known as one of the first devices that allowed you to beat media to and from the television and a computer but since then there have been a ton of different applications that have all found a way to stream video on a PC or tablet to a crystal clear high def screen.
Of course, RIM has taken some fire over the last few months for being one step behind other companies in release their next generation technology products like their Blackberry Playbook. The Playbook has had real problems finding a way to get a foothold in the tablet markets thanks to being released so long after so many other tablets hit the market. So will their device that could stream video and audio from the Playbook to a user’s television help drum up a little bit of interest in both products? I suppose it could happen, but once again the problem with RIM is that they are coming up too little and too late.
While RIM is looking to release something like the Apple TV device, Apple is looking to release televisions that would have the functionality of their little set top devices built in to a high definition television set. Of course, the positive for Blackberry is that these televisions will most likely be pretty expensive, while the RIM TV devices could be priced to move (if the company is smart.) RIM could also look to gear their TV device to be more business centric by more easily displaying presentations and demontration videos, rather than simply adding a way to get Netflix from the Playbook to the television. Of course since this is all rumors at the moment, very few specifics are known.
