A few recent FCC filings suggest RIM is finally almost ready to announce its 4G and HSPA+ cellular PlayBook tablets. With the annual BlackBerry World conference scheduled for early May, the show seems like an ideal place to launch the upgraded tablet models, which could also feature new, faster processors and support for NFC. BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) said more than a year ago that it would release cellular versions of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with 4G LTE, HSPA+ and WiMax support—currently only Wi-Fi PlayBooks are available. Though it took the Canadian company long enough, cellular PlayBooks appear to be coming in the not too distant future. A pile of FCC documents filed within the past month indicate HSPA+ and 4G LTE PlayBook were approved yesterday by the U.S. government agency and are on their ways to market. The frequencies supported by the two 4G LTE models suggest they’ll support both AT&T and Verizon’s 4G networks in the United States. And they’ll likely run RIM’s recently upgraded PlayBook 2.0 software–or perhaps they’ll run the new BlackBerry 10 OS. Recent rumors suggest the new cellular PlayBooks will also pack 1.5GHz processors, compared to the dual-core 1GHz processors in the current, Wi-Fi-only PlayBooks, and support for Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. The FCC filings seem to confirm the presence of NFC, but make no mention of the new processor, at least that I see. RIM is holding its eleventh annual BlackBerry World conference in early May in Orlando, and this seems like an ideal place for the company to announce the new cellular PlayBooks—and maybe even demo a new BlackBerry 10 handset. (And from the above FCC diagram you can also tell that the cellular tablets will have “camaras.” Thank goodness.) AS FCC (1, 2, 3) via Engadget (Second image via CrackBerry) Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe