AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) said it will allow its customers to access BlackBerry Bridge software, which will allow them to connect their BlackBerry devices to Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) PlayBook tablet. The announcement comes more than two months after the PlayBook went on sale.
AT&T customers will be able to access basic information on their BlackBerry devices via the PlayBook without a tethering plan, but will have to pay for a $20-per-month tethering plan to access the Web on the tablet via their BlackBerry devices. "AT&T has thoroughly reviewed the application and at noon today it will be made available via BlackBerry App World," an AT&T representative told AllThingsD. "Our customers' wireless experience is always our number one priority."
When the PlayBook launched, AT&T said it had just received the Bridge app and needed to test it before releasing it. The delay in getting the software to AT&T customers is emblematic of the hands-off approach wireless carriers have taken to the tablet. RIM said it shipped 500,000 Wi-Fi-only PlayBook tablets in its most recent quarter, though the company did not provide a specific sell-through figure.
RIM's executives recently promised to release WiMAX, LTE and HSPA PlayBooks in the fall. This appears to be a delay from promises that the WiMAX PlayBook for Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) would be available in the summer.
For more:
- see this AllThingsD article
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