Wonder If RIM’s Blackpad Will Have a Roller Ball App

Does RIM really have a tablet in the works? “Two people familiar with the company’s plans” tell Bloomberg that it does and plans to launch it in November just in time for the annual holiday spending binge. The device will likely be called “Blackpad”, which is better than Flatberry, I suppose–but not much. And it will be about the same size as Apple’s iPad. It will support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but not 3G, and is rumored to be outfitted with cameras for videoconferencing. Pricing will be competitive with that of the iPad. Which is wise, if the same thing can be said of the device itself.

And that’s a big if, as I’ve noted here before: “With the iPad, Apple (AAPL) has shown us that success in the burgeoning tablet market requires good design, a robust OS and a vibrant app platform. And at this point, RIM (RIMM) doesn’t really have these things. The BlackBerry OS might be great for email-focused handsets, but will it translate well to a larger slate form factor? That doesn’t seem likely, though one never knows.”