RIM to Sell Tablet for Less Than $500 to Take on IPad - BusinessWeek

Meanwhile, in a development that should be salient to both Cisco and RIM,  see Polycom to Put UC App onto Samsung Galaxy Tab

Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, said it will begin selling a tablet computer in North America in the first quarter for “under” $500 as it takes on Apple Inc.’s iPad.

“The product will be very competitively priced,” Co-Chief Executive Officer Jim Balsillie said in an interview in Seoul today, declining to be more specific. Sales of the BlackBerry Playbook, unveiled in September, will expand globally from the second quarter, he said. The iPad starts at $499.

RIM to Sell Tablet for Less Than $500 to Take on IPad - BusinessWeek