BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion who is said to be considering the launch of a media device that will plug into a consumers TV and stream online video is also said to be dropping the Wi-Fi version of the BlackBerry PlayBook.
The new product codenamed the ‘BlackBerry Cyclone’ is a ‘media box, similar to streaming products such as Apple’s TV and products from Sony and LG.
Electronista said that media boxes have become increasingly popular because they allow users to put the growing amount of online TV content onto their televisions easily. Most use either a wired or wireless internet connection and an HDMI cable, but they do not generally offer internal storage.
According to the Nerdberry website, the BlackBerry Cyclone will be able to stream NetFlix which is due in Australia next year and YouTube content, as well as access a user’s WiFi network devices.
In other RIM news RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky claims that RIM might drop the Wi-Fi version of the BlackBerry PlayBook. RIM is supposedly considering focusing on their 3G versions after having to scale back production. The company hadn’t sold as many as it had planned and wanted to keep its attention on the newer models.
Leaks have alleged that RIM’s 500,000 PlayBook shipments were much less than what it had thought and that it was whittling back its goals by hundreds of thousands if not millions of units. One as yet unverified tip had it dropping a 10-inch PlayBook that had been in the works.
