RIM opens PlayBook in new territories

UK is one of 16 countries set for launch in the next 30 days

Research in Motion (RIM) is set to launch its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in 16 more countries in the next 30 days.

The tablet, which was originally launched in the US in April, will now be sold in the UK, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia, Venezuela, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, Germany, UAE, Singapore, Mexico, France, Italy, India, Indonesia and Colombia.

RIM, whose launch follows hot on the heels of HP's Touchpad yesterday, claims the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first professional-grade tablet of its kind.

It has a 7in display and runs the company’s new tablet operating system, including dual 1080p HD cameras enabling videoconferencing and multitasking. It also features HD multimedia, advanced security features and out-of-the-box enterprise support. It is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions.

Apple still heads the tablet market in terms of sales with its iPad device, shifting a recorded 25 million units since its launch last year.

Mike Abramsky, analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said: "RIM is expected to ship 500,000 PlayBooks during its fiscal first quarter.”

RIM is expected to announce its results next week.