Tablet wars: RIM gets aggressive with Apple iPad comparisons

Research in Motion looks like a company that has a limited window to compete with Apple's iPad and wants to seize the day with its PlayBook. RIM's aggression vs. the iPad makes sense on many levels since it generates buzz even as its tablet remains largely a mystery.

Since the PlayBook was announced and later demonstrated, RIM has systematically released information in small chunks. For instance, RIM has said that the PlayBook will be competitive with Apple on price.

And on Tuesday, RIM released a comparison video between the PlayBook and iPad. We're not going to put a lot of stock in a company-orchestrated show-and-tell video, but RIM is showing a little aggression.

The moves make sense. At this juncture, the iPad really has the tablet field to itself. As noted earlier, the latest crop of Android tablets are disappointing. The hardware and software on the Android tablets lacks the iPad's integration and the pricing just isn't aggressive enough.

Why wouldn't RIM push hard to make the PlayBook a viable No. 2 to the iPad? After all, Android tablets have left the door wide open.

The rub here is that no one has played with RIM's tablet. All we have are videos released by RIM. It's all very controlled.The PlayBook could be demo-ware.

While the RIM PlayBook largely remains a mystery, the company seems to be playing the buzz game pretty well.

And here's video of the PlayBook launch: