Now that the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet is being used in a wide variety of industries by a range of various professionals, I thought it would be prudent to throw a spotlight on one of the more interesting communities involved with the product, as well as how you can get involved and provide feedback. I had the pleasure of speaking with John H., a member of the Beta Programs team at Research In Motion® (RIM®). Check out the conversation below!

Hi John, can you give us a quick introduction to what you do at RIM?

Sure, Luke. RIM’s Beta team operates programs for new software through the BlackBerry® Beta Zone. My colleagues and I are members of the beta team and are specifically interested in the BlackBerry® Tablet OS; what people think of it, how they use it, what they’d change, and what they love about it. It is essential to our job to make sure the voice of our customers is represented internally.

So what is the “Global BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Community”?

The community is open to anyone in BlackBerry Beta Zone and is an open forum for discussions about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and the BlackBerry Tablet OS.

How does RIM work with the members?

We’re in the discussion boards every day reading what people are sharing with us. Also, after every new software release, we capture the feedback of users through a survey once they’ve upgraded. Because we develop these devices for our customers, as I mentioned previously, it’s very important to us to have a solid understanding of their needs, thoughts, and requests.

Where does feedback go after it’s provided by the community?

My team is very close to stakeholders and product owners at the company who coordinate the product development process. We then use this information to contribute to building and developing top notch mobile technology. All of the feedback is important to us, and we’re always looking for important trends, which is why it is important for users to weigh in with their thoughts on hot topics in BlackBerry Beta Zone.

How can individuals get involved?

The process is simple – BlackBerry Beta Zone is free and easy to join. After signing up or logging in, they can look for the Global BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Community in the “Eligible Programs” area as displayed in the image below. They can then hop into the discussion boards and let us know what they think. It’s our promise that posts and opinions are read, and we often respond with our own thoughts and interactions.

Thanks for your time John! It sounds like a great opportunity to become involved in the future of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

We definitely have an exciting opportunity here to shape the future – we’re looking forward to everyone’s thoughts!

Tell us about your experience on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Head over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone today and share your opinion!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Just wanted to let you know there’s a great blog post and new video over on Inside BlackBerry today – hope you can check out what Ryan Bidan, Senior Product Manager for BlackBerry PlayBook has to say on launch day! Have you picked up your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet yet? (Businesses should be sure to check out IT resellers!)

We are thrilled to be launching the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet – the world’s first professional-grade tablet. It is available today in thousands of retail outlets across the United States and Canada.

I’ve been spending a lot of time meeting with customers to preview the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and it is abundantly clear from their hands-on reactions that the ultra-portable 7” design, best-in-class multimedia, uncompromised web browsing and unmatched multitasking performance is going to strike a chord with a lot of people.

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is a great device, and those who try it with their own hands and see it with their own eyes really do get a full appreciation for the performance, so be sure to check it out at a nearby retail store if you have the chance.

PlayBook Retail Stores – United States
PlayBook Retail Stores – Canada

Read the entire post on the Inside BlackBerry Blog »

Last week we introduced you to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet and BlackBerry® Tablet OS. The BlackBerry Tablet OS is based on technology by QNX® Software Systems, which is one of the most reliable, secure and robust operating system architectures in the world. If you are interested in learning more about the QNX® Neutrino® OS (you might be surprised where it is already being used today!), key features of BlackBerry Tablet OS and more, I invite you to check out this post on our sister site: an interview with Mike Kirkup (Director of Developer Relations at RIM) and Dan Dodge (Cofounder and CEO of QNX Software Systems).

Read more about the BlackBerry Tablet OS at the BlackBerry Developer’s Blog »