Edible Apple

The Wall Street Journal reports that RIM may introduce a new tablet device as early as next week.

The tablet, which some inside RIM are calling the BlackPad, is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year, these people said. It will feature a seven-inch touch screen and one or two built-in cameras, they said.

It will have Bluetooth and broadband connections but will only be able to connect to cellular networks through a BlackBerry smartphone, these people said. Since the tablet won’t be sold with a cellular service, it’s not clear which carriers or retailers will sell the device.

Rumors of a BlackBerry tablet first surfaced in May when reports relayed that RIM had purchased 8.9-inch screens from Foxconn. Back in late July, RIM purchased the domain name “BlackPad”, further adding fuel to the fire.

With RIM still struggling to find a sweet spot in the smartphone market that doesn’t involve the enterprise/email, it’s hard to imagine their tablet initiative having much chance at success.