Everyone knows someone who is permanently tethered to his or her work BlackBerry. That person, who often works for a big corporation, is more than likely being provided email through BlackBerry Enterprise Service, which has been RIM’s bread and butter for many years. Companies are increasingly moving away from the beleagurerd platform as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems become more enterprise-friendly.
In order to stem the tide, RIM is offering a free 16GB BlackBerry Playbook with the purchase of a new install of BES 5, the latest and most powerful version yet. This comes in addition to a steep $400 discount on installation and set up.
While the offer is certainly attractive, and lasts until the end of 2011, we have to wonder if the incentive is enough for companies to keep up with their BlackBerry fleet in the long term. As the iPad and iPhone are integrated more tightly with existing Enterprise infrastructures, and companies like Motorola keep butting up against RIM with devices like the Pro+, the BlackBerry seems like a harder and harder sell.
The Playbook is now available for $199 in most retail locations, a steep $300 discount from its introductory price of $499.
Source: RIM
Via: Electronista
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