I try to stay abreast of major trends in technology and its relationship to innovation, both of which are propelled as much by art as by science.  It would be difficult for anyone not to have noticed the emergence of tablet devices over the past year following the introduction by Apple of its iPad on the heels of the amazing success of the iPhone.  For my part, I’ve not yet succumbed to the allures of either of those devices, preferring to keep my electronic devices and wireless plans to a minimum.  I have long carried a BlackBerry, which is very functional for the things that this smartphone device  is renowned for and because of which it practically invented the smartphone category. 

Research in Motion, or RIM, as it is more popularly known, one of Canada’s leading technology companies, releases its PlayBook tablet device this coming Tuesday, so the advance reviews of the PlayBook have caught my attention as someone who is already part of the “RIM ecosystem.”  A story in this past Friday’s Globe and Mail about the development process is particularly interesting, both for the back story on the product’s development and because of the weight placed upon RIM in carrying the torch of innovation for Canada’s tech sector.  I can’t yet speak to the merits of the PlayBook firsthand but am looking forward to how it takes hold in the marketplace.