X

BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will have built-in 7digital Music Store app

Good news for music-lovin' CrackBerry fans -- the PlayBook will come with a 7digital Music Store app when it launches this year.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will come with a built-in 7digital Music Store app when it launches this year. That's good news for music-lovin' CrackBerry fans.

PlayBook owners will be able to preview and download tunes chosen from the 13 million or so tracks in 7digital's catalogue. Tracks are 320kbps MP3 files, and are DRM-free so you can transfer them easily to other computers and devices.

The PlayBook is a 7-inch tablet with a powerful dual-core processor. RIM's slate supports Flash, multi-tasking and gaming features. It also boasts a new, specially-designed operating system, so apps for BlackBerry phones won't work on the PlayBook. It's good news, then, that 7digital has music covered.

The PlayBook is up against the iPad 2, which is tied to Apple's iTunes for syncing, movies and apps, as well as music. iTunes is used by many millions of people to manage the music on their iPods and iPhones.

Other mobile music services include the free We7 Android app -- what's with all the 7s? -- and Spotify, which this week reached 1 million paying subscribers.

There's no word on a release date or prices for the PlayBook yet, but we do know that tracks bought through the 7digital app will cost the same as if bought online. The 7digital Music Store app for the PlayBook will be previewed this week at the South by South West music and digital festival in Austin, Texas.