Message to wannabe iPads: It is not the tablet, it is the content. As in the Gold Rush, those who got rich were not the diggers, but the suppliers of shovels and pans.

All electronics and handset makers, from Research In Motion to Hewlett-Packard, Nokia and Dell have or plan to have a tablet to call their own. However, it is not the size of the device or the sundry features, but access to unique content and an unparalleled user experience that will decide the fate of tablets. Or else, tablets are nothing but souped-up netbooks, which, for all intents and purposes, are yesterday's story.

?Content consumption is what tablets are all about, and apps are the key,? said Manny Ju, director of product management at BlueHornet Networks, San Diego, CA.

?Hence, apps for downloading and reading books, magazines and newspapers," he said. "Apps for games and watching video too.

?Finally, to have edge over iPad, it must have a blazing fast browser that supports Flash. Perhaps Opera.?

PlayBook features
The BlackBerry tablet, which will be called ?BlackBerry PlayBook? will run QNX, a real-time OS acquired in its purchase of QNX Software in April.

PlayBook It will feature a 7-inch LCD screen, a dual-core processor, Wi-Fi and a Bluetooth radio that will pair it with a BlackBerry for 3G connectivity.

RIM designed its tablet with the enterprise and mobile professional in mind. It gives a compelling experience in the core applications valued by its target user.

?Differentiation in the tablet market will soon become intensely difficult as a variety of similar-looking slates hit the market with common operating platforms and services,? said Kevin Burden, practice director of mobile devices at ABI Research, Oyster Bay, NY.

?Building to the performance requirements of the enterprise will continue to be RIM?s key differentiator that even consumers recognize,? he said.

Enterprise attributes
Several key attributes of the PlayBook that the enterprise will value:

? QNX operating system ? a stable, instant-on OS that was designed from its outset to never go down and holds a level of security certification that is good enough for the U.S. government.

? 7 inch display ? provides acceptable screen real estate, but a better overall form factor for mobile use rather than portable use.

? Security ? secure pairing with a BlackBerry for 3G connectivity and temporary replication of BlackBerry content while connected means IT managers don?t need to manage it as strictly as other devices.

? Office document support ? its acquisition of DataViz and its Documents to Go software is making more sense.

? Application development ? POSIX certification of QNX makes it easy for IT to migrate any open source program.

Can RIM win?
Mr. Ju said that in order for the BlackBerry tablet to win, it requires ubiquity.  It needs to be widely available.

?Only Apple can play the exclusivity game and win,? Mr. Ju said.

Additionally, RIM will need a rich ecosystem for downloadable applications and content.

According to Noah Elkin, senior analyst at eMarketer, New York, BlackBerry faces a greater challenge than other device manufacturers in balancing the needs of its core enterprise customers with the differing demands of its consumer audience.

The company needs to have a strong tool set for business users and then equally vigorous entertainment features for the consumer audience.

?Yesterday's introduction was aimed squarely at the core business audience, but the name of the device itself - PlayBook - seems aimed at consumers,? Mr. Elkin said. ?It's a hard line to walk.

?The hardware is important, but perhaps less so than the universe of content, applications and services, and that's where BlackBerry currently lags the competition,? he said.

RIM advertising
RIM launched an advertising service for the BlackBerry Application Platform.

The BlackBerry Advertising Service helps developers integrate advertising in their BlackBerry smartphone applications quickly and easily, while also allowing advertisers, agencies and brands to work with a broad selection of advertising networks.

With just a few lines of code, developers can include advertising in applications that are relevant to their users and tie into core BlackBerry smartphone features.

RIM is enabling new monetization opportunities for BlackBerry developers by simplifying the integration of advertising both on the development side and on the commercial side.

?The introduction of the PlayBook and the accompanying social and advertising platforms at the developer conference seemed explicitly designed to spur development of more applications that will help round out the appeal of the hardware,? Mr. Elkin said.

?It's not so much a question only of content being king - in today's mobile device market, great hardware has to be complemented by equally great software, content and applications,? he said.

?Just having one or the other piece is no longer a sufficient ingredient for success,? he said.

Final take
Giselle Tsirulnik is senior editor of Mobile Marketer