Engadget has been tipped off that a faulty batch of 935 of RIM’s Blackberry PlayBooks has been recalled from all Staples stores. No further details have been provided as to what has prompted the recall, but it appears that it is only the 16GB model that is affected. Also unclear at this stage, is whether the it is only the batch that has been shipped to Staples that is faulty, or whether the issue affects all 16GB models.
The news is a further setback for the nascent device, which has been launched to somewhat lackluster reviews. The Blackberry PlayBook runs a mobile version of the QNX operating system and is competing against the market leading iPad and Android Honeycomb tablets such as the Motorola Xoom.
Although competitive with both sets of devices from a hardware perspective, it has been handicapped by launching without essential applications like a native email client. News of a product recall on launch, and no news of how widespread the problem may or may not be, are likely to further affect the ability for RIM to gain sales momentum.
