Finally! RIM Figures Out 4G

If a random leaked image and some FCC documents are to be trusted, Research in Motion’s (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry Playbook will soon have 4G capabilities. “4G?” you ask. Yes, Research in Motion is so far behind the competition in every way possible, they are now getting to 4G.

The Playbook, by RIM, launched last April to bad reviews, with critics citing a buggy OS, lack of third-party apps, and failure to include native calendar, email, and BBM functions.

Seven months later, after a price cut and the addition of these features, the PlayBook started seeing better days. RIM saw a five-fold increase in sales last quarter. The company will likely launch the Playbook the first week of May at its yearly BlackBerry World conference.

Here’s how shares of RIMM closed the week:

Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM): RIMM shares recently traded at $12.67, down $0.09, or 0.71%. They have traded in a 52-week range of $12.45 to $57.32. Volume today was 22,835,283 shares versus a 3-month average volume of 21,657,300 shares. The company’s trailing P/E is 5.71, while trailing earnings are $2.22 per share.

To contact the reporter on this story: Patricia Lee at staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Damien Hoffman at editors@wallstcheatsheet.com