RIM's PlayBook Lands Government Approval

RIM got a bit of good news on Thursday when its PlayBook tablet received federal certification, allowing for it to be used by government agencies.

Customers and tech reviewers alike have preferred Apple's iPad to Research In Motion's PlayBook, but it's the PlayBook and not the iPad that government agencies might soon be using.

The Federal Information Processing Standard certification indicates the product has the necessary security in place for government use, and lets agencies begin to deploy it. RIM has long been known for having a very secure data system, leading many government agencies in the past to issue Blackberrys to their employees.

This certification demonstrates our continued commitment to meeting the needs of security-conscious organizations and enables the U.S. federal government to buy with confidence knowing that the PlayBook meets their computing policy requirements for protecting sensitive information. Scott Totzke, senior vice president of BlackBerry security at RIM, said in a statement.

Apple has applied for the certification for its iPhone and iPad but has not received approval yet, according to Reuters.

The PlayBook is RIM's first tablet attempt and features the company's new QNX technology. Although the company claims it has already shipped 500,000 PlayBooks to retailers, it's unknown how many of the tablets have been sold.

It has generally received negative reviews and did not create the earnings jump the company hoped it would. This positive news could quell some of the rumors of the tablet's early demise, as some tech bloggers had speculated RIM might cut ties to the PlayBook in the near future.

This announcement also helps offset the negative press the Canadian technology company received on Wednesday. Ryan Bidan, a senior PlayBook product manager, announced on his LinkedIn that he left the company for Samsung. Bidan was considered to be an integral part of the PlayBook team and was featured in many of the tablet's promo videos.