Unless someone at Research In Motion is taking the time to screw with all of us, it looks like we might have an official name for their long-rumored BlackBerry tablet project: BlackPad.
Word of the name comes not from a disgruntled employee, nor from a prototype left at a bar; this one’s straight out of a good ol’ fashion WHOIS lookup on a domain. According to registration records, RIM purchased BlackPad.com just days ago.
How RIM obtained the domain still isn’t completely clear. The domain swapped hands at least once before, and has been squatted by one person or another since January of 2002. I’m not able to find any trademarks for the “BlackPad” name, so it seems unlikely that RIM could have squeezed it out of the previous owner’s hands without a bit of cash.
As is to be expected for an unannounced and mostly unofficial project, the domain currently doesn’t resolve to anything.
Interestingly, the name “BlackPad” has been surrounding the rumored tablet for almost as long as the rumors have existed. Some have chalked it up as a code name, while others insist it’s the name it’ll ship with — either way, RIM seems to have interest in protecting it.
With that said, lets go ahead and get the unavoidable argument started now: BlackPad — Good name? Bad name? Duke it out in the comments below.
[Thanks for the tip, Mr. Canada!]
Oh hey cool, an internet tablet that’ll crash randomly, delete contacts and messages without warning, and an app store with 4 apps.
My BlackBerry has never done any of those things
Get a life…!
I work with BB since 7 years and never saw that kind of thing… you my be a I-Crap owner, Iphone4, what a victory hein ;)…
7 years with BB? wow…
I supposed it was good back then. Have you looked at the calendar lately and noticed the year??
I wonder one can help a misery that long. it’s called sado-masochism, I reckon…
BlackPad.com is listed on BuyDomains for $1,788. If they purchased it from BuyDomains (most likely), they acquired the domain for relatively cheap.
I prefer PadBerry…
that’s what I said!
I think the catchy and proper name should be Berrypad. I checked the whoIS record and it’s registered to some Berry Taylor.
I prefer BlackBoard, the association with Pad is to close. BB has always been different. They should continue and not mimic Apple’s name.
What whois service did you use to look up domain ownership ?
The screenshot looks like it came from whois.domaintools.com.
I’m going to with bad name here. I can’t get over associating the name with something like it being the secret hideout of the superhero in some cheesy blacksplotation film from the 70s.
This company is going downhill and its not coming back. BlackPad? Are you serious, do they have anything original, I give it a few more years before this company tanks.
Blackberry rocks. Whatever name it might have, I will be grabbing one. by the way just purchased and Ipad…. gave it away for free to my friend. Useless junk made for children
Is it just me that “BlackPad” sounds really racist?
Just you, not everyone deems something racist because the word “black” appears in it.
Would it be less racist to you if it was called the African-AmericanPad?
Just stupid…
Well done.
yea. if it was just “pad” then it actually meant “whitePad”. that’s stupid.
Yeah It isn’t racist unless you think that besides I’m black and I wasn’t even thinking that until it was just mentioned
How to take a poor choice of product name and make it worse…sigh.
Would they have called it something else if Apple hadn’t called theirs the iPad? BlackPad doesn’t sound very nice. Maybe BerryPad? Or why not just name it something entirely different like BlueBerry? If you call it somethingPad from the start you’ve pretty much already conceded that it’s a me-too product.
you are correct. if they use somethinPad it will just put iPad more into spotlight. somethingPad just remids people of iPad.
I love brands and blackpads sounds nice to me!
By the way who owns white pad ? Apple and Friends?
Terrible name. Just come up with something new. Leave out the “padberry” and “blackpad” crap.
How bout’ Bpad? Domain appears sluethed not squattedm lmm
BlackPad screams to me a tampon for black people due to their wide set vaginae and heavy set flow.
Bitch
How is it they dont own the .ca yet, for a Canadian company youd think theyd market in Canada with the .ca.
The Berry
looks like it was bought on a drop as the registration date is only a couple of weeks ago so it looks like somebody as bought it on their behalf……
I think this is just a defensive move. Their tablet will follow Blackberry naming standards, but they’re grabbing this domain in case it becomes a shorthand for the device.
Obviously ‘BlueBerry’ Pad or Slate
: )
Or BB Pads
:D
“The domain swapped hands at least once before, and has been squatted by one person or another since January of 2002. I’m not able to find any trademarks for the “BlackPad” name, so it seems unlikely that RIM could have squeezed it out of the previous owner’s hands without a bit of cash.”
Is this a psychic squatter?
Given there’s No Trademark & No Product
If you do a whois now, the Registrant and Admin contact has changed. Recoard last updated 29-Jul-10
PadBerry is so much better than “BlackPad.”
They should not name it anything with “Pad” in it, though. Apple has 99% of the tablet market. Anything similarly named is in bad taste. And they may get attention from Apple’s trademark lawyers. iPad is even black.
Anyway, to leave off the word “BlackBerry” would be a huge mistake for RIM, that is their only brand. I even think they should rename the company that. RIM is an awful name and who even knows it? Just name the company Blackberry. Lose the capital B also. It’s gauche.
I like “Blackberry Big”. People would call it “The Big”. Or “Blackberry Brawn.”
Why not “BerryTab”
Pues en mi tabajo pude obtener uno de estos celulares y pues la verdd si me servia de mucho por que en el mundo de la tecnologia se basaba mi trabajo espero que le puedan agregar nuevas aplicaciones a este celular porqeu si es muy bueno realmente, por cierto yo tabaje en TRANSACTEL
It should be the Bilberry
“This is the Bilberry tablet – they say bilberry is good for one’s eyes so you know where I am coming from :) – and it will be only for people who already have a Blackberry.”
http://www.thecynicalinvestor.net/2010/05/rim-bilberry-tablet.html
“This is the Bilberry tablet – they say bilberry is good for one’s eyes so you know where I am coming from :) – and it will be only for people who already have a Blackberry.”
http://www.thecynicalinvestor.net/2010/05/rim-bilberry-tablet.html
The should rename BLACKPAD foe WHITEPAD.
http://www.blackpad.com the page is white.
Blanc or Blanco
A possibly worse domain is “http://rim.jobs” for their job listings.
Just google “rim.jobs” and it’s a really bad scene. The list of jokes about this are endless.
- I heard they have an in-depth interview process.
- Don’t know, the boss might be an a-hole.
- Required Skills includes *expert in finger gestures and helping improve market penetration.”
BlackPad, PadBerry…? RIM’s not silly. Did they call their Storm BlackStorm? No, BlackBerry Storm. So think again…
BTW, didn’t Apple buy iSlate.com… And, what’s the product called today?
How about the Blackberry RimJob? Everyone would want one of those.
@Matthew
Bwahhahahahaa!
RIM have Certicom security.
ECC is the Only Solution for REAL security.
Certicom® is a trademark of Certicom Corp. BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion® and related trademarks are owned by Research In Motion Limited. Used under license.
Can I get a white BlackPad??? It’s going to be a weird conversation!!!
RIM? RIM me please!
Noticed the .ca ( which RIm should have bought ) has nice traffic so far according to the counter, imagine what the dot com now see’s. Also if their margin per unit is $XXX what does that make the dot com or dot ca worth really, tens of thousands, maybe $100k+. Its a targeted audience looking to buy. We have no clue what they paid but it was or will be worth millions in the long run.
This company is going downhill and its not coming back. BlackPad? Are you serious, do they have anything original, I give it a few more years before this company tanks.
BB will be around for a long time, they have money, products and profits. Plus JB wants a another hockey team in Canada, remenber “Make it Seven”.
Ownership of the name doesn’t mean they have to use it. Corporations buy names they may want to keep some other entity from using in the future too.