BlackBerry maker Research in Motion unveiled the PlayBook, a tablet computer, at a developer conference Monday.

 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- BlackBerry maker Research in Motion unveiled the PlayBook, a tablet computer, at a developer conference Monday. The tablet market is so far dominated by Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) and its popular iPad, but other tech companies are trying to cash in as well.

"Every successful professional has a great PlayBook," said Mike Lazaridis, co-chief executive of RIM, at the BlackBerry Developer conference in San Francisco.

The PlayBook tablet features a 7-inch screen, Flash-capable video and a front and rear high-definition camera. It's a thin tablet, at just 9.7 millimeters. Lazaridis did not name a price for the tablet.

The tablet won't use RIM's newly launched BlackBerry 6 operating system. Instead, it's built around a new platform from QNX Software Systems, which RIM (RIMM) acquired earlier this year.

Lazaridis also said the BlackBerry Messenger system will be "opened as a social platform for applications," but he didn't give any further details.

Shares of RIM rose about 2% after hours Monday, but the stock is down nearly 30% this year due to concerns that the company is falling behind Apple as well as smartphone makers using Google's (GOOG, Fortune 500) Android operating system.

The PlayBook is being released at a critical time for RIM. The company surprised its critics by posting strong sales and subscriber growth last quarter, but its just-launched BlackBerry Torch failed to make a splash in the smartphone market.