BlackBerry PlayBook hits stores in Canada

Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry maker Research in Motion launches its PlayBook tablet Tuesday in Canada.

But with Apple’s iPad leading the tablet market, the PlayBook faces an uphill battle.

When PlayBook was launched in the US last week, it received mostly lukewarm reviews and there are a few things going against it.

One knock against the PlayBook that will affect consumer and corporate users is not having direct access to their email, contacts or calendar.

To gain access, they must use a BlackBerry smartphone and download the BlackBerry Bridge app to do so.

RIM has said that problem will be fixed and it will release subsequent generations of the PlayBook that will run on advanced wireless networks.

The current PlayBook uses WiFi networks to get an Internet connection, eliminating the need for a data plan with a wireless carrier.