The BlackBerry PlayBook hits shelves in North America on 19 April. But the tablet will definitely not come with native email, calendar or contacts apps. That’s the word direct from RIM, which says users will need to use the on-board Bridge software to access these apps from their BlackBerry smartphone.

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BlackBerry PlayBook video

Such a move had been mooted for months, but now an official PlayBook FAQ clearly states this will be the case. However, RIM says in the same document that, “In a future software update for the BlackBerry PlayBook, we will also provide native e-mail, calendar, and contact apps for those customers who prefer to have these apps directly on the tablet.”

With major features like this missing from the device at launch, RIM is going to have a hard job explaining its move to punters. It’s now over six months since the PlayBook was first revealed and it’s looking less like a full on iPad-battler by the day.

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Via CrackBerry