RIM: BlackBerry PlayBook updates coming every two weeks

Major features and new applications could be added to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet as frequently as every two weeks, said Research In Motion Vice President of Software Alan Panezic at the BlackBerry World event in Orlando, Fla. yesterday.

But updates — no matter how frequent — won’t give the PlayBook a competitive edge over other tablets unless they are significant enough to resonate with consumers.

The most recent update to the device adds support for video chatting between PlayBooks (a new Facebook app), allows for BlackBerry Messenger use via BlackBerry Bridge, and includes an improved browser that’s “more compatible with the entire Web,” Panezic said in a report from PC Magazine.

In the past, RIM has been unable to push out timely updates to its mobile phones because wireless carriers needed to approve any changes made to the operating system. Although there are wireless versions of the PlayBook (due out this summer), Panezic said the tablet won’t require the same kind of approval process unless changes to the radio are made.