RIM recalls PlayBooks due to software glitch.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) has been forced to recall around 1,000 of its new PlayBook tablets due to a software fault that prevented some users from activating the device, reports the Wall Street Journal. 

In a statement, RIM insisted that the majority of the affected devices are still in the distribution channel and hadn’t yet reached customers. "

RIM is working to replace the affected devices," the statement said. "In the small number of cases where a customer received a PlayBook that is unable to properly load software upon initial set-up, they can contact RIM for assistance." 

RIM’s response follows an unconfirmed report by Engadget over the weekend, which said that a faulty batch of PlayBooks had been shipped to Staples, the international office supplies retailer.

RIM’s long-awaited new tablet is based on its own QNX platform and only began shipping in the USA and Canada on 19 April. However, the launch comes at a difficult time for RIM, which last month issued a profit and revenue warning for its current quarter (ending 28 May). 

It said at the time that shipments of its PlayBook tablet “continue to be in line with our previous expectations,” though it has not yet indicated how many PlayBooks it has sold or expects to sell. According to the Wall Street Journal, shares in the firm are hovering just above a 52-week low on the Nasdaq, finishing Friday at US$43.24 a share.