Sydney, Australia, 1st August 2011 – Research In Motion today announced that the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) of the Australian Government has approved the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet for use in government agencies when using its BlackBerry® Bridge™ application and connected to an approved BlackBerry smartphone.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet to be certified for use by the DSD. It is the only tablet that meets with the Australian Government’s strict security standards. When used in accordance with DSD guidance, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can be used to secure information with a classification of up to and including RESTRICTED or PROTECTED which represents the majority of Government day-to-day operational communications.

“RIM continues to set the benchmark for government security and now with DSD approval the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet to be certified for deployment in Australian government departments. This again demonstrates our leadership in the government sector and our commitment and investment in secure mobile technology,” said Scott Deacon, Manager Security Certifications, Asia Pacific BlackBerry Security, RIM.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is a powerful, ultra-portable tablet that fits comfortably in one hand. It has a stunning 7-inch high resolution display, offers true multi-tasking capabilities and a high-fidelity web experience. It also allows for secure pairing with BlackBerry® smartphones via the BlackBerry Bridge app, which enables users to access their BlackBerry smartphone’s email, calendar, address book, memo pad, task list, BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) and browsing functionality using the larger display on the tablet.

RIM sets the standard for secure tablet data access with the BlackBerry PlayBook’s support for ECC (Elliptical Curve Cryptography), AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and the ability to protect enterprise data when it is transferred between the tablet and a BlackBerry smartphone.

The guidance recently issued by the Australian Government acknowledges that the BlackBerry PlayBook conforms with security requirements and DSD’s security policy which is in line with the use of BlackBerry in government organisations worldwide.

“The BlackBerry PlayBook is the only tablet to be awarded this certification from the Australian Government, meeting its strict security requirements for use by government representatives with data classifications of up to and including RESTRICTED/ PROTECTED. We will continue to work with government departments and organisations locally and internationally to ensure that employees can access and share information with ease and in the knowledge that their information is protected at the highest level,” said Deacon.

For more information about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, please visit www.blackberry.com/playbook