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BlackBerry's VP in charge of the PlayBook resigns

BlackBerry's VP in charge of the PlayBook resigns

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Following a string of recent high-profile departures, BlackBerry’s vice president in charge of the beleaguered PlayBook tablet has resigned, reports the Wall Street Journal. David J. Smith had been at the company for eight years, and took over the PlayBook project shortly after its release in 2011.

The PlayBook was envisioned as the "first professional tablet" but delays kept it off the market until a full year after the iPad’s 2010 release, and missing core features like email and calendaring that the company had built its reputation on. Following a nearly $500 million writedown and a delayed software update, CEO Thorsten Heins effectively end-of-lifed the tablet last month, announcing that it would not be updated to the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Not to worry — Heins believes tablets are on their way out.