Research In Motion (RIM) has received FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 certification for the BlackBerry PlayBook, making the device the first tablet certified for deployment within US federal government agencies. FIPS certification is issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and is required for federal use under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).

“This certification demonstrates our continued commitment to meeting the needs of security-conscious organisations and enables the U.S. federal government to buy with confidence knowing that the PlayBook meets their computing policy requirements for protecting sensitive information,” says Scott Totzke, senior vice president, BlackBerry Security at RIM.

The PlayBook boasts a 7-inch high resolution display, and offers multi-tasking capabilities. 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.