Today RIM announced that Blackberry Playbook would be available in United states and Canada starting at $499. Distribution of Playbook would be through 20,000 retail stores all over U.S and Canada, starting 19th of April.
There were rumors that this would launch on 10th of April. Also there were rumors about the pricing, which was expected at $399. The Wi-fi variant to come in 16GB, 32GB and 64Gb versions for $499, $599 and $699 respectively. Orders could be placed at Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile or Future Shop store or online website.
Different versions of Blackberry Playbook as seen in the Best buy site
(press release 1, 2)