Shipments of RIM’s PlayBook, which is expected to launch shortly, will top one million units in the first quarter of 2011, according to a report in Digitimes. The publication references “industry sources” for its story which says RIM’s tablet will outsell Motorola’s rival Xoom tablet, which was unveiled last week at CES 2011. Shipments of RIM’s PlayBook are “expected to top one million units” compared to “700,000-800,000 Xoom tablets to be rolled out by Motorola”, says the report. Quanta Computer, which is RIM’s outsourced manufacturer for the PlayBook, declined to comment, says Digitimes.  The report also predicts that the initial Wi-Fi-only PlayBook will be followed by “a 3G version that will enable Push Mail functions”. RIM has yet to say it will launch a 3G PlayBook, although it did announce plans for a summer launch of a WiMAX version of the tablet with US operator Sprint Nextel at last week’s CES 2011.  Motorola’s Android-based Xoom tablet, which is outsourced to Compal Electronics, will launch in the first quarter as a Wi-Fi/3G model but will be followed by “a LTE version in the second quarter with Verizon Wireless,” says the report.

Separately, Boy Genius Report has published leaked details of three yet-to-be-released BlackBerry smartphones. All three are enabled for Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Back in November, co-CEO Jim Balsillie said RIM was considering including NFC technology in future smartphones, so the leaked models are not a surprise. One handset is an updated version of the Torch, the company’s flagship release from last autumn. The new version will offer “double its predecessor’s processing power,” says the report.  The two other leaked phones shown were “a touch-and-type” smartphone codenamed BlackBerry Dakota and a new version of the high popular Curve, codenamed Apollo.