Apple and Amazon might have a vice-like grip on the U.S. market when it comes to tablets, but Blackberry-maker RIM is making moves north of the border with its PlayBook tablet. In Canada, the RIM brand has a foothold of about 15% of the market, making its PlayBook device among the more popular options for techies looking for a tablet that doesn’t have an Apple adorned on the front of it. This is compared to the mere 5% of market share that PlayBook manufacturer RIM has captured stateside, perhaps because of Apple’s iPad and the Kindle Fire.

In fact, in the U.S., the Kindle Fire is the leader for tablets of this size, despite the fact that both tablets are priced the same, coming in at around $199. This could change when PlayBook gets its much anticipated update, which will boast increased email and messaging settings. The new version can also run Android apps on the tablet, which will be a big boost for the PlayBook. Moreover, the company does not expect to raise prices even in the face of these updates, which will appeal to Canadian consumers; in fact, this might have a ripple effect and increase the device’s popularity in the U.S.