Sources from the RIM Empire have whispered to us that apparently a new 4G LTE PlayBook is in the pipeline for release on July 31st. If this is accurate, it is news to us, as we understood that RIM was going to hold off releasing an updated PlayBook at this time.

If the news is accurate, the 7-inch display and 4G LTE version of the PlayBook will be a 32GB model that will carry a $550 price tag. It is said to offer a 1.5GHz dual core processor with 4G LTE with HSPA+. The front camera will be 3 megapixel and the rear camera will be of the 5 megapixel variety. It will use a 4800 mAh battery and will have 1GB of RAM in addition to the 32GB of flash memory. It will come with PlayBook OS 2.0 standard.

It seems that release of the new model may first be in Canada only, with Bell appearing as the first carrier in Canada to get it.  It is hard to say which carriers in the U.S. might be willing to take a chance on the new PlayBook model, given the current RIM troubles and poor sales of late. Our friends at U.S. carriers indicate that they are a bit concerned about adding new RIM devices, as they just have not been selling.

The word from our sources seems to mirror what Mobile Syrup is saying here, as well.