WIRELESS 3G (Yes/No): Yes (3G
access using BlackBerry smartphone and and 4G access available on BlackBerry 4G
tablet)
CARRIER: N/A
RATING:
PRICE:
BlackBerry Playbook Full
Review
The
BlackBerry PlayBook is a 7-inch tablet that comes with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of
storage. It is a alternative to Apple's iPad 2 or the Motorola Xoom. However, you get a smaller display
for the same price as the iPad 2 which has a 9.7-inch display. The BlackBerry PlayBook is designed with
enterprise customers in mind.
The
BlackBerry PlayBook is running QNX Operating System. QNX is well known within the corporate circles. It
powers high end core routers, is imbedded in automotive systems, satellites, the space shuttle, and has
been in service since the 1980s. QNX is highly regarded in the industry for stability and
performance. BlackBerry PlayBook could find its killer app in BES integration, security, portability,
stability, or usability.
The
initial tablet will only be equipped with Wi-Fi, but the tethering feature allows the PlayBook to be used
as a larger display for a BlackBerry smartphone and it will connect to the 3G wireless through the
smartphone. It is a smart move because you don't have to pay twice, for the tablet and the smartphone,
you just pay for the BlackBerry smartphone and use the same carrier for your PlayBook. In fact, you
don't even need to have a BlackBerry smartphone, any device with a data plan can be used to tether with
the PlayBook. It's only if you want BlackBerry Bridge (where you view your BlackBerry's BBM, calendar,
email) do you require a BlackBerry.
The
PlayBook's Flash and HTML5 capability allow for a much richer web experience and the true multitasking of
the tablet, in which apps do not stop running in the background even though they're minimized, makes the
tablet a much better computer replacement.
The
PlayBook features high resolution front and rear cameras, a 3 mega-pixel front and a 5 mega-pixel rear.
It is powered by a 1GHz dual core processor with 1GB of RAM (which is double the iPad 2 memory). It is
very possible that the future BlackBerry PlayBooks will feature a Quad Core processor ( Ti OMAP5 -
2GHz) instead of a dual core processor. The speed and performance of this device will outrun any
other tablet, iPad 2 included. The PlayBook runs MS Office and MS Word, which is also a nice feature for
those who need to work with this software.
The screen itself is wonderful. It's very bright, colors are
pitch-perfect, and the viewing angle is all you could ask for (iPad-level or better). The pixel density is
great at 1024 x 600, which generates the same 170 ppi of the Galaxy Tab, versus the iPad's 132 pip and the
touch responsiveness is mostly great. The touchscreen keyboard is very nicely laid out and super responsive,
with possibly the best fake key tapping sound of all time. Unfortunately there's no word prediction or auto
correction right now, but hopefully RIM will port in some of that functionality from its phone OS before
launch.
Overall the device is blazingly fast, comfortable to hold, and
intuitive to use. The Blackberry PlayBook is indeed a superior tablet.
This video features the new tablet from Motorola - Motorola XOOM. It is one of the first
tablets to run Google's Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). Click here to see a full review of Motorola XOOM.
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