PlayBook: A Tablet With a Case Of Codependency. Now entering the tablet wars: the BlackBerry PlayBook, a contender from Research In Motion, maker of the iconic smartphone.
Unlike most tablets aiming to take on the iPad juggernaut, the PlayBook, which I’ve been testing for five days, doesn’t run on Google’s Android operating system, nor does it run on RIM’s own aging phone software. It uses a new tablet OS that is handsome and quick, and looks different from Apple’s and Google’s.
I enjoyed the user interface. But that isn’t the biggest distinction between the PlayBook and the other tablets. This first edition of the PlayBook has no built-in cellular data connection and lacks such basic built-in apps as an email program, a contacts program, a calendar, a memo pad and even RIM’s popular BlackBerry Messenger chat system. To get these features with your $500 PlayBook, you must use it with a nearby BlackBerry phone connected to it wirelessly over a short-range Bluetooth connection.
There are other reasons for my hesitation. BlackBerry PlayBook review. The words "play" and "book" are a bit of an odd choice for RIM's latest attempt at consumer relevance, a tablet that, at its core, runs one of the most hardcore and industry-friendly operating systems known to man.
The OS is QNX and the hardware is, of course, the BlackBerry PlayBook. It's an enterprise-friendly offering that's also out to conquer the consumer tablet ecosphere, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the BlackBerry handsets that have filled the pockets of corporate executives and BBM addicts around the globe. It's something of a serious tablet when compared to the competition running software from Apple and Google and, while it certainly has games, its biggest strengths are rather more boring. It does a really great job at displaying PowerPoint presentations, for example, and has the security chops to keep last quarter's dismal sales figures from falling into the wrong hands. Exciting stuff? RIM BlackBerry PlayBook See all photos 30 Photos Hardware See all photos 6 Photos Music.
Review: RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook Enters The Tablet Wars. In the tablet world right now, there’s the iPad and then there’s everyone else.
Sorry, Xoom, despite your hype, you just don’t cut it yet. But a new challenger is just about to take the stage and it comes from a somewhat unlikely player: RIM. People have been talking about the BlackBerry PlayBook for months now following its initial unveiling last September and a buzz-worthy showcase at CES back in January. But all along, RIM has noted that there was much work still to do before the device actually came into existence. And that work is continuing right up to the April 19 launch next week. Well, right now it’s a total mixed bag. Hardware The first thing you’ll notice when you hold the PlayBook is that it’s clearly meant to be used in the landscape orientation. So a horizontal orientation is where it’s at. When you’re holding the PlayBook, you’ll also notice that unlike the aluminum back of the iPad, the backing here is more rubbery. The screen on the PlayBook is very nice.
Software Apps.