BlackBerry Playbook

The BlackBerry Playbook is now available. The dual core 1GHz businesses minded tablet matches both the iPad 2 and the Motorola Xoom in brawn but is a 7-incher as opposed to the more popular 10-inch form factor. The Playbook sports a commanding, sophisticated shell that reeks of enterprise and makes you wonder what the word "play" is doing in its name.
Capacitive gestures are detected by the bezel and the onscreen QNX UI is delightful. Recently acquired by RIM, The Astonishing Tribe, has left their mark and made boring, built-in apps, remarkable and a pleasure to use. As a BlackBerry device, the Playbook supports a full slew of security features as well as BlackBerry Bridge, a way of linking your new RIM tablet with your (older) RIM smartphone. Without Bridge, the average user will be left without contacts, calender, and mail apps. On a different note, the 3 and 5 megapixel camera duo are miles better than that on the iPad 2. A lack of dedicated apps, however, will push most users to consider the iPad 2 which costs the same, starting at $499 for 16GB. That however, may change when Android app compatibility comes around. In summary, the BlackBerry Playbook has all the features of a successful business-minded tablet, but also has the clear markings of a first time, rush-to-market, me-too, tablet.
BlackBerry Playbook Flickr Gallery