Another entrant in the burgeoning tablet market is the BlackBerry PlayBook which was launched yesterday in Mumbai. The PlayBook is a seven inch tablet which runs the QNX operating system which was acquired by RIM last year. The nifty tablet was unveiled by Bollywood actor Salman Khan, while also present at the event was Frenny Bawa, MD RIM.
The PlayBook features the same security features as BlackBerry phones and does not require a separate data or tariff plan. In other words the PlayBook would tether to your BlackBerry smartphone to access the BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) along with other office applications. RIM was focusing on the PlayBook's multitasking capabilities and while we were impressed by how the tablet handles multiple tasks without much stutter, we wonder how that is any different from the existing tablets, all of which boast of multitasking. The QNX UI lets you view the running applications without having to minimize them in order to switch and that's about as far it goes in offering a fresh approach to multi task.
On the specifications front the PlayBook features a 1 GHz dual core processor along with a standalone GPU. On the whole with the PlayBook RIM has ensured the tablet isn’t left behind on the specifications front. It feels pretty easy to hold and is light, weighing in at just 425 grams, however the only available screen size is seven inches. The PlayBook sports a 3 megapixel front and a 5 megapixel rear camera, both of them record in 1080p HD. It has a mini HDMI port to connect it to your LCD TV to view the tablet’s content on a much larger screen. This comes in handy while playing games or watching YouTube videos; incidentally it also has Flash support. We would’ve liked to see a few more colour options other than the plain old black that they currently have. After all, Blackberry boys are not all about the suits right?
Priced at Rs. 27,990 for a 16 GB Wi-Fi model the PlayBook is about two thousand rupees cheaper then the iPad 2. The other two models are 32 and 64 GB which are available for Rs. 32,990 and Rs. 37,990 receptively.
What we liked most about the PlayBook is its ability to sync with a BlackBerry smartphone which lets you perform all the tasks only this time on a bigger capacitive touch display, however the lack of GSM capability renders its use impossible without a BlackBerry phone.
You can leverage the power of BB messenger using Blackberry bridge, however the tablet doesn't have its own PIN and mirrors it from the BlackBerry phone it is connected to. PlayBook might serve its purpose for the existing BlackBerry smartphones users but it needs to be seen how the tablet fairs when it comes to acquiring new customers and markets. Locking it to a BlackBerry phone in terms of both usability and connectivity seems like a gamble for RIM.
Source: Digit
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What was known as the BlackBerry Bold 9800 is now officially the BlackBerry Torch, a QWERTY-slider phone that’s powered by a 624MHz Marvell processor, and runs on BlackBerry 6 OS. Some blogs in the United States have already got their hands on the device, which was exclusively launched on AT&T, and all of them have a lot to say about how the phone feels and functions. This is a roundup of some of the most insightful impressions
Like all BlackBerry phones, the Torch’s QWERTY keypad is supposedly flawless, with great tactile feedback and perfect spacing/layout. The slider is solid, and the phone built sturdily all round.
The screen is not very large when compared with other modern smartphones, and has a comparatively low resolution of 480x360. The capacitive touchscreen was thought to be responsive though, with great multi-touch gesture controls.
As for the interface, the phone was apparently well-integrated with social networks and instant messaging, giving users aggregated feeds in a unified inbox.
Performance-wise, the phone’s 624MHz processor reportedly seemed slow, as did the browser – at least compared to the iPhone 4.
As an all-out business phone, it wouldn’t be fair to compare the BlackBerry Torch to an iPhone 4 or any modern Android device, but if one did, the most obvious disadvantage the Torch has is the lack of apps/games in BlackBerry App World, which are available in their thousands at the Android Market and Apple App Store.
Another disadvantage in the sphere of multimedia and apps is the lack of internal memory, which amounts to 4GB onboard, and a 4GB microSD card that ships with the device, making to 8GB total. This can of course be expanded to 36GB total, with a 32GB microSD card.
As for battery life, the phone is again behind its other BlackBerry siblings, offering 5.5 hours of talk time and 432 hours of standby time with its 1300 mAh battery.
While the 5MP camera is considered sufficient, the lack of a front-facing camera is questionable, as is the lack of HDMI output, though the phone does play quite a few video formats, such as MP4, WMV, H.263 and H.264.
Looking at all the above, it seems that RIM has not really got a trump card on its hands, just when it most needed one. Competing against smartphones that might not fit the niche of business readily, BlackBerry either had to choose to focus completely on making its new flagship a business monster, or make it as multi-functional as its competition. By choosing the second route, RIM has taken the more difficult path, competing against established players in the media and apps world. At least though, it doesn't have any antenna issues!