RIM BlackBerry Playbook Review
Conclusion
The tablet market is booming, with new product introductions occurring on a regular basis. Although there are still more tablets announced than are actually shipping right now, quite a few new models will hit the market soon. For now, the PlayBook is among the smaller crowd of tablets that is actually shipping.
Overall, multitasking on the PlayBook was great, and we appreciated the responsiveness of both the tablet and the OS. Despite the fact that there are a few big omissions from the OS (i.e. dedicated email, calendar, contact, and task applications), the rest has a lot of promise.
If RIM can deliver these personal information management applications soon, and if the upcoming apps that will enable users to run Android and Java apps works smoothly, we think RIM will have a pretty impressive tablet on its hands. In the meantime, the Playbook is still quite useful though there are definite limitations without these features.
The fit and finish of the PlayBook is very nice as well. The tablet is relatively lightweight and thin. We also appreciate the use of the bezel rather than crowding the front of the tablet with buttons. The small size of the Power button is a drawback, but users can wake the tablet by dragging a finger upwards from the bottom bezel, so the small power button is a minor issue.
All in all, our feelings towards the PlayBook are positive. We're anxious to see what RIM has in store for the aforementioned promised apps that are sure to add additional functionality to the tablet. Since larger tablets are quite popular these days, we're also hoping that RIM will release a larger PlayBook at some point in the future.
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