Blackberry Playbook

July 3, 2012 · found by Staff

Tablet buyers have a lot of choice outside the iPad-sphere, mostly in the 7-inch screen market, but how do you buy a solid product at the best price? Putting aside all the strengths that come with buying the market leading iPad, the choice is currently between a myriad of Android devices, the Blackberry Playbook or wait for the Windows 8 release. The Playbook is actually a solid and now well priced tablet worth a second look.

Research in Motion is experiencing a revolt by the media and analysts which any Mac user from the mid-90s should understand. Their product range is still solid with a superior secure push email and messaging service. But their quick growth was followed quickly by a significant loss in market share. Unlike their reaction to the iPhone release, RIM has been more responsive to the tablet market. However their entry was slow and compromised, and when it hit the market the reviews were mixed and sales disappointing.

Reduced significantly since its’ release, the Playbook now ranges from $199 to $299 (£169-249), or less. Compared to the Kindle Fire or the Nexus 7, the Playbook has two cameras, more storage and an HDMI for the same price. The Nexus 7 now out does the Playbook’s screen resolution, but it matches the Kindle. The fragmented Android device market means OS upgrades come whenever manufacturers get round to it. The Kindle is stuck running its’ customized Android OS. Google’s Nexus 7 will ship with Android 4.1 and as their flagship tablet Google should keep it up-to-date. The current Playbook is been upgraded to Playbook 2.0 and RIM has promised to provide a Blackberry 10 upgrade (Blackberry 10 is the next version of the QNX OS which already powers the Playbook).

With a fair price, better spec and OS upgrade path, the Playbook is a worthy competitor against the Kindle and Nexus 7. Of the many limitations the app selection leaves a bit to be desired. Current apps include the standard web browsing, email and map apps, Facebook, BBC iPlayer, and a few games including Angry Birds. Looking to use the Playbook for reading, the Kobo app connects to their ebook store and Kobo, now owned by Rakutan should be around for a good while. For an entry-level tablet, the Playbook is affordable and locked into a proprietary ecosystem. However that nagging question remains, will RIM be around in two-years? Does that matter for a sub-$200 device by the time you’re ready to upgrade. Leaked documents show RIM hasn’t given up on the Playbook with new models coming toward the end of 2012 and into 2013, including the rumored 10-inch model.