A Look at BlackBerry’s Playbook
In recent response to Apple’s iPad 2, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Motorola’s Xoom tablet device, Research in Motion has seen fit to grace us with a tablet device of its own: the BlackBerry PlayBook. Eyes have all turned to the PlayBook as the iPad 2 continues to dominate the market, hoping that the newcomer will be able to wrest enough of the market share from Apple to be able to knock the technological giant from its pedestal.
One of the main advantages that the PlayBook has over Apple’s iPad is the fact that it has Flash capabilities, something that Apple didn’t think to integrate into its second generation tablet device. With so many websites relying entirely on Flash to be dynamic and cutting edge, the lack of Flash has been an impediment for those who has surfed the internet.
Let’s take a look at a few other ways in which the BlackBerry PlayBook is bringing it all to the table in order to compete with the iPad 2:
The PlayBook is a bit smaller than the Galaxy Tab, Samsung’s 7-inch tablet offering. The shell of the device has a very no-nonsense professional look to it, much like every other BlackBerry device. There is very little embellishment to the front of the device, just the BB logo and a 3 megapixel camera to decorate it. There are a couple of buttons on the front, designed to control sound and audio levels, as well as a pause and play button, and a button enabling the user to lock the device.
The screen, however, certainly outshines its nearest rival, due to the incredible pixel density that makes images appear crisp and clear on the screen. The brightness of the screen makes it a joy for any users, and the resolution is 1024 by 600. The pixels per inch, however, are 170, as opposed to the 132 that the iPad 2 boasts. The 5-megapixel camera on the back completes the excellent hardware specifications for the BB PlayBook.
The software is also up to par for BlackBerry devices, and bears a certain similarity to webOS. Touch controls are standard on the PlayBook, making it easy for surfing and browsing on the slick device. The device certainly was tested to its limits by the crew of Endgadget.com (http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/blackberry-playbook-preview/), who set a song to playing while running a video of 1080p, a picture slideshow, and a video game all at the same time. However, the device withstood the test, showing off the capabilities of the new device. The multi-tasking features offered by the BlackBerry device certainly make it a handy tool for any professional on the go.
One of the best things about the new Research in Motion tablet device is the fact that it is priced the same as the iPad. Samsung went out on a limb by pricing its tablet high, but BlackBerry shows its business sense by pricing it exactly the same as the iPad in order to provide competition. The 16GB tablet retails at $499, the 32GB model at $599, and the 64GB tablet at $699.
Whatever the outcome, the BlackBerry PlayBook has made a splash, and is gearing up to provide stiff competition for Apple.
More BlackBerry information available at: http://search.techcrunch.com/query.php?s=PlayBook
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