BlackBerry PlayBook Review

A Hands-On Pre-Release Review of the BlackBerry PlayBook

I've FINALLY gone hands-on with the BlackBerry PlayBook and thus it's time for me to report back with my initial review and impressions of Research In Motion's first tablet device featuring the all-new QNX-based BlackBerry Tablet OS. The time I had to prep this post to go live for the embargo was tight and we'll have even more opportunities throughout CES to play with the PlayBook, so I'm going to keep this initial review as concise as possible and we'll likely add to it over the days ahead. Oh, and as for those questions of pricing and release date, those are still TBA, though RIM is still sticking to their Q1 release which means you'll be able to buy a PlayBook before the end of March.

This isn't just another new BlackBerry we're talking about here... the PlayBook is ALL new for RIM. Suffice to say, the way too long review will be coming once we log some real hours on it. But in the meantime, we still have a lot to say (hint: it's pretty awesome!!), so start reading!

BlackBerry PlayBook Technical Specifications and Features

If you're not familiar with what the BlackBerry PlayBook is packing for heat, here's the quick recap of its key features and specs:

• 7" LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• 1 GHz dual-core processor (Cortex A9 Processor), w/ GPU
• 1 GB RAM
• Memory: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions to be available
• 5300mAh battery
• Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable:
  • Measures 5.1"x7.6"x0.4" (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
  • Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
• Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.
• RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.

Unlike BlackBerry Smartphones where RIM has typically been a bit behind the ball in terms of technical specs, with the BlackBerry PlayBook they're much more positioned on the leading edge of hardware. The dual-core processor makes for a SNAPPY user experience.

BlackBerry PlayBook Hardware and Performance

Overall, after having used the BlackBerry PlayBook I'm wayyy more excited for it than I was prior. Though I detest the iPhone for use as my primary mobile device (I've tried it, I hate it... too inefficient for me for what I do with a phone when it's in my hand 90% of the time), I also own an Apple iPad which I really enjoy using (especially for killing time on flights). Steve Jobs' comments of 7" isn't big enough for a tablet had me worried that RIM went the wrong direction with the PlayBook and that they should have started out with a 10" model. I now think going 7" was a smart starting point for RIM though - the PlayBook is portable.

 

 

I'm starting to think 7" is a good thing

It fits in my coat pocket and is light enough that I'll actually carry it around with me on a daily basis. When I walk out of the house, I'll toss my Bold 9780 in my front pocket, and my PlayBook in my coat pocket. The iPad just sits around my home (where it doesn't get used that much as I have computers and laptops around) until I'm going somewhere like a trip where I then pack it into a backpack.

A BlackBerry Smartphone in my front jean's pocket and PlayBook in coat pocket will fill out my
hierarchy of mobile needs nicely!!!

For a person who wants an uncompromising mobile experience (filling out both the top and bottom of CrackBerry Kevin's Hierarchy of Smartphone Needs), I think the combination of BlackBerry Smartphone + BlackBerry PlayBook will be hard to beat. The BlackBerry Smartphone maintains its status as that uber-efficient communication tool (get sh!t done fast), while the PlayBook becomes that ultimate killing time device BUT ALSO an extension for my BlackBerry in the form of a bigger screen. Let's look at some of the hardware specifics.

BlackBerry PlayBook Exterior/Build Quality - The BlackBerry PlayBook really does feel just awesome in the hands. It's not too heavy, not too light, not too small, not too big, it really is just right. BlackBerry has always had a knack for making their phones feel nice to hold, and they've done the same with the PlayBook. The back of the PlayBook has a nice rubber-touch finish to it that makes it easy to grip (not slippery at all). There are very few buttons on the whole device, which is very un-BlackBerry like but works with the BlackBerry Tablet OS experience. In using the PlayBook I actually found myself initially looking for that home button at the bottom like on the iPad, but instead RIM uses a gesture to bring you back home (only took a few seconds to get used to that). The device definitely has a quality feel about it. I think on BlackBerry phones the sheer number of buttons (keyboard, convenience keys, menu/back keys, etc. etc.) could sometimes give off a feeling of plastic-ness that could come across as cheapness, but the PlayBook is a lot more like a solid object. The lack of a removable battery door also lends to that feeling.

 

 

 

A tour around the BlackBerry PlayBook's Hardware

Processors / Performance - The BlackBerry PlayBook is seriously snappy, thanks to its dual core processor, and seems to be very stable, thanks to its QNX OS. Unlike the traditional BlackBerry OS, which tends to have a bit of a glass jaw (it's fast until something glitches or hangs up), you can tell the QNX OS has a stableness about it. The PlayBook I went hands-on with was still running some unfinished apps, but you could tell any glitches weren't going to slow things down or cause a hiccup. I have a lot of faith RIM will be able to deliver a super polished user experience with the PlayBook and new OS. Again, this isn't a BlackBerry Smartphone where we sometimes need to wait for a couple OS updates to leak out before things get rocking - with this OS we're starting a lot further ahead to begin with and further improvements are going to make it that much better. 

Touchscreen Display - The 1024 x 600 display looks really great. Colors are bright. CrackBerry.com looked stellar when loaded up in the web browser. The touchscreen performance is EXCELLENT. Super smooth, super fast. It's very iPhone/iPad like in terms of the feeling of use. It doesn't feel like it's translating your finger's touch into an input and then moving the display - it feels like it moves with you. Part of this smoothness must come from the GPU on the processor, and it sounds like RIM is going to open that up to developers as well to take advantage of. It should make for a great UI experience everywhere. The gesture areas outside of the display work smoothly as well. Would a bigger display/device be better? Hard to say... if you think about the existing BlackBerry operating system, I'd argue that the bigger the display, the more enjoyable the BBOS experience is and with a lot more screen space you can do more with apps. But I do think the 7" experience on the PlayBook is REALLY awesome. I could see it being even better if RIM builds a bigger tablet down the road (which I'm sure they will - just look at how many form factors they have for their phones). But tablets are definitely different than phones. Once a tablet is too big too carry, then it almost makes sense to just go as big as you can. I think the PlayBook really fits that take it with you everywhere you go niche better than the iPad. So a bigger RIM tablet would come at that expense of ease of mobility. 

Can you use the BlackBerry in portrait mode? That's been a hot question these past couple of months as RIM has only ever shown off the device in landscape. Currently they have not enabled portrait mode, but it will be there and there will be detection for orientation switches and movement. I really want to see it in portrait.

Battery Life - RIM is targeting 8 hours of battery life with the PlayBook (I'm **assuming** based on video playback), so it should have plenty of power to get people through a day or two or three of normal type use between charges.

Memory - The PlayBook will be available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB configurations and.... wait for it.... all of that memory is shared! So if you want to, you could use it all for apps, apps, apps if you want to, or music, movies, etc.

Keyboard - There's no physical keyboard on the PlayBook (I wonder if RIM will ever make a tablet with a sliding form factor and physical keyboard?! :)) but the few seconds I spent typing on the software keyboard went pretty smooth. Being able to pull out the keyboard with a gesture is sweet as well.

Everything Else - In the limited time we had with the PlayBook, it's pretty hard to get into too much detail on it, but everything seems to be in check. WiFi was working well for our web browsing, and the camera seemed to be snappy and grab a decent photo. All in all, it's looking real good!

BlackBerry Tablet OS First Impressions

 

Un-BlackBerry like, yet still familiar

I'm liking the BlackBerry Tablet OS a lot. At first glance, it does seems a bit non-BlackBerry. If the PlayBook didn't have any branding on it and you handed it to somebody and told them to use it, I'm not sure if they would even realize it was a BlackBerry device. The touchscreen is silky smooth and really built for a touchscreen experience. The multi-tasking card/app metaphor should remind people of the Palm Web OS homescreen experience, though Palm's re-launch with Palm WebOS gained so little traction among the mass consumer audience that I'm not sure it's even relevant to compare it to that - people will just accept the PlayBook as having a new BlackBerry homescreen.

Traditional BlackBerry influences to do start to appear after a few seconds though. The homescreen maintains the "views" that are in BlackBerry 6, and icons have that BlackBerry feel about them. When you open an app, like the web browser, then things feel very berry again - the web browser has the same sort of look and feel to it as it does in BlackBerry 6, except of course for the fact that on the PlayBook it runs flash and seems to be super duper fast. There are lot of little touch points that look promising and I'll need more time on the PlayBook to really explore them all. Tapping the gear icon in the top right corner of the display brings up device options, which seem very logically laid out. Tapping the date on the homescreen pullls down a calendar - a very nice touch. 

 

The browser rocks! I like the little calendar drop down

Tapping around the PlayBook, opening apps, using the gestures, the keyboard, using native apps and utilities like the camera, etc., really made for an enjoyable experience. It's definitely a different feeling though for me. I am SO USED to the traditional BlackBerry experience that any departure from it seems abnormal, and the PlayBook is definitely different. But it seems to be different in a good way. Having used most smartphone platforms a decent amount (iOS, Android, Palm Web OS, etc.), you almost get a feeling that the PlayBook has a bit of all of them in it. It'll take some getting used to, but it seems very complimentary to the existing BlackBerry operating system. I'll be curious to see how the homescreen experience feels in portrait. I have a feeling it'll feel a bit cramped in comparison to landscape mode, especially for the sliding card apps, but I could be wrong there. While Ryan didn't have too many details to share with us on this, it does sound like the PlayBook/Tablet OS experience will offer at least some homescreem experience customization. I'm not sure we'll see theming to the extent we have on BlackBerry Smartphones, but hopefully there'll be enough customization offered that themers will be able to put their talents to use on the PlayBook as well.

I was hoping to see more of the talked about BlackBerry PlayBook/BlackBerry Smartphone syncing in action today, but that wasn't shown to us just yet. It could be still under construction, but will be there for launch. Pairing your BlackBerry to your PlayBook is going to allow your PlayBook to really be used as an extension of your phone. This is great for both enterprise and for individuals. For enterprise, it maintains security and for consumers, it's like having a monitor for your BlackBerry. We'll definitely dive more into this in our next hands-on.

** Update: We were able to see the pairing in action the next day at the BlackBerry booth at CES:

The paired BlackBerry Smartphone/PlayBook experience allows you to use your PlayBook as a big screen for your BlackBerry phone. The BlackBerry bridge is carried out via bluetooth, and the means for pairing is really simple. You'll download a BlackBerry Bridge app onto your phone from App World. On your tablet, you'll tap the options icon on the top right corner of the PlayBook (the gear) and from there will be an option to display a barcode. You'll scan the barcode of your PlayBook with your BlackBerry and that will pair the two devices. From there, you can run BlackBerry Messenger, your calendar, emails (and maybe more??) from your PlayBook. Check out the video above to see it in action! (note, we do the BBM pairing at the very end).

Apps. That's the big thing here. I have no doubt that the native BlackBerry PlayBook experience is going to be awesome. The hardware rocks, the homescreen experience is cool, and the user experience is fluid, fast, silky and smooth. It'll be a great device out of the box. But these days it's about expanding the out of the box experience with apps, apps, apps. With a web browser that embraces flash, the need for a lot of apps goes away. In the Apple world people tend to look for an app instead of a website. That lack of support drove a need for apps. So immediately the PlayBook's support of flash allows for flash games, etc. to be played. That said, RIM is still going to need a BIG app catalog in order to be considered as a top player in the smartphone/mobile game for years to come. It looks like they're doing the right things here by making it easy for developers to port over apps to the PlayBook and by giving plenty of options in developing for it. Off the bat it seems to about pulling in flash apps and turning them into PlayBook apps, but it seems pretty clear that RIM is going to support everything.  Given a few months time, it's going to be a no brainer for every decent app on other platforms to be pulled over to BlackBerry. So I really think we'll see some huge numbers fairly quick on app count. It may not bad that mobile developers build for BlackBerry first (although I'm sure thousands will), but it should be a no brainer for them to also build their app for BlackBerry. That should lead to a big app catalog and a lot of quality apps. Interesting to note is that it sounds like RIM is only going to allow apps to be installed onto the PlayBook via App World. At least at launch. Hopefully they'll extend this functionality so other app vendors (like the CrackBerry App Store!) can also offer free and paid PlayBook apps. On the gaming front, the BlackBerry PlayBook should live up to to the play in its name - with its awesome processor and support for 3D graphics, the PlayBook will be a gaming machine which is something that has never been said about BlackBerry before.

All in all, things are looking solid on the BlackBerry PlayBook. We'll have a lot more to say once we have a chance to spend more time on it.

Concluding BlackBerry PlayBook Thoughts for Now 

I like my iPad, but have a feeling I'm going to LOVE my PlayBook

My brain was in ga ga land while playing with the PlayBook for the first time. Now that I'm writing this intial review, a million more little questions are popping up that I want to address. We'll have more time to play with the PlayBook throughout the week, so you'll want to stay tuned for our follow-up posts. If you have questions, be sure to let us know in the comments.

RIM is really introducing two products with the PlayBook. A new operating system, and new hardware in a different sector. There's a lot of new-ness here. It definitely feels like they're doing the right things. The hardware has great specs and the operating system is fast and stable already which means it's only going to get better as it's refined and more and more features get added.

It's a new race for BlackBerry, and with the PlayBook they've come out of the starting gate sprinting.

Lenovo Ideacentre B500 – High Performance All in One Desktop PC (Unique Crystal design) powered by Intel Core 2 Quad processor, Nvidia Geforce Graphics card with dedicated memory and Windows 7 OS.
Lenovo Ideacentre B500 Technical Specification:

• 23″ inch (1920×1080 pixels) HD Display
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Intel Core 2 Quad processor
• Nvidia Geforce GTS 250M Graphics
• up to 8GB DDR3 RAM
• up to 1TB of Hard Disk
• DVD Writer
• TV Tuner
• JBL-brand integrated stereo speakers
• 802.11n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• 4-in-1 remote control

Lenovo Ideacentre B500 Price in India – starts from Rs. 35k Indian Rupee (INR)

Sony stays loyal to 3D at CES gadget fest

Japanese electronics titan Sony is raising its bet that the future of home entertainment is 3D, as it unveils home video and photo gear in the format.

Internet connectivity, 3D, and content streamed online were main themes as Sony showed off its latest TVs, cameras, and more during a press event on the eve of the opening of the Consumer Electronics (CES) show Thursday in Las Vegas.

"Sony has the knowledge, vision, assets and conviction to redefine television," said Sony chief executive Sir Howard Stringer.

"We are shaking up the television landscape and we will win."

Sony expanded its Bravia TV line-up with an array of new 3D models and internet-connected models.

Stringer said that Sony Entertainment film studio was pitching in major 3D films such as "The Green Hornet" slated to hit theaters this month and upcoming sequels to "Spider-Man" and "Men In Black."

Sony also has a Qriocity -- pronounced "curiosity" - service that streams hit films on-demand to Internet-linked Bravia TVs.

A Qriocity-powered Music Unlimited service that hosts songs in the Internet "cloud" launched in Britain and Ireland in December and will expand to the United States, Canada and Europe by the end of March, according to Sony.

The Japanese giant intends to capitalize on its diversity and size by delivering films and music across a host of Internet-linked devices including Blu-Ray disc players, PlayStation 3 video game consoles, Bravia televisions, and Vaio personal computers.

Sony devoted a section of its display area at CES to its Google TVs that use the California Internet star's technology to merge the Internet and traditional broadcasting.

Sony also unveiled new Xperia smartphones based on the latest Android mobile operating system backed by Google.

Nearly 180 million people watch Internet television each month and more than 65 million Internet-enabled sets will ship this year, according to industry forecasts and statistics cited by Sony.

"The next big transformation is on us; the marriage between television sets and the Internet," Stringer said. "It is clear that consumers are ready for it."

Sony will add more 3D movies, video, games, and a 3Net 3D television channel to "further cement" its position in the market, according to Stringer.

The company introduced digital and still cameras for people to "personalize" the 3D experience by making their own pictures or videos in the format.

Sony also provided glimpses at prototypes of future products including "Headman" 3D headsets that can be worn like wrap-around eyeglasses but provide a theater style viewing experience.

The company is also working on a Blu-ray player that lets viewers see 3D films without the need for special glasses.

"We are showing these prototypes to provide you a glimpse into the future," said Sony executive deputy president Hiroshi Yoshioka.

"We want you to know they are on the Sony radar," he continued. "Sony is fully committed to bringing a 3D experience from every angle."

3D television sets were a major theme at last year's CES, but they haven't proven to be hot sellers.

Analysts contend that people haven't been motivated to buy 3D TVs due to a dearth of content for such sets and the need to buy and keep track of special glasses for viewing.

Verizon reveals first 4G wireless tablets, phones

This year, the big national wireless carriers will be racing to stake their claims in the new frontier of service: ultra-fast data access for smart phones and laptops as well as for gadgets like tablets.

The companies are boosting their wireless data speeds and revving up the marketing hype. They're moving away from talking about call quality and coverage, and focusing on data speeds: megabits in place of minutes. For consumers, there are benefits in the form of faster service and cooler gadgets. Yet some of the marketing campaigns seem designed to confuse consumers about the gadgets' speed.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Verizon Wireless revealed the 10 gadgets with built-in access to its new high-speed wireless data network, including smart phones, tablet and laptops. Some are to launch as early as March.

Along with Sprint Nextel Corp.'s subsidiary Clearwire Corp., Verizon is at the forefront of the move to a new network technology, designed to relay data rather than calls. Verizon's fourth-generation, or "4G" network, went live for laptop modems in last month.

The new wireless network is the nation's fastest. Verizon is hoping to cash in on that advantage by selling tablets and smart phones that devour data.

One of the devices, Motorola Mobility Inc.'s Xoom tablet, will come with a 10.1-inch screen and two cameras: one for video chatting, the other for high-definition videos. The Xoom will begin selling by March. Initially, it will work with Verizon's 3G network but will be upgradeable to work on the speedier 4G network.

Motorola's Droid Bionic smart phone will also have two cameras, to help with videoconferencing, a data-hungry task. It will be one of the first phones with a so-called "dual-core processor" that will roughly double its computing capacity. That should help with video processing.

LG Electronics Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC Corp. are bringing out similar phones for the network. Hewlett-Packard Co. is adding 4G capability to a laptop and a netbook.

There will also be two "mobile hotspot" devices for the network: small battery-powered bricks that act as Wi-Fi access points, connecting Wi-Fi-equipped computers to the 4G network.

Verizon didn't reveal what the new devices or wireless plans will cost.

Verizon's size by number of subscribers, it's the largest U.S. wireless carrier and the quality of its network are helping it gain traction with manufacturers.

"By deciding to go early and go first to (4G), we sent a signal to the entire consumer electronics market that this technology would develop very quickly," said Lowell McAdam, Verizon's president and chief operating officer, in a keynote address at the trade show Thursday.

There's speculation that Verizon will get to sell a version of Apple Inc.'s iPhone this year. That would break AT&T Inc.'s exclusive hold on the most popular smart phone. But there was no talk of an iPhone from Verizon at Thursday's events.

With or without the iPhone, Verizon's new network is pressuring its competitors to step up their offerings. AT&T Inc. on Wednesday said it's on track to launch its own 4G network this summer. Also, it said it will start calling its current 3G network "4G," since it's been upgraded to be capable of nearly 4G speeds.

T-Mobile USA said Thursday that it will upgrade its 3G network to double the possible download speeds in two-thirds of its coverage area. It started calling the network "4G" in ads last fall. It, too, revealed two tablets for its network, to launch later this year.

Sprint and Clearwire have chosen a slightly different route to 4G. They've picked a 4G technology called WiMax that was ready before Long Term Evolution, or LTE, which Verizon is using.

Now, however, WiMax looks set to be a niche technology, while the rest of the industry adopts LTE. That will hamper Sprint's efforts to get competitive devices for the network. Still, it was able to launch its first 4G phone last summer, ahead of the competition. On Wednesday, it announced it would be the first to carry a 4G tablet computer from Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry, some time this summer.

The most distinctive feature of 4G technologies like LTE and WiMax is that they're designed to carry data rather than phone calls. That makes them more efficient at serving today's smart phones, tablets and other gadgets that need data access on the go. It also makes the networks cheaper to build out and manage.

They're faster than today's 3G networks, though not by much, which makes T-Mobile and AT&T feel justified in calling their upgraded 3G networks "4G." After all, they say, speed is what really matters to users.

Aside from the bump in speed, the main reason the LTE buildouts of Verizon Wireless and AT&T significant is that they add fresh spectrum to the nation's wireless networks. That means more capacity for the growing number of mobile gadgets.

Also, both companies are using spectrum that was previously used for UHF TV channels, a prime piece of the airwaves. It can cover wide areas easily and penetrate deep into buildings. (Clearwire's WiMax network uses a frequency that has shorter range and more difficulty penetrating buildings.)

Future upgrades can further boost the speed of wireless networks. But at some point, they will run out of room for improvement. There's a theoretical limit for how much information a certain slice of the airwaves can carry. When that happens, there will still be two ways to add capacity to wireless broadband.

The government can assign more spectrum, perhaps by taking it from TV stations. But spectrum, too, will run out. The carriers can add more cell towers, but that's expensive and difficult. They can't put cell towers everywhere they'd like.

Given these limiting factors, wireless broadband isn't likely to ever replace wireline connections for home broadband, except possibly in rural areas where it's expensive to draw cables for high-speed connections to homes.

The U.S. is at the forefront in the international race to LTE. Verizon's buildout is the world's largest. The U.S. was faster than most other countries in taking back airwaves from TV stations and selling it off for wireless broadband.

Another reason Verizon has been aggressive about LTE is that its 3G network uses a technology that isn't upgradable to higher speeds as AT&T's and T-Mobile's are. That's left it with a burning need for the next network technology.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC of Britain. Motorola Mobility Inc. was formed this week as Motorola Inc. split into two parts. The Mobility consists of the cell phone business.