BlackBerry PlayBook tablet announced

[Narmer]

You're making too much sense QB.

I was trying to give RIM the benefit of the doubt, since there have been repeated accusations of BB bashing by some of the more 'sensitive' RIM fans here on AT.

In all honesty, I hope RIM is able to keep up with the pack going forward. Innovation, competition and choice are always a good thing for consumers. And RIM certainly has a solid track record of bringing all three to the market. ()

I think RIM abandoned the phone os because it is archaic and they wanted to start fresh. Maybe they will bring the new os down to the phones. But the fresh start is important because it means the OS supports multi-processing natively. iOS and Android's MP support may be added later, which means it'll be a half-ass solution.

 

[TheStu]

I think RIM abandoned the phone os because it is archaic and they wanted to start fresh. Maybe they will bring the new os down to the phones. But the fresh start is important because it means the OS supports multi-processing natively. iOS and Android's MP support may be added later, which means it'll be a half-ass solution.

Care to provide some historical evidence from features added after the fact to iOS and Android that were delivered in a half assed manner?

Oh, and I am merging this and the new thread.

 

[TheStu]

I don't think these tablets are going to get "retinized" anytime soon.

With the Ipad's 9.7" 4:3 ratio screen, even 2048x1536 pixels only gives you 263.9 PPI.

Current Ipad @ 1024*768 (4:3) = 132ppi
RIM's Playbook and Samsung Tab @ 1024x600 (16:9) = 170ppi

I also would like to see what reviewers say about 16:9 vs 4:3. The iPad feels very good in the hands in either portait or landscape orientation, and although 16:9 landscape would be great for movie watching, and the portrait orientation would be great for web browsing, and I not sure how the typing would be in portrait, it seems like it would be all thumbs.

But like I said, until i see reviews on them, or can get hands on all of them, I stick with the one that I have seen in person, and do know works, the iPad.

 

[rudeguy]

I also would like to see what reviewers say about 16:9 vs 4:3. The iPad feels very good in the hands in either portait or landscape orientation, and although 16:9 landscape would be great for movie watching, and the portrait orientation would be great for web browsing, and I not sure how the typing would be in portrait, it seems like it would be all thumbs.

But like I said, until i see reviews on them, or can get hands on all of them, I stick with the one that I have seen in person, and do know works, the iPad.

16X9 would be great for movies as long as it has a built in belly rest!

 

[Narmer]

Care to provide some historical evidence from features added after the fact to iOS and Android that were delivered in a half assed manner?

Oh, and I am merging this and the new thread.

MP is one of those features that either comes with the OS or it doesn't. Perhaps MP has been deactivated in iOS or Android. If it isn't there, then adding it will be like MP on the Mac OS before X. Microsoft had two lines of operating systems and got rid of the non-MP one. The same thing may happen to the older BB os.

 

[zerocool84]

Thank god no one is following Apple in the 4:3 display for a tablet. Doesn't matter if you love Apple or not but 4:3 in today's age is ridiculous. Plus this has HDMI out which when outputting movies is great and also has BASIC connectors and support for most standards on the web which a tablet needs. This will be out early next year then that gives Apple time to refresh the iPad by June. Begun the tablet wars have. Really need to see a review on this as people always over promise and under deliver. I won't get it as I don't have a need for a tablet but any competition for the iPad is good for all of us as it makes Apple have to one-up them then one-up the iPad.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Thank god no one is following Apple in the 4:3 display for a tablet. Doesn't matter if you love Apple or not but 4:3 in today's age is ridiculous.

Funny you say that. On the contrary I think it's stupid that RIM, which is predominantly a business oriented brand, stuck a 16:9 display in their tablet.

16:9 in any work device just doesn't make sense.

 

[MrX8503]

I think 16:9 is too narrow for a 7" screen. Maybe they should go with a 16:10 screen? I tried browsing on a friend's 16:9 14" laptop and even that was kind of narrow.

From the preview, the specs and touch os looks pretty good on the Playbook. I guess its a wait and see game now.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Funny you say that. On the contrary I think it's stupid that RIM, which is predominantly a business oriented brand, stuck a 16:9 display in their tablet.

16:9 in any work device just doesn't make sense.

Would a 16:10 device be good?

 

[Janet55]

iPad wins... even IF they make a 10" Playbook.
Maybe Playbook is more professional and can do a lot more things than the iPad can. But on the other hand, iPad is made by Apple and so 1. They will attract a lot more consumers. 2. They have TONS of developers to make apps. So many developers are live on Apple, such as iFunia, a Mac video converter tools manufacturer, what awesome is they have being a strong link chain in the tablet industry.
The consumer market will stick with the iPad for now and long time in the future...

 

[zerocool84]

iPad wins... even IF they make a 10" Playbook.
Maybe Playbook is more professional and can do a lot more things than the iPad can. But on the other hand, iPad is made by Apple and so 1. They will attract a lot more consumers. 2. They have TONS of developers to make apps. So many developers are live on Apple, such as iFunia, a Mac video converter tools manufacturer, what awesome is they have being a strong link chain in the tablet industry.
The consumer market will stick with the iPad for now and long time in the future...

That's what people were saying about the iPhone but there's always room for competition. What matters is if the competition is good or not. It's still a fairly new segment so they need time to catch up.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

i dont like the name "playbook", it doesnt sound like something for business, i sounds like something hugh hefner would be selling

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Apps make the device, I like what I see so far but without any dev support its just like the ZuneHD.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Care to provide some historical evidence from features added after the fact to iOS and Android that were delivered in a half assed manner?

Oh, and I am merging this and the new thread.

Yeah, not cool. See you in the 'Moderator Discussions' so we can discuss.

 

[zsdersw]

LOL, yep...

I see rumors it may just be a 7" tablet now though...

Am curious to see WTF BB will bring to market, if it really is a tether only device with WiFi, sold by the carriers, it's going to be a spectacular fail by the company...

According to the Engadget article there will be 3G and 4G models too.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Very nice tablet, good competition for Apple. It's not as sleek is the iPad, but it's smaller and lighter, and has a bunch of extra feature. (dual cameras, usb, hdmi...)

The next iPad will definitely have cameras, but there's no way it'll have usb, or hdmi. The screen might get a better res, but they also might stay with the same for app compatibility. 300+ DPI is definitely not happening.

It's good to see some contenders, but I don't plan to get a tablet until they're under 300$. An 11.6" ULV laptop is a much better invesment for 500-600$ IMO, especially if you already have a smartphone.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I really hate how everyone's announcing a tablet and no one says how much they're going to cost.

 

[randomlinh]

and I not sure how the typing would be in portrait, it seems like it would be all thumbs.

that's exactly why i want a ~7-8" 16:9/10 tablet. Or at least, I think I do. I do not find typing on the ipad to be comfortable at all. I'd much rather be "all thumbs" for when I wanted to type.

Alternatively, if everyone just incorporated swype or swype-like systems, then it wouldn't matter much =) I'd still want a smaller tablet than the iPad though.

 

[QueBert]

I want a 10" tablet from HTC, they're the only ones who can make an interface I actually enjoy using. An HTC tablet would be uber bad ass.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Apps make the device, I like what I see so far but without any dev support its just like the ZuneHD.

Well the device has Adobe Air. That makes it as easy to make an App for the PlayBook as it does for the web. 3 Million devs in the Adobe world can go nuts on this thing.

 

[Narmer]

I think RIM abandoned the phone os because it is archaic and they wanted to start fresh. Maybe they will bring the new os down to the phones. But the fresh start is important because it means the OS supports multi-processing natively. iOS and Android's MP support may be added later, which means it'll be a half-ass solution.

Looks like I was right.
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Research-in-Motion-PlayBook-QNX-Mobile-OS-BlackBerry-OS,news-8140.html

Sure, it may have sounded crazy then but when the unveiling of the PlayBook revealed a new OS, the outlook for BlackBerry OS started to look a little cloudy. Yesterday, a RIM VP told attendees at DEVCON that Research in Motion would be ditching BlackBerry OS and putting the WebOS-like QNX operating system on all of its devices. Though the new OS is called 'BlackBerry Tablet OS,' Wall Street Journal sources last week said the company would be optimizing the software for smartphones before transitioning to the new platform.

 

[gsaldivar]

Looks like I was right.
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Research-in-Motion-PlayBook-QNX-Mobile-OS-BlackBerry-OS,news-8140.html

It's the smart move for them. I just can't see them maintaining a new platform when they are having serious problems keeping their existing one up to date...

 

[MrX8503]

Looks like I was right.
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Research-in-Motion-PlayBook-QNX-Mobile-OS-BlackBerry-OS,news-8140.html

Wow...

I guess the current BB OS is a big mess and its probably too much work to revitalize it. Its probably better for them to ditch it and invest in their new touch OS.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Wow...

I guess the current BB OS is a big mess and its probably too much work to revitalize it. Its probably better for them to ditch it and invest in their new touch OS.

The really interesting thing about the 'new' OS, is that is isn't new at all. Couple it with the fact that this OS is EAL 4+ rated, that's military spec to you and me, and security is assured, can have any number of UI's ported to it, has a POSIX API meaning anything you wrote for *nix based OS's can be ported with ease. Calling it a 'touch OS' doesn't really do it justice. In fact, in the keynote, it was mentioned that the worlds largest Cisco routers in the world run on QNX. That means you're using QNX right now to read this post.

It's insanely scalable, ranging from low power embedded devices right up to 64 processor systems and beyond. The UI is modular, too, so you can skin it any way you want. Couple that with the non-stop features then I say this is the mobile OS to watch in the next 5 years.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Did anyone else notice this little tid-bit?

- multiple display support, internal and external displays can show different content.

My Netbook with Windows 7 Starter can't even do that...I know that's a deliberate gimping by Microshaft, but anyway it's impressive to have multiple display support on a tablet.