Whoever said “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us” wasn’t referring to the tablet computer market.
It seems like every other week a new mini computing device is introduced to the masses.
This past week belonged to the BlackBerry PlayBook.
Produced by RIM (Research In Motion), the PlayBook aims to takeover the tablet field by offering features not found on other popular devices like the Apple iPad.
Announced Sept. 27, the PlayBook features a 7” high resolution display, 1 GHz dual-core processor (similar to those found in laptop computers) and a new BlackBerry OS that promises to uphold true multitasking.
RIM has also included Abobe Flash 10.1 and HTML 5 support to ensure thorough web browsing capabilities.
Flash is a feature missing on the Apple iPad and a drastic disadvantage, since millions of websites rely on Flash to present materials and videos.
Also included are two HD cameras which can both take pictures and record full HD video.
The camera n the front of the device is for video chatting and the one on the back is for picture-taking and recording video clips.
Another feature which current BlackBerry users are sure to enjoy is the ability to integrate the PlayBook with their current device.
Using a secure Bluetooth connection, the tablet’s larger screen can act as the phone’s display to view emails or other documents.
Any data on the devices will also be seamlessly synced to ensure you have your information available at all times.
The PlayBook weighs in at less than a pound and is less than a half an inch thick, making this new tablet in a class of its own compared to other devices on the market and in production stages.
Just recently announced is the addition of the Kobo e-reader service to be included on the PlayBook, making the device an all-in-one tablet.
Border’s, the subsidiary company of Kobo, has over two million books online available for instant download and of those over one million are free to download.
During the unveiling of the tablet, the President and CEO, Mike Lazaridis delivered his new product with a powerful statement.
“RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cutting-edge hardware features and one of the world’s most robust and flexible operating systems.”
He said, “The BlackBerry PlayBook solidly hits the mark with the industry leading power, true multitasking, uncompromising web browsing and high performance multimedia.”
Aimed as a direct threat to the iPad, RIM seems to be slightly behind the metaphorical “eight ball.”
According to apple.com, since April 3 the iPad had already sold three million copies before the end of June and that number is sure to have climbed dramatically since then.
RIM has announced that the PlayBook will be available the first part of 2011 in a WiFi only model.
3G and 4G models are said to be expected in the future so users can venture out of WiFi only zones and use their tablet on the subway or train for instance.
Finding students around campus with positive things to say about the PlayBook proved difficult, with the biggest complaint being that they can’t judge something without actually seeing it.
Elizabeth Robie, a sophomore and BlackBerry user hadn’t heard about the new PlayBook. Freshman John Tolstad said, “The PlayBook is no competition for the iPad.”
When asked about the possible uses of phone integration between the PlayBook and a BlackBerry, Madeline Stolberg, a BlackBerry owner said, “Why would I do that? I can read my emails on here just fine.”
Todd Sanborn can be reached at toddalan@me.com.