Hands On With the BlackBerry PlayBook

[Joe Johaneman]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.tipb.com/2011/01/05/apple-ipad-blackberry-playbook-hands-ces-2011/' target='_blank'>http://www.tipb.com/2011/01/05/appl...hands-ces-2011/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Our good friend CrackBerry Kevin got to go hands-on and do a full BlackBerry Playbook review today - including a one-on-one with Apple's iPad - and I got dragged along as camera guy."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1294322320.usr105505.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>This is a pretty good evaluation of the BlackBerry PlayBook as compared to Apple's iPad.&nbsp; I'd take it with a grain of salt given that it's from a self-professed BlackBerry fan, but it still provides some context for those evaluating both devices.&nbsp; Personally, I'm not sold on the 7" inch screen size, but I also haven't had a chance to play with a tablet of that size.&nbsp; What do you think:&nbsp; is 7" too small for a tablet computer?</p>

[Jeff Campbell]

I'm thinking it would be too small.. I really like the size of the iPad for doing a lot of things, this one I'm not so sure, I'd have to do some hands on with it to be sure... I've seen some of the netbooks my coworkers use and the screens look about this size, and they are just too small , course my older eyes may be part of the problem! ;)

[Joe Johaneman]

About the only advantage I see to the 7" size is for book reading. But if I was going to buy a tablet to do that, then why not just buy an e-reader. Though, a tablet can read books from multiple vendors, which gives it some advantage. I suppose if a reasonably priced color 7" tablet appears, I might buy it to read books on. For now, though, the iPad is the best option for me, though it is a tiny bit too heavy to read in bed with my neurological problems.

[Macguy59]

Having played with a Galaxy Tab for 2 weeks I can say the 7" screen was fine for most things. I found it better for ebooks though some of that is also the reduced weight. Where I think it falls flat is web browsing. Zooming is almost mandatory on most web pages. The polar opposite of the iPad. Of course when rotated the fonts are larger but then you have an annoying amount of scrollng to do. With respect to the Paybook, how the heck do you put a tablet out that REQUIRES a Blackberry handset to handle some of the functions ? *boggle*

@ Joe - I have no such problem and I still find it too heavy for reading in bed

[Joe Johaneman]

Having played with a Galaxy Tab for 2 weeks I can say the 7" screen was fine for most things. I found it better for ebooks though some of that is also the reduced weight. Where I think it falls flat is web browsing. Zooming is almost mandatory on most web pages. The polar opposite of the iPad. Of course when rotated the fonts are larger but then you have an annoying amount of scrollng to do. With respect to the Paybook, how the heck do you put a tablet out that REQUIRES a Blackberry handset to handle some of the functions ? *boggle*

@ Joe - I have no such problem and I still find it too heavy for reading in bed

I was interested in the Galaxy Tab for a bit (I'm really a gadget hound and I chase after newness a little too much) but the lack of a WiFi only model killed it for me. I don't need another data contract. Also, I'd rather wait for Honeycomb (and seeing it on the Xoom tablet confirmed that was a good idea). I've honestly thought about buying the nook color. I'll see what happens. I'm really trying to curb my gadget buying sprees for awhile until I pay off my iMac and iPad.

And I'm happy to know it's not my neurological difficulties that make it too heavy. To be honest, my favorite thing about the iPad besides the browser (which is awesome) is reading comic books. It's perfect for that. Wish I could do it in bed. :-/ I wonder if the Xoom is any lighter.

[Macguy59]

The AT&T branded version of the Tab is pay-as-you-go data just like the iPad. It's done directly from the device. I'm a gadget/technology ho to :) I will be buying a WP7 phone next week to play with.

[Joe Johaneman]

The AT&T branded version of the Tab is pay-as-you-go data just like the iPad. It's done directly from the device. I'm a gadget/technology ho to :) I will be buying a WP7 phone next week to play with.

Oooh, I'm jealous. I love my iPhone, but I lust after Win Phone 7. It's very elegant. Still, we're an Apple household (Macs, AppleTV, etc, etc), so it makes no sense to go to Win Phone 7, no matter how much I'd like to play with it.

[Macguy59]

Oooh, I'm jealous. I love my iPhone, but I lust after Win Phone 7. It's very elegant. Still, we're an Apple household (Macs, AppleTV, etc, etc), so it makes no sense to go to Win Phone 7, no matter how much I'd like to play with it.

The only thing I'm leery of is the mail client for WP7. I've heard that it only does Hotmail (no other IMAP or POP accounts) but I hope that's wrong. *Update* played with the AT&T branded Samsung Focus with the 4" AMOLED. Very nice screen and it handles other email accounts. Since I'm eligible for an upgrade (bought my iPhone 4 at full price) they will give me the Focus for $50. Think I'll bite on it next week