GADGET WATCH: Blackberry Playbook

BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion finally appeased its local fans this week with the local release of its PlayBook tablet.

With an estimated 50,000 sales on opening day alone in the United States, the PlayBook is perhaps the biggest threat so far to Apple’s iPad dominance. Focusing on the enterprise market instead of individual consumers, RIM has opened up the way for a dedicated tablet solution for corporates.

Features and hardware

The PlayBook comes with a seven-inch screen, HDMI output, micro USB ports, two cameras, and is powered by a 1Ghz ARM Cortex processor. There are media buttons on the top of the device, although none appear below or above the screen on the front.

The PlayBook comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth tethering. Connectivity with 3G and 4G will come in the future.

Its advantage is security. When a PlayBook is tethered with a BlackBerry smartphone, it can access all the files, contacts and information on that phone without ever downloading it onto the tablet itself.

This means if your tablet is lost or stolen, it doesn’t actually cache any important or critical data. This also means companies don’t have to think up an entirely new security solution for the PlayBook – if they already manage a BlackBerry, then they can manage a PlayBook.

What’s the verdict?

On the plus side, Engadget has found most of the software is intuitive, particularly the keyboard, and says regular software updates have allowed RIM to fix features that were a tad amiss at launch.

Over at CNET, the review praises the software, the availability of apps and particularly the browser, which is able to play everything in Flash.

And Wired points out the hardware, in particular the ability to output videos at high definition on to external screens, and mirroring tech, as some key positive points.

However, these reviewers point out a number of disappointments. The PlayBook only has a seven inch screen, which may impact on the apps you want to use, while there are actually no native mail or calendar apps – these are only available if your bridge the device with a smartphone.

The reviews also say the browser can be sluggish, experiencing RAM issues with too many apps running at once and some trouble with heavy Flash use as well.

Who’s it for?

Overall, the PlayBook is a perfect fit for the already heavy BlackBerry user. By fitting in with the same security measures and introducing the ability to bridge with a smartphone, along with features like the ability to export a presentation on HDMI and then use another app at the sometime.

The PlayBook is a powerful, and reasonably cheap, business tool for the RIM-experienced executive.

But the lack of healthy app ecosystem and a faulty browser mean everyday consumers will do well to pass on the PlayBook until a further update tailors the device to the casual user.