User Review - BlackBerry Playbook 16GB 7 Inc Tablet
Name of Product:
BlackBerry Playbook 16GB Tablet Review
Review Summary:
"The Essential Tablet for Just About Everything"
Hardware Review:
There are hundreds of Tablets available in South Africa form all the major manufacturers and I’ve tried a large amount of them over the past few months in the search of something that would suit me and the way I would like a tablet to integrate into my daily life.
After testing just about everything out there, I found the BlackBerry Playbook.
Weighing in at 7 inches with WiFi only models being available currently, the Playbook seems at first glance to be just like any other tablet out there, same styling and button count, same weight and form factor as any other 7 inch tablet on the market, this however is where the comparison ends.
Booting up the PlayBook for the first time (Booting takes ages just like your BlackBerry handset when it is depowered fully) users are presented with a short tutorial and setup guide to get them started, setting up both WiFi and The BlackBerry Bridge connection to a Handset of your choice.
** BlackBerry Bridge is the application that runs on both the paired tablet and handset via Bluetooth to allow certain legacy applications to function on the Playbook.
I dove right into using it, Email and BBM services via the Bridge Module were easy to use and much more user friendly than I expected, while Sharing Notes and Files between the two Bridged Hardware Systems was straightforward
I added a few applications form the App Store to allow RDP Connections to PC and IM Services to Run (Syncing with my Skype and Gtalk) as well as DropBox for transferring files.
Larger Files can be synced either via the BlackBerry Desktop Software Suite or by copying the files over to the internal storage using any PC or MAC.
Navigation was fast and intuitive with no noticeable lag in load times or applications when switching between or Multi-Tasking applications.
Gaming, although not the main selling point of the Playbook was awesome, Dead Space truly shows off what tablet gaming can achieve.
Video and Audio playback is fluid, decent native applications ensure that even larger libraries are easy to manage and with the addition of Full HD Video to the Tablet, playback was crisp and lossless.
Battery Life is surprisingly long but this will obviously vary according to use.
Manufacturer:
Research In Motion (RIM)
Class of Product:
7” Tablet
Price:
R6500.00 from Most retailers
Available From:
www.Vodacom.co.za
Website:
http://za.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet/
Features:
Product Type
Tablet
Operating System
BlackBerry Tablet OS
Display Type
7 inch TFT active matrix
Display Resolution
1024 x 600
Touchscreen
MemoryRAM
1 GB
Processor Clock Speed
1 GHz
Rear-facing Camera
5 megapixels
Front-facing Camera
3 Megapixel
Wireless Connectivity
802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Supported Digital Video Formats
WMV, H.264, DivX, MPEG-4
Supported Digital Audio Formats
WMA, AAC, MP3
Interfaces
USB, 1 x Display / video - HDMI output
What's in the box:
BlackBerry Playbook 16GB 7” Tablet
Slip Cover
Getting Started Manual
Wall Charger
First Impressions:
The Playbook has seamlessly integrated into my everyday work and private life, with applications, gaming and the capability to play almost any type of media, it has replaced my laptop in quite a few areas of general usage.
With the Addition of Full MS Suite Applications, this little tablet will see continued use on a daily basis for a long time to come
Pro's
Full HD Video
Effortless Blue Tooth Pairing
Decent Sound
Responsive and Easy to Use Navigation System
Integration with BBM and Other RIM Mobile Applications
Con's
No 3G Model Available
No Native RIM / BBM Support (Must be Paired to Handset)
Final Overview: Rating 8/10
Ideal for Just about everything you’d like a Tablet to do, although a WiFi connection is required as Browsing Over BlackBerry Bridge is sluggish at best of times.
Reviewer:
Xero
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