Blackberry Playbook Media Event: Initial Thoughts

Posted by Donny Torrefranca

After having our first crack at the upcoming Blackberry Playbook from RIM due on April 19th, here is our initial impressions.

The Playbook’s 7″ style is a nice touch and definitely puts the Galaxy Tab to the test. The screen is very clear and crisp and it runs smooth. With it’s dual-core processor as opposed to the Tab’s single-core 1GHz processor, the speed that the Playbook is displaying is noticeably different.
So far it has shown us some promise but it also showed us some disturbing quirks. Some maybe a personal preference like the bezel surrounding the actual display screen seems to be bigger than the Tab’s, giving it a bigger form factor.
Also, the power button along the top of the Playbook is almost hidden compared to the media control buttons right beside it. The bottom of the device has Mini HDMI, microUSB, and what appears to be a dock connection. The sides do not have any buttons which is also a nice touch.
The Playbook’s navigation controls are primarily gesture controls. Swiping up, down, and from the lower left corner will bring up different menu controls including the virtual keyboard. A nice feature that took me a while to figure out without reading the user manual.

We will get the opportunity to evaluate the Blackberry Playbook upon the completion of the media event, but for now the show must go on.

One of the biggest questions being asked around the tech world, was whether the Playbook will  include access to the Android marketplace. Stay tuned for the answer.