Last week rumors that RIM was planning on getting out of the tablet game and discontinuing production of the BlackBerry PlayBook spread like wild fire, and, even though RIM put out a statement calling the rumors “pure fiction” and that the company “remains highly committed to the tablet market”, it’s not really all that difficult to understand why the rumors seemed so plausible…
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Update: This contest is now over and 5 winners have been selected. Once winners have been notified, their names will be listed on this post and their Cloth Addiction microfiber cleaning clothes will be shipped out. Thanks to all who participated…
If you have ever used a BlackBerry PlayBook, or, any tablet device or phone with a big touch screen, one of the things you probably noticed after just a few clicks here or a few swipes there was that the screen is absolutely a magnet for fingerprints and smudges. When cleaning your screen for the first time you may have just grabbed a paper towel, a napkin, or a tissue, but, quickly noticed that they didn’t work all that well and that they could even scratch your screen…
I once heard a tip the the best thing to clean the screen on your tablet was one of those microfiber cloths that you get from the auto parts store to dry your car off after you wash it, and, truth be told, those things work pretty darn well (I’ve tried it myself). The problem, however, is that carrying a big towel around with you to clean your PlayBook’s screen isn’t practical at all… This is where the Cloth Addiction microfiber cleaning cloth from CTA Products comes in handy.
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Thanks to all the folks that sent us a tweet letting us know about the new BlackBerry PlayBook game from Munsie Games, Popcorn Rush. iPad users that have played Fruit Ninja will immediately be familiar with Popcorn Rush. The object of the game is to use your finger to swipe over hot kernels of corn which pop up from the bottom of the screen turning them into popcorn. You can get combos by swiping multiple kernels at the same time and even get bonuses by swiping the Jalepenos when they appear, but, you have to make sure to avoid the bombs.
Popcorn Rush currently just has one 6o second level and there doesn’t seem to be a way to pause the game one it starts or change the level of game play. Popcorn Rush, however, is a free BlackBerry PlayBook game that really shows you the type of game play that can be expected on the platform and I’d be willing to be that you will see lots of updates to the free version of and possibly even a premium version of the game. If you own a BlackBerry PlayBook, Popcorn Rush, is definitely one game that you should download.
Download Popcorn Rush for the BlackBerry PlayBook from BlackBerry App World…
Munsie Games, by, the way, is known for it’s Flash Games, which run flawlessly on the BlackBerry PlayBook.
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The BlackBerry PlayBook has been out for just over two weeks now, and, I’ve got to admit the device is a little better than I thought it would be. I have an iPad which I still believe is the most incredible, completely unnecessary gadget, that I’ve seen come out in the last 10 years and, if I could only choose one device, it wouldn’t be a tough decision to go with the iPad over the BlackBerry PlayBook. The PlayBook, however, is a solid device that will only get better once Android App support and native email are supported and I think it is a real contender in the 7″ tablet space.
I think that my favorite thing about the BlackBerry PlayBook is the size. Believe it or not, it is small enough to fit in my back pocket of most of my jeans. I can even fit it into my front pocket, although, I rarely do. I admit that I am bigger and taller than probably 95% of the population, but, being able to comfortably stick the PlayBook in my pocket means that I really don’t have to make a decision on whether or not I want to carry the device around when I am out and about.
Like pretty much every review of the PlayBook has stated, the hardware is solid. Software, on the other hand, is non-existent. I’ll tell your right now that if you are looking for a ridiculously large number of quality third party apps out of the gate, you may as well keep looking. RIM has much work to do on app support, but, the few good native BlackBerry apps available are quite good and you can see that the potential for quality apps is there. As we said earlier, Android Apps will eventually run on the PlayBook, but RIM probably needs to go the Microsoft route and pay developers to create quality native apps for the PlayBook.
BlackBerry Bridge is kind of cool and I do use it if I am sitting and need to do serious email management. I think, however, that I would actually prefer using the native email client once available because (you might not like what I am going to say next) it may actually allow me not to have to carry my BlackBerry any longer. I currently use the highest end BlackBerry offered by Verizon, the BlackBerry Bold 9650, and I can honestly tell you that I use it for nothing more than email, BBM, forwarding travel iteneraries to WorldMate, and ocassionaly checking Twitter updates.
Wirelessly tethering your BlackBerry to your PlayBook via Bluetooth for internet access works, but, doesn’t really compare to Wifi tethering to a 3G device, let alone a 4G device. The BlackBerry Bridge Browser is so slow that it isn’t effectively useful, so, you really need a 3G or 4G wireless connection from a second mobile device when out and about.
Is the BlackBerry PlayBook a keeper? I think, probably, that it is and will say that it definitely will be once updates for native email and Android App support come out. I can honestly tell you that the size makes the PlayBook more convienent to use than my iPad because it pretty much goes everywhere with me… something I can’t say for the iPad.
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This is a video of the BlackBerry PlayBook at boot up. Even though this is a pre-release unit it has a 50 second boot time, which, is right on par with other tablets like the the iPad and Motorola Xoom.
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Inside BlackBerry has posted a new video which covers web fidelity on the BlackBerry PlayBook where Mathew from the Browser team at RIM takes you through rich web video content using both HTML5 and Adobe® Flash®, social networking with Facebook® Chat, and even Facebook Flash games and viewing embedded content in your News Feed.
The BlackBerry PlayBook is still looking like it is going to be a pretty sweet tablet that will give it’s competitors, namely the Galaxy Tab and the iPad, a run for their money…
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I know that a video from RIM showing that the BlackBerry PlayBook performs better than the iPad isn’t going to convince anyone of anything other than RIM, under these circumstances, was able to make the PlayBook perform better than the iPad. RIM, however, isn’t doing anything to make you think that PlayBook sucks.
I know that Steve Jobs said that a 7 inch device was stupid, and thus, millions of his minions repeat that sentiment, but, for me personally, especially after having played with Galaxy Tab, 7 inches seems to be the perfect size.
I am not shocked that PlayBook with a dual core processor is faster than a single core PlayBook that came out a while ago, but, I do admit that the speed difference is impressive…
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During an interview in Seoul, Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie hints that the BlackBerry PlayBook will sell for less than Apple’s iPad. “The product will be very competitively priced” and will launch in Q1 expanding globally in Q2. It looks like the BlackBerry PlayBook will cost less than $500. How much less remains to be seen. Personally, I believe for the PlayBook to have any real shot we need to see it in the $299 to $349 price range.
[Via Bloomberg]
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I started really thinking about this last night as we recorded the Simple Mobile Review Podcast. I am really starting to believe that if a major hardware manufacturer (read HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc.) releases a tablet that runs Android and doesn’t suck by Thanksgiving, they will have a real chance at taking on the iPad.
I know that the iPad has already sold over 2 million units and should sell 3 million units worldwide this quarter, however, contrary to popular belief, the iPad is not the perfect device. The iPad is expensive, it doesn’t replace anything, it’s locked down tighter than Fort Knox, and Apple’s business practices have developer’s cheering for a competitor to step in and really challenge Apple’s dominance.
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