RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Review
A promising, albeit flawed, tablet contender.
With their new tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook, RIM isn't simply trying to match the success of Apple's iPad and distinguish themselves from the bevy of Android-powered devices on the market, but create something unique and original with a brand new operating system, powerful hardware, and versatile app platform. In their effort to be different, however, RIM's user-interface design can be counter-intuitive, and the omission of several key features at launch makes the PlayBook a flawed, albeit promising, competitor.
As a company whose name is synonymous with business-oriented smartphones, RIM is attempting to shake its stuffy persona with the PlayBook and its new graphically intensive QNX-powered OS. Though the hardware and UI design certainly shakes my perception of BlackBerry as an archaic, dying brand, it exemplifies some of the company's persistent weaknesses, namely their inability to accommodate the mainstream consumer.
Though certainly more accessible than previous products, the PlayBook proves to be cumbersome from the moment you power it on. After clearing the device's lengthy boot-up screen, the initial setup process begins, requiring users to establish a Wi-Fi connection, program the date and time, create a BlackBerry ID, and immediately download the latest OS update, which in my case was a nearly 300MB file, which took 15 to 20 minutes to completely download and install. Once the OS update concludes, users are given the option to bridge their BlackBerry smartphone with the PlayBook, after which they are required to go through several lengthy tutorials, which cannot be skipped.
While the PlayBook does benefit users by not requiring users to sync with a PC or Mac before use, like an iPad, it does make the process of setting up and using the device for the first time uncommonly difficult.
The lengthy setup process isn't entirely without merit, however, as the PlayBook's unique control scheme can be quite jarring.
While conventional wisdom has driven nearly all mobile products to rely on several buttons, either mechanical or haptic, to return to the home screen, open contextual menus, and navigate to the previous screen, RIM utilizes touch sensors built into the bezel of the screen for those same commands using swipe-style gestures. Since the sensors aren't clearly identified on the device itself, however, it's nearly impossible to figure out how to navigate through the OS without the aid of an introductory tutorial.
As the adventurous tech user that I am, I paid no attention to the tutorial and when I finally arrived at the main OS screen and first fired up an app, I was confounded as to how to return to the main menu. I eventually figured out that I had to swipe my finger upward from the bottom bezel, but it took some time.
But to be fair, the issue is also partly due to conditioning. iOS and Android have taught us to interact with tablet devices in a certain way, and the PlayBook breaks the mold.
But the UI isn't without its strengths, specifically the live-window multitasking, which displays active or recently used apps as an array of windows that you can scroll through, rather than simply icons like those found on iOS and Android devices. The multitasking feature also garnered a lot of attention at CES this year, wherein RIM showed off the device's ability to display apps running within the windows on the main interface, including video playback with audio and more.
I was not only impressed PlayBook's ability to continue video playback and active functions from the main interface, but the ease with which it seems to do it. Jumping in and out of apps or browsing the main interface while a video is playing is completely seamless, without any framerate drops or stalls. Similarly, swiping from either the left or right bezel allows users to quickly swap between apps without returning to the main menu.
Speaking of video, the PlayBook is the first tablet device I've encountered that can view Flash content with any semblance of stability. Both embedded and fullscreen videos play smoothly and Flash-based websites are even viewable, though obviously difficult to navigate without a mouse.
The PlayBook sports a beefy 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, which poweres its 7-inch 1024x600 WSVGA display with 1080p HDMI output. It also has two built-in cameras, a 3-megapixel front-facing camera and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, which can record 1080p HD video.
The built-in cameras, though not nearly as clear or crisp as some smartphone lenses, are vastly superior to the iPad 2. Color representation is balanced and graininess during low-light scenarios is minimal. The only significant problem I found with the cameras were their slow shutter speed; capturing images a split second later than most other mobile devices I've used. Before I learned to hold the PlayBook steady after hitting the shutter button, I captured several blurry photos as a result of me lowering the device.
The issues of the cameras, however, seem more like a software oversight than a hardware issue, especially considering how well the processor handles games. Though the only graphically intensive game currently available is Need for Speed Underground, the PlayBook plays it with ease. Both NFS and Tetris come preinstalled, though the range of available apps and games is growing.
Future updates will also bring the recently announced Android app launcher, which will allow users to access Android-based apps on the PlayBook, though the company has not specified when it will be introduced.
Which brings me to the most critical flaw of the PlayBook: its lack of basic utilities, like an email client or calendar application. Though RIM promises updates will bring these features and more, the fact that they weren't available at launch is unacceptable and marks an alarming trend in mobile product development.
As for the design of the device itself, the PlayBook is a lot like the Motorola Xoom, featuring a large glass front, a solid plastic frame with textured black finish. The speakers are placed to the left and front ends of the screen, giving a decent stereo experience, and the only physical buttons are arranged at the top, including volume controls, play/pause, and the power button.
Naturally, the sizable processing power and multitasking capabilities raise battery life into question, and surprisingly, the PlayBook fairs well, but falls short of the competition. During my testing, I found that the internal battery could last up to seven and a half hours before dying, which comes out shy of the ten hour battery life of the iPad 2.
And of course, there is the issue of price.
Of the three Wi-Fi-only models available, the 16GB model is the cheapest at $499, while the 32GB and 64GB models are $599 and $699. Though the pricing structure is on-par with the iPad 2, the PlayBook may have a hard time getting off the ground due to the limited software functionality and small but growing app offering, as well as the challenge of educating consumers about the platform.
All things considered, the PlayBook is one of the most promising tablet contenders, but as the iPad continues to dominate and the Android market expands, RIM has a lot of work to do before it can become a significant commercial success.
IGN RATINGS FOR BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK:
9.0 Performance
- Runs apps and live mutlitasking effortlessly with no framerate drops.
8.5 Build Quality
- Well constructed though still built largely of plastic.
7.5 Features
- Powerful processors, 1080p HD video recording, multitasking, decent battery life, but lacking basic functions like an email client.
7.0 Ease of Use
- Setup is lengthy and the control interface can be unintuitive.
6.0 Value
- Given the limited software offering, the PlayBook doesn't offer as much value as its competitors.
7.5 Good
OVERALL (Out of 10)
