At last, RIM’s much rumored BlackBerry tablet is here — the PlayBook. Not quite the name we were expecting, but it honestly doesn’t really matter. A combination of hardware and software unity is the real meat of the story. So to make a long story short: Did RIM deliver? Step inside to find out…
On the hardware front, the PlayBook is no laughing matter.
- Processor: 1GHz dual-core processor
- Memory: 1GB RAM
- Screen: 7″ 1024 x 600 multi-touch display
- Cameras: 5MP rear facing/3MP front-facing cameras
- Video Formats: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
- Audio Formats: AAC, MP3, WMA
- Wireless: WiFi 802.11/b/g/n + Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
- Size: 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
- Cellular: 3G and 4G models planned for the future
Backing up that hardware are plenty of features that should entice some devs on the edge of defaulting to other devices and platforms…
- Software: Open platform based on completely revamped BlackBerry OS built by QNX, with support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, WebKit/HTML-5, POSIX, OpenGL, and Java.
While we’re talking about software, RIM has stated that the QNX-built OS and the PlayBook hardware will be fully compatible with their BES services out of the box. That is a very good thing seeing as how that’s one of the main reasons they’re still alive. Also worth mentioning — tethering with your BlackBerry device will be supported (as long as the carriers to F*ck you over that is…).
Yeah, those are some pretty awesome hardware specs. But even then, all the muscle in the world won’t save you if the OS is an ancient POS. As such, the PlayBook will be the first RIM device to feature the QNX-developed OS that (to our eyes as seen in the short preview) looks pretty slick. Could RIM have saved themselves from the brink of failure? Check out the video below and let us know what you think…
Video
Look for the PlayBook in Q2 of 2011 for an as of now undisclosed price. Stay tuned…
Source:
Engadget
Crunchgear
IntoMobile
