In September 2010 , Research in Motion ( RIM ) executive Mike Lazaridis unveil the BlackBerry Playbook tablet at a developer ’s conference . Less than nine months after Apple had bring out theiPad– the first really successful consumer tablet gimmick –BlackBerryentered the pad of paper wars . But what pose it aside ?
RIM launched its BlackBerry transmission line ofsmartphonesin 1999 , and they quickly became pop among professionals and executive . The BlackBerry phones combine the features of cellphone phones , personal digital help ( PDAs ) and computers . You could make calls , review your schedule and send e - mails all from the same equipment . It would be gentle to take those features for yield now but in 1999 it was a rotatory approach shot in North America .
Since then , BlackBerry ’s master focus has been on endeavour substance abuser . While BlackBerry has launched a few phone for consumers , the companionship aims most of its products at corporate customers . BlackBerry ’s promise is to ply gimmick that desegregate with business system while sustain strict security measures . The BlackBerry Playbook follows this school of thought .
While the PlayBook has a playful name , it ’s up to of handling concern demand . you’re able to download games for the equipment but it ’s really intended to help you conduct work . The PlayBook can interface with BlackBerry smartphones , allow you to access those features on a larger filmdom . And just like the smartphones of the BlackBerry line , the PlayBook has built - in security measures designed to protect data .
Let ’s take a smell at the canonic features of the BlackBerry PlayBook .
PlayBook Features
The BlackBerry PlayBook has a 7 - inch capacitivetouch screen , making it smaller than theiPad2 , which sports a 9.7 - in screen . The concealment devote the PlayBook a 1024 x 600 resolution . The PlayBook is also light than the iPad 2 , count in at a mere 0.9 pounds ( about 0.4 kilograms ) . But the PlayBook is a touch thicker than the iPad 2 – it ’s 0.4 inch ( about 1 centimeter ) thick , compare to the newer iPad ’s 0.34 inches ( 0.88 centimeters ) .
The PlayBook has two-channel speech sound with fourspeakersinside the gimmick . There ’s also a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack for those who wish to spare their neighbors the auditory sensation of Angry Birds play in the background . The gadget also has a pair of microphones – presumably , RIM included two microphones as a noise - cancellation feature film .
The PlayBook has two cameras . The forward - confront camera boast a 3 - megapixel resolution , which is on the low end for standalone digital cameras but right in the middle of the gang for handheld machine like smartphones or tablet . The rear end - facing television camera is a slightly burly 5 - megapixel poser . The rear - face television camera can record picture at 1080p resolution . It also has an HDMI - out port that will rent you connect the PlayBook to a high - definition idiot box for video playback .
you may apply Bluetooth technology to link a BlackBerry PlayBook with another machine such as a keyboard or BlackBerry smartphone . This is one of the key features of the PlayBook – you could pair the tablet with a BlackBerry smartphone to get service over a 3 M web . The earpiece acts as a wireless modem . you could also connect to your smartphone ’s address book , e - mail customer and other feature by tethering the two devices together .
The BlackBerry PlayBook ship without a aboriginal e - mail node or calendar feature article . To access those apps , you first must tether the tablet to a BlackBerry smartphone . RIM tell that this promotes information security – should someone steal your PlayBook , they ca n’t access your data because it ’s not stored on the machine . But RIM also say that the gimmick will finally have its own native eastward - ring armour and calendar apps [ source : Lomas ] .
The PlayBook runs a proprietary operating system called QNX . The operate on organisation supports honest multitasking – operations can run in the background without proceed into sleep fashion . The PlayBook also supports Flash and HTML5 .
Next , we ’ll look at what makes the PlayBook tick .
Under the PlayBook Hood
RIM has provide two option for charging a PlayBook . The first uses an industriousness standard : MicroUSB . With the right cable , you may connect a PlayBook to a computer or adapter , or you may channel data across devices . The 2nd way to charge a PlayBook is to use a magnetic organization . The cable for this organization seize to the machine with a magnet . A blue tug is all it takes to unplug the cable television , which helps keep accidents when you forget your lozenge is still plugged in . But there ’s one downside to the magnetic pick – you ca n’t transfer data across the cable .
If you popped unfastened a BlackBerry PlayBook , you ’d observe a few things flat away . First , you just voided your warranty . secondly , RIM has packed the guts of the PlayBook in a tiny , efficient package . Third , unless you send in your PlayBook for repairs you wo n’t be replace the 20 - watt - hourbatteryanytime soon .
The brain of the BlackBerry PlayBook is a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 dual - magnetic core processor running at 1 gigacycle . This is a chip Texas Instruments design specifically forsmartphonesand tablet . The chip has enough power to drive multimedia coating without generating too much passion . The electronic transistor on the chip are on the 45 - nanometre exfoliation , which is the same ordered series of the transistor you ’ll find – if you have a scanning electron microscope – on Intel’sNehalem microprocessor .
The PlayBook has a 1 - G DRAM micro chip from Elpida . It also has a SanDisk Flash retention card for long - terminus storage . There are three version of PlayBooks available at the time of this clause : 16 , 32 and 64 gigabyte models , usable at $ 499 , $ 599 and $ 699 , respectively .
Other chips inside the BlackBerry PlayBook let in a top executive management check and a Bluetooth / WLAN / GPS / FM recipient , all from Texas Instruments . There ’s a graphics processing chip from STMicroelectronics and an audio fleck from Wolfson . The BlackBerry uses a Bosch Sensortec 3 - axis accelerometer and an Invensense 3 - axis gyroscope to determine its orientation .
The PlayBook has four speakers . Interestingly , these speakers do n’t connect to the motherboard with wires . Instead , the PlayBook ’s assembly allows the loudspeaker to reside against atmospheric pressure contact on the motherboard itself , creating a direct connexion [ source : iFixit ] .
The BlackBerry PlayBook OS
Rather than port theBlackBerrysmartphone OS to the PlayBook , RIM adjudicate to depend upon QNX Software Systems . Research in Motion purchased QNX in 2010 , making it a subsidiary company . QNX specializes in buildingoperating systemsand middleware for devices . This is the level of programming that allow software to get at hardware resources . Without this floor of software program , apps and programs would n’t run on devices unless they were hardcoded into the equipment ’s circuitry .
The QNX operating system provides a program for multitasking . Running multiple programme on the PlayBook is easy . Switching between political platform is simple as well – program appear as add-in on the screen . Sliding your finger depart or right lets you thumb through active applications . If you want to keep out down an app , you’re able to swipe your digit quickly to the bottom of the screenland .
The identity card view and swipe characteristic prompted journalists like Engadget ’s Vlad Savov to say that QNX copied Hewlett Packard ’s TouchPad tablet . The TouchPad run onwebOS , an operating system that Palm build up before HP acquire the company . It too uses a card view and swipe interface . flange executive Jeff McDowell dismiss the criticism , betoken out that when multiple team are working on interfaces for a touching - screen twist some overlap is to be expected [ source : Savov ] .
To link up the PlayBook to a BlackBerry smartphone , you have to activate an app calledBlackBerry Bridge . This creates a secureBluetoothconnection between the PlayBook and the phone . When you pioneer the Bridge app , the PlayBook displays a speedy reception ( QR ) code on the screen . scan this code with a BlackBerry smartphone will instigate the phone to make an inscribe Bluetooth connectedness with the PlayBook . you’re able to also set up this joining manually – the PlayBook will exhibit a PIN that you ’ll need to typewrite into the BlackBerry smartphone .
Once connect to your BlackBerry smartphone , your PlayBook will give up you to mark off e - mail , calendar appointment and other files through your phone . If the connection between your blackberry bush smartphone and PlayBook should break , these lotion will become unavailable mechanically .
BlackBerry in the Market
Although RIM announced the PlayBook the same year Steve Jobs announced theiPad , the PlayBook did n’t strike the market until April 19 , 2011 . By then , Apple had a huge head start – not only did the iPad debut in 2010 but its replacement , the iPad 2 , hit storehouse shelves March 11 , 2011 . Could RIM ’s twist compete against the first lozenge computer to bring home the bacon in the consumer market ?
According to Jonathan Geller , the " Boy virtuoso , " a rootage within the retail manufacture reveal that BlackBerry PlayBook sales fail to converge cut-rate sale prey by around 90 percent . To add insult to injury , the same reference told Geller that the return rate on the PlayBook was higher than competing tablet [ source : Geller ] .
RIM representative refute Geller ’s seed , saying that according to the company ’s conversations with retailer sales of the PlayBook have suffer or exceeded outlook . A representative from retailer Best Buy was one such retail merchant , stating that client were eager to buy a PlayBook after getting some hands - on meter with it in stores [ source : Arghire ] .
Whether the PlayBook can hold its own against Apple ’s iPad , the multitude of Android - base tablets and HP’swebOSdevices remains to be find out . But if corporations adopt the gimmick as the next - generation shaft for today ’s executive , expect the PlayBook to stick around for a while .
