By Nimish Dubey
RIM joined the Tablet Wars a few hours ago with the announcement of the PlayBook, a BlackBerry tablet. However, while we must confess to being very impressed with the specifications of the device – two HD cameras, 7 inch multi-touch display, 1 Ghz dual core processor, 1 GB RAM, etc. – purely from a traveller’s perspective, we do not really see it making too many waves.
The reason for this is simple – the PlayBook does not come with any inbuilt data connectivity. All right, in very simple terms, it means that you cannot access the Internet on it unless there is a Wi-Fi hotspot nearby. Now, that puts it at a distinct disadvantage when compared with the likes of the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, both of which have versions with inbuilt data connectivity. Yes, the PlayBook can be paired with smartphones, but only BlackBerry ones, which pretty much restricts it to existing BlackBerry users.
We also found no mention of GPS or Maps – travel-friendly features again that are seen in other tablets. And of course, we are unlikely to clap eyes on it until some time next year. All of which leads us to conclude that for all its multimedia muscle, the PlayBook is not for travelling BlackBerry Boys, whom we would advise to stick to the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab.
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About the author: Nimish Dubey
