BlackBerry PlayBook Review

Just a couple of weeks after the BlackBerry PlayBook launched in North America I was lucky enough to get one of the first review devices to arrive here in the UK. To say I have been looking forward to reviewing the PlayBook would be an understatement. As a big BlackBerry fan I am hoping I can see the PlayBook taking over the role of my Apple iPad which I use every morning and evening. Could this smaller form factor make me take a tablet to work with me each day?

The PlayBook is RIM’s first attempt at the tablet market and many have been quick to slate the PlayBook. I am going to give it a fair crack of the whip and by the time this review is complete I would have spent nearly three full weeks with the device. Now although I am a BlackBerry fan I hope you all realise from past experience that if a product does not live up to expectation we here at tracyandmatt will certainly say so.

Lets crack on and have a good look around both the hardware and software of what I am hoping will be my new companion.

 

 

The ten second review:

• Device: BlackBerry PlayBook
• Price: From £399.00
• Summary: A pocketable powerhouse. Still needs some extra software but overall a great 7 inch tablet.
• Best of: HD Video, Browser, BlackBerry Bridge
• Worst of: No native email client, not great for non BlackBerry users.
• Buy it now: On sale from June 16th in the UK

 

What’s in the box:

• BlackBerry PlayBook
• Sleeve
• Sync Charge Cable
• Mains Charger
• Cleaning Cloth
• User Guide/Manual

 

BlackBerry PlayBook Specification:

• 7″ LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• 1 GHz dual-core processor (Cortex A9 Processor), w/ GPU
• 1 GB RAM
• Memory: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions to be available
• 5300mAh battery
• Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable:
  • Measures 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
  • Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
• Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.
• RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.

 

General:

On the top of the PlayBook is the power switch, media and volume controls as well as the 3.5mm headset port.

The MicroUSB and HDMI ports are situated on the bottom of the PlayBook as well as the conductors for when the tablet is docked.

 

Only the camera lens can be found on the back of the device.

On the front we have the front facing camera and proximity sensor on top and either side of the screen houses a speaker grill.

 

Both the left and right sides of the PlayBook are bare.

 

 

Highlights:

• Size/Portability
• Browser
• Camera/HD Video Recording
• BlackBerry Integration

 

Lowlights:

• Currently only suited to BlackBerry users
• Not a great number of ‘super’ apps

 

Review:

I first got hands on with the BlackBerry PlayBook a couple of months ago and it was running very early software with some apps not complete/installed and no portrait orientation. Things have moved on nicely since that day and I am happy with the progress that RIM have made.

So lets have a chat about the hardware first of all.

The BlackBerry PlayBook both looks and feels good. Weighing 0.9 lb it certainly feels less cumbersome in the hand than the larger tablets I have used recently but then again it would do as this is the first 7 inch one I have reviewed. Being all jet black the PlayBook looks the business. The back cover does feel plastic but also pretty robust and it looks great with the silver BlackBerry logo in its centre. The material used on the back is far from slippery so nobody should be able to use that as an excuse for dropping one!

The PlayBook uses gestures for certain things unlike the iPad or Android tablets I have used. All four bezels on the PlayBook are touch sensitive and a swipe will perform an action but we will come to that later.

Up on top the power button and media controls are made from metal . The volume up/down and play/pause buttons are of a good size and give a small click when pressed. I cant say I’m so impressed with the power button. I find it to be a wee bit to small. Being this size would not be an issue if the button was protruding a bit but as it is flush with the shell I struggled to press it a lot of the time and found I had to go in with a finger nail. A small criticism i know but a worthy one I feel. The good news though is that once the PlayBook is on, if it goes into sleep mode (screen times out) you do not have to press the power button to wake it up. Using the bottom bezel on the PlayBook you just swipe up onto the screen and the device springs into action. Neat.

Holding the PlayBook in either one hand or two feels just right. Its weight is enough for it to feel sturdy but not so light that it feels as if the build quality has suffered. My PlayBook says made in Taiwan. A pat on the back to the guys and gals in the factory. Nice work.

 

Software time now. The PlayBook runs a brand new operating system for RIM, called QNX. Now QNX itself is not new. It has been around for years and is present in many environments such as cars and even nuclear plants. Luckily RIM purchased QNX Software Systems a while ago and clearly knew the capabilities behind the software and the possibilities it would bring to a BlackBerry Tablet and then to BlackBerry Smartphones. (If you fancy delving deeper into the world of QNX you can visit their website here)

The PlayBook is the first product from RIM that we see running QNX. If you are considering getting a PlayBook I will try to show you as many screen shots as I can, where I feel you will benefit, so here goes:

Turning on your PlayBook the best place to start would be the home screen. As you can see we have six application icons on screen and above them five tabs. Like on current BlackBerry 6 smartphones you have the option to view all items in the menu or view various categories. The Favorites, Media, Games and BlackBerry Bridge menus can be accessed either by just touching the tab you want or alternatively you can swipe the screen back and fourth.

 

 

One of the first things you may want to check out when you start using a PlayBook is the settings. This has two ways of getting to it. You can either touch the cog icon up on the top right of the screen or by using a downwards movement swipe from the top bezel of the PlayBook onto the screen.

 

 

At the very top of the home screen we have a selection of icons that sit on the right of the time and date. A press of any icon will pop up a box giving you the information you require.

The icons here allow you to check battery life, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, BlackBerry Bridge and screen orientation lock.

 

 

 

Opening the main menu on the PlayBook is done using one of two ways. You can use the small arrow icon that sits on the right of the screen but I prefer to use the alternative way. This is achieved by using the touch sensitive bottom bezel. Just swipe up and the menu appears full screen. To hide the menu you perform the same upwards swipe which feels a bit odd at first as with other devices you would swipe down to make it go away. But the downwards swipe from the top bezel on the PlayBook drops down the settings or other options depending which app you are in. You soon get used to using the bezels and they perform beautifully.

 

 

Currently the BlackBerry PlayBook does not have a native email client which kind of sucks. RIM have said this will come in the near future and I know that there are third party ones coming also but none appear in App World just yet.

BlackBerry Bridge

So emailing on the PlayBook is done using the Bridge app. If you are not familiar with Bridge I will explain. It is quite simple actually.

The Bridge app will allow your PlayBook to be connected to your BlackBerry Smartphone via Bluetooth. Once the bridge is made your PlayBook will be able to use some of the apps on your Smartphone such as email, BBM, calendar and contacts. For example, when you get an email or BBM on your Smartphone you also get the same on your PlayBook and the PlayBook will also notify you by making a noise and also by using a red glow on the top left of the screen.

This is great for security because when the bridge is broken all the messages, calendar etc disappear from the PlayBook meaning if it was lost or stolen the naughty robber would not have access to sensitive personal information.

Because the PlayBook does not have a sim card all data that is transmitted is actually coming from your BlackBerry Smartphone (when not connected to Wi-Fi). There are no tethering costs as you are not using any additional data. It is just that you are viewing the received data on your PlayBook instead of the phone. Cool or what.

So the Bridged email app is essentially what you already have on your BlackBerry Smartphone. You have the option to view all your email accounts in one combined list or view each of them individually. Tapping on the message you want brings up the email on the right hand side of the screen. As you can see below there are various icons at the base of the screen. These contain the options for replying, forwarding and searching as well as mark as unread, flags and the option to delete messages.

As this is a Bridge app once you read an email message on your PlayBook it will also appear read on your BlackBerry Smartphone and vice versa. Clever stuff.

All in all the application works very well but I would like to see a native email client soon please RIM.

 

 

Keyboard

If you are a BlackBerry user you more than likely are not used to typing on a touch screen display (unless you have a Torch). Using the PlayBook keyboard is actually a real joy. Of course the keys are not as big as on some 10 inch tablets but with a wee bit of practice you will be able to type mistake free. Flipping the PlayBook into portrait mode will allow you to use two thumbs to type without having to stretch too far and this way I think is more suited to us BlackBerry Smartphone users.

 

The keys do not produce any haptic feedback when pressed but they do give off a nice sound. An important feature with the keyboard is that when you press down on a letter/number that letter/number appears in a blue box above where you are pressing to let you know visually that you have tapped the write key. Using a touch screen without this feature makes for a poor experience so glad it is here on PlayBook.

 

 

Webkit Browser

One of the most used applications on any tablet has to be the web browser and the PlayBook has two. As well as the normal webkit browser that you can see below there is also a Bridge Browser which you can use when not connected to Wi-Fi.

The best way I can sum up the PlayBook browser is by saying it is freaking awesome. It is quick to load and render pages and on most sites the scrolling is wonderfully smooth. The browser really gives you a desktop experience and with Flash Player 10.1 built in there is no need to be re-routed to third party sites to watch video.

Zooming is done the same as on other tablets/smartphones by either double tapping or using pinch to zoom.

As you would expect, at the top of the browser you have various icons . On the left we have forward and back arrows and besides them is a square icon to access multi tab browsing. Centered is the address bar which you can type straight into for a Google Search. Over on the right we have a history icon, a gold star to access bookmarks, a white start to add a bookmark and then finally on the far right is a small icon that removes all these icons to give you a full screen browser.

 

 

A swipe downwards of the top bezel gives us further options. Most noticeably is the tabbed browsing. Here you can swipe back and forth between the open web pages. The options icon over on the right is where the browser settings are located . Here you can change your home page, enable/disable Flash, images and Javascript  as well as tweaking the security options.

A great browser and one I am looking forward to using on BlackBerry Smartphones in the years to come.

 

 

 

Social Networking

When it comes to using Facebook on the PlayBook there are a couple of options. First off is the official Facebook for PlayBook application which can be downloaded for free from App World. It does much the same as the app for BlackBerry Smartphones and as well as viewing news feeds you can also search for friends, use Facebook chat and upload photos. I tend not to use this particular app and I will explain why below.

 

 

 

Because the web browser on the PlayBook is so good I much prefer to use that for Facebook. You are getting the exact same experience as you would on a PC but just on a smaller screen. By using the browser you have all of Facebook’s features at your finger tips so what more could you ask for.

 

When it comes to using Twitter on the PlayBook there are a few options. Both Twitter and Hahlo work just fine using the browser. There are currently only three actual Twitter apps in App World and out of those I would only recommend one and that is Blaq. As you will see the user interface is much the same as on the Blaq BlackBerry Smartphone version. At $1.99 it wont break the bank.

 

Twitter                                                                                                    Hahlo

Blaq for PlayBook

 

BBM

Next up we have BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and this once again is a Bridge App so without the PlayBook being bridged with your BlackBerry Smartphone it will not be present on the tablet. Like with the email app once you read a BBM on the PlayBook it will instantly appear as read on your phone too.

I don’t think I need to explain what BBM is. In this day and age I think most people know of it, especially if you are reading this review.

As you can see below, once you have BBM up and running on the PlayBook it looks pretty much the same as on the BlackBerry Smartphone. Initially you will be presented with your contacts list on the screen and any open chats will be listed above them. Tapping on a contact or chat will then open up the right hand side of the screen and this is where the conversation will take place.

 

At the base of the screen on the left side are icons for searching, ending a chat and adding multiple people to the conversation. And on the right we have icons to add emoticons add a file and PING.

  

 

There are a few features of BBM that are not carried over from the phone to the PlayBook. On the phone we have the option to have a list of favorite contacts. We don’t have this option on the PlayBook. Also groups are missing which is a bit of a shame but with the PlayBook only being on the market for a matter of weeks I am sure that we will get software updates on a regular basis from RIM.

Multitasking

A quick word on multitasking as the PlayBook, armed with a 1 GHz dual-core processor makes light work of multitasking. I could run over 10 applications before I had a message come up that memory was running low and some of the apps were very memory intensive.  As you can see below once apps are minimised they continue to run and you can swipe left and right between them on the homescreen. A tap of the one you want will open that particular app up full screen. Closing an application completely can be done in one of two ways. You will see that below each of the apps that are open is the name of the app and a cross. Tap the cross and the app shuts down. The alternative way and by far the snazziest way is to just flick the application upwards. It throws the app of the screen and again closes it. I like that. So the PlayBook will run loads off apps simultaneously and jumping from one app to another is quick and easy. Many people have compared the user interface of the PlayBook to that of webOS and I agree they are very similar, both using this kind of card system on the homescreen (although RIM wouldn’t call them cards). Sure, they may be similar, but so what. It works well.

 

Picture Gallery

Next up we have the picture gallery. Upon launching the app you are greeted with folders like you would expect. Once in a folder you can select the image you want and it will appear full screen. Scrolling though the images is done by swiping the screen back and fourth. This action is beautifully smooth and the next picture loads more or less instantly.

 

Like on the web browser you can zoom is either by tapping the screen or using pinch to zoom. You will notice on the picture below (left) you have play, forward and back icons on screen. The arrows let you move onto the next image but if you want a slide show just press the play button and off you go.

 

Calendar

Calendar time and once again this is another Bridge app so when the bridge is broken your calendar will not be accessible on the PlayBook for security reasons.  Because the calendar you are viewing is actually on your BlackBerry Smartphone the things you see on the PlayBook are much the same as on the phone. You have the option to view the calendar by day, week or month. At the very top of the screen are forward and back arrows allowing you to jump to the next day/week etc.

Down on the bottom we have a few icons. The + one allows you to create a new appointment. This is also achieved by just tapping the time you want onscreen. Next to the + we have a icon that brings up the below image. This gives you a nice month view and also a quick option to jump to today on the calendar.

Much like on the BlackBerry Smartphone there is a wealth of information you have the option to enter. You can tweak the times, the reminder notification and even invite attendees. Adding a quick appointment can be done in seconds and as soon as you do so that same appointment will show up on your BlackBerry Smartphone too.

Video Player

Watching video on the PlayBook is great. As you can see below when you launch the videos app you are shown all the videos on screen. There are tabs at the the top to filter them down if required. Then it is just a case of pressing the one you want to watch. The on screen controls are kept simple. On the bottom left are play/pause, back/forward. Next to that is a bar which will allow you to skip to any part of the video you want. And on the right is the volume bar if you don’t fancy using the hardware volume controls. I couldn’t actually find a list of video formats that are supported. I had some MP4’s on my computer that I just cut and paste onto the PlayBook. They worked just fine.

The PlayBook has a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution on a 7″ display which is actually higher than the iPad. This allows for an amazing picture in particular when watching HD video. You can see some sample screen shots below from a HD video pre loaded onto the PlayBook. I like the fourth picture in particular!

 

HDMI

With the added bonus of HDMI output the PlayBook allows you to connect up to a TV and use that as your monitor while controlling the PlayBook with your hands. I have recorded a short video to show you the best bits:

App World

Much the same as on a BlackBerry Smartphone, apps for the PlayBook are downloaded from App World. The PlayBook App World is not the same as the phone version. Remember that the PlayBook runs a different OS so apps need to be written in a different way. The amount of apps in App World currently is limited but it is early days. RIM recently confirmed that Android apps would also be supported on the PlayBook so i can see App World growing massively in time.

As you can see, the App World user interface is fairly straight forward. Upon launch you are shown a selection of featured apps which you can scroll back and fourth. Under these are four tabs showing Newest, Top Free, Top Purchased and Recently Updated. To the right of these tabs is a arrow. Press this and the apps you are looking at appear full screen to show you 15 further apps under the featured ones.

Up on the top of the screen you have a search bar if you a looking for a particular item and also categories and My World. My World is just  a list of the apps you have downloaded. Here you will see if there are any available updates and you can also uninstall an app from here.

Once you have selected an app you are given further information about it including screen shots and any reviews that have been written.  Each application will have a star rating with five stars being the top mark.

You may have noticed from my screen shots that the prices of the paid apps are in dollars. This is just because I am running the American version of the software. When the PlayBook is launched in the UK it will show the costs in Sterling.

YouTube

When it comes to YouTube you will be pleased to know that there is a YouTube application pre-loaded on the PlayBook. I didn’t like it very much though. Don’t get me wrong, it worked perfectly but it was a little limited. It is fine for looking at featured and top rated videos but there was no option for me to sign into my own account so watching my subscriptions was a no no.

However, as the PlayBook as such as great web browser I was able to use that for taking care of my YouTube needs. It is just the same as using YouTube on a PC or Mac. I am sure that RIM’s YouTube application will be updated with additional features in the future but in the meantime the browser will have to do.

YouTube on the Web Browser

 

YouTube using the PlayBook App

Cameras

Onto the camera now. The PlayBook has two. A 5mp high definition rear facing and a 3mp high definition front facing. As you can see the actual camera interface is kept very simple which I quite like. Zooming is controlled over on the left of the screen and it zooms real quick.

Below the zoom is a tab to turn geo location on and off. And over on the right we have the toggle between camera and video camera at the top. In the middle is the large shutter button. And at the bottom we have another toggle to switch between front and rear cameras.

So how did the camera perform? Pretty well if you ask me. Yes, the below samples were taken on a sunny day but I also did use the PlayBook camera indoors. Clearly, without a flash you will have some limitations but overall it rocked.

On to the video camera and RIM have clearly decided that that if they are going to video record they may as well do a good job. This is the first device i have reviewed that can record video in 1080P HD and i was very impressed. The video quality is superb and I didn’t feel a plonker using it to record video like I have with 10 inch tablets recently.

You can see a demo of the HD video recording below:

 

Kobo

If you are into reading books on a tablet you will be pleased to see that the Kobo book reader and store is pre-loaded on the PlayBook.

If you have not used it before then you will need to register, which only takes two minutes, and then you can start shopping. There is a large selection of free books to download so you may want to test one out before spending your money. I’m not sure if I would read a book on the PlayBook but i know that millions of others will.

The pricing seems reasonable and when you find a book you are interested in you can see a bit more information about it before committing to buy.

Calculator (yes I am mentioning a calculator!)

When doing phone reviews I don’t normally mention the calculator as frankly they are well boring. However, the PlayBook one is actually quite cool and has a few other options apart from just being a normal calculator.

The image below on the left is the standard calculator. What I like about this is that as you do your calculations the results are displayed on the left hand side kind of like a till roll or one of those calculators that accountants use with the results being printed out on paper. Quite groovy.

Doing a downwards swipe of the top bezel will give you some further options. We have a scientific calculator which totally baffles me! But we also get a unit converter which is always handy) and also a tip calculator. Overall a rather neat application. Nice one RIM.

  

 

7 Digital Music Store

Some months ago RIM announced they were partnering up with 7 Digital to take care of a music store on the PlayBook. I have not used them before but I am now rather impressed.

As you can see you have tabs at the top of the screen allowing you to jump quickly to new releases, best sellers etc. With a search bar next to the tabs the app ensures you can find what you are looking for nice and quickly.

Under the tabs are three album covers. These actually scroll themselves showing you featured albums that are available to purchase. And then at the bottom of the homescreen we have recommended albums and I think the recommendations are based on recent searches as the ones I was offered were all rock albums.

Once you find the music you are looking for you are presented with the album artwork and a track listing. Like on other online music store you have the option to buy either the whole album or individual tracks. You can also hear a preview of each song and the previews are one minute long which I think is marvelous.

Buying music from 7 Digital clearly requires an account. This is done by entering an email address and password and then registering a credit card. Fairly painless and the whole process only took me a couple of minutes.

Help

If you need some help understanding your new BlackBerry PlayBook then help is at hand. Within the main menu you will find a Help icon. Once in the app you are shown a selection of apps and by selecting one the PlayBook will give you hints and tips to make using your new tablet as painless as possible. A nice touch RIM. Thanks.

Weather

AccuWeather is pre-loaded on the PlayBook. To start you set your city and the app neatly shows you the current conditions at your location with forthcoming conditions on the right of the screen. You get the wind speed and direction and even the times that the sun rises and sets. There is a tab for an hourly forecast if you need an in depth preview of what the weather has in store for you and also a Maps tab which will redirect you to the web browser where you will see a map of your country and the clouds over it. Finally, at the bottom of the screen are tabs for viewing the forecast over the next four days. A great application, but I expect nothing less from AccuWeather as the Smartphone app on BlackBerry is great too.

Clock

The clock app on the PlayBook may not be its most exciting feature but it sure works jolly well. As you can see the clock incorporates the clock and alarm, a stopwatch and also a timer. With the three options on screen you just touch the one you want to use, simple. Not much else to say.

Gaming on the PlayBook

Gaming on a BlackBerry has historically not been as good as on other mobile platforms. That has now changed with the PlayBook thanks to QNX. Tetris and Need for Speed Undercover come already on the device and what fun they both are. Game play seems as fluent and quick as on other tablets and with the PlayBook having a 7 inch screen it feels perfect in the hand when gaming.

I must say that the amount of ‘good’ games in App World at the moment is a little disappointing but give it time and I am sure we will see all the big names there too. We know Angry Birds is coming so that’s alright.

Podcasts

If you like to listen to podcasts you can do so with the PlayBooks Podcast app. As you can see the app is set out like like some of the other apps with tabs at the top, featured items in the middle and top episodes at the bottom. The best news about the app is that our own podcast, Mobile Tech Addicts is on there. What more do you need!

Music Player

Another app that is so easy to use is the Music one. As you can see this app doesn’t look too dissimilar to some others. A definite theme going on here. Music quality is pretty good thanks to those two speakers either side of the screen. Plugging in some headphones always improves things and it does so with the PlayBook. I’m not sure how many people are going to be wondering around using their PlayBook as an MP3 player though. I suspect the headphone socket may be better suited for watching videos on a commute.

Office Applications

With RIM having a huge chunk of the corporate market when it comes to BlackBerry Smartphones I am rather pleased with how the PlayBook can be used as a business tool. Over the years I have used many different mobile platforms and on several of them if you want to create a word or excel document you need to pay for an application to do so. Luckily the BlackBerry PlayBook comes pre loaded with applications that will mimic Word, Excel and PowerPoint to allow you to create and share business documents when out of the office.

The apps are easy to use and will be perfect for those times when you wish you could create a document but have no access to a PC or Mac.

It is still early days for the BlackBerry PlayBook but I am encouraged by what I have seen so far and I will be using the PlayBook as a business tool for sure.

 

View PDF’s

Create/amend Word and Excel documents

Memo Pad and Tasks are two more Bridge applications that may come in handy. Of course being Bridge apps means that when you create or amend on the PlayBook that amendment happens instantly on your BlackBerry Smartphone.

Memo Pad

Tasks

The PlayBook does come with a Notes application which contains a little twist. Once a note has been created you have the option to upload to DropBox. This will then allow your notes to be available to view on a PC or Mac if you have DropBox installed. A nice idea but to be honest I would rather hope that someone like Evernote create a PlayBook version of their app. The Dropbox thing works though.

Notes

Maps

Mapping on the PlayBook comes courtesy of Bing. Not my app of choice but I would imagine that Google will probably make a version for PlayBook in due course.

Finding local points of interest is what Bing does best and it seems to perform well on the PlayBook. I like the fact that with Bing if you zoom in on a particular location when you get to a certain point the view switches from a typical map into a satellite view. Very handy if you have not been to that location before.

Driving and walking directions is also a feature with the app as well as traffic however the traffic only seems to work in the USA at the moment. I hope this is developed for Europe as I can see myself using this feature daily.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

Overall the PlayBook is a great bit of kit and a worthy rival in my opinion to the other 7 inch tablets on the market. That said, as it stands at the moment i don’t think that a non BlackBerry user will get the most out of the PlayBook. If the PlayBook had 3G, native email and the Android apps were available then I would say it is maybe the best 7 inch tablet I have seen.

So as I complete this review I believe that if you are a BlackBerry user you are going to love the PlayBook. It seems to do everything well. Sure there is always room for improvement but for a first tablet from a company that specialises in Smartphones the PlayBook is a work of art.

It looks good, feels great and performs seamlessly. I am really looking forward to the future and what other super features RIM will bring us for the device.

 

Posted by: James