Blackberry Playbook

For

•     1080p HD video playback
•     Fast dual-core processor
•     HDMI mirroring
•     Secure email
•     Bright, responsive screen

Against

•     Hardly any worthwhile apps
•     Confusing bridge to phone
•     No email client
•     Smaller screen

This tablet brings a 3MP front-facing camera, a 5MP rear-facing one, a bright and crisp 1200x600 resolution screen, a light 425g body and all the typical gyro, accelerometer and GPS sensors and you have the makings for a powerful 7-inch tablet with a powerful multi-tasking, where you can run a video in one window and play a game in another with both apps running concurrently, is a first of its kind for a mainstream tab.

File storage capabilities, support for an HDMI connection for playing 1080p video and a slick interface make the PlayBook an interesting anomaly.


The BlackBerry PlayBook is designed to be mobile and business-friendly. That means, at 130x194mm, the device is small enough to hold with one hand, slip in a laptop bag side pouch, and even carry around all day to meetings. The smaller screen does make movies look less than thrilling, and there's not much space for more complex tablet apps.

The tablet is easy to grip and looks bright and crisp. The dual-core 1GHz processor, made by Texas Instruments, and 1GB of RAM add some muscle to the PlayBook, running most of the apps we tested smoothly and quickly.


The BlackBerry PlayBook doesn't support external storage, but does have a micro USB port you can use to connect the tablet to your computer. Once you do, you can configure the PlayBook so that it shares files over Wi-Fi. This means copying files to and from the tablet without having to connect is possible.