When Research in Motion released the BlackBerry Playbook, the company was criticized for coming up with a tablet that does not have what the company has been known for – native email client. Not only that, the PlayBook was also released without PIM (personal information management) applications such as a contacts list and a calendar.
RIM countered by explaining that the email and PIM functionality is not ready yet with the QNX-based operating system of the BlackBerry PlayBook in a way that it will be as secure as in the case of its smartphones. The company however promised that an update to rectify all this will be launched in the future and instead advised the users of the tablet to make use of BlackBerry Bridge, an application that connects the tablet to a BlackBerry smartphone where its email, calendar and contacts are blasted out n the PlayBook.
Fast forward to today.
A reliable source has whispered that the much-awaited launch of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 will happen on February 17 and will bring to the tablet a native email client along with the contacts list and a calendar – much-needed stuff that were missing when the tablet was first released. Additionally, BlackBerry Bridge will also get enhancements, according to the source.
While waiting some more for BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 to finally be released, let us go over the specs sheet of the once (and until now?) ill-fated BlackBerry PlayBook from Research in Motion.
The BlackBerry PlayBook was announced by RIM as early as September 2010 but it waited until April of last year to finally let the tablet hit the shelves. The tablet is a solid black slab of plastic that measures 194 x 130 x 10 mm and weighs in at 425 grams. On occasion, the BlackBerry PlayBook was mistaken for the Kindle Fire because of the seeming resemblance between the two.
Despite getting a lukewarm reception, the BlackBerry PlayBook actually is a powerhouse on the inside. A Texas Instruments OMAP4430 chipset makes the tablet a speed freak and capable of true multitasking with its dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and 1GB of RAM makes the tablet a speed freak and capable of true multitasking. The tablet is available in three versions in terms of storage capacity and these are 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
In terms of its display, the BlackBerry PlayBook makes use of a 7.0-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and powered by 3D graphics acceleration, thanks to the PowerVR SGX540 GPU of the tablet. Camera-wise, the tablet also comes with a dual-shooter configuration like mst tablets today and these are a 5MP autofocus shooter at its back panel and a 3MP front-facing camera. Both shooters of the BlackBerry PlayBook are capable of 1080p video capture at 30 frames per second.
When you come to think of it, the BlackBerry PlayBook is actually at par with other high-end tablets from the competition. It is only a bit disadvantaged by its once-flawed operating system with missing components but the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 ought to change all that. Though that may be a story for a different time, we really are interested in what effect will the OS update have on the sales and popularity of the tablet.
RIM countered by explaining that the email and PIM functionality is not ready yet with the QNX-based operating system of the BlackBerry PlayBook in a way that it will be as secure as in the case of its smartphones. The company however promised that an update to rectify all this will be launched in the future and instead advised the users of the tablet to make use of BlackBerry Bridge, an application that connects the tablet to a BlackBerry smartphone where its email, calendar and contacts are blasted out n the PlayBook.
Fast forward to today.
A reliable source has whispered that the much-awaited launch of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 will happen on February 17 and will bring to the tablet a native email client along with the contacts list and a calendar – much-needed stuff that were missing when the tablet was first released. Additionally, BlackBerry Bridge will also get enhancements, according to the source.
While waiting some more for BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 to finally be released, let us go over the specs sheet of the once (and until now?) ill-fated BlackBerry PlayBook from Research in Motion.
The BlackBerry PlayBook was announced by RIM as early as September 2010 but it waited until April of last year to finally let the tablet hit the shelves. The tablet is a solid black slab of plastic that measures 194 x 130 x 10 mm and weighs in at 425 grams. On occasion, the BlackBerry PlayBook was mistaken for the Kindle Fire because of the seeming resemblance between the two.
Despite getting a lukewarm reception, the BlackBerry PlayBook actually is a powerhouse on the inside. A Texas Instruments OMAP4430 chipset makes the tablet a speed freak and capable of true multitasking with its dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and 1GB of RAM makes the tablet a speed freak and capable of true multitasking. The tablet is available in three versions in terms of storage capacity and these are 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
In terms of its display, the BlackBerry PlayBook makes use of a 7.0-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and powered by 3D graphics acceleration, thanks to the PowerVR SGX540 GPU of the tablet. Camera-wise, the tablet also comes with a dual-shooter configuration like mst tablets today and these are a 5MP autofocus shooter at its back panel and a 3MP front-facing camera. Both shooters of the BlackBerry PlayBook are capable of 1080p video capture at 30 frames per second.
When you come to think of it, the BlackBerry PlayBook is actually at par with other high-end tablets from the competition. It is only a bit disadvantaged by its once-flawed operating system with missing components but the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 ought to change all that. Though that may be a story for a different time, we really are interested in what effect will the OS update have on the sales and popularity of the tablet.
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