Dave thanks for the comments and even me too agree with that. Yes, BlackBerry Bridge is one of the best features of playbook, which helps the user to access messenger, email etc. Sine playbook have NO wifi facility, user had to connect playbook with RIM blackberry phones. It will not support NON-blackberry phones. I think, the absence of Wifi and NON supporting of other smartphones are major draw backs, moreover the usage of playbook is limited to blackberry smartphone users.
The early reviews for RIM’s PlayBook have been harsh.Tom’s although you state that “One of the best features of the BlackBerry PlayBook is BlackBerry Bridge”, has also been one of the most negative features raised by the reviewers for the same reasons you stated in the same paragraph:The need to have a BlackBerry smartphone in order to get cellular connectivity to get a critical function like email.This will be problematic for RIM’s PlayBook because it really can’t hold its own as a standalone device as for the moment it will always need a BlackBerry smartphone to really be usable.
Clairvoyant, you are right. BlackBerry Playbook is scheduled to release on April 19. Depending on storage capacity, price may vary from $499 to $699. The device comes with a 7-inch display, full touch functionality, and a new OS called BlackBerry Tablet OS. Even though the iPad 2 is continuing to sell well, there are still a growing number of consumers and enterprise customers that want to consider all their options before they plunk down hundreds of dollars for a device. As per the latest review, some of the elements of BlackBerry PlayBook are outstanding, while others are not.
One of the best features of the BlackBerry PlayBook is BlackBerry Bridge, which helps the tablet to link with BlackBerry smartphones for accessing the access Messenger, email, contacts and a calendar etc. However, Playbook users can’t access any of those applications without a BlackBerry smartphone. Furthermore, the BlackBerry Bridge doesn’t work with non-BlackBerry smartphones.
It have only a 7-inch display when compare with the iPad 2, 9.7-inch screen, those looking for extra display might not like what they find in the BlackBerry PlayBook.
The current version is NOT supporting 4G, but have a plan to launch 4G-compatible version PlayBook later this year.
Initial reviews says that the device have relatively small number of applications. According to the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg, the device will ship with 3,000 tablet applications. Apple’s iPad, on the other hand, has 65,000 applications available to it.
PlayBook is a decidedly enterprise-focused tablet and for corporate customers, that might be a good thing. But for consumers who are still on the fence about which tablet to buy, the BlackBerry PlayBook probably isn’t the best option.
Price for PlayBook will be $499 for 16GB and $699 for 64GB of storage, which is same as of Ipad2 with the same configuration and wi-fi. 32GB Motorola Xoom with 3G built-in and a free upgrade to 4G on the way retails for $600 with a two-year commitment with Verizon Wireless.
In fact, several devices, including new Galaxy Tabs from Samsung and the HP TouchPad, are on their way and for corporate customers; the Cisco Cius is still in the works. Some reviewers have been pleased with the device’s display and the software’s multitasking, while others have criticized the tablet for being too tied to a BlackBerry smartphone. Mixed reviews don’t mean that the tablet is a poor product by any means. But they are worth considering before one opts for one tablet or another. At this point, it might be a good idea to wait and see what other devices come out before making a buying decision.
In my opinion, Play book is NOT going to provide any sort of big competition to Apple, but at the same time along with other players, can make the competition tougher.
Apple is getting some big competition and going to lose the lead status by 2012. Big-name manufacturers like HP, LG and Samsung all want to take on the iPad, which currently rules the roost for tablet computers, with the much talked flavors of Android operating system. But it’s all good news for consumers, who might get to enjoy sinking prices. “By the end of 2012, Android tablets will rapidly overtake the iPad in market share,” forecasts expert Sascha Pallenberg during the Droidcon developers’ conference in Berlin. According to market experts, even though there are about 10 players in market, apple is enjoying the major share by selling 9 out of every 10 tablet computers.
In the coming months, companies like RIM, LG, Asus, Acer and Hewlett Packard will all bring iPad competitors to market. Many of them run with new Android software dubbed Honeycomb, designed especially for tablet computers. Android is open source software developed under the watchful eye of Google.
According to Pallenberg “In light of the growing competition, supply is almost certainly going to exceed demand and this will weigh on the price of Android products, which will force the manufacturers to get rid of their products at a throwaway price”. But Apple sets the mark for pricing. “It’s all about being cheaper than the iPad,” Pallenberg continues. At the same time, Apple is in a situation, where it can produce cheaply, which will be a challenge for the others. He also expects the first mobile phone with quad core processors during the first quarter of 2012.
The 1,200 visitors to Droidcon discussed the future of the Android platform. The hot topic of discussion is about augmented reality, or the enhancement of reality with technological help. It involves recording one’s surroundings with a mobile phone’s camera and then enriching the image displayed on phone with additional information’s like stores opening times, local attractions, or restaurant menus etc. Now, most augmented reality functions are just for fun, but software developers want to turn it into a standard technology for everyday use. Droidcon participants tried to envision these practical applications, from satellite navigation systems to interactive instructions for zombie games. According to marketing research company Juniper, the number of augmented reality applications downloaded will grow from 11 million last year to 14 billion by 2015, with sales of 1.5 billion dollars.
There are already practical applications, like tourist guides, assistance for apartment searches or in games. But others see additional everyday uses, from museum guides that describe exhibits to interactive lotteries for TV shows to user guides that include animation to show exactly how a device should be used.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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