Tablet Hands-On Roundup
by Vivek Gowri on January 27, 2011 10:25 AM EST
We were pretty eager to see the PlayBook, so we swung by RIM’s booth to get our hands on the new tablet. Initial impressions of the 7” tablet show a lot of promise. RIM has done a great job with the BlackBerry Tablet OS, though most of the credit likely has to go to RIM acquisition QNX, whose real-time operating system provides the basis for the Tablet OS. The UI is very responsive and provides a clean break from the smartphone version of the BlackBerry OS.
RIM is being rather coy about the hardware, beyond saying that it has a 1GHz multi-core processor. However, we have heard very strong hints from multiple parties saying that there’s a TI OMAP 4 SoC underhood, so you can basically pencil in the OMAP 4430’s dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9 and PowerVR SGX 540. The 7” display has a 1024x600 resolution and appeared to have pretty decent viewing angles. There are two cameras here, a 3MP unit on the front and a 5MP unit on the back, as well as a micro-HDMI port. Dimensionally, the PlayBook is slightly larger and slightly thinner than the Galaxy Tab, as well as marginally heavier, but unless you have the two side by side like I did, you wouldn’t be able to notice. The soft touch backing gives the device a very nice feel in hand.
The PlayBook’s interface is Apple-like in its grace and simplicity. Swiping your fingers left or right across the screen flips through multiple pages of the home screen. Sliding your fingers upwards gives you access to the multitasking menu with a live view of your running applications (similar to Win+Tab in Windows or Expose in OS X). In the web browser, the same action brings up a live view of the current tab set. Speaking of the browser, it has support for both HTML5 and Adobe Flash capability.
Multitasking performance is particularly impressive on the PlayBook. We were able to playback HD video, run a Quake 3 timedemo, and load a web page at the same time without any noticeable slowdown on the UI, and I saw another PlayBook unit running two 1080p videos simultaneously in the background with smooth browser performance and no dropped frames in either video.
We’re looking forward to getting our hands on a production model of the PlayBook in the coming months, and RIM says that the WiFi-only model of the PlayBook should be out before April. A 3G/WiMAX-equipped PlayBook should be available later on this year. It looks like RIM is pretty serious about the tablet space, so it looks like Apple and Google will definitely have some solid competition in 2011.
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jade_angel - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
"Cloud control"? Yuck. I'd really rather not have control over my TV or set-top box mediated through some random company's servers out there in Cloudland. Hello security problems, or else massive amounts of PKI ickage to secure it.Now, if it's entirely within the LAN, that might be a different story. Still a potential security issue, but not to nearly the same magnitude.
That said, I'm not convinced IR's old-and-slow nature is actually a problem for use as a TV remote (though, more bandwidth would allow unforeseen use cases). IR would also have the advantage of potentially working with existing TVs.
bupkus - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
Maybe Logitech has just that in mind with their universal remote, perhaps broadening that to a tablet. They charge enough for their remote now anyway.PeterS1 - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
Thank you for the preview on Notion Ink Adam, I am very much looking forward to a in-dept review of the Adam from the industry experts whom I trust the most.Kamen75 - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
The Enspert 201 tablet looks like a winner. Yes froyo is needed so let's hope it really is coming soon. I would like to see a higher resolution than 800x480 but to put that in perspective it is 133ppi, while the ipad at 9.7 inch and 1024x768 is 132ppi so text and everything else should be adequately viewable. Given it's nearly Galaxy Tab matching specs and it's $200 dollar price point this IS what a tablet should be right now. Cheap and disposable.geniekid - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
"2011 is the Year of the Tablet. With all due respect to the rabbit, who would have otherwise been assigned to this year..."I loled.
melgross - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
None of these seem impressive. If it's true that a dual CPU is required for honeycomb, then any tablet that doesn't have that is already obsolete, and not worth bothering with. That seems to cut out the majority of the tablets shown at CES. We can move on.The Notion Ink screen also looks crappy in the photos. If it's supposed to look good in sunlight, then it's a fail.
Kobaljov - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
Based on the experiences of the first Adam buyers, the screen is glossy, the Notion Ink offers a matte screen protector for it.(source: http://liliputing.com/2011/01/roundup-of-notion-in... )
Beenthere - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - link
...they are called TOYlets. Because they are toys.rpmurray - Friday, January 28, 2011 - link
It's TABlets, not TOYlets. A toilet is something you drink from, although its a shame you forgot to flush first.Enlightenment777 - Wednesday, February 2, 2011 - link
Apphole Toilet