BlackBerry PlayBook Review

BUILD & DESIGN

The BlackBerry PlayBook doesn’t deviate from the standard rectangular tablet design. Just like its smartphone brethren, it looks extremely professional, sporting an all black body and display trim.

The seven-inch display dominates the front, as there are no physical buttons on the surface. BlackBerry branding appears just below the screen, and the three-megapixel front-facing camera appears above the display. RIM wisely decided to place the stereo speaks on the front-side of the PlayBook, with two thin grille slots placed on either side of the screen, between the frame and the body casing.

The PlayBook’s five-megapixel rear camera is found on the back of the tablet, just above the familiar BlackBerry logo. The lens is flush with the body, leaving it prone to smudges and scratches. A slightly recessed lens would have been preferable.

On top of the PlayBook sits a play/pause button between two volume buttons. The power button is directly to the left with a 3.5mm headphone all the way to the right. There are also two tiny holes in the top of the PlayBook, which I assume are the on-board microphones.

The remaining ports are on the PlayBook’s bottom, and they are micro-USB and micro-HDMI, as well as a proprietary three-pin charging slot. The PlayBook charges through the micro USB, but accessory chargers (sold separately) can slot into the three-pin port to charge it faster. The PlayBook sides are bare.

Sans the display and frame, the PlayBook body is rubberized, which I prefer to the near all-plastic body of the other seven inch tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and the iPad 2’s aluminum back panel. The PlayBook feels much more solid than the others because of its smaller size and similar thickness. It also seems like it can absorb a drop or two, though I didn’t stress test the tablet.

The front-side speaker placement is also a design strength. I had issues with both the Xoom and iPad 2 speaker placement because the speakers were located on the backs of the devices. Sound should not be directed away from the listener.

The only design flaw outside of the flush rear camera lens comes in the form of the power button. It is too small and it also sits almost flush against the body. Unless you have long fingernails or a toothpick handy, it takes some effort to press and hold. On the other hand, I suppose that eliminates the chances of errantly powering down the PlayBook, and it’s really a minor gripe when considering the PlayBook’s otherwise excellent design. In addition, a software update prior to the official release added a power icon to the apps that makes powering down the PlayBook much easier.

I’m also not pleased with the lack of an micro-SD card slot. As I’ll detail in the connectivity section, there are plenty of ways to load media and documents on and off the PlayBook wirelessly or over USB, but I like having the flexibility of SD too.

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BlackBerry PlayBook specs:

• BlackBerry Tablet OS 1.0.1.1628 (at time of review)
• 7-inch diagonal capacitive touchscreen (1024 x 600)
• 1GHz Dual-Core TI OMAP 4430
• 1GB RAM
• Choice of 16, 32 or 64GB capacity
• Front-facing 3-megapixel, rear-facing 5-megapixel cameras, no flash
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), BlackBerry tethering option via Bluetooth for data connection
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Micro-USB, micro-HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, 3-pin proprietary charge connector
• 5.1 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches (H x W x D)
• .9 pounds
• Ships with micro-USB cable, micro-USB charger, microfiber cloth, neoprene slipcover
• Price at Launch: Ranging from $499 to $699