The battle between tablet computers seem to be getting hotter with Research in Motion’s (manufacturers of Blackberry smartphones) PlayBook tablet set to take on Apple’s iPad. Hailed by some technology enthusiast as the first serious contender to the iPad, the seven-inch PlayBook was recently unveiled at a trade show in America. The PlayBook will allow users to perform multi-tasking actions while a rotating carousel will make it possible to identify all programs running on the device at any given time. Below is a side by side comparison of both devices i.e. Blackberry PlayBook and Apple iPad.
| Blackberry PlayBook
|
Apple iPad
|
|
| Display | 7-inch 1024 x 600 LCD | 9.7-inch 1024 x 768 LED |
| Weight | 0.9lbs | 1.5lbs |
| Ebook functionality | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless | WiFi, Bluetooth & 3G | WiFi & 3G |
| Battery Life | Unknown | 10 hours |
| Speed | 1GHz processor | 1GHz processor |
| Movie/Music Store | Music via Amazon | iTunes |
| Memory | 1GB RAM | 256MB RAM |
| Camera | Front – 3MP, Back – 5MP | Not available |
| Apps | Blackberry App World | iTunes |
| Phone calls | No | No |
| Cost | £320 (expected) | From £439 |
Talking Point
With the likes of Samsung Galaxy Tab, Asus EEE Pad Transformer, Motorola Xoom, Toshiba Tablet and now RIM’s PlayBook, how long before iPad’s dominance in the tablet market is broken?