Posted by The Blogging Desk on Thu, Apr 14, 2011
Joshua Topolsky:
But the PlayBook isn’t hitting home runs just yet. The OS is still buggy and somewhat touchy. Third-party apps are a desert right now, if not in number, then certainly in quality. The lack of native email and calendar support hurts. The worst part, however, is that I can’t think of a single reason to recommend this tablet over the iPad 2, or for that matter… the Xoom. And that’s what it really boils down to here; what is the compelling feature that will make buyers choose the PlayBook over something else? I don’t have that answer, but that’s not what’s troubling me — what troubles me is that I don’t think RIM has the answer either… and they should by now.
Sounds like trouble in Canada.
The most striking part about RIM's PlayBook is that there are no native emails and calendar apps built-in to the device. You can't just walk into Best Buy and treat this like an iPad. Well, you can, but you need to also have a BlackBerry device with the latest software. If you do, you can enable a "Bridge" mode on both devices that will allow you to share the email and calendering capabilities.
I don't think most folks would have a problems with the email app snafu if RIM was just marketing this to business and enterprise users. It doesn't seem that way with their ads and the fact that it's called "PlayBook". They make it seem like it's for everyone and a legit tablet competitor. Well, I guess there's nothing more fun than being separated from work tasks.
The app situation doesn't seem all that great for RIM either, judging from reviews. I think this really leaves a spot for HP's TouchPad. HP deals with many vedors and OEMS and have recently shown their Citrix app for enterprise. It's a start, and these PlayBook reviews certainly leave a chance for HP to take over the #2 spot. Either way, we still have the perfect options for your enterprise support.
