I have a confession to make, I suffer from technophilia. I am a lover of all things new and shiny and I take great satisfaction in discovering new ways to interact with content.
Needless to say, when I bought my iPad I was not sure I had made the right choice. Many in the market were calling it a limited space and most people were skeptical of this new fangled gadget.
So was I kidding myself when I thought I needed another e-device that situated itself between my desktop and my cellphone? As it turns out, I do need it and use it extensively in my day to day life. From taking notes, drawing, making presentations, home automation to watching videos and listening to music, the list is endless and worthy of a separate blog post.
When I arrived in SXSW 2011, I was expecting to get a chance to try all the new shiny devices that marketers were buzzing about online, like the Samsung Galaxy and highly anticipated BlackBerry Playbook. However, when I arrived at the show everyone, and I mean almost every person, had an iPad. I began asking around about other devices, like the Honey Comb Android platform, but no one had seen or heard more than what was profiled on Mashable.
Luckily, I reconnected with Michelle from client services at BlackBerry who managed to get me a demo of the new Playbook. At last I had gotten my hands on a device that was supposedly comparable to the iPad.
Here is what I learned:
-Smaller interface, like a Kindle, but still a good size.
-Super intuitive and slick.
-It was quite heavy at first, but really solid to hold.
-In the limited time I got to test it seemed really fast.
-The screen was bright and clear.
-The touch screen seem durable and up to some abuse.
-The gaming was really quick and responsive. Different from the iPad, but not in a bad way.
It seemed like the hardware was comparable to the iPad, albeit different. So with such a great first impression, what really makes the iPad tablet stand out from the rest? In my opinion it’s the application marketplace. These devices are obsolete without flexibility and a wide range in the tools or applications people can use on them. Think about everyone you know using a smartphone. They all use it differently once you get past the basic tools. Everyone personalizes their device from reading and gaming to social media, web access and more.
All that said, I’m not writing the Playbook off just yet as many others have. I think BlackBerry might have a couple of tricks up their sleeve. However, they really need to find a way to allow users to personalize their Playbook so its use is not limited to the work or office environment. In fact, it could be a totally different user type that buys this new device, and if they play up the QNX software integration and the interface designed by Teknision, it could really give some of the other devices a run for their money. I for one am looking forward to the rumored launch in early April. After all, Apple needs some good competition in order to keep innovating. The tablet market is only 11 months old and I think there is still a lot more ahead of us.
If you don’t have tablet yet, you will want one soon. Let me know how you use yours. I am always on the look out for new applications and tools.
Skip to sharing