Customer Ratings & Reviews

As a Creative Writer Photo Journalist, at www.cwpgl.com, the new BlackBerry PlayBook, with 32GB's or more, is the perfect and most logical presentation for my extensive media photo journals and galleries, i.e., that will be readily viewed by many clients, in searching for and selecting the perfect image for their immediate needs and exclusive publications. My Congratulations to the BlackBerry team for the development and marketing of a great product for the professional media journalist and their publishers. JL

Week one has been great so far. I love the interface. It's smooth, it's quick, it's pretty. This has one of the fastest browsers I've used on a mobile device. Being able to load full websites, flash and all is great. The build quality is solid. Does not feel plasticy or cheap at all. Takes great pics and video..in decent lighting conditions. The battery can last two days with moderate use. I've yet to run out of juice on a full days use. It's the perfect size for portability. can slip it into your pocket and not feel awkward pulling it out in public. Multi tasking like a pro. This thing can run 9 plus apps simultaneously without slowdown. Video playback is awesome. I've downloaded some music vids from youtube and they look great The downside is yes, there aren't alot of apps in as it stands right now. No native email for those that don't just go to gmail. No auto correct when typing. These can all be remedied with software updates. Hopefully sooner than later.

at $199 price point I will compare it with Kindle fire as I own both the device. Though I'm using fire for months and playbook for only a couple of weeks, I guess my experience with playbook is worth mentioning. Pros: 1. Display is excellent. Fire and playbook both have 1024X600 pixels, but pixel only tell you partial story of quality. The display panel on playbook is superior and you have to see it yourself. 2. The OS 2.0 is stable and is more intuitive than android in almost every way. I'm using ICS 4.0 (CM9) on my cell phone and ( Amazon skinned) 2.3 on fire. Even ICS can not come close. 3. It has 1GB RAM compared to 512MB RAM of fire. Multitasking is phenomenal on playbook. This is hands down the best multitasking implementation on the market. Everthing is snappy. 4. It has two cameras in comparison to none on fire. Even the front facing camera shoot 1080p video. Though the quality isn't outstanding, its doable and of course better than having none. 5. The build quality of the tablet is also extremely good. It seems solid and have a quality feel to it. Cons: 1. the offered contents are not very good. The appworld is missing a lot of applications. But fortunately I found most of the apps as .bar file and able to run on playbook since playbook can run android apps. 2. I would like it to be lighter. Its not heavy at 425g but a i expected less. 3. Battery life is around 6 hrs. I am really happy with it. But people who used iPad before might notice this as an important down side. Finally, I would like to mention that the multitasking on playbook, the intuitive interface and ability to play multiple graphics intensive games simultaneously this device has exceeded my expectations. at only $199, this is a steal. People who do not like constant tinkering, would love playbook.

With the current price cut the Playbook is a no brainer for blackberry phone owners. The playbook integrates pretty seamlessly with blackberry phones through the "bridge" application and all your email attachments and such are far easier to view, There is a "bridge browser" which, if you're not on AT&T, let's you surf over the internet using your blackberry data link without needing to sign up for tethering. Since the data is over the blackberry secure network it's too slow for video/music streaming and the like, but in a pinch it's good to have. The regular browser over wifi is excellent. The screen is shocking clear, the device is relatively fast. When they say you get a "full internet Browser" they mean it! I’ve been streaming TV shows from the websites for a few networks with no issues at all. Unfortunately no Hulu or Netflix, but again the major networks, YouTube rentals and even Amazon pretty darn good. With Amazon however you have the same problem with ending up with a letter box display despite the resolution #Roku, which I also have, has the same issue with amazon on demand# Honestly the browser on my playbook gives me fewer issues than using chrome or safari on my laptop. The front facing camera is pretty useless as Skype is not available. You can video chat with other Playbook owners. Rear camera is ok cell phone quality. I'll be honest, the main reason I got this is that reading business email on a blackberry phone, and phone really, is hard. This is an elegant solution for Blackberry users. This is far more portable than an IPad which I find you need to treat more like a laptop if you want to take it with you. Everything else the playbook does over and above being a companion device to my phone is just a bonus in my book. It's not as easy to use as the Kindle Fire, but it's more powerful and runs faster. If you’re committed the all things Amazon get the kindle fire, if you’re a little more experimental with your devices get this instead. RIM, the makers of blackberry products, promises major updates and an "android player" that will basically allow a limited number of android apps to run on the playbook, However it's hard to gauge if that will happen as they are aiming for a February release date. Still at the current price, for Blackerry phone owners this is a compelling option.

I've received my playbook from the blackberry developer program, and it is a fabulous product. The screen is crystal clear and the performance is impeccable. There's no lag on 1080p HD video, heavy flash websites, or heavy 3D games. It comes preloaded with Office, games, media player, and everything else you'd expect from a high end tablet. The form factor makes typing much easier than my EVO, iPod or the other tablets I've used. And this thing is FAST. Everything I've done so far has been responsive and snappy. Everyone comments on how much they like the size. Big enough to enjoy movies and full featured websites (not mobile versions), and small enough to not feel like your lugging a suitcase around. Reading on it is comfortable due to its lighter than other tablets weight and larger than phone screen. Well done BlackBerry!!

Before buying the playbook, I looked at the Motorola Xoom, Galaxy Tab, Ipad2 and the Playbook for several hours at Best Buy over a couple of days. What really sold me on the the Playbook was the interface and the fact that I can multi-task like crazy and not crash. Three months later i'm still happy with, it has to be the most solid device ever, the QNX operating system is solid and can't wait for RIMM to put that out on their cell phones later this year. After using a few months, here are some observations: - Browser is excellent. some sites though detect the playbook as a mobile browser and default to a mobile browser. You will need to go to the desktop link on the site. You can run very intense flash heavy sites. I showed this to a couple of colleagues at work who have Ipad's and took me to the most intensive flash sites that they couldn't access properly on the Ipad, - Battery: is decent i can get a day to a day and half if i'm lucky. I did use it on a flight recently from Newark to Las Vegas and watched movies on it. I had 40% battery life at the end of the flight. E-Mail: Yes i know all the analysts are harping about the lack of e-mail and it's not THAT bad. BBM is nice on the Playbook and I can type faster than on the Storm2. I did have a problem with the e-mail client a few weeks after I got it in which it got corrupted (it kept flashing grey & white) RIMM's solution was to do a security wipe and had to re install all my data.,.. Yikes.. Office - Rim features Documents to Go by Dataviz a Microsoft compatible Office featuring Word, Excel and Powerpoint. I've tried the Word and Excel and use it quite a bit. I haven't tried Powerpoint it's more for viewing presentations. Apps- While the Blackberry World lacks what Ipad2 offers over quantity of apps. The past few months I've seen an improvement on the quantity of the apps. It should improve when RIMM releases their android player sometime this summer. Multimedia - For a business tablet this tablet features good multimedia. I ripped a couple of movies from DVD Fab using the Storm2 format and watched them on a plane ride. the picture looked great even using high compression. The speakers on this rock, there's 4 speakers and when you play at maximum volume the music it's really loud. Overall i'm pretty happy with. Try the Playbook for yourself and see.

I had to return my iPad, very sad to do so because of the obvious genius design, functionality and fun of the iPad. Yet why does such genius overlook the need to work flawlessly with Microsoft Excel?? The apps Readdle and Docs to Go together cost a total of $15 and mangled my spreadsheets and handled them at a ridiculously sluggish pace. I didn't try Apple Numbers, but I read that it screws your spreadsheet format as well. In my line of work, Excel drives everything and time wasted on distorted spreadsheets is unacceptable. Many other little organizational details of the iPad escaped my grasp too... Now that I have a playbook, I can put it to work without loosing a step. -Especially great for Blackberry phone users - free tethering via bluetooth (NO EXTRA DATA PLAN REQUIRED!!!) -Pre-loaded with Microsoft Office -Handles long spreadsheets with great speed and agility -Easy to save new documents on the playbook and find them and attach them to emails -Great screen presentation (plenty of pixels) -Blackberry desktop software is well put together and easy to use -Touch screen action is crisp, agile (screen flip sometimes lags behind what the iPad would flip at) -Good Battery life (truly 7-8 hrs) -I like the swiping, swashbuckling commands - they are a breeze after a day of practice and quite comfortable and sensible -The small power/sleep button is a positive to me because I don't constantly put it to sleep (as happens to the iPad often due to the large size of their sleep button) -Great camera/ photo taking quality -To my surprise, I was able to type on this small screen tolerably well, nearly as well as the iPad, which has a significantly larger screen.... -Would be nice to have a on-board email program, which will come soon. -Would have been great to have a few more centimeters on the screen dimensions Overall, I'm very pleased with the Playbook!! (Wish that I could justify getting an iPhone and iPad for fun, but fun doesn't always pay the bills...unless you build your own business from the ground up with Apple business products, then the Apple toys would be productive as well as fun...)

I have had my Playbook for about three weeks now and I have to say, it is everything I had hoped for. Some of my favorite things about it so far. Screen/ graphics - Stunning HD video and the pictures I have taken so far look crisp and clear. Shot a quick test video and it looks very nice also, with great sound. The touch screen is also very responsive and the 'swipe-from-bezel-to-wake' feature is cool, as is swiping from the bezel to minimize programs. Typing on the screen keyboard is easy enough and I have yet to hit the wrong keys. Organization of screen icons/ programs and ease of use - Easy to navigate to whatever I want from the home screen and moving from program to program is totally intuitive. Quick links to Settings, Bluetooth, WiFi, Battery, Bridge, Orientation Lock are all in the upper right corner. Email message notifications (received and stored on my BB phone- accessible via bridge) are in the upper left.Time and Date top center. Connections -The Bridge to my Blackberry Tour email and content is seamless and fast. I have also found that my phone does not not even need to be close for it to work. I can surf to an email link with no problem, and the Bridge browser does not require WiFi. Turning the Bluetooth and WiFi on and off (to conserve battery) could not be simpler. WiFi is fast and strong and both the bridge connection and the WiFi work throughout my home and yard. Picking up free WiFi connections when out and about works great. MISC. -The Browser and online content rendering is great. I have had no issues so far and having Flash is definitely a big plus. -Excellent calculator, with Standard & Scientific modes, as well as a Unit converter and Tip calculator. My son used the scientific calculator for his Geometry final and said he preferred it over the TI-84 Silver Edition. -The Kobo Books eReader is good enough for my needs as I prefer most of my books in hard-copy. I have however downloaded several for when I am stuck waiting somewhere with nothing else to do. -I've never played Need for Speed before so I have nothing to compare it to but I enjoy it on my Playbook and so does my teenage son who has played it in other formats. He was able to figure it out much faster than me and laughed at my race times. -The weather app is better than most I've seen, and it is very useful to have "Word-to-Go", "Sheet-to-Go" and "Slideshow-to-Go" included. -The mini HDMI connection is another awesome feature but I have not tested it yet. -I can charge it in my car using the same charger I already have for my BB smart-phone. I can't wait until BlackBerry has access to Android apps and I am looking forward to future updates but for now I am quite pleased with my purchase and I take it with me almost everywhere I go. I also use it about every night while lying in bed after DH falls asleep :) Highly recommended over all the other tablets out there. note: I don't know if BestBuy carries this or not but I have a convertible leather case (Targus) that is a really nice accessory.

Video-resolution fantastic. Processors-quick, reliable, can easily multitask. Touchscreen-still getting the hang of this (my first device with one). Most primary links respond well, but I have trouble with some secondary ones. Apps-not an IPAD or Android selection, but I have the basics I need to listen to online radio/video streams, record HD videos, and take/edit pictures. Overall build-solid, good feel. I have a blackberry bold which is always with me, so the bridge feature works fine for accessing and using smart phone content like emails. It does have gmail and similar apps, but I don't use them. The 2.0 OS is supposed to come out in February, which would: 1. Make it Android compatible and open up the number of available apps. 2. Allow better organization of files, as right now documents seem to lump together in Word to Go. 3. Make it possible to transfer files directly by flash drive. Right now it can be done through email or by synching with the computer using the BlackBerry Desktop Software.

I could not pass up the sale on the Playbook and I am glad I made the purchase. I primarily use it for business and use the Blackberry Bridge app to connect it to my phone via Bluetooth. It is much, much easier to go through and answer e-mails rather than using the small phone. The pop-up keyboard is just the right size and very easy to use for my fat fingers. The browser is great and graphics are unreal. My beefs with it are #1 Set Up - what a pain in the tuckus. Took more than a day and the worst part was getting my desktop to recognize the Playbook. Not sure if this was the trick or not, but after trying and trying decided to turn off the internet connection and that finally did it. My #2 beef is that the Citrix app could be much better. It pretty much runs on the Playbook very similar than what it does on a desktop but that is the problem - desktops and tablets are different animals used in different ways and it is harder to navigate. I just hope that this is just a case of getting used to it and it becomes easier as time moves on. I bought a case with Bluetooth keyboard separately and, although a wee bit bulky, was a great purchase. My goal was to be able to take this on one or two day business trips without lugging around my laptop and this does the trick.

I've had my playbook for over a month before thinking of writing a review. It has also been updated to OS 2 (which is where most of what I discuss is based). I love the multi-tasking. This is not for everyone, but I tend to do a lot at once on any device that I own and use. I found the web browser to be a little laggy on some sites, but it has loaded html5, youtube and all sites I have visited just fine. I love the size. Other tablets were too big for me and not comfortable to hold or carry around. I wanted a portable tablet, and the 7" screen size works for that (the PlayBook fits in my back pocket). I haven't had a hard time reading on the screen (touble-tap to zoom, or pinch) The gestures are pretty simple to learn and become second nature. It is similar to the HP TouchPad in some ways, but has been improved upon. My wife and seven year old daughter were able to learn them pretty quickly and finds them natural. Blackberry Bridge is the main thing I was looking forward to. It allows me to open and edit any file I have stored on my cell phone (9810), handle emails and BBM from the tablet and use my phone's data connection when I am not around Wi-Fi. A new feature to the bride in OS 2 was the remote control. This allows me to hook my Playbook up to a TV and use my phone to control it (similar to the touch pads on laptops) along with letting me type from my phone. All of the gestures work the same, including the bezel ones. I found this handy for video, pictures, web browsing and spreadsheets. I can sit anywhere and control the device, answer emails and messages and even use my phone for non-bridged apps at the same time. My biggest complaint has little to do with the device. Services like Netflix, Hulu and even Kindle have not supported natively on the playbook. This annoys me because they support other tablets. Netflix said they have no plans and Amazon promised a Kindle app over a year ago. Since this is not RIM's fault, I cannot fault the tablet (it can run these if the devs allowed it). Another cool feature with OS2 is the ability to convert and run apps from Android. Many developers have done this already and their apps are in app world. If you have a decent level of tech, you can install apps (including kindle) on your playbook. I did not find it hard at all. I only used apps converted by others and that I knew were free. There are native email, calendar and contacts, but I do not personally use them. I have a BlackBerry phone, so I just use the bridge. I set them up just to get a feel for them and found them to be intuitive. The only drawback to the email is that you have to be connected (obviously) whereas I'm used to them showing up on my phone. The PlayBook isn't for everyone, but it is good to evaluate how you would use a tablet and then decide from there. All devices are based on needs, likes and uses.

This is my first tablet purchase but I do have experience using iPads. I really wanted the power of a tablet with the size of an eReader and the Playbook fits that perfectly. The software is surprisingly reliable for being a 1.0 version but it is lacking features you would expect such as built in email and calendar apps (said to be coming this summer). The number of apps in App World seems to be growing quicker than I expected but we are waiting on bigger names to show up (Kindle by the end of May, Skype hopefully soon). Pros: Amazing screen color and clarity. If you use a Playbook for some time and then look at an iPad screen you will notice that the iPad looks fuzzy because of the lower pixel density. Speakers are great for such a small device. The feel of the device in your hand is very solid. Battery life is pretty good. Flash runs well but could use some improvement. Bezel gestures are great once you get used to them. Cons: Software needs some polish (mentioned before its 1.0), still waiting on some big name apps, waiting on the Android app emulator coming this summer, waiting on the email and calendar apps. Really all of the cons are around software, which can be improved with updates.

Recieved as a christmas present. At first was dissapointes because i really wanted an android based operating system. But once i got into the tablet. Although blackberry is reallu reallu slacking on the app market everytbi g else is top shelf quality. Can fun huge amounts of flaah programs. Screen is very clear. FASSSTTTTT.FASSST.FAST! Very compact yet big enough to enjoy everything and anytjing. Keyboard is awsome and comes preloaded with microsoft to go. Only thing that bothers me is the power button. I literally have to push the button in with a pen to turn it on. Other that that. If you dont wanna spend a ton of money for an ipad.xoom. or galaxy. This iz the tablet you need. 7/10

I recently bought the 32 GB Palybook at the promotional price of USD 249. Compared to the regular price of USD 599, this was a deal hard to resist. The overall built quality is extremely professional in line with blackberry products. The size is just fit and makes it very easy to hold as well as take it with you anywhere. Screen is razor sharp and works flawlessly for touch operations. Yes, the apps options are limited and I am still to get the apps for even basic yahoo/gtalk.. If you are looking for a tablet mainly for surfing, videos/music, this is the best you will get. Also, if you have a blackberry phone, this becomes an extended phone and you can access emails, calendars etc. Also, you can use your phone 3G services to access internet in playbook if the wifi is not available.

i bought my playbook on launch day. i have been very pleased with the overall feel and performance. the new OS is smooth and simple to use. the browser is exceptional and i love the size and portability. i have used the video camera and works great. everyone i have shown my playbook has been impressed. i cant wait for upcoming updates and more functionality. i love the bridge app. my best advice is get one and give it a try, you may be surprised. i typed this review on my playbook :-)

I am an iPhone user, but not an iPad user for several reasons. I've tried the iPad 1 and 2, but being so restricted to the Apple way or no way has had me looking for something better. I got the Blackberry Playbook hoping that it had, or I could download Office functionality, but no luck. Without a Blackberry device there is no way to carry over contacts, without direct input. The OS is great, it is very solid, but slow to boot up. I am looking for a device I can replace my Ultrabook on short one day business trips, and I'm still looking. The Android devices I have tried are OK, but the OS is more of a toy, and less of a business professional platform. Android is also way too busy. I understand its appeal (easily rooted), but I need a device that will all but mirror my desktop, which is starting to drive me toward a full Windows Tablet. The Windows solution is just cost prohibitive, and at $1,000 plus, I will just continue to carry my laptop. I think Blackberry has a winner in the Playbook, so I hope they continue the platform, and the Playbook 2 is a little more mature, and includes some form of Office.

I think overall this is the best tablet on the market and the size is much better than the ipad2 for commuters. It's really unbelievable when it comes to multitasking and real work. Blackberry's devices in general are not as user friendly as Apple especially since they didn't figure out the web browser until recently. However, I've found once you put some time into them, they become much more rewarding with useful shortcuts and better customization. Definitely not as many apps at the moment as the other ecosystems, but there are a lot of the major and most important apps. The 2.0 update coming out in February 2012 should be a game changer. The new native e-mail looks incredible (see the link below from CES). http://technorati.com/technology/gadgets/article/blackberry-playbook-20-video-walk-through/

I have had a playbook for about 2 months and like it more and more. With tablet s you have to figure out how to customize, and with the playbook you can pretty much do what ever you want. I use it for both business and personal. The playbook is built great, very fast, and wifi and blue tooth work very well with a great range( better than anything I have used. The bridge feature is great. Anything that is on your phone you have on your playbook. You can transfer files, pics, videos, ect... all over bluetooth. With the new software coming out the phone will work as a remote for the playbook as well as many other inhancements. The size of the playbook is perfect. 7in tablet is portable yet give you a user interface that is that of a lapto. I would definitely recommend the playbook.

Easy to use -once you learn the finger actions, good battery life, excellent screen image, fast, great teathering to blackberry phone (why I bought the Playbook). Needs more apps from the app store - I hear android is coming - and I hope soon.

As with any tablet the first iteration is not going to be the best, but as with Android Tablets, the updates will come and soon enough people can quit wishing for Netflix and Native Email and Calendar. Battery life is excellent and the screen is very nice and vibrant. Surfing the web is the best out there on a tablet and you will find it hard to crank up the laptop if you do not have to type alot (of course you could always buy and add- on keyboard if you needed to) Best of all is the price that no other (real) tablet can compete. Stop hesitating and purchase and start enjoying the convience of a great peice of hardware.