Laptop Thoughts: BlackBerry Playbook: Currently Only Half-Baked At Best

"For the record, the Maximum PC Lab keeps both feet planted squarely in the present tense. We don’t believe anyone should buy hardware based solely on its future potential. So what then to make of RIM’s nascent and decidedly half-baked Blackberry Playbook? Unless you’re 1) a Blackberry owner, 2) don’t care about apps or games, or 3) a devoted BB fanboy, the answer is: not much."

Not many positives in this article. Half-baked is the verdict, with much promised By RIM for future updates, like a standalone email client. In short, beta quality software along with some odd hardware choices, like the power switch location. And, no apps currently use the built-in front-facing camera. As for multitasking: there is a serious lack of applications, for example, no streaming video app, and no games. On the positive side, the processor screams, the UI feels "snappy," and the 1024x600 screen is rated as the best overall, even better than the iPad 2. This appears to be definitely a case of "wait for the next version." Starting at $500 for a 16GB version, the 32GB and 64GB versions cost $600 and $700 respectively, and this is for a WiFi-only version. Disappointing, to say the least.