RIM Playbook

numble

状元
Just starting this thread to see what people think.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/27/rim- ... ry-tablet/

Dual core processor, 1 GB RAM, Dual Cameras. Early 2011. Targetted towards business and existing Blackberry users.

I think it will be pricy, since Blackberry phones are already $400-$500 (without contract), and Android phones with lower specs are already $500+ (without contract).

Pleco on this thing?
 

mikelove

皇帝
Staff member
numble said:
Pleco on this thing?

Yet Another Tablet OS, one which doesn't even share its APIs with BlackBerry smartphones... I suppose I should never shut the door on anything, this monstrosity could prove inexplicably popular with consumers and capture 80% of the market, but absent that (or compatibility with, say, Android APIs) I'd put Pleco support for it in "when pigs fly" territory.
 

gato

状元
They should have gone with Android as the OS. That at least would have given them instant access to a large base of app developers. They could still customize it anyway they want, like others are doing.

Blackberry's not that proficient in making front-end software (their back-end might be decent). They only started providing support for HTML emails recently, and it still doesn't work quite right.
 

character

状元
gato said:
They should have gone with Android as the OS. That at least would have given them instant access to a large base of app developers.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/27/rim- ... ry-tablet/
"Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java"

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/27/rim- ... s-ad-plat/
"WebWorks development platform. From what we've heard of this so far, it's basically a quick way for web devs to get into the BlackBerry app game by offering a tightly-integrated platform for HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript code with hooks to native BlackBerry OS functions and a packager for turning them into "real" BlackBerry apps."

There are plenty of developers for these tools, and plenty of them are interested in selling apps to corporate customers or business people.

Android is great for commodity hardware companies, not so great for others such as Nokia and RIM. Why did HP buy Palm/WebOS? So it wouldn't get stuck making commodity mobile hardware as it got stuck making commodity PCs.
 

gato

状元
I guess it depends on how much modification the Android license allows. If there is no limitation on modification, then there's no reason that a company can't customize it to the point that it is no longer a commodity.

The new Blackberry tablet OS development model sounds like the old WebOS model. Palm eventually allowed native code. Business customers can be picky and are reluctant to adopt new OS's. Many already own competing devices.
 

character

状元
gato said:
I guess it depends on how much modification the Android license allows. If there is no limitation on modification, then there's no reason that a company can't customize it to the point that it is no longer a commodity.
Except that not using stock Android and keeping it up to date is guaranteed to get bad coverage in the tech press every time the product is mentioned. It also confuses users who read about Android [latest version] having some feature or running some software, and the company's product won't have the feature or run the software, despite using Android.

The new Blackberry tablet OS development model sounds like the old WebOS model. Palm eventually allowed native code.
"BlackBerry will offer a full POSIX-compatible native SDK for its tablet OS, as well as a JavaVM to run apps written for BlackBerry OS 6."
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/201 ... upport.ars

Business customers can be picky and are reluctant to adopt new OS's. Many already own competing devices.
The appeal may be the integration with the Blackberry.

"The PlayBook will be able to pair with a BlackBerry smartphone for sharing data and its 3G data connection. It also is compatible with full device management solutions and BlackBerry Enterprise Server integration."
(as above)
 

gato

状元
Hmm, good to see that they will allow native code development. I guess an obvious target use for this is as a laptop replacement for business travelers. Some people are already taking the iPad to business meetings instead of a laptop.
 

mikelove

皇帝
Staff member
Well if they end up taking the POSIX / native-code-friendly OS from this and putting it on newer BlackBerries as well, that would be a very different story, but I just don't see a way for RIM to get enough of a chunk of a market which now has seven competing OSes (iOS, Android, Chrome, Windows 7, webOS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, and MeeGo) - eight if you consider the Amazon Kindle a tablet (it does run apps, however primitive) - to support development of software that'll only run on its tablet. Not one of those other OSes is tablet-only, iOS/Android/webOS/MeeGo run on phones and Chrome/Win7 on PCs, and even with their huge installed base / market share advantage Apple's had a hard time getting developers to optimize their existing iOS apps for iPad (in spite of the fact that it's incredibly easy and there are already millions of iPads in circulation).
 

radioman

状元
isn't Roger Waters touring?? :D

mikelove said:
numble said:
Pleco on this thing?

Yet Another Tablet OS, one which doesn't even share its APIs with BlackBerry smartphones... I suppose I should never shut the door on anything, this monstrosity could prove inexplicably popular with consumers and capture 80% of the market, but absent that (or compatibility with, say, Android APIs) I'd put Pleco support for it in "when pigs fly" territory.
 

character

状元
mikelove said:
[...] even with their huge installed base / market share advantage Apple's had a hard time getting developers to optimize their existing iOS apps for iPad (in spite of the fact that it's incredibly easy and there are already millions of iPads in circulation).
I think it may be more a case of pricing power -- better to develop some other app just for the iPad and be able to charge north of 99 cents for it. Universal apps are subject to the iPhone's crazy pricing pressure. There's also probably a lot of nearly abandoned apps on the App Store which don't sell enough to justify more than upgrading it to run on new OS versions.
 

gato

状元
Blackberry does have a built-in corporate user base. Many companies provide their employees Blackberries. If they make this compatible with the Blackberry email system, I could see companies start buying this, too, for their employees, as it would most likely be better than the handheld for editing documents / typing long emails on the go.
 

mikelove

皇帝
Staff member
radioman said:
isn't Roger Waters touring??
mikelove wrote:
I'd put Pleco support for it in "when pigs fly" territory.

Fly, not float majestically over a pretentious Pink Floyd concert, but kudos on the reference :)

character said:
I think it may be more a case of pricing power -- better to develop some other app just for the iPad and be able to charge north of 99 cents for it. Universal apps are subject to the iPhone's crazy pricing pressure. There's also probably a lot of nearly abandoned apps on the App Store which don't sell enough to justify more than upgrading it to run on new OS versions.

Fair point, but I still think the numbers could be higher - exciting new platform, enthusiastic customers, fewer price wars than on iPhone...

gato said:
If they make this compatible with the Blackberry email system, I could see companies start buying this, too, for their employees, as it would most likely be better than the handheld for editing documents / typing long emails on the go.

Have to disagree with you on that one - I can type text much faster even on an old Treo than on an iPad; even a very large touchscreen keyboard can't compare with a real physical one. Tablets are inherently consumption-oriented devices, they're not intended to nor are they ever likely to replace laptops for actually writing stuff; you can come close with a tablet + keyboard combo, but then why isn't your company just buying you a laptop to do the same thing? (cheaper and runs Office and all of your corporate apps)
 

gato

状元
Have to disagree with you on that one - I can type text much faster even on an old Treo than on an iPad; even a very large touchscreen keyboard can't compare with a real physical one. Tablets are inherently consumption-oriented devices, they're not intended to nor are they ever likely to replace laptops for actually writing stuff; you can come close with a tablet + keyboard combo, but then why isn't your company just buying you a laptop to do the same thing? (cheaper and runs Office and all of your corporate apps)
The text entry can be solved with a (bluetooth) keyboard, as you mentioned. The larger screen would be much better for editing Excel sheets and PowerPoint slides, and a good deal better for word processing. :wink:

Why not just a laptop. The touch screen does have its advantages. And sometimes you don't need much text entry and can leave the keyboard back in the office.

I'm thinking of getting the Apple bluetooth keyboard for my new iPhone 4, by the way. :D As for the iPad, I'm going to wait for version 2.0.
 
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