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HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape
At last, the webOS-empowered TouchPad, HP's answer to the growing tablet market. And make no mistake, it's coming in with guns blazing -- specs-wise, the slate stands up pretty well to the competition currently in play (e.g. iPad) and the other up-and-comers not quite out the gate (e.g. Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook). Stacked side-by-side, it's clear Apple's entry is lacking a bit in both memory (256MB vs. 1GB for everyone else) and front-facing camera -- not that we expect that to be the case for all of 2011. When it all comes down to it, what'll set these slates apart will be the platforms and software themselves -- should make for an interesting summer, no? In the meantime, for the nitty-gritty on technical specifications, venture past the break.
RIM tilts BlackBerry PlayBook keyboard on side, drops hints about TAT, module cavities and battery life
<div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/preview/rim-blackberry-keyboard-battery-tat-module-cavity/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/02/2-3-11-blackberry-playbook-portrait-keyboard.jpg"/></a></div> RIM held a BlackBerry WebWorks developer event in San Francisco this evening, and while hard news was not in attendance, we did score a number of tidbits about the company's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/BlackBerryPlayBook/">BlackBerry PlayBook</a>. First and foremost, there's most definitely a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/blackberry-playbook-gets-demoed-in-portrait-mode/">portrait virtual keyboard</a> in the latest QNX tablet build, and we literally gave it a spin, watching as the landscape layout slowly switched to portrait mode as we changed the slate's orientation. Second, we may have gotten our first hint about what RIM's doing with the recently-purchased <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/02/rim-buys-tat-blackberry-ui-in-danger-of-becoming-awesome/">TAT</a> -- we overheard that the PlayBook's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/blackberry-playbook-preview/">bezel gestures</a> actually aren't quite finalized yet, and that the astonishingly silent UI design division may be lending a hand. On the all-important subject of battery life we don't have much to add beyond <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/24/rim-playbook-battery-life-will-be-equal-or-greater-than-the-ip/">earlier boasts</a>, but a staffer did tell us that RIM's shooting for a "full work day" of juice. Last but not least, we were told that Jim Balsillie's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/16/jim-balsillie-says-blackberry-playbook-has-a-module-cavity-hi/">module cavity</a> certainly exists, but it's not the user-upgradable slot or socket we'd hoped -- rather, it's a orifice deep inside the PlayBook for hardware enhancements at the factories where devices are built. Like <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/blackberry-4g-playbook-coming-to-sprint-network-this-summer-obv/">this one</a>, perhaps? Video after the break.
RIM exec talks PlayBook, App World, QNX on phones, and more
While we wait for the PlayBook to released in its WiFi- and WiMAX-equipped forms over the next few months, RIM's taking every opportunity it can to talk about the platform -- and the latest comes from an interview between FierceDeveloper and the company's veep of developer relations, Tyler Lessard, who played a prominent role at BlackBerry DevCon '10 a while back where the PlayBook was first announced. When asked about RIM's decision to partner up with Sprint and deliver a WiMAX version first before looking at bigger carriers with more broadly-used technologies, Lessard says that they "were really excited about was Sprint's interest and excitement in coming to the table and working with us on a product like that" -- which we take as code for either "they paid us the most" or "no one else bit." Either way, interesting verbiage to say the least -- though he does say that there are other versions in the pipe. On App World, Lessard notes that BlackBerry's third-party app platform has taken in some 5,000 apps in the last couple months alone -- not a big number, necessarily, until you consider that they're only up to 17,000 total, so they're definitely seeing some nice growth percentages there. Turning the attention to the perennial question of when QNX will come to smartphones, he basically echoes a sentiment first shared by bossman Lazaridis back at D: Dive Into Mobile: dual-core processors are key, so the new platform won't filter down until the hardware gets beefier. He says that "we really want to make sure we don't back-step from that and offer a degraded experience because hardware is not ready or the performance isn't there," which is arguably odd wording considering that BlackBerry 6 is already well behind the curve -- how much worse could QNX on a single-core 1GHz-plus processor really be? [Thanks, Ben]
QNX Car concept with PlayBook integration hands-on (video)
Okay, we've seen an iPad on a dashboard. Ready for some in-car PlayBook action? Recent RIM acquisition QNX is all over it, showing off what it calls simply QNX Car. It's a basic reference implementation of some technology that will be running the infotainment systems of cars in the coming years -- though they'll surely look very different than this by then. QNX is showing how it can pull media from multiple sources, like an iPhone, use Message Access Protocol Bluetooth to pull data from a BlackBerry, and even use Terminal Mode to replicate the UI of something like the PlayBook. Plus, the PlayBook was able to change climate control settings in the car. The company is also working on what it's called the Simple UI Protocol. It's basically a lowest-common-denominator smartphone integration -- something like Ford's AppLink that, in theory, will work regardless of the app or the hardware on the car. It's very limited, allowing just two lines of text and a few icons to be sent from the phone to the car, and just two buttons (left and right) to be sent back to the phone as controls. The idea is to remove any aspect of driver distraction and to provide AppLink-like functionality in a standard, non OEM-specific way, which we like. But, it's so limited in scope we're not sure just how useful it would be. See for yourself after the break. %Gallery-113595%
Editorial: RIM seems to be as lost as my BlackBerry
The only way to open this editorial is to admit something I've been rather shy about on the pages of Engadget: I've been an avid BlackBerry fan and user for about six years now. I mean a real addict -- the kind who wakes up each morning looking for a blinking red LED, the kind who's refused to give up push email and BlackBerry Messenger in favor of more powerful, polished, and progressive mobile operating systems like iOS, Android, and webOS. In fact, when my Verizon contract was up last year I opted to get a Curve 8530 instead of the Motorola Droid or Palm Pre -- to say nothing of making the leap over to AT&T for the iPhone.There were lots of reasons I didn't want to give up my BlackBerry, but five days ago I lost that very Curve in a San Francisco cab. Then coincidentally, a day later I saw RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis speak at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference, where he almost embarrassingly avoided every question about the company's immediate smartphone strategy. I had always known that RIM was behind the curve (always a great pun!), but I also always had hope that the company would catch up with modern smartphones of today. Sadly, watching Mike dodge questions on the D stage took that hope away from me -- it's crystal clear that RIM won't have a solution to compete with those powerful smartphones anytime soon. So, what happens to a BlackBerry diehard like myself? Where do I go from here?
RIM's Mike Lazaridis: QNX coming to BlackBerry phones when dual-core processors are ready
Unfortunately, the crazy rumors that Google's Nexus S would ship with a dual-core Orion processor didn't pan out, which means we're still waiting for a smartphone to ship with honest-to-goodness multicore silicon of any sort; it's still unclear just how soon we're going to see that wild dream come to fruition, but RIM's Mike Lazaridis is talking like he wants to take the lead in making it happen. At D:Dive Into Mobile this evening, Waterloo's outspoken co-CEO went on record that they'll be taking the PlayBook's QNX platform to smartphones just "as soon as [he has] dual core baseband CPUs," though power consumption remains a limiting factor. At any rate, RIM seems to be fully acknowledging now both that QNX is a little too beefy for today's smartphones and that BlackBerry OS isn't quite beefy enough, which leaves these guys in a bit of a pinch until the dual-core revolution takes hold.
BlackBerry PlayBook first hands-on! (video)
RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie actually declined to show off the his company's tablet today on the Web 2.0 Summit stage, but in private he was more than kind, treating us to a nice long glimpse at the BlackBerry PlayBook in a quaint hotel hallway. We only got to heft the one-pound slate for a few seconds, but we got the basic feel of the device in the hand -- warm to the touch, solid if a little plasticky, with a responsive glass touchscreen up top and a bottom that's mildly rubberized. Balsillie didn't bother to locate the "module cavity" for us, but he did try to explain where those 5300mAh lithium ion cells might hide -- we suspect the CEO exaggerated only slightly when he told us "it's all battery and glass inside." He then wrenched the device forcefully from our unprepared hands (at least that's how we like to think it went down) and proceeded to let us film a brief film showing off the QNX and Air-based OS juggling a spreadsheet, photo gallery and some beautiful underwater footage all at the same time. Hit the break for that hastily-shot video.
BlackBerry PlayBook Simulator Beta hands-on
Sure, you might have to be at Adobe's MAX conference to actually hold a PlayBook in your hand... but RIM's offering us all the next best thing by turning a beta version of its PlayBook simulator loose on devs way, way in advance of the tablet's release -- ostensibly in the hopes of drumming up a beefy third-party app catalog in time for retail. On that note, we've spent a few minutes playing with the simulator today, which is delivered in the form of an ISO that can be loaded as an operating system installer for a VMWare virtual machine on either Windows or Mac. There's seriously very little to see here so far, but you can play with the on-screen landscape keyboard, confirm the presence of inertial scrolling in text areas, and get a quick look at how the status and app bars work. Speaking of apps, there aren't any -- not a single one -- but it's way early, and that's obviously where RIM hopes you come into play with that million-dollar software idea of yours. Follow the break for a video walkthrough! %Gallery-105944%
BlackBerry PlayBook demoed in the flesh at Adobe MAX, Air-based SDK launched
RIM's PlayBook just got real -- quite literally -- at Adobe's MAX conference today. Granted, out-of-the-box Flash and Air support are being billed as a big deal for the PlayBook, but it still seems a little strange that the company showed non-functional dummies running video loops encased in Plexiglas at its developer conference just a few weeks back, only to let Adobe show the good stuff at its own event here. There is some logic behind it, for what it's worth: Adobe and RIM have announced availability today of an Air SDK targeting the PlayBook's QNX-based platform with deep hardware integration, giving devs plenty of ramp-up time considering that the tablet won't be available until early next year. Kobo was among the companies on-hand to talk about the sheer awesomeness of the dev environment, and the general attitude toward the PlayBook's ease of development seems to be a positive one; we all know how important third-party apps are to a mobile platform's success at this point, of course, so we'll need a few thousand more Kobos on board to leave these guys with a happy ending. Check the full demo from the MAX keynote stage after the break. Update: RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis -- who was up on stage with Adobe's Kevin Lynch for the demo -- announced that devs who get PlayBook apps approved into App World will get a free PlayBook. Not a bad incentivizer, if we do say so ourselves.
BlackBerry Devcon 2010 keynote now ready for your streaming pleasure
Can't get enough PlayBook in your life? We understand how it is. After all, it's not every day that you hear of ultraslim 7-inch tablets that promise to take your BBM life to another level. RIM must sympathize with your eagerness as well, since it's now made its Devcon 2010 keynote available for streaming online -- replete with Mike Lazaridis' impassioned speech about a "no compromise" tablet that's enterprise-ready, multimedia-friendly, and even comes with "a full gigahertz of RAM" (19 minutes into the video). It's stirring stuff, and you might even learn a bit more about the QNX-built BlackBerry Tablet OS underpinning the whole thing. The source link is where you'll find the full 142-minute show. [Thanks, Moazam]
BlackBerry PlayBook vs. iPad vs. Galaxy Tab vs. Streak: the tale of the tape
What a day -- yesterday, that is. Research in Motion finally announced its long-awaited BlackBerry tablet, the 7-inch PlayBook (thankfully not named the BlackPad). While there's still quite a few missing details, and nary an unit in site for us to try first-hand, we've still got a sampling of specs for this little guy to go tête-à-tête on the quantitative field of proverbial battle, at least as it can be seen so far (that early 2011 release date is still a ways off). Looks very promising so far, lined up against Apple's iPad, Samsung's Galaxy Tab, and the Dell Streak, but our known unknowns -- i.e. price, app support, and overall feel of using the QNX-built operating system -- are what will really make or break the slate. Until that time, enjoy our number-crunching below: BlackBerry PlayBook Apple iPad Samsung Galaxy Tab Dell Streak Screen size 7 inches 9.7 inches 7 inches 5 inches Resolution 1024 x 600 1024 x 768 1024 x 600 800 x 480 Pixel density (approx.) 170 133 170 187 Platform BB Tablet OS iOS 3.2.2 (4.2 in November) Android 2.2 Android 1.6 (2.1 / 2.2 in future) Adobe Flash support 10.1 Not Supported 10.1 Not supported Processor 1GHz dual-core Cortex A9 1GHz Apple A4 (ARMv7) 1GHz Cortex A8 1GHz Snapdragon Graphics Unknown PowerVR SGX 535 PowerVR SGX 540 Adreno 200 RAM 1GB 256MB 512MB 512MB Internal Storage 16GB / 32GB (unconfirmed) 16GB / 32GB / 64GB 16GB / 32GB 2GB Expansion Unknown None microSD microSD Connectivity 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Cellular data 3G and 4G promised for future 3G optional (GSM) 3G (all carriers) 3G (sold via AT&T) GPS None 3G models only Yes Yes Camera 3MP front, 5MP rear None 1.3MP front, 3MP rear VGA front, 5MP rear Weight 0.9 lbs 1.5 - 1.6 lbs 0.84 lbs 0.49 lbs
iPad vs. PlayBook... fight!
Okay, we've got a long way to go before we can do a fair, apples-to-berries comparison between these two titans of industry, but consider this your first sneak preview of the deathmatch to come. As we mentioned in the previous post, the PlayBook is hopelessly locked away in insanely thick Plexiglas -- and the iPad is unactivated, though that doesn't much matter for getting a sense of the size comparison between 'em. Needless to say, the PlayBook looks way easier to lug around... but we just won't know by how much until we've got one resting in our sweaty, eager palms. Hit up the gallery! %Gallery-103441%
BlackBerry PlayBook first eyes-on!
So RIM's got these PlayBooks locked in thick Plexiglas that seems specifically designed to prevent you from seeing the side, though we don't know why they'd want to do that considering it's a sexy 9.7mm thin. Anyhow, the screen seems pretty great -- we're not sure if it's IPS, but it's definitely high-res and should function really well for video and gaming. All told, it looks like it'll be about as easy to lug around as the Galaxy Tab, which makes sense considering we're looking at the same size display and roughly the same form factor. Peep the gallery! %Gallery-103439% %Gallery-103440%
Amazon bringing Kindle app to BlackBerry PlayBook, loves making Kindle apps
One of the great original fears when Amazon built the Kindle was that they were after some iTunes / iPod-style walled garden ecosystem. And while, sure, Kindle is a walled garden ecosystem, those walls sure are extensive! Amazon just announced that it will be supporting the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, in addition to the BlackBerry mobile app they've already got. There aren't any specific details about this app, but Amazon is all about the consistent user experience, with features like WhisperSync keeping your copy of Neal Stephenson perfectly synced across a myriad of devices, so there's nothing much to say we suppose. We are sure, however, that page turns will be blazing with that dual core processor.
RIM introduces PlayBook -- the BlackBerry tablet
Today at Research In Motion's annual BlackBerry Developer Conference, CEO Mike Lazaridis announced the company's new tablet -- the PlayBook. The tablet will utilize an OS created by the recently acquired QNX (just as we'd heard previous to the announcement) called the BlackBerry Tablet OS which will offer full OpenGL and POSIX support alongside web standards such as HTML5 (which is all tied into RIM's new WebWorks SDK). Lazaridis was joined on stage by the company's founder, Dan Dodge, who said that "QNX is going to enable things that you have never seen before," and added that the PlayBook would be "an incredible gaming platform for publishers and the players." RIM also touted the PlayBook's ability to handle Flash content via Flash 10.1, as well as Adobe AIR apps. The new slate -- which Lazaridis described as "the first professional tablet" -- will sport a 7-inch, 1024 x 600, capacitive multitouch display, a Cortex A9-based, dual-core 1GHz CPU (the company calls it the "fastest tablet ever"), 1GB of RAM, and a 3 megapixel front-facing camera along with a 5 megapixel rear lens (and yes, there will be video conferencing). There was no mention of onboard storage capacity during the keynote, though the devices we just spied in our eyes-on post are labeled 16GB and 32GB on their back panels. The PlayBook will be capable of 1080p HD video, and comes equipped with an HDMI port as well as a microUSB jack, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1. The device clocks in at a svelte 5.1- by 7.6-inches, is only 0.4-inches thick, and weighs just 400g (or about 0.9 pounds). In terms of interface, the OS looks like a mashup of webOS and the BlackBerry OS, even allowing for multitasking via what amounts to a "card" view. Interestingly, RIM and QNX boasted of the PlayBook's multimedia and gaming functions, but Mike Lazaridis also described the tablet as "an amplified view of what's already on your BlackBerry." That's due largely in part to a function of the tablet which allows you to siphon data off of your BlackBerry handset via Bluetooth tethering and display it on your PlayBook (a la the ill-fated Palm Foleo). While the PlayBook doesn't seem to rely on phone content alone, the press release from the company says that users can "use their tablet and smartphone interchangeably without worrying about syncing or duplicating data." RIM didn't hand out any solid launch dates beyond "early 2011," and of course, there was no mention of retail price. We've got a slew of content after the break, including the PlayBook spec rundown, the company's press release, and a full video of the device (and UI) in action -- so take a look! %Gallery-103424% %Gallery-103422%
WSJ says BlackBerry tablet could be announced as soon as next week
The Wall Street Journal is saying that RIM's now very close to being ready to show off this long-rumored tablet they've been cooking up -- and the public unveiling could come as early as next week when the company will be holding its Developer Conference in San Francisco. The QNX operating system rumor is apparently correct, as is the talk that the only means of connectivity will be WiFi and tethering through a BlackBerry; in other words, you won't need a dedicated service plan for the tablet and it won't be sold on contract (good call). The manufacturing wizards at Quanta are rumored to be on tap for manufacturing it with some sort of Marvell power under the hood, and even if the tablet ultimately fails Foleo-style, it could still be a huge launch: WSJ's sources are also saying that RIM will end up migrating all of its phones to QNX in the long term. As for the name? WSJ doesn't seem to know, though it does report that "BlackPad" is being thrown around internally; we're kind of partial to "SurfBook" ourselves, especially since "BlackPad" will make it tough to sell the thing in any color other than black. Seriously, who wants an orange BlackPad? Follow the break to sound off in the poll!
BlackPad to have its own OS, built by QNX?
We did wonder why RIM was acquiring infotainment specialist QNX Software Systems back in April, and today, according to Bloomberg, much of that mystery has been dispelled. Three separate sources are cited in a report claiming that RIM intends to run software built by QNX on its virginal tablet effort, the BlackPad. It's curious that the company is opting against upscaling its BlackBerry 6 operating system into the tablet space, though one of the sources suggested that's due to legacy code hanging around in the still new OS, making it easier to just start afresh when building the slate's software package. It shall be very interesting indeed to see how well this $200 million investment works out for RIM; it'll certainly be the biggest departure from the BlackBerry maker's conservative norm.
RIM buys QNX, talks in-car infotainment, 'intelligent peripherals'
RIM buying a relatively unknown company for an undisclosed sum may not ordinarily be the most exciting of the developments, but the company's acquisition of Ottawa-based QNX Software Systems does certainly raise some interesting questions, at least some of which RIM is actually answering. According to co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, RIM is buying QNX at least in part to "further integrate and enhance the user experience between smartphones and in-vehicle audio and infotainment systems," adding that the company will also "bring other value to RIM in terms of supporting certain unannounced product plans for intelligent peripherals." Lazaridis didn't get much more specific than that, but the notion of "intelligent peripherals" does offer quite a bit of food for thought, as does QNX's past involvement in projects like the LTE Connected Car. Of course, as with most acquisition announcements, this one isn't a done deal just yet, but RIM and QNX seem confident that it will be closed in 30 to 45 days following regulatory approval.
LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)
If you think cellphones have become overbearingly complex, look away now. A partnership of tech companies and content providers, known as the ng Connect Program, has revealed a prototype "LTE Connected Car," which, as you might surmise, combines 4G mobile broadband connectivity with a bunch of cloud-sourced facilities, such as video on demand, audio libraries, and multiplayer gaming. It can also serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot, connect directly to home automation or monitoring systems, and probably cook you scrambled eggs if you ask nicely. A Toyota Prius serves as the guinea pig for this new concept, and we've got video of the whole shebang after the break.
HIRO, the realistic 'torso bot' for researchers and fans of El DeBarge
Are you a serious scientific researcher / evil genius looking for a robot for serious scientific research / "evil genius" research? Do you need something whose movements more closely approximates those of the humans who you might wish to help / destroy? Kawada Industries and General Robotix in Japan (GRX) have teamed up to develop a little something called HIRO, or "Human Interactive Robot." Designed to move in a more lifelike fashion that any robot on the market these days, this bad boy has fifteen degrees of freedom (including two in the neck, six in each arm and one in the lower back). It can also carry an object weighing up to 2kg in each arm, and its finger tip features an operating force of up to 10kgf. If that weren't enough, it also includes a head-mounted double-lens stereo vision camera, two robot hands, two hand cameras, a control PC, and a PC for information processing. For the OS, this device uses that perennial favorite of evil genuises everywhere (Windows XP) while it uses something called QNX for control systems. Available for delivery to academic research institutes and mad scientist's hideouts sometime this fall for a price of ¥7.4 million (just about $77,000) -- or, if you're on a tight budget, the basic package (which excludes the head-mounted camera, the two robot hands, and includes a simplified neck) is priced at ¥5.4 million (roughly $57,000). One more pic after the break.
