Time for Play (Book)

MANILA, Philippines - There are many things that life offers us that we just can’t pass up.

For me, the things I will never pass up, given a chance to try ‘em out just once would be: Paying with pets, learning to care for a new animal, test–driving a vehicle (any kind of vehicle or form of transportation), a new fitness workout, teaching a class of kids, and fiddling with a gadget.

I have always believed that if we give anything a go, even just once, there is a lesson to learn — and with that lesson comes lots of fun, frustration and growth as a person.

I take my little passions to the max — no matter how trivial they might seem to others. After all, passions differ for each of us. And I have discovered that what makes a passion truly a passionate experience is the amount of ourselves we put into each endeavor.

So, yes, fiddling with gadgets is something that I would not give up for the world. I love learning about how these works of science and technology have changed the way people reach out to each other.

Time for play

When I finally got a chance to test run the newly launched BlackBerry PlayBook recently, it was an opportunity I did not pass up.

I will not lie — I have handled a few of the other tablets and am always impressed with what these small and handy gadgets can do for us.

But since I am a big BlackBerry cellphone user — I love BBM — I had a soft spot for the BB PlayBook.

The BB PlayBook is Research In Motion’s (RIM) first tablet device, which uses the all–new QNX–based BlackBerry Tablet OS. 

I must say that I was not disappointed with the PlayBook. After all, if we are to talk about design, I like to compare the BB PlayBook to the BB cellphones — they are no–nonsense gadgets. Sure, I know that many of the other gadgets try to get away with being lookers. But let me say that the BB PlayBook, although it might not be the best looker on the market of tablets — gets the job of connecting done, and done efficiently.

I liked the handyness of the BB PlayBook, which at seven inches was a perfect–fit into my backpack — and that to me made all the difference. I enjoyed carrying it around and sitting at the Wi–Fi hotspots and getting really fast connections.

The screen is really cool as it responds to touch with speed. It was fun to learn how to bring the screen down, how to sweep across the screen to get to different areas of the BB PlayBook screens and functions. The capacitive touch screen with full multi–touch and gesture support was just fantastic.

Nice to hold

 The BlackBerry PlayBook is a device that I just loved holding on to. Much like the love affair I have with the BB cellphones – I have learned to love the PlayBook.

BB cellphones have always struck me as being sturdy devices and the PlayBook continues on with this tradition. The back of the PlayBook also has a nice rubber–touch finish to it that makes it easy to grip.

I must say that after holding the PlayBook for a while, one is drawn to just how clear the screen is. The touch–screen performance is perfect. Super smooth, super fast.

But it was connecting to the Web, checking e–mail, and doing social networking that really got me hooked on the PlayBook. Just like the efficiency of the BB cellphones, the PlayBook came through.

I also got to watch a lot of YouTube videos, which, with a good Wi-Fi connection, were downloaded in flawless fashion. I spent lots of hours just watching some of my fave videos on the PlayBook.

Send in the apps, please

It is here in the apps where I wish that the BB PlayBook would work more quickly. I like the speed of connections of the PlayBook. The hardware is tops. The home–screen experience is awesome — and the user experience is fast and smooth.

This is where I am waiting for RIM to get a move on working with third–party app developers so that the PlayBook experience will finally be complete. I have no doubt that in the near future the app catalogue of the PlayBook will grow by leaps and bounds — and then, the PlayBook will be the tablet device to beat.

I have read that RIM has stated that the PlayBook will soon be able to run Android apps in virtualization. That should make this tablet more attractive, to lots more people. But for now, there is need for the PlayBook to play catch up when it comes to apps.

I know it’s just a matter of time. And when that time comes, the PlayBook will be the tablet to beat. For now, in spite of the lack of thousands of apps, it is already a tablet force to reckon with – it’s got lots of potential waiting to be discovered.

Go ahead, play with the BlackBerry PlayBook.