Blackberry PlayBook Philippine Sneak Peek

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I got a rare chance to attend a tech event c/o my brother from Techindustriya.com. Once he mentioned the Blackberry PlayBook, I immediately said that I would be interested. I had heard about the Blackberry PlayBook when it was announced last year and was quite intrigued with the device.

He directed me to the meetup location at M Cafe at 3:30pm and said there was going to be transportation provided. Little would I know the transportation would be a coaster emblazoned with stickers about the Blackberry PlayBook's future availability. 

Getting on the bus, we were introduced to Oliver Pilgerstorfer, RIM Senior PR Manager for Southeast Asia who had brought 4 units of Blackberry PlayBook from Singapore. He touted the PlayBook as the first dual core, multi-tasking, professional grade tablet.

Oliver discussed many aspects of the device from the components inside to the OS to the applications that will be available to consumers.

 

I was extremely impressed by the multitasking capabilities of the PlayBook, it was real multitasking. The photo is not that clear but on the left side is a game while an HD video is playing on the right side, both of them are moving at the same time. I could see them while Oliver dragged the apps, seemingly like a split screen TV. We have an IPad at home and I know the multitasking is not really multitasking..

I also like that the back of the device has a matte finish, no more fingerprints. The unit felt sturdy despite weighing less than 1 pound. It felt really well in my hands. I could do everything with my two thumbs in the landscape orientation.

One of our companions had brought his IPad 2 with him so we got the chance to compare them in terms of size. (as you can see in the pic)

I was eager to get a hold of it and play around myself.I tried out the Need for Speed game from EA that is optimized for the PlayBook and will be available pre-installed upon purchase. The game was beautifully detailed on the bright screen, with clear and strong sounds from the speakers.

We were also told that aside from the Blackberry App World, consumers will also have access to the Android Market and its multitude of applications. No word on battery life yet but, the main unit we saw was at 50% battery life, despite being in use for around 9 hours or so.

The PlayBook will be available for sale in North America next week at over 2,000 locations.No word yet when it will be available in the Philippines. Hopefully it arrives soon, I'm now really interested in getting one for myself.

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