While searching through my RSS feeds, I learned that RIM (the makers of Blackberry) unveiled a touch screen tablet, “The Playbook”, which will be available for purchase early next year. It’s expected to compete with the iPad and other tablets which are likely to be released late this year and next year.
Per this article, “The Playbook is aimed at people who do more work than play --- RIM’s calling it ‘the first professional tablet’.” However, they are also targeting iPad customers by adding a new operating system that will have “mindless app (in addition to productivity apps).” Some of the features that really caught my attention are; it will display both HTML5 and Adobe Flash-based video on the web (the iPad only displays HTML5); an HDMI video out -- so you can show a presentation in high definition at a meeting; it also has a front and rear facing video camera for video-conferencing. These are all features that the iPad does not currently have. RIM has yet to release some of the details of this tablet including the price, battery life and whether it will offer a 3-4G subscription plan.
It amazes me how technology is constantly changing how we access information, and I have to wonder what impact touch screen tablets, in general, will have on the way we obtain information. I don’t expect this to occur in the short-term, but will they eventually replace laptops? Will they be allowed in public schools at some point? I bought my first cell phone when I was 15. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. When I look back at it now, it was huge, as thick as a brick! It looked more like a satellite remote control than the slim-sleek cell phones we carry today. At that time, I wouldn’t have imagined owning a touch screen cell phone that had access to the web and thousands of apps. My kids will probably look back at these tablets and make fun of their limitations, but at least for now they are the new ‘hot’ tech-toy.
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