[makerdino]

This looks pretty impressive...

BlackBerry PlayBook preview -- Engadget

[VRaptor]

Thanks for the link. Very nice preview of the playbook.

[wayoung]

It's SMALLER than the tab? That sucks.

[Chrisjohn1990]

It's SMALLER than the tab? That sucks.

I'm not sure what they meant by that, I assume they meant it feels smaller than the Galaxy tab since the dimensions posted on the Blackberry site put the playbook as being slightly wider and longer than the Tab and slightly thinner.

[wayoung]

I'm not sure what they meant by that, I assume they meant it feels smaller than the Galaxy tab since the dimensions posted on the Blackberry site put the playbook as being slightly wider and longer than the Tab and slightly thinner.

That's what I understood the size to be as well. Which is small enough for thumb typing but big enough for comfortable web browsing (my biggest issue with the 10" screen - how do you type on the things?!) and then Engadget says it's smaller than the tab. I think they're confused.

[1812dave]

It's SMALLER than the tab? That sucks.

How so? it's still a 7" screen. what's your problem with the overall size being smaller??

[lnichols]

Are they including the bezel in the total screen size? I was kinda shocked in Kevin's video that you could basically fit two Playbooks in the same dimensions of the iPad.

[1812dave]

Are they including the bezel in the total screen size? I was kinda shocked in Kevin's video that you could basically fit two Playbooks in the same dimensions of the iPad.

oh no, are we going to have another 7th grade discussion about Pythagorean's theorem? We've already discussed the size of 7" vs 10" devices, as it relates to their DIAGONAL measurement specs. sigh.

[WillieLee]

How so? it's still a 7" screen. what's your problem with the overall size being smaller??

He drives a pick-up truck...so...you know.

[1812dave]

He drives a pick-up truck...so...you know.

Careful--one of our vehicles is an F-150.

[lnichols]

Don't own a truck but I've been through Calculus III and Differenctial Equations, so understanding the math is not an issue.

It just looks so small and the bezel seems to be a solid inch around the screen from the videos. I'll have to go look at an iPad again sometime now that I have a frame of reference, but now that I think of it the iPad has a lot of space around the screen too...

[wayoung]

How so? it's still a 7" screen. what's your problem with the overall size being smaller??

My understanding of Engadgets post was that the screen was smaller, not the device as a whole, and I really think 7" is as small as you can get with a tablet - after that you're basically using a phone, IMO. But I think Engadget is confused - all the specs say the playbook is slightly larger than the tab.

[1812dave]

My understanding of Engadgets post was that the screen was smaller, not the device as a whole, and I really think 7" is as small as you can get with a tablet - after that you're basically using a phone, IMO. But I think Engadget is confused - all the specs say the playbook is slightly larger than the tab.

I was scratching my head too, over the Engadget comment on size. I'm happy that mfgrs other than apple have embraced the smaller form factor. I'll be darned if I can get excited at the prospect of a 10 or (gasp) even 12" "tablet". may as well use my laptop if that's the best they can do. I still think Apple will rethink their myopic idea that "7" is DOA" and will come up with their own smaller iPad somewhere down the line. I don't buy SJ's comments as the final word on the matter--he's well known for his propensity for misdirection. He should have been a magician.

[wayoung]

I was scratching my head too, over the Engadget comment on size. I'm happy that mfgrs other than apple have embraced the smaller form factor. I'll be darned if I can get excited at the prospect of a 10 or (gasp) even 12" "tablet". may as well use my laptop if that's the best they can do.

I was very anti 7" before - I much preferred the idea of a 10" form factor - but after playing with the Tab my opinions have changed. For a secondary device, 7" is superior. I have a hard time imagining how anyone could type competently on a 10" tablet - too big for thumb typing, and touch typing strikes me as impossible. Too cramped, no actual keys to press, and you need to hover directly over top of the device. Not ergonomic at all.

10" with a keyboard dock would be good, but then you're paying for a keyboard dock and until tablets are the quivalent of laptops and can be used instead of them - pointless I think....

[1812dave]

I was very anti 7" before - I much preferred the idea of a 10" form factor - but after playing with the Tab my opinions have changed. For a secondary device, 7" is superior. I have a hard time imagining how anyone could type competently on a 10" tablet - too big for thumb typing, and touch typing strikes me as impossible. Too cramped, no actual keys to press, and you need to hover directly over top of the device. Not ergonomic at all.

10" with a keyboard dock would be good, but then you're paying for a keyboard dock and until tablets are the quivalent of laptops and can be used instead of them - pointless I think....

Except for your initial "anti 7" comment, I agree with your assessment of the 10" form factor, to a tee. it's neither fish nor fowl, IMO. not portable. too heavy. typing is akward.

The 7" form factor is more conducive to thumb typing that we are all used to,and the device is more easily held for longer periods of time, and it isn't an ordeal to take it with us. The idea of schlepping a 10" or 12" tablet around town just doesn't appeal.

[Jean-luc_Picard]

Don't own a truck but I've been through Calculus III and Differenctial Equations, so understanding the math is not an issue.

It just looks so small and the bezel seems to be a solid inch around the screen from the videos. I'll have to go look at an iPad again sometime now that I have a frame of reference, but now that I think of it the iPad has a lot of space around the screen too...

You may know "Differenctial" equations, but you don't know how to spell.

[Jean-luc_Picard]

I was scratching my head too, over the Engadget comment on size. I'm happy that mfgrs other than apple have embraced the smaller form factor. I'll be darned if I can get excited at the prospect of a 10 or (gasp) even 12" "tablet". may as well use my laptop if that's the best they can do. I still think Apple will rethink their myopic idea that "7" is DOA" and will come up with their own smaller iPad somewhere down the line. I don't buy SJ's comments as the final word on the matter--he's well known for his propensity for misdirection. He should have been a magician.

I highly doubt that Apple will make a 7" iPad. I heard somewhere (I think it was TiPB) that they chose the 10" size because if they made it larger it would cut into their laptop/netbook sales, and if they made it smaller then it would cut into their iPod/iPhone sales... Seems they're going for making a new niche in the market to make money in as opposed to giving people what they want, so we'll see, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that.