1. kennyliu's Avatar
    I am neither Playbook apologist nor Blackberry evangelist, but I must say I'm surprised how well the Playbook stands up compared to Google's Nexus tablet, announced today. Or maybe I'm surprised the Nexus isn't better.

    Evidently Google's releasing the Nexus in Q3, almost two full years after the Playbook's release. Its 16G version will go for $250, a $50 premium over the Playbook's 16G version.

    Phonearena.com has a hardware side-by-side of the two. The Nexus has what's likely a significantly faster quadcore processor, slightly better screen resolution and probably better battery life, and those are important, but the Playbook matches or beats it on almost every other spec. More supported media formats, flash support and microHDMI support to start.

    I was expecting the Playbook would be blown out of the water after two years, but at current pricing I think it holds up pretty well. Meanwhile Gizmodo is gushing all over the Nexus while continuing to dismiss the Playbook out of hand. Fashion.

    Dave
    Just a couple quick things:

    1. The Nexus' screen resolution is not "slightly" better. It's 67% better and puts the screen within the HD league.

    2. Android also supports Flash.
    06-27-12 11:52 PM
  2. app_Developer's Avatar
    Just a couple quick things:

    1. The Nexus' screen resolution is not "slightly" better. It's 67% better and puts the screen within the HD league.

    2. Android also supports Flash.
    I don't know how many people on this thread are here at IO and have actually seen this thing in person.

    The screen resolution is very nice. Not iPad nice, but still nice. The problem, though, is that the colors seems to be that standard AMOLED garish. I have to get one of these home with my own pictures and things on it to really check it out, but at first glance I prefer the Playbook screen overall because of the colors.

    The BB10 alpha also has a much nicer screen to my eye than the Galaxy Nexus. Same issue there.
    06-28-12 12:01 AM
  3. kennyliu's Avatar
    I don't know how many people on this thread are here at IO and have actually seen this thing in person.

    The screen resolution is very nice. Not iPad nice, but still nice. The problem, though, is that the colors seems to be that standard AMOLED garish. I have to get one of these home with my own pictures and things on it to really check it out, but at first glance I prefer the Playbook screen overall because of the colors.

    The BB10 alpha also has a much nicer screen to my eye than the Galaxy Nexus. Same issue there.

    Isn't the Nexus' screen IPS? If so, it shouldn't have the over-saturation issue of an AMOLED screen.

    I'd say it's the software color rendering/profile that is different, not the screen itself.
    06-28-12 12:11 AM
  4. app_Developer's Avatar
    Isn't the Nexus' screen IPS? If so, it shouldn't have the over-saturation issue of an AMOLED screen.

    I'd say it's the software color rendering/profile that is different, not the screen itself.
    Is it IPS? Then yes, you're right, it's set up horribly then in software. It looks like an AMOLED.

    Again, I want to see it in more familiar lighting and with our own apps/content.

    The resolution at least is crisp, but font rendering is still not as sharp as iPad (even iPad2)
    Last edited by app_Developer; 06-28-12 at 12:22 AM.
    06-28-12 12:19 AM
  5. kennyliu's Avatar
    Is it IPS? Then yes, you're right, it's set up horribly then in software. It looks like an AMOLED.

    Again, I want to see it in more familiar lighting and with our own apps/content.

    The resolution at least is crisp, but font rendering is still not as sharp as iPad (even iPad2)
    I also suspect that the PB's screen is an IPS or PLS. It's indeed a wonderful screen as far as brightness, color, sharpness, and viewing angles are concerned. I wish it had a higher resolution though.
    06-28-12 12:27 AM
  6. app_Developer's Avatar
    I also suspect that the PB's screen is an IPS or PLS. It's indeed a wonderful screen as far as brightness, color, sharpness, and viewing angles are concerned. I wish it had a higher resolution though.
    I like that RIM seems to still have better taste in screens than Samsung, Asus, etc. You definitely see that in the alpha as well.

    I agree a resolution bump would be nice. Now that my primary screens are an MBP retina and an iPad, everything else I see could use a few more pixels.
    kennyliu likes this.
    06-28-12 12:41 AM
  7. lavo96's Avatar
    Coming from a TP running CM9 to a Playbook, I can tell you I much prefer the UI of using the Playbook. Android is mutton dressed up as an ugly, runty lamb. The Playbook is essentially the only current platform left with gestures that use the whole screen (plus the bezel). This is such a brilliant idea for human interaction, yet Google and Apple both rely on ambiguous buttons (the multi purpose Home button on the iPhone/iPad is a terrible idea...and don't get me started on its multitasking picker!).

    As for the price that was mentioned earlier, RIM would have been selling the PB for a healthy margin (to offset low volumes). Google would be almost selling at cost to compete with Amazon at the $200 bracket, plus the content and advertising offsets the cheap hardware price. Its a similar tactic to Microsoft with the XBox and Nintendo with the Wii - sell the hardware at almost cost, build up the user base, and offset the costs via software.
    06-28-12 02:28 AM
  8. masqueofhastur's Avatar
    The Nexus 7 is a very obvious Kindle Fire killer (although Amazon will surely up their game with the Fire 2). What I think really makes the Nexus 7 stand out hardware wise is the weight. 340g is actually quite light, and builds on the portability of the 7" form factor.

    It's trite to point out app selection, on the PB it really depends on if you're satisfied, with the Nexus 7, no need to worry.
    06-28-12 04:03 AM
  9. Bakamushi's Avatar
    The saturation of Amoled is certainly not good for photos, but for reading it is great, and in general all applications were the color is an interface signal, and not a representation of reality.

    Also there is the intense black. Reading black letters on a light brown background is really a pleasure.
    06-28-12 04:21 AM
  10. Hawnz's Avatar
    The Nexus 7 is a very obvious Kindle Fire killer (although Amazon will surely up their game with the Fire 2). What I think really makes the Nexus 7 stand out hardware wise is the weight. 340g is actually quite light, and builds on the portability of the 7" form factor.

    It's trite to point out app selection, on the PB it really depends on if you're satisfied, with the Nexus 7, no need to worry.
    I was hoping for a 7" tablet that was 300g. I know battery life would be less. And let me just less weight does not mean I'm asking it to be thinner.
    06-28-12 04:22 AM
  11. billbsb's Avatar
    I think in terms of hardware the Playbook is still pretty solid and there's a lot of room for performance improvement. Google didn't push the boundaries with Nexus 7 since even phones have quad-cores with Retina-like displays nowadays.

    But what *really* matters is software! Just consider the XBOX360: 7+ years old running on same hardware (the Slim version wasn't a performance upgrade but an efficiency one) and compare game series like FIFA, PES, Halo, Gears of War and how much they have improved! You'll be able to play Halo 4 on a first generation XBOX 360 on "maximum settings"!

    The only thing I wish the new Playbook had was: Gorilla glass, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 (iPad3 has it!), WiFi 802.11-2012 certified chip and wireless charging in addition to cable.

    Cheers.
    06-28-12 05:17 AM
  12. berry124's Avatar
    I fear it will be for rim hard to compete withe the nexus. The hardware of the nexus is much more powerful and the only thing that I don't like about it is the cheap looking back. You can see (and feel) that the PlayBook wasn't build for selling at 199!!
    06-28-12 05:37 AM
  13. rich_a's Avatar
    Someone made a comment about the poor indoor quality of the rear camera. Personally, my experience with the playbook's rear camera and video has been nothing but awesome!!.
    I'm glad it's awesome for you, but for me it's next to useless indoors! I know it's not a problem with my playbook, because it takes great pictures outside or our conservatory and this is the second Playbook I've had (first one was returned to RIM for replacement due to dead pixels) and the pictures are the same. My very cheap Android phone (Orange San Francisco/ZTE Blade) has a very poor camera which always gives washed out pictures but if I take a picture of my cat indoors I can see it, whereas with the playbook the image will be so dark that it's impossible to make out the cat from the background.
    06-28-12 06:25 AM
  14. BackDaws's Avatar
    I will be chucking my playbook and buying a Nexus 7, i bought 3 playbooks because i had faith in RIM but they dont seem to know what they are doing, its not the hardware its the rubbish OS and it is rubbish so please dont try and justify your purchases, If we could get ICS or at the very least Gingerbread on these playbooks then these playbooks would be premium devices because the playbook itself is gorgeous and fast

    If BB10 is as half arsed as OS2.0-2.1 then RIM are going to fall flat on their faces.
    06-28-12 06:32 AM
  15. rich_a's Avatar
    I will be chucking my playbook and buying a Nexus 7, i bought 3 playbooks because i had faith in RIM but they dont seem to know what they are doing, its not the hardware its the rubbish OS and it is rubbish so please dont try and justify your purchases.
    I'd completely disagree with PlayBook OS being rubbish. It's beautifully designed with some wonderful user-friendly ideas and it's rock-solid. In fact, people who I show my PlayBook to start off by saying things like "Why on earth would you buy this?" and change their reaction to "This is pretty cool" when they see how it works and what functionality is there.

    The only problem with the PlayBook is the lack of the big name apps. Only time will tell if developers will change their mind once BB10 comes along.
    06-28-12 06:42 AM
  16. BackDaws's Avatar
    I'd completely disagree with PlayBook OS being rubbish. It's beautifully designed with some wonderful user-friendly ideas and it's rock-solid. In fact, people who I show my PlayBook to start off by saying things like "Why on earth would you buy this?" and change their reaction to "This is pretty cool" when they see how it works and what functionality is there.

    The only problem with the PlayBook is the lack of the big name apps. Only time will tell if developers will change their mind once BB10 comes along.

    sorry i didnt mean it LOOKS rubbish because it looks amazing, its fast, multitasking is amazing, its sleek, but everything is basic, take a picture or find a funny video you want to share and try sending it to your mate on his phone/tablet/pc its the biggest pain in the arse ever, you need quality apps to do anything because playbook doesnt do it native and the apps you can get are awful expensive or you have to pay for an Android app thats free on every other platform.

    RIM need to step it up but i tbh i think its over for them now, too little too late.
    06-28-12 06:57 AM
  17. rexrim's Avatar
    Someone made a comment about the poor indoor quality of the rear camera. Personally, my experience with the playbook's rear camera and video has been nothing but awesome!!. I video hockey games all the time without a flash and it works really well. Pictures are so clear and the lighting is true to the rink's lighting. At home, outdoors, anywhere, I have to say photo and video quality is second to none.
    Totally truth..i have compare my playbook camera and video camera to other tablet..ipad n samsung tab..all lose this playbook ! low spec in this year..but still insane !
    06-28-12 08:29 AM
  18. leticeberry's Avatar
    After reading all these posts, I'm still no closer to choosing a tablet.

    I have a Playbook for myself and love it and now I'm trying to decide between a Playbook and a Nexus 7 for my husband. He has an android phone so I was thinking about an android tablet for him. He only wants the tablet for web browsing, playing games and watching movies and tv shows from the Hulu site.

    I was reading some other Nexus 7 reviews and I read that it doesn't support flash, so you can't view some web pages. I'm worried that if I buy this, my husband won't be able to view some web pages, or watch tv shows from Hulu and other live tv sites.

    Can anyone give me some information on whether or not the Nexus 7 would work for what my husband want to use it for?

    I appreciate your responses. Thanks.
    08-10-12 09:05 AM
  19. goku_vegeta's Avatar
    After reading all these posts, I'm still no closer to choosing a tablet.



    I have a Playbook for myself and love it and now I'm trying to decide between a Playbook and a Nexus 7 for my husband. He has an android phone so I was thinking about an android tablet for him. He only wants the tablet for web browsing, playing games and watching movies and tv shows from the Hulu site.



    I was reading some other Nexus 7 reviews and I read that it doesn't support flash, so you can't view some web pages. I'm worried that if I buy this, my husband won't be able to view some web pages, or watch tv shows from Hulu and other live tv sites.



    Can anyone give me some information on whether or not the Nexus 7 would work for what my husband want to use it for?



    I appreciate your responses. Thanks.

    While the native Google Chrome Browser for Android 4.1 does not support flash, you can use another browser. Furthermore Hulu has an Android app
    08-10-12 09:10 AM
  20. leticeberry's Avatar
    While the native Google Chrome Browser for Android 4.1 does not support flash, you can use another browser. Furthermore Hulu has an Android app
    Thanks. I think you just sold me on a Nexus 7 for my husband.
    08-10-12 09:14 AM
  21. leticeberry's Avatar
    One more question. I just saw a 64G playbook for $249, the same price at the Nexus 7. Should I still get the Nexus 7 for my husband (see my two previous posts) or go with the Playbook 64G since I can get more memory for the same price? Or do you think the Nexus 7 would be better for what he wants it for? Thanks again.
    08-10-12 09:57 AM
  22. randall2580's Avatar
    @leticeberry - working with an Android phone I believe the N7 is a better choice (I own PB and N7) The extra memory is only important if you need it. For what you said he will use it for - you really don't need it. Hulu+ works just fine with the Android app - there is no equivalent for PlayBook. There is even a work around for Flash - I have Flash fully functional on my N7 by sideloading and using FireFox as my browser - you can find the instructions in the Android Central N7 forum.

    As I said I have a PB 64 and and N7 and the N7 is used far more frequently.
    08-10-12 10:12 AM
  23. Rickroller's Avatar
    One more question. I just saw a 64G playbook for $249, the same price at the Nexus 7. Should I still get the Nexus 7 for my husband (see my two previous posts) or go with the Playbook 64G since I can get more memory for the same price? Or do you think the Nexus 7 would be better for what he wants it for? Thanks again.
    If your husband has any technical inclinations then i'd suggest the N7. By rooting the device and installing Chainfire app the N7 then has the ability for expandable storage (up to 1TB with a powered hard drive). Or better yet..Seagate offers a wireless hard drive that works off wifi that can support multiple devices.

    Seagate Satellite Wireless | Seagate
    08-10-12 10:34 AM
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