[JerryButtons]

Here's some quick history... I purchased the Playbook 16gig last fall. I loved it but became so frustrated with the constant delaying of OS 2.0 that I eventually sold it and purchased the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" Plus. I owned this until a couple weeks ago when I sold it on Craigslist and purchased (again) the Playbook 32gig. Here is my review of each with comparison being the main focus...

Build Quality/Form Factor/Look

In regards to build quality, there is no comparison between the two. The Playbook trumps the Tab 7 Plus in every way. The Tab 7 Plus feel like a piece of plastic (as that is basically all it is) and the Playbook feels rock solid with its aluminum casing. The soft touch feel on the Playbook is also highly preferable to the Tab 7 Plus' slippery plastic back and shiny aluminum trim. The Tab 7 Plus was A LOT lighter and more form factored though. It was truly portable and I would slip it into most pockets with ease. It is definitely a sexy device to have in your hands but personal preference comes into play as I still preferred the slightly heavier and bulkier Playbooks feel and truly like the all black "classy" finish look over the more techie metallic grey look of the Tab 7 Plus. With the Tab 7 Plus I always felt as if it could break at any moment and I always had it in a thin black leather Incipio case. The Playbook I use everywhere naked and just put it in the slip cover when not using. So really, with the case on the Tab 7 Plus at all times, it's really not much smaller than the naked Playbook, if at all.

The screen on the Playbook is the same resolution as that of the Tab 7 Plus. The Playbook is MUCH brighter and more vivid than the Tab 7 Plus. I found myself always going to raise the brightness on the Tab 7 Plus and then realizing it is at it's brightest. One of the most impressive build aspects of the Playbook is it speaker system. It gets very loud without distortion and can achieve a nice full and clear high and low end. The speaker placement is also correct for optimal sound when using, just left and right of the screen. The Tab 7 Plus had two small speakers place on the bottom of the tab when held in portrait mode (vertically up and down). The sound was thin and tinny and often got muffled by being laid on my body while browsing or reading in bed. The Tab 7 Plus is obviously made to be handled more portrait mode, as the camera is placed on the top of the vertical end where as the camera is place on the top of the horizontal end of the Playbook in landscape mode. I find myself using the tablets more in landscape mode and really only used it in portrait mode when reading a book. Not sure why Samsung went this route...

Performance/Software

On the inside both of these tablets look pretty similar. The both have 1gig of RAM and dual core processors. The Tab 7 Plus touts their new exynos 1.2 ghz processor where as the Playbook runs the slightly older 1ghz OMAP 4430. I was expecting the Tab 7 Plus to blow my mind after coming from the Playbook, but it did not. I have looked at the impressive quadrant scores but in real life use, they don't seem to mean much. I would honestly say the both the tabs run at a pretty equal speed. The camera, apps, browser, etc all seem to open quickly on both tabs. Although, I do get the checkered loading boxes in the Playbook's native browser much more than I did in the Tab 7 Plus'. Playing HD video on both tabs worked nicely although I do think the Tab 7 Plus did excel in this avenue slightly but it was almost unnoticeable in comparison. I do think the Playbooks still impressive speed with lower/older specs has a lot to do with software.

The Tab 7 Plus runs Android Honeycomb (soon to be Ice Cream Sandwich) and Playbook has the QNX OS. This is another "absolutely no comparison" area. QNX trumps the Android operating system by leaps and bounds. Honeycomb and even the experience I've had with Ice Cream Sandwich, still feels like an enlarged phone operating system. I found it very inconvenient to switch between apps and do basic navigation such as accessing setting and going back. QNX is fluid and and incredibly intuitive. After working with it for 15 minutes it becomes second nature to get setting, flip through apps, access new apps, change screen brightness, etc.

Functionality

There is no doubt more functionality with the Tab 7 Plus. I already miss some specific apps (which will remain nameless right now) that I have no way of getting on the Playbook. I understand a lot of people saying that apps are not everything and there is a great browser on the Playbook, but on a 10" tab this may be true and on a 7" tab apps ARE everything. Samsung did frustrate me with the lack of native mini hdmi port and forcing me to use a proprietary Samsung charger instead of the more convenient and universal micro usb.

OS 2.0 is a great advancement in functionality as now I can sync my e-mails and have access to more (but still pathetically low) apps. Side-loading apps is unfortunately the Playbooks salvation right now but not a good permanent fix. Remember just above me explaining how advance and intuitive the QNX OS and bezel gestures are, when side-loading apps, all of a sudden your running an android tab emulator and you loose most of the one things that makes the Playbook great, which is the QNX OS.

The Tab 7 Plus also has the ability to use a micro sd card which was nice to have the option from time to time but not a deal breaker for me personally.

Final Thoughts

Overall I am very happy with my decision to sell and once again acquire the Playbook. The Playbook can win the 7" market if they can just accomplish a few minor things. Firstly, they don't need 100,000 useless apps to pick from, they just need all the basics (TIME, Google Maps, Flixter, TED, BOA, Netflix, HBOgo, Hulu, Skype, etc) to be native and not Android. Playbook for me is quality of quantity, but we don't have a lot of the basic quality apps that Android and Apple have. I know this takes time but in the fast moving world of technology, time is money, and BB is loosing all of theirs by not pressing harder for these apps to be available natively or even just at all. This is crucial.

In addition, BB needs to release a 1.5 or 2ghz dual core or even a 1 or 1.5ghz quad core along with 1.5 or even 2gig of RAM in the new Playbook 7". They have to keep the specs competitive or more importantly just above competitive as this Playbook was when it came out. The form factor is fine only if they give a significant spec increase and can make the screen resolution higher. 1280 by 800 seems to be the sweet spot for 7" tablets. Otherwise they need to make it thinner and lighter.

Any thoughts or further comments on people who have owned both or just one???

[masqueofhastur]

No need togo quad core if there are barely any apps to take advantage of dual core, and the PB will likely not be the lead platform for any powerful apps. That's an area where RIM can afford to focus on power efficiency and battery life over performance (since QNX is so efficient anyway).

[patmur2010]

Quality review and I agree with your competitive analysis of the future playbook specs. I think the 1.5 ghz duel core is sufficient and a bump in ram might be beneficial but the qnx runs great as is. Screen resolution would be nice and at least the ability to video chat with any pc, for me I could care less about Skype if rim released a desktop version of their video client.

Thanks for the review!

[Mr_Figaro]

Thanks for the review.

[swyost]

Mostly subjective comments from someone not patient enough to stick with any device for more than a few months. Sorry but it is not a detailed review, but a detailed opinion piece being given to a fan site of one of the two products. If you are waiting on any of those must have apps, you may be buying another tablet down the road.

[fanchettes]

Geez... Who peed in your cornflakes? Nothing says you have to read these reviews.

[13echo4]

Surprises me that ya say the galaxy was more portable. I've always heard the PB was. That's what I like about reading peoples reviews. I get to see real world usage,likes and dislikes.
That's one thing Rim has been able to do with it's OS. They build their OS to beable to handl a woek load with lighter hardware. I'm afraid that the "new market" will have the investers demand the big guns and we're gonna gain heavy hitting hardware put will have to carry a genarator around with us. Seriously though if the hardware makes the device its not the right device for me.

[VanCity778]

The Playbook can win the 7" market if they can just accomplish a few minor things. Firstly, they don't need 100,000 useless apps to pick from, they just need all the basics (TIME, Google Maps, Flixter, TED, BOA, Netflix, HBOgo, Hulu, Skype, etc) to be native and not Android. Playbook for me is quality of quantity, but we don't have a lot of the basic quality apps that Android and Apple have.

^^ My thoughts exactly.

[JerryButtons]

Mostly subjective comments from someone not patient enough to stick with any device for more than a few months. Sorry but it is not a detailed review, but a detailed opinion piece being given to a fan site of one of the two products. If you are waiting on any of those must have apps, you may be buying another tablet down the road.

Of course this is a subjective review?!? If you wanted a review that compared only the specs and benchmarks then why not just go on Samsung and Blackberry's website and compare that. I am in no way a fan boy of any company or product. I work as a filmmaker and editor in NYC. I own a Windows desktop for heavy editing, an Apple Macbook Pro for lighter, an Android phone and a Blackberry tablet now.

I wish I would have seen a detailed review of someone's detailed personal feelings on the two devices back last fall, as I may have just kept the Playbook. Maybe YOU need to be with a device for 2 years to get a full understanding of it but a few months for me was enough to know the ins and outs of each of these devices and more.

I am waiting for those necessary apps and most of the tablet using community expects them in a tablet whether it's Google, Apple or BB. I wouldn't be so smug about that. If Blackberry does not wise up to this, you may eventually just have a paperweight in your hands and no future Playbook tablets due to lack of revenue.

Just my opinion

[Admorris]

Geez... Who peed in your cornflakes? Nothing says you have to read these reviews.

Nothing says you have to read the responses.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[lwaysluking]

Of course this is a subjective review?!? If you wanted a review that compared only the specs and benchmarks then why not just go on Samsung and Blackberry's website and compare that. I am in no way a fan boy of any company or product. I work as a filmmaker and editor in NYC. I own a Windows desktop for heavy editing, an Apple Macbook Pro for lighter, an Android phone and a Blackberry tablet now.

I wish I would have seen a detailed review of someone's detailed personal feelings on the two devices back last fall, as I may have just kept the Playbook. Maybe YOU need to be with a device for 2 years to get a full understanding of it but a few months for me was enough to know the ins and outs of each of these devices and more.

I am waiting for those necessary apps and most of the tablet using community expects them in a tablet whether it's Google, Apple or BB. I wouldn't be so smug about that. If Blackberry does not wise up to this, you may eventually just have a paperweight in your hands and no future Playbook tablets due to lack of revenue.

Just my opinion

Thanks for sincerely sharing your experience as well as what was CLEARLY your opinion. You never made claims to be a dedicated reviewer or specialist.
What was suggested by another poster to be a lack of patience with your Playbook#1 has (I'm certain of it) been felt by many people, including myself, who have believed in the Playbook and wished things would just evolve faster.
I carry and use my Playbook every day (QNX clearly being my OS of choice), and so does my daughter, but I also own tablets running other platforms, and an ipod to run things I can't have on Playbook. I'm a BB enthusiast, not a masochist or blind BB fanboy.
Our respected forum leaders- Kevin, Bla1ze, etc. own MULTIPLE devices from all of the competition. Does this discredit THEIR opinions?
Ignore the cynicism!

[BoloMKXXVIII]

I am just glad to read a comparison that compares the Playbook to something other than the iPad.

[JerryButtons]

One other strange thing... On my original Playbook the small power on/off button at the top was very difficult to press. I know this was a common complaint on initial reviews. However, my second Playbook that I purchased about half a year later, the button is MUCH easier to press and seems slightly more risen.

Anyone else experience this?

[EricB1968]

I could care less about Skype if rim released a desktop version of their video client.

Nailed it !!

[BBplaybookJS]

Hardly surprising that PlayBook see superior to an Android tablet.

[Bob Dunn]

Nice review. I too miss some of the specific apps from my galaxy tab, but really miss the portability of it.

[kay-cie]

I also recently own/owned the Galaxy Tab 7.0 plus, the Playbook (and Galaxy Note, iPad, Lenovo IdeaPad A1...). There are a few things I want to add.

Pros for the GT+
- Web browsing: I definitely felt the GT+ being faster and snappier. There are a number of choices in web browsers, and Dolphin HD works 1000 times natively.
- Fast boot time, well under a minute
- Skype, even though the cameras are not as good
- Customization, you can tweak Android OS to almost anyway you want. Change "almost" to "definitely" when you root it.
- 3G model available, although I have the wifi only.
- Android OS allows widgets on the home screens. You can load these screens full of information without opening the apps (News, weather, stock, emails, facebook, twitter, sms, ...)

Cons for GT+
- No wake by swiping, have to access the power button like 5000 times a day
- The task bar at the bottom stays most of the time, and taking up valuable screen real estate especially in landscape
- Because it is so thin, you feel the bottom of the tablet warming up under even regular web browsing
- Android fragmentation (very small GT+ user base). People think PB takes a very small tablet market share? Come to this forum and you'll see that there are many active members. Now go to the xda GT+ forum, and you may find a few new threads a day.
- HoneyComb is not fully developed because of upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich.
Example 1: Problems with screen of death (crash), and random reboots during standby. It doesn't apply to every unit, but enough that you can google and see it.
Example 2: Third party apps do not have write permission to micro SD. You have to root, and manually fix it yourself.

[MrBugMan]

I too have jumped in and out of the PlayBook pool. Initially out of frustration due to no workable apps. I got my first PB the day of release. Then when on a wild ride of Android Tabs of various flavors and sizes. Went back to PB last fall when price dropped to 200.00. Had rare issue with screen flickering. Best Buy was out of PB at time. So I paid difference and got the 7.0 Plus. Not having PB next to 7.0 plus I started to really like it. Build quality felt better than material specs, felt more ergonomic in the hand. Liked the app selection and better pricing etc.

That darn PB display unit at Best Buy kept calling out my name. Or was it the demo video? Well anyway, I brought in my 7.0plus and compared the two side by side. As I was doing this the Best Buy clerk went in back and pulled out a PlayBook and said you know your gonna buy it....... Long story short. My wife and I are now the proud owners of PlayBooks. My 7.0 Plus sits in a drawer waiting for a new home.

Between the much better browser to smoother UI, the PlayBook rocks! Apps are finally catching up.

Once Blue Tooth printing is available I will be putting my iPad2 to rest as well.

[UConnHuskyTX]

I had bought my wife a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and played with it a bit. Being my first experience with any tablet...thought it was cool...easy.

I bought my Playbook 64GB in early January, and have used it daily...many hours per day. I'm bridged to a Bold 9900 from work, and I am very happy with both the phone and tablet.

So last night I wanted to add a movie to my wife's fire...knowing how easy it was with my Playbook. I had totally forgot how to use the Fire, and realized how much I like my Playbook now compared to it. True...they are made for different uses, but for the same $199 I paid for the Fire...I wouldn't hesitate to purchase the Playbook (16gb) if I had to make that choice again.

[Creaulx]

Different markets, yes, but the converted Kindle app available at Blackberry Playbook Android Apps | Good e-Reader Android App Store - Playbook App Store - We support Kobo Vox, Kindle Fire, Blackberry Playbook and More puts to rest any need for a separate eReader. It would be even better if it were native...

[DenimAndLeather]

I own a Bold 9900, 64gb playbook, 16gb iPad 2, Original Galaxy Tab and I recently bought a 16gb Wifi Galaxy Tab Plus, so here are my opinions based on my usage of these devices...

Of course, each device has its strength and weaknesses but the devices I grab when I'm on the way out the door is my 9900 and the Galaxy Tab Plus. I love my 9900. And the slim form factor, lightness and ability of the Tab Plus to fit in a pocket definitely gives it a big advantage practically speaking when considering what to bring with me.

As far as software goes, the ability to customize the Android operating system also is a big reason I prefer the Samsung Tab Plus if I had to choose. The availability of widgets and useful Android apps also gives it a great advantage. Skype, the Google suite of apps (Docs, Maps, Reader etc) and other apps like GasBuddy, Amazon mobile, Readability etc make it a no-brainer to bring with me.

For instance, 'Readability' is a great "read later" app that just came out and is available on my desktop, iOS, Android but not the Blackberry. I've been using Readability alot the past week, too bad I can't use it on my playbook. :-(

When I am at home, I enjoy using the iPad 2 for leisurely couch surfing due to the bigger screen.

Wherever I am, I use the Tab Plus as my main ereader which it excels at. Sadly the playbook does not render and manage PDFs very well. I now use the Playbook mostly to watch movies I downloaded on it (the 64gb helps me free up the memory on my other devices) and for the novel integration with my 9900. Its basically now just an alternative screen to use to keep my other screens free for other uses.

I want to see RIM succeed, I really do, and that's a big reason I decided to support them by getting a 64gb playbook at $299. But in my opinion it's clear that management aren't showing the nimbleness and technical ability needed to compete at this time. I really hope they turn things around though.



P.S.: Just launched the Blackberry Appworld on my playbook and even though I am in Canada right now I am getting a pop-up message that says:

"BlackBerry App World is not currently available in your country. Please check Blackberry.com/appworld for updates."

...and so it wont let me access Appworld on my Playbook. strange, I have never seen this before... fail. going to wait the 5 minutes for the Playbook to restart to see if that fixes it. (sigh) :-(

P.P.S: Just restarted the Playbook and getting the same error message when trying to get to App World on my Playbook. I guess App World is down right now. Never had this happen on my other tablets.

[aha]

OP hit every point I can make for playbook, and for BB10 phones too... And it literally made me chuckle when he/she mentioned wanting TED as one of the top apps users would want... What a geek!