[iguinu]

this article says a canadian gov offical who has had the pb for awhile has a sdcard slot have a looks

TELUS, news, headlines, stories, breaking, canada, canadian, national

if this is true then all the pb's at these shows are early stage prototypes or this one is, any thoughts.

[ericlc2]

TELUS, news, headlines, stories, breaking, canada, canadian, national

TORONTO - One of Ontario's top politicians has spent the last couple of weeks fiddling around with a new gadget that tech geeks around the world are clamouring to get their hands on: the PlayBook tablet.
The device — Research in Motion's (TSX:RIM) answer to Apple's hugely successful iPad — isn't due for public release until April 19.
But Waterloo Ont.-based RIM loaned a PlayBook to Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, which he brandished at the recent provincial budget. And the politician, who describes himself as "not a tech guy," has quickly become enamoured of it.
"This thing is so intuitive and so easy that even a guy like me can make it work," Duncan said Thursday as he showed off the device in his office.
The tech world moves at lightning speed, and the PlayBook has failed to gather much buzz since it was first announced last September, particularly in comparison to Apple's splashy iPads.
But techies who are closely comparing the specs of different tablets are eager to give it a try.
One of the main characteristics that distinguishes the RIM and Apple tablets is size. The PlayBook is considerably smaller than the iPad (although not quite small enough to fit into the pocket of a sportscoat) and has the USB and memory card slots that are still absent from the Apple tablet computers.
The PlayBook also has some features the iPad lacks, including the ability to handle Flash-enabled websites, smoothly play 1080p high-definition video, and multitask with several applications at once.
The finance minister said he primarily uses his BlackBerry for emails, but found he wanted to try all the applications available with the PlayBook.
He was especially fond of "Need For Speed," a driving game that can be controlled by tilting the tablet from side to side.
"This is fun," said a smiling Duncan as he played one game and then another. "I'm getting into dangerous territory now (because) I haven't played 'Tetris' on this yet."
Typing on the PlayBook can easily be done by tapping with all your fingers on the onscreen keyboard when the tablet is in a horizontal position. Turn it vertically and it's comfortable to thumb the keyboard as on a BlackBerry.
Duncan has used the original iPad, not the newer iPad 2, but said he thinks the PlayBook will quickly become a market leader.
"This is smaller, the graphics to me seem better and it's easier to handle and to stow as well," he said.
"They were saying on the news these things could replace desktops and that doesn't surprise me in the least. It'll certainly replace my laptop."
There are already several tablets on the market to compete with the iPads and the forthcoming PlayBook, which will enter the market with a base price of $499 for a 16 gigabyte Wi-Fi model. There's no word on when cellular 3G versions of the PlayBook will be available.
The iPad 2 starts at $519 for the 16 gigabyte WiFi-only version, while the 16GB WiFi-3G version starts at $649.
RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie has said the release of the PlayBook may be the most significant development for the tech giant since the release of its first BlackBerry in 1999.

[gregerator]

If this is one of the secrets RIM is hiding, I'll probably cry from happiness upon release. Seriously. That is my only issue and it's only minor, but if it's there....

Now- the finance guy admitted he wasn't a tech guy, so maybe he misspoke, but..... *dream*

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[chasvs]

Not likely, but who knows? I would expect the micro USB port to be able to accept an SD card reader ( or other multi-card ) Reader so there isn't a need for an SD slot.

[SlcCorrado]

Is this for real?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[iguinu]

sure the guy isnt a techie but the person writing this article would have seen it and would have confirmed, since when do news ppl lie or get their stories wrong?
never unless your cnn George W bush loses, oops no he didnt. lets hope this is the reason why the pb was delayed #winning

[howarmat]

im sorry, he is just wrong. People are demoing the PBs at events today and right now in LA. if those models dont have SDCard or USB on them its not there. This is a hardware feature, you cant just "add it in" without FCC approval and whatnot

[ericlc2]

If this is one of the secrets RIM is hiding, I'll probably cry from happiness upon release. Seriously. That is my only issue and it's only minor, but if it's there....

Same here, seems like something we would know for sure by now... but i am a bit more excited (if thats even possible) now.

[iguinu]

im sorry, he is just wrong. People are demoing the PBs at events today and right now in LA. if those models dont have SDCard or USB on them its not there. This is a hardware feature, you cant just "add it in" without FCC approval and whatnot

rim has asked the fcc not to post until launch date the specs,so who knows, lets just hope #winningpb

[howarmat]

The ones being demod are the final hardware according to RIM reps.

[mandony]

If RIM provides a card slot then they will not be able to sell you more on-board memory

A MicroSD 16 gig card retails for about $20
A BB Playbook 16>32 gig upgrade retails for $100
Case Closed

[TBone4eva]

If it had an SD slot, we would have seen it by now. There also would have been no need for RIM to have three different (16GB, 32GB, 64GB) models either. At least RIM threw us a bone and let us access the files from the microSD card in our BB.

[ignites]

If RIM provides a card slot then they will not be able to sell you more on-board memory

A MicroSD 16 gig card retails for about $20
A BB Playbook 16>32 gig upgrade retails for $100
Case Closed

as long as they can make it so you cant put apps on sd card so doesnt matter.

[iguinu]

If it had an SD slot, we would have seen it by now. There also would have been no need for RIM to have three different (16GB, 32GB, 64GB) models either. At least RIM threw us a bone and let us access the files from the microSD card in our BB.

not everyone wants to fork over a hundie, whereas an extra 4gb or more will cost you $5-$30 from the web, since none of these units are confirmed to be the real deal, i guess all we can do is wait till the 19th like a virgin about to pop #winning

[doug1010]

heh it would be great for RIM

have pre-orders for 3 models with different amounts of memory
don't let the fcc release anything until april 19
on release day "oh by the way there's an sd card slot. the ones we demo'd just had a different case. surprise."

Would make a lot of people happy, but probably a lot of people who paid more for the higher memory models annoyed.

So... doubt they'd do that

[dwadwa]

Given that the accessories and cases are already out, I think PB doesn't have a SD card slot.

[Intosh]

The ones being demod are the final hardware according to RIM reps.

True. People are giving this too much hope.

As for the FCC speculations, I find it fascinating. What kind of feature/characteristic can RIM be hiding given the fact that final hardware has been demo'd already? Usually, what kind of info do the FCC records reveal?

[bogs01]

this is interesting... look at this picture from the crackberry's playbook preview... there is a slot on the left side of the ports. they didn't mention what is the slot for... it can be either a sim card slot or a micro sd slot... but the playbook is not due to support 3g/4g access until late summer...

[howarmat]

lol that is not a slot....its the placeholder where they stamp the serial number

[Jake Storm]

lol that is not a slot....its the placeholder where they stamp the serial number

That's an odd place for the serial number.
Maybe that is just camouflage for the surprise SD slot, and the serial number will go somewhere on the back.

[howarmat]

[Zizzzzy]

If RIM provides a card slot then they will not be able to sell you more on-board memory

A MicroSD 16 gig card retails for about $20
A BB Playbook 16>32 gig upgrade retails for $100
Case Closed

That and there will be a lot of pissed off people who paid an extra $100-$200 for preorder

[jcool13]

Not sure if people would be pissed off, I preordered the 32GB and either way I am OK with it. I'd like the ability to feel "secure" with SD memory card for any pictures and video I take, as well as any office documents. It could become a hassle to have to back everything up onto a hard drive, or even to transfer anything from the PB to PC, laptop or even my BB. I can say that I did call RIM prior to my preordering (the day we all could preorder) and I was told (after being put on hold for almost 10 min) that there absolutely is a SD slot on the PB, but I've yet to see or read that it is absolute.

[Melven]

The lack of a microSD card slot is the main reason I am wavering about purchasing a playbook. If it does have one then I will more than likely get one, without a microSD card slot I am not sure I can justify getting one as I want to carry a library of movies with me on various microSD cards for when I am travelling.

[wheresmy600]

Add me to the totally pissed off that I forked over extra $100.00 for 32gb. Actually I don't even know why I did that because after 2 years of my Ipod touch, I still have over 8gb free of 16gb.

That being said, I really can't believe that they would have kept an SD card slot under wraps. What would be the point?