[donnation]

I keep constantly reading in here from people saying. " it's just a shame the PB doesn't do this or that, it has such great hardware?". What does that mean? I'm not triolling or trying to cause a flame war but that statement doesn't mean anything I me. I own a play book so don't think I'm just starting trouble, I'm just trying to understand.

Do they mean build quality, specs? I don't get it. It's a tablet that is solid but by no means revolutionary in the way it is built. It's specs are decent but on par with most other high end tablets. The iPad is also a great piece of hardware (more solid than the playbook) and so are a lot of Android tablets.

Can someone please explain to me what that statement means? Its built fine but by no means spectacular. So why do people keep saying that it's such great hardware?

[chrism_scotland]

Hardware wise I personally think the Playbook is excellent, it has the typical Blackberry bild quality and really is a nice bit of kit.
Technically its at least on par with the high end Android tablets and MHz and RAM wise ahead of the iPad 2.

[howarmat]

The screen is very bright and clear and the specs are also very solid. Hardware wise the company RIM sourced out did a good job. Sure there are some bad apples that slip by QC but that happens with anything. There seemed to be dead pixel issues but after the initial couple weeks the QC must have improved because most of those complaints went away.

I agree it might not be spectacular but the hardware is not where the PB fails at all.

[beamolite]

How exactly is the iPad more solid than the PlayBook plus the iPad has a speaker suitable for a transistor radio?

[Innovatology]

Technically the hardware is not that much different from other devices. Consumers often can't really tell the difference between great hardware, good drivers, a performant OS.

I think much of what makes the PlayBook shine is due of QNX: the smoothness of the UI, the ease with which it handles multitasking, the graphics speed etc.

Another factor seems to be the implementation of AIR on the device. It is more akin to the desktop version than other mobile platforms, both in speed and feature set. Many AIR features that have been available on PB since launch are still not available, or don't work as well, on other platforms. For instance, file system access on the PB is orders of magnitude faster than on Android with the same code. This shows a lot of promise for the future of the PlayBook.

Together with the very nice screen, the touch-sensitive bezel, the build quality and form factor it really is a nice package.

[WinningWithLogic]

Hardware wise, the iPad 2 and the PlayBook aren't all that different. While the PlayBook has 1GB of RAM vs the iPad's 512MB, the iPad 2 has a GPU that blows away the PlayBook's (SGX543MP2 vs SGX540). And having seen the quality of some of the titles available for the iPad 2, it's certainly clear developers have been able to put that extra GPU power to use. I can't say the same about the PlayBook's extra RAM. iPad apps and games still look better and run faster than PlayBook apps and games.

"The best hardware" seems to be just another one of those things PlayBook users tell themselves that doesn't actually line up with reality. Kind of like all the silly stuff about QNX being the "best OS". Sold on marketing messages purely with no understanding of the technology. QNX is just a kernel. And frankly, a kernel that has substantially less features than Linux (at the heart of Android) and XNU/BSD (at the heart of iOS) because it has only seen application in very specialized industries. And a kernel is what you start with and build a software stack on - what Apple and Google have been doing for *years* now. The kernel is not the end-game.

[s219]

Hardware wise, the iPad 2 and the PlayBook aren't all that different. While the PlayBook has 1GB of RAM vs the iPad's 512MB, the iPad 2 has a GPU that blows away the PlayBook's (SGX543MP2 vs SGX540). And having seen the quality of some of the titles available for the iPad 2, it's certainly clear developers have been able to put that extra GPU power to use. I can't say the same about the PlayBook's extra RAM. iPad apps and games still look better and run faster than PlayBook apps and games.

"The best hardware" seems to be just another one of those things PlayBook users tell themselves that doesn't actually line up with reality. Kind of like all the silly stuff about QNX being the "best OS". Sold on marketing messages purely with no understanding of the technology. QNX is just a kernel. And frankly, a kernel that has substantially less features than Linux (at the heart of Android) and XNU/BSD (at the heart of iOS) because it has only seen application in very specialized industries. And a kernel is what you start with and build a software stack on - what Apple and Google have been doing for *years* now. The kernel is not the end-game.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Altarocks]

Hardware wise, the iPad 2 and the PlayBook aren't all that different.

You either don't mind wearing earphones or don't care about audio quality.

[perfectson]

Hardware is quickly outdated, this table released in what April May 2011...by the time OS 2.0 rolls out, those specs will be bleh. How long do you think OS.2.0 is going to be out (Feb 2012) before the tablet's hardware will be below average in comparison to other tablets?

[Mundane Destroyer]

the issue is that the tablet has a better capability than what is being offered

[perfectson]

the issue is that the tablet has a better capability than what is being offered

and by the time RIM takes advantage of it, it will be time for new hardware with even better capability...

[bb-bandit]

Hardware wise, the iPad 2 and the PlayBook aren't all that different. While the PlayBook has 1GB of RAM vs the iPad's 512MB, the iPad 2 has a GPU that blows away the PlayBook's (SGX543MP2 vs SGX540). And having seen the quality of some of the titles available for the iPad 2, it's certainly clear developers have been able to put that extra GPU power to use. I can't say the same about the PlayBook's extra RAM. iPad apps and games still look better and run faster than PlayBook apps and games.

"The best hardware" seems to be just another one of those things PlayBook users tell themselves that doesn't actually line up with reality. Kind of like all the silly stuff about QNX being the "best OS". Sold on marketing messages purely with no understanding of the technology. QNX is just a kernel. And frankly, a kernel that has substantially less features than Linux (at the heart of Android) and XNU/BSD (at the heart of iOS) because it has only seen application in very specialized industries. And a kernel is what you start with and build a software stack on - what Apple and Google have been doing for *years* now. The kernel is not the end-game.

You're too intelligent for this forum.

[shootsscores]

Hardware wise, the iPad 2 and the PlayBook aren't all that different. While the PlayBook has 1GB of RAM vs the iPad's 512MB, the iPad 2 has a GPU that blows away the PlayBook's (SGX543MP2 vs SGX540). And having seen the quality of some of the titles available for the iPad 2, it's certainly clear developers have been able to put that extra GPU power to use. I can't say the same about the PlayBook's extra RAM. iPad apps and games still look better and run faster than PlayBook apps and games.

"The best hardware" seems to be just another one of those things PlayBook users tell themselves that doesn't actually line up with reality. Kind of like all the silly stuff about QNX being the "best OS". Sold on marketing messages purely with no understanding of the technology. QNX is just a kernel. And frankly, a kernel that has substantially less features than Linux (at the heart of Android) and XNU/BSD (at the heart of iOS) because it has only seen application in very specialized industries. And a kernel is what you start with and build a software stack on - what Apple and Google have been doing for *years* now. The kernel is not the end-game.

Actually, what RIM has done with the GPU is very clever and takes advantage of the QNX microkernel. I read that given the nature of resource allocation inherently advantageous to QNX that the PB GPU is overclocked by 50% (IIRC) giving it superior performance compared to anything else on the market.

[blackjack93117]

Things you wont find in other pads

touch sensitive bezel
rugged quality build
beautiful crisp high contrast display with accurate color rendition
dual stereo mics
awesome (for the size) front facing speakers
amazing 1080p video cam
native HDMI?

not even mentioning the powerhouse inside.

[shootsscores]

You're too intelligent for this forum.

Not well enough informed however.

[WinningWithLogic]

You either don't mind wearing earphones or don't care about audio quality.

You are certainly correct that the PlayBook has better speakers than the iPad 2. Interestingly I learned that contrary to a lot of the stuff you read online, the iPad 2 actually does have stereo speakers and not mono. The configuration though is extremely weird whereby the two speakers are literally next to each other on the board - almost entirely negating any stereo effect. So for all intents and purposes, the PlayBook speakers are better than the iPad 2's.

I'm an engineer so out of curiosity as well I also pulled up the datasheets for the audio codecs each has (PlayBook: Wolfson WM8994, iPad 2: Cirrus 42L63) and they seem to be about par, so with headphones I think you would find the audio quality to be about the same.

Don't get me wrong, the PlayBook does have good hardware. Having native HDMI is also another advantage of the PlayBook. My objection is to this meme that the PlayBook has "the best" hardware.

[WinningWithLogic]

Actually, what RIM has done with the GPU is very clever and takes advantage of the QNX microkernel. I read that given the nature of resource allocation inherently advantageous to QNX that the PB GPU is overclocked by 50% (IIRC) giving it superior performance compared to anything else on the market.

That is false. You will not be able to provide any information or references that support this statement.

[bb-bandit]

That is false. You will not be able to provide any information or references that support this statement.

No one has to back up their claims in this forum. Instead Unicorns prance around with PB's stuffed in their saddle bags and their owners tell each other, "2.0 is coming....some day!"

[WinningWithLogic]

Things you wont find in other pads

touch sensitive bezel
rugged quality build
beautiful crisp high contrast display with accurate color rendition
dual stereo mics
awesome (for the size) front facing speakers
amazing 1080p video cam

not even mentioning the powerhouse inside.

The touch sensitive bezel is certainly a neat feature.

I think you would struggle to articulate further how the PlayBook has better build quality than competing tablets, which is usually a key sign of something being a marketing message not really grounded in fact.

The display contrast of the PlayBook is the same as for the iPad and iPad 2 (in fact, the iPad and iPad 2 are slightly higher, but not by any humanly observable amount).

Agreed on the stereo speakers being better for the PlayBook, as noted above.

You are also correct on the ability of the PlayBook to record 1080p vs 720p for the iPad 2.

[bb-bandit]

The touch sensitive bezel is certainly a neat feature.

I think you would struggle to articulate further how the PlayBook has better build quality than competing tablets, which is usually a key sign of something being a marketing message not really grounded in fact.

The display contrast of the PlayBook is the same as for the iPad and iPad 2 (in fact, the iPad and iPad 2 are slightly higher, but not by any humanly observable amount).

Agreed on the stereo speakers being better for the PlayBook, as noted above.

You are also correct on the ability of the PlayBook to record 1080p vs 720p for the iPad 2.

New ipads coming after end of year. They will have improved spec's that will address some of its shortcomings. You will also be able to email from the ipad without having to interface via a bridge to your handheld.

[s219]

Actually, what RIM has done with the GPU is very clever and takes advantage of the QNX microkernel. I read that given the nature of resource allocation inherently advantageous to QNX that the PB GPU is overclocked by 50% (IIRC) giving it superior performance compared to anything else on the market.

You're way the heck off on that one. I think that was a shoot and a miss.

[schlammuuagar]

Hardware wise, the iPad 2 and the PlayBook aren't all that different. While the PlayBook has 1GB of RAM vs the iPad's 512MB, the iPad 2 has a GPU that blows away the PlayBook's (SGX543MP2 vs SGX540).

I'm guessing the Playbook OS, much like the Android OS *needs* 1GB to run. iOS has shown time and time again it doesn't *need* 1GB to run. I don't think this should be a comparison by any means as to what is better...

It's kind of like saying a Intel x5860 3.3GHz processor is faster than an Intel x7560 2.26GHz processor, because of the clock speed, when in fact the opposite is true. Bigger doesn't mean better...

[advcomputer]

I has great hardware because it's built like a brick sh^t house.

[anon(3896606)]

I keep constantly reading in here from people saying. " it's just a shame the PB doesn't do this or that, it has such great hardware?".

What they mean is, The Playbook hardware wise is almost excellent. They are saying that the software is bringing it down, which in most cases right now it is. Just think of it, the screen is nice and crisp, the sound is really good, speedy dual-core processor, the RAM is a nice amount (I think it could use a little more, 1GB more or something like that...)... All in all the Playbook is in it's baby ages, just give it a little more time and it will grow.

[Wretch 12]

I forgot, how many megapixels is the iPad 2 camera again?

Wasn't it LESS than 1? While the Playbook has 5?

I know, the camera has no relation to the main hardware components, but surely that shows that the Playbook at least retains one piece of good hardware.