BlackBerry Playbook — I kinda want one but I kinda don’t

Well the rumours were finally confirmed yesterday with RIM announcing their entry into the tablet market with the Playbook. And if there’s one thing RIM can do very well it’s slick presentations. Just take a quick look at this promotional video:

Pretty nice, eh? But we have to push through RIM’s wow factor and take a closer look at what they’re actually bringing to the table. The web technology support is very good.

• Flash 10.1
• HTML5
• CSS3
• Webkit

These are all nice to have in a device that will be heavily used for web content. Apple has stated that Flash is too buggy and uses too much battery life so they like to do things their way and force others to follow them – fine. If that’s what they like to do then they can continue doing it but there’s a reason why it took until Internet Explorer 9 for Microsoft to follow web standards. Sometimes taking the lead and going away from the norm works. Sony won with Bluray but lost with their mini-disk system. The web is filled with flash content and I think support for flash is very important in today’s web environment. The other 3 standards are also a really good thing to pack into the device but that will be standard on all tablets anyway.

RIM has marketed this device as a “business” tablet and I can understand where they’re coming from. Partly because they need to flex their marketing muscle and try really hard to make people understand that this isn’t an iPad killer (more on that later). But, when it comes down to it, did you actually expect anything else from RIM. Of course a tablet from RIM would come with all the standard security that the BlackBerry comes with! So besides the fact that it’s “enterprise” ready, it’s a regular tablet meant for regular use.

Now the Playbook can connect to your BlackBerry via bluetooth! Ok……so? I mean, that’s pretty cool but that feature is only good for one thing. It’s still a tablet and, as much as some people want tablets to be for productivity, they’re consumption devices. People use tablets to gather and view information — not write lengthy emails or notes or presentations. Maybe typing on a Playbook will be easier than typing on a Storm but it’s nowhere near a computer. This feature is useful for when I want to access the web and I have no wifi around. I can use my BlackBerry and not be confined to the tiny screen. However, with that said, it seems that, lately, any place I have to sit and wait provides wifi so maybe that feature won’t be as useful and some people think.

And speaking of usefulness, where are the apps? RIM puchased QNX just a year ago decided to make the operating system of this tablet completely different than BlackBerry. I’m actually OK with that because, the BlackBerry OS still feels sluggish and a little dated but this just puts a lot of pressure on developers to produce apps in time for the 2011 launch date. If there’s one thing that the iPad has for sure, it’s a lot of apps. And apps make the device — you know it’s true!

But if apps make the device than how can people say the Playbook is an iPhone killer? That’s just plain wrong. I’m sorry but not EVERY tablet that comes out is an iPhone killer. The Playbook is a professional tablet designed with functionality and integration in mind. While I don’t believe that tablets can truly be productive devices, I know the iPad isn’t a productive device. And it’s not trying to be. It’s for a completely different demographic offering a different value to the consumer than what RIM is going after. Kindergarden has taught me that I can’t compare apples to oranges so I won’t try to here. I mean, the Playbook has HDMI allow for presentations. The iPad doesn’t even have a usb port — like I said…..apples and oranges.

So, at the end of the day, I like the Playbook. I think it has some real potential for some killer apps where my calendar, contacts, email, and well……life become integrated all together seamlessly. But with that said, I’ve been doing more than fine without one and I think I can continue doing so. One crackberry is enough, I think….

Sixth Sense Technology – Wow!

I’m a little behind on this little snippet of technology but it’s well worth it to take some time and really appreciate the potential of this. The Fluid Interfaces Lab over at MIT have been working away at a concept more than a prototype (in my opinion). Their TED Talk describes the idea of having meta information about your immediate surroundings available instantly in a gesture-intense, floating interface.

The prototype is simple — a small device you wear like a necklace that holds a camera, projector, and internet connection (of course!). The device can recognize items directly in front of the wearer and project additional, relevant information directly onto the item. The talk showed a user checking out a book in a bookstore and having the device automatically recognize the book and project the Amazon rating right onto the cover. Flip the cover to the first page and the device now projects some reviews onto the page!

This obviously has a really big “cool” factor for those a little more geek-inclined but the name itself is also very fitting. At first, I didn’t like the title of “Sixth Sense”. But when you think about it, all of our senses are merely information that we interpret in relation to our surroundings. This device does what we do with our other senses for us and presents only the information that we can digest and make use of.

The possibilities with this kind of technology are really realy cool.

Imagine being able to make video calls against any surface you have available. Imagine having your shopping list available right on your hand as you check item off. Why not have it synced with your list at home over the internet — you know… the one that your fridge keeps track of for you.

The fact is that this is just one more step to integrating our lives into one seamless experience. Where I can have the information I want given to me right away and I don’t even notice the intricacies involved. That’s both awesome and scary at the same time!

Re-branding is important

People often make excuses for not getting stuff done. So, I’ve had a few people — yes….. people read this blog — ask me if I

ever intend to start posting again and the truth is I always did. I just made excuses like “I’m too busy” or “I have nothing to write about”. Fact is, there’s always something to write about and I’ve just been lazy!

So it’s time to re-brand. I was a little focused on tech stuff earlier on while

starting the blog up but that won’t be the case anymore. Just like a good diet, I’m going to go for balance this time around. It’ll be a new face, a new feel, and a new start.