Quote:
Originally Posted by rhari79
like your thread a lot..lots of information here.
I am thinking of a tablet, a different one from ios(become monotonous), android(overhyped).
So playbook and touchpad fit the picture perfectly.
Thinking more of Playbook off late because its available in india and your reviews give it a very high rating. I can live without too many apps for a change.
Do these have any good ebook reading apps?
Epub etc.,?For touchpad would be interested in pdf and epub for playbook.
Also do these have proper folder type covers, not just sleeves?
I have an Adam, apart from its numerous inherent problems, i cant find a proper cover for it. This causes problems with holding it. Hate to put pressure on the screen.
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Re. cover:
I've ordered the original
HP cover. It's very similar to the iPad1 cover from Apple. At first I was disappointed about HP not being very creative. But actually it's not half bad. It's not magnetic as the new smart cover for iPad2. But somehow, maybe because of antistatic, it keeps closed very well. It's not bulky but seems protective enough, so I can recommend it.
For the
PlayBook, I ran through quite a few covers. I've ordered some gel and plastic covers for protecting the back and the sides (might be kind of overkill, as PlayBook already has a rubber layer on the back and the sides) and leaving the display free. Eventually I ended up with the original BlackBerry Faux leather cover. "Faux", because I try to avoid real leather as it often scratches too easily. It's nice enough and I can recommend it as well.
Re. eBooks:
Disaster on
HP TouchPad. Not a single reader app. There's a Kobo app for Palm, but I didn't try yet whether I somehow can bring it to HP. But in the TouchPad appstore, there's no Kindle, nook, Kobo app or something else like that. And I find it quite annoying, that HP still markets the Kindle app on their store's front page. Hopefully it will arrive quickly.
There are some standalone books, maybe 20 or so. But I haven't found even a single interesting one.
On
PlayBook, there's the Kobo app. No dictionary lookup, but else it's nicely done. There are 3 or 4 ePUB (none-DRM) apps as well. I didn't test any of these, but the ratings seem good enough.
PlayBook feels very comfortable for reading. Big enough (most read on 6" ePaper units, so the 7" of PlayBook should be acceptable for most). Great display (I've read some negative reviews about the screen, but I really don't understand that criticism. To me the display is one of the best = iPad level).
Re. apps:
Don't underestimate the lack of apps.
I'm really getting frustrated. Or maybe depressed is the better term to describe.
I'm checking both respective appstores at least once per day.
On PlayBook I usually find about 4 new apps per day. 99% of those are "no names". No Navigon, no Kindle, no Google Earth (obviously). I've installed about 25 apps on PlayBook, half of which I wouldn't keep on iPad or Xoom.
I love them both (HP TouchPad + BlackBerry PlayBook). As "naked" systems, both kill iPad or any Android tablet. But what can I use them for? At least I can (and do so) read on PlayBook. But on HP TouchPad, for now I can't do much more than surfing the web.
I really hope for the Android player/emulator for PlayBook. Quickly! Else PlayBook probably will disappear silently, which would be a shame...
In general:
HP TouchPad and BlackBerry PlayBook have similar features. Both use the bezel and swiping gestures. So obviously those features aren't patented entirely.
This probably means, we'll see similar featuresets on iOS and Android rather quickly. If the advantages of both OS fade and there aren't plenty of apps, I don't see them as mass products. And whether they'll survive in their respective niches?
As great as they both are
, I'm not sure whether I can recommend them right now. They're great as additional gadgets. But as the main tablet?...
