Is Blackberry PlayBook your smart business partner?

Business-oriented RIM ushers in its PlayBook tablet to take over its rival Apple

Blackberry PlayBook, which RIM codes as a Blackberry Amplifier and enterprise-ready tablet, is all set to compete with brand majors such as Apple and Samsung in the much-heated tablet segment.
BlackBerry’s popularity in business may incline business types to ignore its competitors and look closely at the PlayBook. Let’s look at some simple concerns, which are significant from a business standpoint.
Security RIM holds an enviable reputation for secure communications and PlayBook is just another smart step to empower its large set of business users. Features built into BlackBerry devices allow IT administrators to control how the gadgets are used and even to wipe data remotely from lost or stolen ones, thereby adding to the security aspect. The PlayBook exhibits similar capabilities.
But in the immediate future, the PlayBook makes a security virtue out of a shortcoming: The tablet must be tethered to a BlackBerry for e-mail and some other functions. This means that if you lose the PlayBook, you haven’t lost your data – it’s on your BlackBerry. The PlayBook is essentially just a bigger screen to access the phone.
Flash PlayBook comes with Flash support, which may enthrall small business users who browse the web often. For example, online real-estate listings often use Flash. So support would be important for agents who want to use their tablets to show listings to clients in the field. Support for Adobe® Flash 10.2 and HTML5 means you get all the Internet has to offer.
Multitasking powerhouse Powered by a blazingly fast 1 GHz dual core processor, a high resolution 7inchmulti-touch display and up to 10 hours of battery life, the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet can handle even the most demanding of tasks. And with the new BlackBerry® Tablet OS, you get true multitasking and mission critical reliability you can count on.
Portability Weighing less than a pound and at less than half an inch thick, it’s designed to go anywhere and everywhere. It delivers uncompromised performance in an ultra portable design.
Apple enthusiasts may argue that a bigger screen is an advantage, but only for presentations requiring large screen displays. Otherwise, the 7inch screen seems to enjoy the support of business users.
Powerful apps BlackBerry® Bridge lets you view the email, BBM™ (Blackberry Messenger), calendar and address book on your BlackBerry® smartphone on the larger BlackBerry PlayBook display. Check an email while you’re watching a movie, send a picture over BBM or browse your corporate Intranet, all without missing a beat.
For more information on apps, read our Blackberry App feature.
Now, lets look at the darker side of it, which may add to our disappointment.
No Email, No Way One of the largest and most significant criticisms facing the PlayBook so far is that the device lacks many of the most essential features available in other tablets. While most smartphones and tablets feature their own native email, calendar, and contacts client, the PlayBook does not. Instead, RIM offers PlayBook owners the ability to link the tablets to their BlackBerry phones to utilize the functionality. The company also recommends that users access their email accounts via the PlayBook's built-in web browser, a partial and mostly unhelpful solution.
No 3G A 3G version of the PlayBook will be released this summer, making it yet another feature not included in the original PlayBook that really should have been. The only way to connect to a 3G network is to connect the PlayBook to your phone -- a solution, certainly, but not a very convenient one.
BlackBerry dependency The PlayBook can access e-mail only when tethered, via a Bluetooth wireless connection, to a BlackBerry. RIM’s BlackBerry Bridge software gives the PlayBook access to e-mail, contacts, calendar, memo pad and tasks on the phone.
This shortcoming – for it is certainly a shortcoming, notwithstanding the possible security benefit mentioned earlier – is due to be remedied with the next release of the PlayBook, probably this summer. In the meantime, it will prove a roadblock for the PlayBook. If you don’t have a BlackBerry already, you’re out of luck with e-mail, the absolutely essential mobile app.