Why I returned my BlackBerry PlayBook
When the BlackBerry PlayBook was released last month, I bought one on day one. And today, I returned it.
After using my Samsung Galaxy Tab for so many months, carrying the PlayBook ended up feeling like a chore. I found myself constantly focusing on its limitations rather than its functionality. No Words With Friends, SlingPlayer, Nook, Rhapsody, Google Navigation, BeyondPod, or other apps that fit so nicely into my daily routine. I missed the apps that make my devices useful.
For me it was the right decision. The PlayBook’s hardware, UI, and browser are top-shelf but its lack of apps left me longing for the update coming this summer that will bring Android apps to the device through BlackBerry App World. Sure, I could hold out until summer for the update, but there is no reason to since my Samsung Galaxy Tab (and many other Android tablets on the market now) already provides full access to the Android Market.
I suppose that if all you do is browse the web and check email, the PlayBook may be right for you. But for $499 you could get so much more from something else, not tomorrow but today. Maybe I will revisit the PlayBook when its QNX OS is mature, but for now I’ll stick with mobile devices running non-beta operating systems.
