Using BlackBerry PlayBook for quick blogging
After Jenn tweeted about how her Motorola Xoom was working with TypePad for blogging, I decided to give it a try on my BlackBerry PlayBook. I had no luck on my iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab trying to write posts using the actual TypePad.com web interface in the past, so I wasn't optimistic.
But after firing up the browser on my PlayBook and logging in to my TypePad account, everything seemed to work perfectly. I can see this as a great device to use at a event like CES, or wherever you might need to do some quick blogging.
Here I captured a picture of my Tab and was able to upload it into TypePad with no problems.
The PlayBook camera does a good job taking pictures in bright sunlight or with plenty of other light. It doesn't do a good job in low light, as is the case with many other tablets—the iPad 2 is one of worst.
I think RIM should have included at least a LED flash on the PlayBook like Samsung did for the Galaxy Tab, which I actually did use at CES 2011 to capture some decent pictures in low light.
Here you can see another picture I captured outside with the PlayBook and the detail is good.
Another great plus of using the PlayBook as a quick blogging device is the portability. It's easy to carry with you, without having to deal with the bulk or weight of a bigger device. Using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse makes the PlayBook that much easier to do any write ups or even create Word documents.
One of the strong points of using PlayBook by itself (i.e., without bridging it to a BlackBerry phone) is web the browser. The browsing experience has been one of the best I have used on any portable device that isn't running a full OS.
As I've said before, I still think RIM should have at least included a calendar and email app. Without these two major apps, it is hard to use the PlayBook as a business device without bridging with a BlackBerry phone.
If you plan on getting a PlayBook in the near future and you do most of your work in a browser (like many bloggers do), then you won't be disappointed.
