BlackBerry tablet OS (screenshots)

Take a closer look at RIM's operating system and apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Donald Bell

April 14, 2011 11:39 a.m. PT

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PlayBook home screen

Out of the box, the BlackBerry PlayBook comes prestocked with some great apps and utilities. Basic features such as music playback, video player, camera/camcorder, and weather are all here and executed with an eye for detail. You'll also find quality apps for YouTube, Kobo e-reader, Bing Maps (using GPS), and games such as Need for Speed and Tetris.

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PlayBook Internet tethering

The PlayBook can be tethered over Bluetooth to any tether-friendly smartphone, and thus can access the Internet over the phone's cellular data connection.

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PlayBook browser privacy

The PlayBook's browser includes a privacy mode and advanced settings for selectively disabling cookies, WebSockets, and pop-ups.

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PlayBook photo sample

The back of the BlackBerry PlayBook includes a 5-megapixel camera capable of taking rich, detailed shots. The camera does not include a flash, though, so there's no way to address scenes like these that have too much backlight.

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PlayBook settings bar

The top of the PlayBook's user interface includes a task bar for common settings and alert messages.

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PlayBook Flash video

The PlayBook's Web browser is by far our favorite feature. With its full support of Adobe Flash 10.2, video-heavy sites display just like they would on your home computer.

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PlayBook Kobo Reader

Kobo's e-reader app is included on the PlayBook, offering a wide range of titles, similar to the offerings of Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble.

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PlayBook Flash games

The PlayBook's browser is also capable of playing Flash-based online games, including games that take advantage of the device's tilt-sensor.

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PlayBook Bing Maps

An app for Bing Maps takes advantage of the PlayBook's built-in GPS to plot your location, offer local points of interest, and generate driving directions.

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PlayBook Slacker Radio

Fan's of Slacker's free and premium subscription music service will be happy to see this app preinstalled on the PlayBook.

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BlackBerry desktop

When connected to your computer, RIM's BlackBerry desktop software will take care of backing up your data and syncing your media collection (including songs and playlists from iTunes).