Take a closer look at RIM's operating system and apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
Donald Bell
Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
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).
