SourceCode: Why RIM's PlayBook might still surprise us

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

It has been quite a year for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Starting off as one of the most anticipated releases of 2011, the PlayBook has been put on sale this past week with $300 off its price. Most recently, a preview of the next software update for RIM's 7-inch tablet shows that  maybe the best is yet to come.

I am a fan of the BlackBerry PlayBook, it is by far the best designed 7-inch tablet I have used and I've thought of it as the Mini Cooper of tablets. Fast, slick, sturdy and believe it or not, a lot of fun to use. My use  of the device has been limited to surfing the web and using a few apps and I've been hoping for better apps and for the promised 2.0 update which will bring native email, calendar and contacts.

Photo from BlackBerrycool.com

Blackberrycool.com got a preview of OS 2.0 and were impressed by the experience, specially for the mail application. It looks like while they took their time, RIM really made sure that the user experience was as polished and efficient as possible.

PlayBook OS 2.0 is also supposed to bring Android OS emulation whcih I am hopeful will work well enough. Right now it looks like it requires a lot of work. The video below from ZDNet show the emulator (it sideloads Android Apps and runs them through Adobe Air) which seems like there are some hoops to overcome.

Video from ZDnet

Still, we're hopeful that this will all come together for the PlayBook, I cannot wait to get more use out of the device. Right now it is relegated to basic web surfing, Twitter account management through Blaq as well as watching Netflix video through the browser. The email, contacts and  calendar aspect will make the PlayBook more exciting for users who don't use a BlackBerry smartphone to bridge.

Have you bought one of the discounted PlayBooks? Let me know what you think and how you like your device.