Video of the BlackBerry PlayBook in Action
The BlackBerry tablet, called the PlayBook, has been of interest to many people because the operating system isn't one we've seen before. This video gives an extensive look at how the BlackBerry PlayBook works.
The PlayBook operating system is made by QNX , which doesn't have a lot of experience with mobile interfaces. But the video gives an excellent look at just how smooth and intuitive the PlayBook interface is.
One of the big things for iPad and Android users will be the ease of multitasking. Simply swiping up minimizes the app and brings up other controls, but it all keeps working in the background. In fact, it's all quite reminiscent of the card stack system in the WebOS system seen in the Palm Pre. And just like many mobile interfaces, the top of the screen is used for notifications
Another interesting aspect of the BlackBerry PlayBook is that the bezel (the black border around the display) is touch sensitive. Many of the navigation moves like minimizing apps involve swiping part of the bezel. Swiping up diagonally on the bezel brings up the on-screen keyboard, for instance.
The display itself seems quite responsive, and the interface seems to be mostly complete. However, the device in the video isn't quite complete and some features weren't ready for demo. For now, though, it appears to be coming along well.
The BlackBerry PlayBook does not have a solid release date yet but is expected to launch sometime in early 2011.
