The software that runs the the BlackBerry PlayBook (PlayBook OS) is the metaphorical glue that holds the experience together. The user interface of the PlayBook is hugely reminiscent of WebOS, from it’s combination of subtle notifications to the card-system of multitasking. The PlayBooks UI was simple and easy to pick up and diverse from a capabilities standpoint. The tiled interface was a taste of the future for the BB10 platform that would similarly run Active Frames, which allow applications to minimize to the background.

The UI as elegant as it was, could only push the device so far as the application support for the device would ultimately make or break the device in terms of usability. The application ecosystem is story of muddled experience. It has everything you could ask for in tablet. It has some games, it has some first party titles (Facebook, Pandora, etc), and it is a very capable-portable workhorse for those wanting to create documents or excel sheets with it or view local media.

It only has some of the things that a tablet user would find meaningful. The game selection is enough to keep your occupied, yet not engaged for any extreme length. The first party support, is very limited. What I can say for sure is the PlayBook’s biggest strength are is the web browser and editing capabilities. If writing documents is something you can and want to do with your tablet then the PlayBook can meet your needs. The email client and other productivity tools are basic but they do but the make the device feel far more suitable in an office or a classroom environment and far more capable than what you may expect. From a software perspective, the PlayBook is middle of the road. It has some games to keep people entertained, it has a capable browser and a very functional editing suite, but lacks a dedicated powerpoint creation tool (Like BlackBerry Express on BB10), which keeps it from aspiring to real productivity greatness in my eyes. I feel that the best aspect of the PlayBook is that it looks modern. To me shows the beauty, power and modernity of both the QNX platform and the PlayBook OS that spill over to the BB10 platform in a fundamental way.