RIM: Cheers for the PlayBook, from an Apple Apostate

[Barrons.com bond maven extraordinaire and editor in chief� Randall Forsyth filed this review today of his thoughts as an owner of Research in Motion's (RIMM) PlayBook tablet computer. Thanks, Randy! -- TR]

Since the introduction of the new iPad, it�s been all Apple, all the time. There are those out there who have resisted the cult of Cupertino, but they�re like some rag-tag band of misfits who hide in the shadows. As an Apple apostate, I am lonely even in my own abode, which boasts three Macbooks, a Mac Mini, three iPads, more iPods than I can count and the imminent arrival of an iPhone to supplant my teenage daughter�s BlackBerry.

In my solitary resistance to All Things Apple, I even own a PlayBook, the tablet that has garnered fewer sales since its introduction last year than iPads that probably were sold since yesterday morning. I am an even more ardent cheapskate, however, and I bought the basic 16-gigabyte PlayBook at the knockdown price of $200 before Christmas, 60% less than $499 RIM thought it could charge �the same as the basic iPad 2 at the time.

Given that I am already joined at the hip to the BlackBerry Bold issued to me by my employer, the PlayBook seemed a good complement despite the latter�s original glaring omission�the inability to access your BlackBerry email without the smart phone connected to it via Bluetooth. Most users also get internet access on the go with a 3G Blackberry tethered to the PlayBook, but my data plan doesn�t allow it. So, I�m restricted to surfing the Web via WiFi connections, which are increasingly ubiquitous.

I like the PlayBook especially for the ability to see attachments to emails, such as PDFs. I don’t watch videos and other media, but it’s a very good device for casual Web browsing and such, in a more portable package.

As a tablet with a seven-inch screen�effectively half that of iPad�the PlayBook is more comparable to Amazon�s Kindle Fire or Barnes & Noble�s color Nook Tablet. But the PlayBook offers more than either reader with a five megapixel rear camera (like the new iPad) and a reasonably quick browser.

Meanwhile, a 32-gigabyte PlayBook was available on the Web for $220, vs. $199 for the 8-gigabyte Kindle Fire and $249 for the 16-gigabyte Nook Tablet.

And last month�s 2.0 operating system update allows the use of Google‘s (GOOG) Android apps. The biggest change from that upgrade that I’ve noticed is the ability to access corporate email without the need to use the BlackBerry Bridge.

If you really think different, consider a discounted PlayBook.

Fin