Android Apps Available On The PlayBook

As RIM reported strong revenue growth for 2010, it also confirmed that its new PlayBook would support Android apps.AuthorDavid GilbertPublished25th Mar 2011 Share   5 comments     EmailTrustedReviews Newsletters

Remember last month when we told you about reports that Android apps were going to be made available on RIM�s BlackBerry PlayBook? Well the Canadians have confirmed the rumour at yesterday�s revenue call.


The 7in PlayBook, which will launch on April 19 at a cost of $499.99 for the 16GB model, will now be a lot more attractive considering that over 200,000 Android apps could be available on the tablet. RIM announced that in addition to supporting its own SDK, the PlayBook will support apps written for Android 2.3 (presumably Honeycomb compatibility will follow soon) as well as BlackBerry Java. Not content with bringing us this news, RIM added that it would be bringing its AirPlay and Unity 3 games engines to the tablet.


RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said: �The upcoming addition of BlackBerry Java and Android apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World will provide our users with an even greater choice of apps and will also showcase the versatility of the platform.� While rumours of this happening have been swirling around for some time, its confirmation will no doubt help boost interest in the PlayBook - expecially considering many people had worried that there would be not enough support in terms of apps.

The news came as RIM announced revenues of $15.2 billion for 2010, helped considerably by sales of BlackBerry smartphones which soared 43 percent in 2010 to 52.3 million units. However, despite the earnings, RIM share prices fell by 10 percent in after-hours trading because of poor expected future earnings for the early part of 2011.

We look forward to seeing how RIM manages to implement this support of Android Apps and if its as �quick and easy� to port the Android apps as RIM say it is, then we would hope that many developers will choose to do so. Will this additional app goodness entice you to stump up the $500 for the PlayBook?

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iPad 2 Launched Today In UK

Launched online earlier this morning, we talk to those who have been queuing overnight to get their hands on one in store. AuthorDavid GilbertPublished25th Mar 2011 Share   26 comments     EmailTrustedReviews Newsletters

For most people, the idea of queuing up outside a shop in central London for almost 36 hours just to be the first people in the country to get their hands on the new iPad 2 would seem ludicrous - for Jewels Lewis from Notting Hill there was no other choice.


"I was fourth in line for the original iPad so I was going to make sure I was number one for the iPad 2," the finance executive told us this morning having spent the night outside the Apple Store on Regent Street - and he wasn't alone. While there were only six or seven people directly outside the store, around the corner on Hanover Street a sort of Apple-branded shanty town had sprung up, with sleeping bags, blow-up beds and of course iPhones, iPods and iPads as far as the eye could see.


Craig Fox from Cambridge and Daniel James from London, both self-proclaimed Apple fanboys, said there had been a good atmosphere overnight despite the chilly temperatures. They had got in line at 4pm yesterday, which compared to Jewels who arrived at 7.30am yesterday morning, almost seemed reasonable. "I managed six hours sleep last night but Daniel only got one," Craig told us. Asked why they were willing to put themselves through such hardship for the iPad 2, they both just said that it was another Apple product and that was all they needed to know. They said they were looking forward to using FaceTime on the iPad 2 and checking out iMovie and GarageBand working on the new device.

The iPad 2 will go on sale today at 5pm in stores but went on sale in the UK early this morning at 1am. However those who waited up in the hope some of the online orders would be despatched within 24 hours were disappointed as Apple seems to have not set any units aside for this purpose. The waiting time for delivery of the iPad 2 in the UK was 2-3 weeks last night but is currently running at 3-4 weeks. A lot of people who tried to get their iPad 2 online last night faced some infuriating error messages with the ordering process taking over an hour in some cases.


The queue this afternoon at the Apple Store in Westfield
In the line on Hanover Street, it was quite easy to tell where the line of overnight queuers ended and the early morning additions began. The vacant stares and coffee-fuelled jumpiness gave way to more calm and serene personas who were staring lovingly at their iPad, which they will soon toss on the scrap heap in favour of the newer, slimmer, faster, lighter and cheaper iPad 2.


Apple staff prepare for the onslaught
We will be keeping you up to date as we get more information from retailers and from Apple as to how the launch day is going. Let us know if you are in the queue or if you've tried to order one online.

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Podcast 36: OMG, It's A New Format

Listen to our new-sounding podcast as we visit the iPad 2 buyers' queue. Plus: has the English language gone mad?AuthorCliff JonesPublished25th Mar 2011 Share   6 comments     EmailTrustedReviews Newsletters

This week we walk the line (or stroll the queue) for the iPad2 launch and find out what the fanboys are waiting for.

Plus we discuss the Galaxy Tab 8.9, PlayBook pricing and a UK verision of the Huffington Post.

Our hot topic this week is the news that the Oxford English Dictionary has included words like OMG, LOL and TMI and we look at the 3DS and the HTC Desire S.

Plus we look ahead to the new product coming into the TrustedReviews office and the best of your comments on the site.

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ViewSonic Announces 'Try For Free' ViewPad 7 Offer

How do you sell an Android tablet these days? Giving them away for free is one option being tested by ViewSonic.AuthorDavid GilbertPublished28th Mar 2011 Share   7 comments     EmailTrustedReviews Newsletters

Trying to get noticed in the Android tablet market at the moment is pretty difficult, especially if you�re not one of the prestige manufacturers. So ViewSonic has come up with a novel way to try and generate some interest in its ViewPad 7 tablet � by letting you try it out for free.


That�s right, you can head down to a ViewSonic authorised retailer today, pick up a ViewPad 7 and if you decide a few weeks later that you don�t like it - for whatever reason - then send it back and ViewSonic will give you your money back - and even pay for the postage. Of course ViewSonic is hoping that the vast majority of people taking up this offer will fall in love with the 7in Android tablet and never want to let it go. ViewSonic says that rapid rise of popularity of tablets has left many people in the dark regarding their uses and so this �Try For Free� offer gives them a chance to see what the fuss is all about.


�There are many people that have heard about the new Tablet trend but for various reasons have not yet dived in. Working with Google, we want people to have a good first Tablet experience, risk free,� said James Coulson, European marketing manager, ViewSonic. When we reviewed the ViewPad 7 back in November last year, we were not convinced by the device especially its slow 600MHz processor, unresponsive low-resolution screen and uncomfortable shape. However we also know that despite the razzmatazz surrounding the iPad 2 UK launch last Friday, a lot of people have never used a tablet and would like to find out exactly what they do � which is where ViewSonic comes in.

The deal states that should you want to return the tablet, you need to fill out a Request to Return form up to 20 days after you bought the device. The device then needs to be sent back to Viewsonic within 30 days of purchase with the receipt/invoice as well as all the original packaging. If the product is not with all original packaging or not in what ViewSonic calls "barely-used condition", deductions will be made from your refund. Your refund will be made, along with up to �10 towards postage, within 30 days of your claim.

While the tablet cost a whopping 400 when we reviewed it last November, it can now be got online for the more reasonable price of �290. This is still quite a lot of money but the fact you have the safety net of the �Try for Free� offer, it could tempt some to give this tablet a try.

Source: ViewSonic

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