BlackBerry PlayBook Now Available in US and Canada

Could the BlackBerry PlayBook, which hits retail locations in the US and Canada today, give the iPad a run for its money? Reviews are generally mixed, with most reviewers praising the tablet’s hardware specs and QNX-based operating system while panning it for its lack of apps, most alarmingly a native calendar or email client. The PlayBook is a bit more enticing for current BlackBerry smartphone owners, since its powerful BlackBerry Bridge app enables synced email, calendar, and BBM, in addition to free tethering.

Still, better to be deficient in apps with solid hardware and OS than to be the other way around; as such, the PlayBook is charitably being referred to as a “work in progress,” with the final verdict on it to come in a few months when its app ecosystem is (hopefully) better populated.

(via CrunchGear | RIM online store)