The playbook is a bit smaller than the Ipad, I'm not big on Apple products so I avoid them. I have an HP Touchpad and it does the job for me. The Playbook I think would be a good investment, you might be able to get a 16GB cheaper since those are coming off the market soon. Look at the types of Apps you would prefer to use when you travel.

I bought one for travel and returned it.

It is fast and the OS is very stable. I found typing on the screen a bit cramped when compared to my new IPad.  The display is very nice and it has an HDMI out for hooking up tothe TV or projector. RIM is a bit behind on this device and rushed it to the market a bit early.

The downside is that there is no Kindie App, a downside for me because I love reading. No Netflix app if you are a subscriber. No Skype app. Their app market is very limited and you have to purchase apps that are free like Angry Birds etc.

If these are not of importance to you then go for it. You may also want to take a look at the Asus Transformer Pad but you cannot beat the price of the play book.

I own the new iPad, iMac and MacBook pro so I am pro Apple but I must admit that their products are overpriced and there are lots of good alternatives in the market. 

Good luck.

They aren't doing as well as they expected after releasing the Bold 9900 but I think they will stabilize. They won't fall if you ask me. BlackBerry phones have taken off in the West Indies and Caribbean, it can fall, I'll just buy a few more RIM stocks.

Yuji22 is correct on the Asus, Acer has a nice one that also comes with a KB dock.

They will die if they do not become more innovative. They are very slow to adapt to change and management is lacking. They need to change very quickly or they may eventually die. They are pinning hopes on their new OS to be released soon.

The gamchanger will be Microsoft with their new tablet. Andriod might become a victim of this new development. Windows 8 will definitely be a game changer.

RIM needs to adapt change very quickly or they will die a slow death.

Buy RIMM products please...need the price to start rising again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ture=player_embedded

Samsung wants to buy out RIM and Nokia.

Is this the 'iPad killer' at last? Microsoft unveils new Surface tablet designed to work with Windows 8

• Microsoft Surface will use same Windows 8 operating system as PCs
• Comes with built-in stand and keyboard to replicate experience of laptop
• Company refuses to reveal price of tablet or confirm exact release date

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 00:43, 19 June 2012 | UPDATED: 13:33, 19 June 2012

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has an uphill battle on his hands.

He needs to break into the tablet market, taking on both the iconic market-leader, the iPad, as well as as an ever-burgeoning range of svelte Android tablets.

However, after Microsoft's repeated attempts over 30 years to break into the tablet market, it now seems the software giant has the right tools to make it right.

The Microsoft Surface tablet was officially unveiled in Los Angeles last night, and from the favourable first impressions, it looks like we have a three-way race in the tablet market.

The Surface comes with a 10.6" screen, a clever magnetic cover which doubles as a keyboard, and a kickstand to hold it upright on a table.

In a huge paradigm shift for Microsoft, the traditional Windows Desktop has been scrapped for Microsoft's new 'Metro' tile-based theme.

The new laptop-esque Surface tablet computer is unveiled by Microsoft, bringing a revolutionary jump to the future of Windows

Microsoft Surface: The new tablet, shown here in the hands of CEO Steve Ballmer, will compete with the iPad

 

Launch: The tablet is Microsoft's first foray into personal computing hardware for many years

 

Presentation: The contents of the launch were kept completely secret until the announcement was made

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci...t.html#ixzz1yFP6Inyd

The Windows Surface will definitely be a game changer.

Microsoft is taking a big gamble since this can also be seen as them competing against their own customers who use Windows in their laptops i.e. Toshiba, Dell, Samsung etc.

Bear in mind that no other Tablet manufacturer has been as successful as Apple. RIM failed badly with their Playbook and are selling them at cost or below cost to get rid of inventory. HP and others have also been victims of the iPad's success.

Microsoft wants to be a part of the post PC era and this hinges on how well the software and hardware integrates. They have failed on their hardware attempts in the past and it remains to be seen how this new Surface Tablet is received by the public.

If Microsoft is successful on this Tablet, then Andriod will become it's first victim. Apple is still the leader in the Tablet market and is very innovative and spends very generously on R & D.

Microsoft is targeting a totally different market segment that is currently void. The business community needs a tablet that can run full blown applications and Microsoft intents to manufacture a Intel based version of this tablet. Now that will be the game changer.

As for a long time Apple user like myself, I am happy with my Apple products and have no interest in Microsoft products but I would love to see some real competition between Apple and Microsoft. 

Let the Tablet war begin. IOS vs Windows 8. Sorry Andriod, it is too buggy and clumsy to even compete and will eventually end up in the RIM corner of battered victims of the post PC era.

If I owned RIM stocks, I would have started selling them now before it is too late.

Android is a great platform if they could come together in a consortium and use the platform wisely an uniformly. It is too fragmented with each smart phone company doing its own thing.

Microsoft is not taking a risk. It is simply consolidating its PC base users. It will not take any of the Apple share. It will simply expand the Tablet market by including PC notebook users who were lagging behind and not wanting to have two incompatible devices.

Windows 8 is stable and is is coming out in less flavors than before ( only 3) and the upper end tabled to be sold for around 900 will be running full windows 8 and packing the power lacking in the others.

It will also be capitalize on a wide establish application platform plus as developers retrofit for it and  new apps will proliferate like mushrooms since every jack can program in this environment.

It will have the advantage of owning the OS and others wanting to compete not only hardware wise but will have to cover the added expense of licensing it.