There’s a trend in technology these days: tablets, a slate-like design that has been around for years and it’s now perfected by Apple; in an attempt to decode the iPad formula rivals are creating two different approaches, stuffing Android in a bigger screen (10.1) or creating a bigger smartphone and call it tablet (the Dell Streak 7, Samsung Tab 7 and now Blackberry Playbook 7″), but ripping, copying and even adding better technical specifications won’t help none of them sell millions of their tablets, what is really missing from those devices is a unique identification, there’s nothing unique on any of them, they believe that the iPad form factor is the most user-likable, but fail to provide not only the real distintion among tablets, but the perfect integration environment that works flawlessly for their mobile devices.

Other area where those new 7″ tablets are failing miserably is that knowing that the bigger and better rival (iPad) has an entry price of $500 all of them are trying to convince us that their devices with small screen could cost more than that, just because Android users are forced to have a data plan attached to their tablets, when this is optional with the iPad.

Three things to take into consideration with the Blackberry Playbook, a) there is not price set, so expect it to be priced around $600 or more, why? because if it were cheaper than the iPad RIM would take this opportunity to tell the public that the Playbook cost less than the iPad and have better features, real multitasking and so on, something reserved to test the water, they may want to see how many Samsung Galaxy Tab are sold this holidays; b) timing, RIM is pulling a Palm here, launching the Playbook by the time the iPad is supposed to have a refresh (2 cameras, mini usb, thinner and a price reduction for the actual ones), something that could make the Playbook introduction a sour one, people will expect for the iPad 2 before putting down any money in the Playbook and if economy matters some will buy the cheaper and older iPad when Apple put those out of the line up; 3) Battery life, there is not information about the battery life of the Playbook, those real multitasking and 1080p video reproduction tax the battery too much, so don’t expect an iPad-like battery for this thing, it won’t even compete with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 hour-long claimed by Samsung.

The Playbook, a professional-grade tablet, yes professionals play, why not, will be competing against other 7″ tablets but won’t compete directly with the iPad, but it could be Dead on Arrive if Apple iPad 7″ rumors or even worse if the market got saturated with millions of iPad this holidays, nobody will expect to next year to buy a Playbook if he or she can get a better deal on Black Friday, I believe that RIM didn’t calculate the market saturation factor that could decrease people interest in something that can’t be bought rigth now and by the time it will the market is innundated with cheaper and better devices.

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