The BlackBerry PlayBook launched yesterday (20th April) and as expected, iFixit managed to get hold of the tablet and take it apart to see exactly what makes it run. The tablet is RIM’s first attempt at the new generation tablet market and from what we have seen, they have done quite a new job. This is in part thanks to the QNX operating system that it uses which helps multitasking run quite smoothly. The design is also excellent and certainly looks the part.
iFixit were able to give the BlackBerry PlayBook a 7 out of 10 repairability score. The reasons for this are that it’s easy to open, but what lets it down is the controls around the edges that are built in to the framework of the screen, rather than the base portion. Also, to replace the battery the motherboard and speaker assembly needs to be removed.
To get inside the PlayBook, all that was required was a #00 Philips screwdriver and a tool to pop the back off the device.
Inside there’s a small motherboard that runs down the center between the batteries. The battery is 20 watt-hour which is smaller than the iPad 2’s 25 watt-hour battery, but the screen is also a few inches smaller which means less power is needed to run it.
The PlayBook has a couple of cameras with the one on the front being 3 megapixel and the one on the back being 5 megapixel with the ability to capture video at 1080p if desired.
Overall, RIM has done a great job with the hardware on the PlayBook. The full teardown along with explanations of the chips and step by step instructions can be found over at iFixit.
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