Research In Motion fell in Nasdaq trading after its Black Berry PlayBook, which arrives next week to challenge Apple’s iPad, received some negative initial reviews. Technology columnists criticized the 7-inch tablet for lacking a built-in e-mail program, its inability to connect to mobile-phone networks and a shortage of dedicated consumer applications.
The lack of e-mail “makes the PlayBook a companion to a BlackBerry phone rather than a fully independent device,” personal-technology columnist Walter Mossberg wrote in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday. To access e-mail, users need a BlackBerry smartphone to connect through, or a Web-based e-mail account.
But Rich Jaroslovsky of Bloomberg News likes its design, screen resolution and ability to play video on a connected screen while simultaneously browsing the Web.
Also, the PlayBook supports Flash content, which the iPad does not. Bloomberg News
