The BlackBerry FakeBook

Some people are easily fooled. The new ad for an upcoming tablet computer from BlackBerry called the PlayBook sure looks impressive but is it real? Does the PlayBook really exist? Take a close look at the video. The actual device is never really demonstrated. You see impressive special effects, portraying a device that looks gorgeous, fast and highly capable. It looks more like a concept video than a demonstration of something real. Even at the product announcement the device was never demoed on stage nor was anyone allowed to to try one.

This looks like an idealized version of what the real world device might be, something that has yet to ship and has yet to have a selling price set. I could be wrong and I would enjoy seeing what this tablet could do, especially in the enterprise market, but I can’t help be suspicious that this is just vaporware. If and when the PlayBook does ship, I wouldn’t be surprised if it falls short of expectations. Perhaps BlackBerry should stick to making smart-phones with tiny keyboards and leave the special effects to Hollywood.