Apple iPad 2 vs BlackBerry PlayBook

Apple has unveiled its next generation iPad device, the iPad 2. The device boasts of some improved and superior specs compared to its successor. The new Apple iPad 2 is already creating a buzz around the online circles and getting compared to other tablets available in the market.

In yet another clash of the Titans, we put the iPad 2 up against the RIM's tablet device, the BlackBerry Playbook, to see which of the device lives up to its reputation.

Display
Apple decided not to rock the boat with iPad 2 and opted to stick with the tried and tested 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT which, let's be fair, has been doing a pretty good job for the last 11 months.

Naturally we were expecting some Retina Display goodness on this new model but we can't argue against the qualities of the display, it offers good viewing angles thanks to the IPS technology and comes with a scratch/fingerprint resistant coating, as well as being oleophobic!

The BlackBerry, while not disappointing, is a little run of the mill. It's 7-inch TFT display is certainly pleasing to use and is plenty responsive but it does lack that cutting edge feel.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Internals
There isn't much to separate these two devices when it comes to drive-train, they both come in 16, 32, 64GB flavours and offer impressive dual-core 1GHz chips which, in the iPad 2's case will reportedly drive graphical performance to nine times that of its predecessor, as well as the expected two-fold improvement in overall performance.

Similarly the PlayBook offers pretty brisk performance and its own Open-GL enabled GPU will no doubt give users an immersive gaming experience. Memory-wise it's tough to compare the two devices when Apple, in its infinite wisdom, has opted to keep details of installed memory secret.

RIM provides a more open book though, and we know that its device boasts 1GB RAM, which makes the device chip along at a decent pace. While we fully expect Apple to have boosted the iPad 2's RAM from the 256MB of its predecessor we can never be 100 per cent sure, so on that criteria alone the PlayBook takes this round.

Winner - BlackBerry PlayBook

Optics
It comes as no surprise that Apple chose to include dual cameras in the iPad 2, with a rear-facing 0.7-megapixel (yes, you read that right) and a front-facing VGA effort included to allow users to make use of its fantastic FaceTime software and capture stills and movies (up to 720P).

The PlayBook's offering is altogether more 'now', with 5-megapixel rear-facing and 3-megapixel front-facing cameras included, as well as the added bonus of 1080p video capture so, when it comes to optics, we'd recommend RIM's PlayBook over Apple's gloriously pretty iPad 2.

Winner - BlackBerry PlayBook

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