The launch earlier in 2010 of Apples iPad has signalled a boom in the tablet market. Blackberry have now thrown their hat into the ring with the launch of the Playbook, a device so impressive that it could well beat Apple at its own game.

In the tablet market there has yet to be a size that has become standard, with a fine line between the unit being to big to be portable and nearer to a laptop, or to small and not dissimilar to the current crop of large screen mobile phones. At 7 inches, The Playbook seems to have pitched itself perfectly, establishing the middle ground between the two highlighted problems. It is an ideal size for one handed use, yet maintains a display large enough to perform numerous tasks easily. The screen offers WSVGA resolution, which equates to 1024 x 600 pixels. Opting away from AMOLED technology, which could prove trick given the sizes we are working with, the LCD panel performs superbly and offers a great clarity of image. Multi Touch is sought after on mobile phones, and one could argue than given the boost in size on tablet models, here it is even more vital. Luckily it is present in all its glory on the playbook, allowing pinch and zoom which works wonderfully on the large screen. Responsive scores highly, and the screens capacitive nature is to thank for this, and in general using the device is a pleasure. The screen is 2.7" smaller than the iPad, yet the overall weight is nearly half, a major attraction as such models are judged on their portability. The depth of the Playbook also impressive at just 10mm, further helping the unit not only in terms of how easy it is to travel with, but also giving it a streamlined and stylish design.

In addition to connectivity to mobile networks, the Blackberry Playbook also benefits from its support of WiFi. When connected to such a network, the online experience is both fast and enjoyable. The excellent web browser also plays its part in this thanks to it offering not only HTML 5 but also full Flash facilities, an area where Apple have always dropped points. Much of the speed of this device can be attributed to the excellent dual core processor that keeps everything ticking along. At 1GHz it should certainly be ample to handle the everyday demands placed on it, and together with 1GB of RAM makes this unit very eye catching in the hardware stakes. Two cameras are fitted on the model, both of which are high quality. The secondary front camera can take 3 mega pixel photographs, while the main rear camera comes it 2 million pixels higher, as well as offering Full HD video capture, which looks superb on the display or when linked to an HD Television via the welcomed HDMI port.

The Blackberry Playbook looks set to go head to head with the much coveted Apple iPad, and looking at the impressive design and specification of this model, RIM could well be onto a winner.