- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Google Nexus 7
- Apple iPad mini
- Apple iPad 1
- Microsoft Surface RT
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 2
Rated 61% by by The Verge (Apr, 2011)While it’s surprising that RIM would ship the PlayBook without taking advantage of the front camera, in the context of this tablet, it’s sadly par for the course.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Lenovo IdeaPad A1 compared to the BlackBerry PlayBook
“7
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
7”
BlackBerry Tablet OS 2.0
Rated 60% by by TrustedReviews (Mar, 2012)Inside the tablet is a dual-core 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP4 chipset, which in terms of capability is roughly the same as that used on most of the current crop of dual-core tablets (It has two Cortex A9 CPUs and a hefty PowerVR SGX540 GPU).
screen size
7"
7"
PlayBook by david (Jan, 2012)The Playbook has many positives, including a beautiful sleek design; perfect not too big, not too small, not too heavy size; awesome picture; sensitive screen; and fast processor; however, IT'S GOT NO APPS!!!To give you some perspective on where I'm coming from: I'm a regular guy.
screen resolution
PlayBook by Janet--j-huey (Apr, 2012)Since I focus on more work oriented tasks, the solid professional build quality, the sharp screen resolution, and smoking speed of the Playbook multitasking abilities and is exactly what I'm looking for.
memory
| 0 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 3 MP | 3 MP |
PlayBook by Jared (Apr, 2012)The cameras are excellent, among the best, especially the 2mp for a front camera is going above and beyond.
processor
PlayBook by Tosotikoga (Feb, 2012)Solid build, great speakers (better than iPad and Lenovo K1 combined), crystal clear display, camera is better than most tablet cameras, quick, quick dual core on Blackberry's homegrown OS.
Performance Real world tests of Lenovo IdeaPad A1 vs BlackBerry PlayBook
cpu speed
IdeaPad A1 by Abe-Froemann (Mar, 2012)The screen resolution is fine (lower quality than iPad, but good enough for me and my daughter), touchscreen works fine, processor speed is fine (slower than iPad but not annoyingly so).
PlayBook by Rikki79 (Jan, 2013)I purchased the playbook because of past experience with the brand, the perceived quality, nice price, software updates, processor speed, and just a general balance of design and function.
sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark
PlayBook by Arion-K.-Williams (Sep, 2012)It hasta fast processor, front and rear camera with enough megapixels to take great shots, a video recorder, The ability to watch movies and listen to music, and has a great internet browser with flash.
battery life
7 hour
7 hour
IdeaPad A1 by Sherrie (Mar, 2013)It was fully charged when we received it , but now it's time to charge it again and it won't charge.
PlayBook by cgeor_ny (Jan, 2012)Great multitasking, plays everything on the web without a hitch, takes great videos which I then play on my big screen TV via the HDMI output, good battery life.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the BlackBerry PlayBook
| Supported card formats | SDSC | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supports supported card formats | |||
| Has a microphone jack | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Can use an external microphone for superior audio quality | |||
| Has an open source operating system | Yes (Android 2.3 Gingerbread) | vs | No (BlackBerry Tablet OS 2.0) |
| Somewhat common; Allows you the freedom to use your tablet however you like | |||
| Supports voice commands | Yes (Android 2.3 Gingerbread) | vs | No (BlackBerry Tablet OS 2.0) |
| Somewhat common; Can be operated hands free | |||
| Marginally newer | Nov, 2011 | vs | Apr, 2011 |
| Release date 6 months later | |||
| Faster sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark | 1,900 ms | vs | 2,326 ms |
| Around 20% faster sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark; better web browsing experience | |||
Advantages compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad A1
| More cores | Dual core | vs | Single core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twice as many cores; run more applications at once | |||
| Much higher resolution front camera | 3 MP | vs | 0.3 MP |
| More than 10x higher resolution front camera; Video chat with other people | |||
| Has a gyroscope | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Play games and use applications that take advantage of device rotation | |||
| More storage capacity | 32 GB | vs | 16 GB |
| 2x more storage capacity; Holds more music, movies and photos | |||
| Has a compass | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Great for maps and navigation apps | |||
| Higher resolution rear camera | 5 MP | vs | 3 MP |
| Around 70% higher resolution rear camera; Can be used like a point-and-shoot camera | |||
| More RAM | 1 GB | vs | 0.5 GB |
| Twice as much RAM; Better able to run big apps with lots of content | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Lenovo IdeaPad A1 | BlackBerry PlayBook | ||
 |   
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rated by 194 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by stevhorn--Steve-H (Dec, 2011) Rated 60% by by Enrique-Gonzalez (Mar, 2012) Rated 100% by by kevin374 (Dec, 2011) | Rated by 721 users at amazon.com Rated 40% by by DANIEL-E.-MCGINNIS (Dec, 2011) Rated 100% by by Sean-Heid (Mar, 2012) | |
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Google Nexus 7 Sharpest screen |
 | 2 | Apple iPad mini Longest battery life |
 | 3 | Apple iPad 1 3-way tie: Supports 3G |
 | 4 | Microsoft Surface RT Faster sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark |
 | 5 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 2-way tie: More recent operating system |
 | 6 | Microsoft Surface Largest amount of storage capacity |
 | 7 | Archos Child Pad 3-way tie: Supports face unlock |
 | 8 | Acer Iconia B1 5-way tie: Has a webcam |
