Disqus
The BlackBerry PlayBook was released to the public yesterday, and it’s already been fully disassembled for inspection by some hardware experts. A lot of the components have come from Texas Instruments (not just the processor). From a repairability standpoint, the PlayBook is easy enough to open, using standard screws, but replacing the battery requires you to pull out the whole motherboard. The front display is a bit of a mixed bag in that the LCD and the glass cover aren’t glued to one another, but the outer glass is glued to a metal frame, which you’ll need a heat gun to remove. Here’s a list of some parts identified in the teardown, if you’re into the technical nitty-gritty:
- Elpida B8064B2PB-8D-F 1GB DRAM & the TI OMAP4430 1GHz dual-core processor buried beneath
- SanDisk SDIN5C2-16G 16 GB NAND Flash
- Texas Instruments TWL6030 Power Management, WL1283 WLAN/Bluetooth/FM, LMV339 Comparators, and SN74AVCH4T245 4-Bit Dual-Supply Bus Transceiver (to name a few)
- STMicroelectronics XTV0987 5 MP mobile imaging processor
- Wolfson WM8994E audio codec
- TriQuint Semiconductor TQP6M9002 802.11a/b/g/n + BT front-end module
- Bosch Sensortec BMA150 Digital 3-axis accelerometer
- Invensense MPU-3050 3 axis gyroscope
The BlackBerry PlayBook is RIM’s first tablet, and at very least has some pretty impressive hardware: a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, GPS, and 3G when tethered to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Micro HDMI-out, a magnetic charging connector, and microUSB slot line up along the base, while brushed metal media and power controls are on the top. For an in-depth examination, be sure to take a look at my review.
[via iFixit]
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
