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]