My major beefs with the iPad are the following:

1) Having to connect through the proprietary Apple cable and iTunes.

2) Inability to run flash online.

3) The size.  Now this is a 50/50 proposition.  For reading and other activities, the 9.7″ diagonal screen is great.  But I am not of the “bigger is better” mindset.  My favorite computer of all time (that I’ve owned) was a 12″ Powerbook.  I also loved the old 10.4″ IBM ThinkPad I had in the mid-90s.  I am typing this on a 13.3″ MacBook Air, which I love and is as large of a screen as I like.  The beauty, to me, of portable computing is just that: it most be portable!  The iPad is a little large in my opinion, though I know I am probably of the minority opinion in this regard, and Apple has sold millions of them without asking for my opinion!  I suspect, from watching the evolution of the MacBook Air adding the 11.6″ smaller model, that a smaller iPad may be in the works.

With all that being said, what about the BlackBerry PlayBook?

To sum up concisely what I’d say, it is simply this: it is a great device but not for everyone!  It’s pluses:

1) Its size – 7″ with a footprint just about half the size of the iPad.

2) Its computing power – 1 GHz dual core CPU, 1 GB RAM.  Storage options the same with either iPad or PlayBook.

3) Its more robust interface, both hardware and software.

Yes, Steve Jobs was a minimalist and the iPad reflects that.  One main push button, volume up and down, mute/orientation button, main power bar.  No ports other than the iTunes interface, also used for charging. The playbook uses a standard micro-USB port for charging and data, but also has mechanical play/pause button, plus volume +/-, a power button, a dock charging interface and a HDMI port.  It also has two speakers for stereo playback and two microphones for stereo recording.

The Blackberry Playbook

The GUI is nicely done with many more options than the iPad.  The frame around the screen is actually “hot” and part of the gestures to bring up the home menu, or for the various options within apps (from the top).  It is a beautiful screen!  Of course the iPad’s screen is tremendous also.  So it boils down to what one wants – 9.7″ or 7.0″.  And being able to connect to a HDTV with a cable.

4) The current cost.  A 64GB iPad from Apple with 3G capabilities is $829!  So for $530 less, the PlayBook can be a steal of a deal! CLICK HERE TO GET ONE!

The PlayBook’s negatives:

1) The user must have a BlackBerry device as a bridge for cellular use and for POP email.  Now any email that can be accessed via the web can be accessed on the PlayBook.  But to use a mail app with all your email addresses in a common inbox, it must be bridged to a BlackBerry phone.  I have a BlackBerry Bold, so this is not a problem for me.  In fact it is a PLUS as using the BlackBerry Bridge and tethering with the BlackBerry Bold is free for me, instead of extra costs $15 t0 $80 for limited data transfer with AT&T or Verizon.  So if you are not a BlackBerry smartphone user, the current PlayBook OS 1.0 is not for you.

2) Limited Apps available.  Very few of the big boys are supporting the PlayBook at this time.  To add another layer of complexity, the BlackBerry phone apps DO NOT work on the PlayBook.  The plus side is that the PlayBook comes with Documents to Go installed, which read/edit/save MS Office docs.  Very nice.  However, for the most part the web browser must be used rather than specific apps – Twitter, LinkedIn, chat clients (rather than IRC), financial institutions (AMEX, DISCOVER, etc.) and most games are not available.  Angry Birds it, but there is no free version!  (That is some must have information)

3) No email app, nor are there contacts, calendar, tasks or BlackBerry Messaging native apps on the Playbook.

Now the good news is that the BlackBerry Tablet 2.0 Operating System is coming out soon and will fix some of these issues, and it is being floated that at least some of the Android apps will be able to run on the PlayBook.  This will be very helpful.

So, as stated in the introduction, the BlackBerry PlayBook is a great device if you have a BlackBerry smartphone that can be bridged with it.  If your email is from Gmail, Yahoo! or another web based provider, you’ll be fine.  If you use email that is not web based, you’ll have  a problem, ditto for the contacts and calendar.

The PlayBook is a nice piece of technology, looks and feels great and works quickly and well.  If you have a BlackBerry smartphone, I’d give the PlayBook a grade of “B.”  If you don’t have a BlackBerry smartphone, I’d give it a “D” for now, but with the hope that the major OS upgrade will solve most of these problems.

I am sure most Christians know this, but Jesus Christ made it clear that the Christian life is a stewardship where we will be judged based upon our faithfulness (Matt. 25:14-30, Parable of the Talents; 1 Cor. 4:2; etc.).  If you’re reading this and you’re not a faithful, active member of a Bible believing, Christ-honoring church, today is the day to get that right!

The rest of September sped by! But things came to a screeching halt on October 4th when Becky (my wife) tore ligaments in her left ankle. She was pretty much unable to do anything for the first ten days. We survived with help from the folks here! Becky got well enough for us to make the trip to Vermont to help out with the wedding of Miciah Laughman and Gracie Townsend. What a blessing the wedding was! And, we get to spend time with old friends and all that!

Anyhow, there is so much more to write, but I need to stop for now. Take care and keep looking up, for our redemption draweth nigh! (Luke 21:28)

The Fourth of July will be a special time for outreach!  A special lighthouse float is being constructed and we’ll be distributing bottled water and gospel tracts!  All this is followed by a cookout!  We’re praying for the Lord to use this to get the Word out and to engage the community.

Vacation Bible School will be July 18-21.  Missionaries Rob and Cyndi Moody will be here to help us conduct this outreach.  We are using the Answers in Genesis Operation Space curriculum.

On September 10 we are having a special Patriotic Concert with food and Evangelist Ben Everson putting on a multimedia presentation in honor of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  This will be followed with our annual missions conference from September 11-14.

• Our new Junior/Senior High Sunday School class will meet for its second week! It is being taught by Pastor Rob Green.
• The Adult Sunday School class is being taught by Pastor Laitres for this week.
• The Sunday morning message is the fifth message in our series through the Prophet Habakkuk. It is from Habakkuk 3:1-2 and entitled “In Wrath Remember Mercy.”
• Sunday evening we have a special blessing as Pastor Rob Green will be preaching!
• The new, larger DBC monthly prayer lists for December are out!
• As always, the bulletins are available online at http://www.downeastbaptistchurch.com/Bulletins/Bulletins.html.
• We have great news: as we have been praying for homes to hold evangelistic Bible studies in for the new year, one has been offered!

We would love to see you here tomorrow! We’re excited about what the Lord is doing here and rejoice in His goodness and provision. May the He bless you abundantly! in Christ, Pastor

They’re also having a special limited-time sale on their Mac and PC base packages and upgrades. Check it out!

THE GOOD.  My favorite computer ever was my 12″ Powerbook G4.  It was small, it was powerful and it was just right for the coffee shop, desk or couch.  The only reason that I sold it after 3 years was that all of my extensive Bible software collection was Windows-only.  So I purchased a MacBook, which I still have as my wife’s computer.  It is a solid unit and highly recommended.  I upgraded to MacBook Pro in April.  A great computer, but have had some heat issues.  However, the 15″ MacBook Pro is a little large for my liking.  Which led me to get the MacBook Air.

• Size and weight.  Nothing beats a small, light notebook.  The MacBook Air (MBA) is the best in these regards, hands down.  It is ultra-light (3 lbs), small footprint, and, did I say it was thin?  It is thin.  The dictionaries from now on will need a picture of the MBC until the entry for “thin!”
• Full size keyboard and screen.  As small and light as it is, there is nothing lightweight about the screen (13.3″) and the full-sized, backlit keyboard.
• Trackpad.  Simply awesome.  The largest trackpad I’ve ever seen with umpteen finger motions.  Works great.
• Solid State Drive.  While it carries quite a price premium, the SSD is MacBook Air.  It makes the computer basically silent (have heard what I assume is the CPU fan one time) and lightning fast.  Yes, it was overpriced at $3100 when it came out, but my refurb from Apple (the only way to buy a refurb is from apple.com) cost $1299.
• The Remote Disk feature works great.  Installed Microsoft Office 2008 just fine.
• Battery life seems to be phenomenal.  Should get around 5 hours!
• The screen itself, like my MacBook Pro, is a backlit LCD.  These are great screens, with the MBA being the brightest one I’ve seen yet.

The Not So Good: Really the only things I would say about it negatively are very minor.

• One is that the connectivity is very limited with only one USB port.  However, for what a sub-notebook like MBA is used for, this is no big deal at all.
• The original SSD model, which is what I have, only has a storage capacity of 64GB.   But unless you feel the urge to have an extensive iTunes collection, video collection or do photo editing, you’d be surprised at how much 64GB really is.

The VERDICT:

• I give the MacBook Air SSD an A+.
• Yes, there were compromises made, which are made in every notebook made, one way or the other.  I personally hate these suitcase-sized portables (with a 16″ or 17″ screen I can hardly call them notebooks!), but even their portability and weight are compromised in a negative way to fill it full of more features.
• For students and folks who are truly MOBILE, this is the way to go!  I do believe that, other than for students who are doing very little other than school work, research, internet and social networking, the MBA is an ancillary computer solution.  One still needs a good desktop or notebook with an optical drive and more storage for those things.

So I hope this was a blessing!  I love the MacBook Air and heartily recommend it if you fit the above profiles.