I know this blog is usually about mobile phones but I thought I’d take a break from that to talk a bit about tablets. There’s been a huge rush of people buying tablets and inevitably this has led to a number of companies releasing new tablets recently. I don’t have a tablet and I don’t plan on getting on. Not only that but I don’t think that tablets will stand the test of time like laptops, netbook and mobile phones. Here’s why.

The main reason is that tablets don’t fill a specific roll like other gadgets. Laptops became popular because they allowed mobile computing. Netbooks are popular because they’re even more portable and great for writing/editing while on the move. They’re also cheap making them perfect for low processor intensive tasks. It goes without saying what the mobile phone is useful for!

Tablets are OK for surfing the internet while on the move, not great for typing because of the touch screen keyboard and not so portable that they are easier to carry around than netbooks. They’re also generally more expensive than netbooks, are more restricted when it comes to applications (if you have a windows netbook you’ve got a far greater choice of good “apps” than any app store) and sometimes even bulkier than netbooks. I get that they are great little gadgets but I can’t see how people will justify buying them in the long term. I certainly can’t justify the cost of getting an iPad even though I think it’s a good product.

Well BlackBerry are at it again, with too few models available to customers to choose from they are once more resorting to releasing their phones in a myriad of colours to compensate!

The new BlackBerry Torch which looks great in its original Black has been released in White, and now Red. How long before we see a Pink BB Torch I wonder? To be honest I dont expect to see that, the Torch is a rather expensive flagship and I cannot see too many “pinkies” being sold for that handset, but, stranger things have happened!

Perhaps that is not entirely fair as some of these additional colours are actually released by the networks rather than RIM directly. Never the less, its amusing to look at a site which compares all currently available blackberry phones and see just how many phones they have available.

I think at time of writing there are around 40!

Now, compare that number to the number of actual models RIM have out at the moment, the:

• Curve 8520
• Curve 3G
• Bold 9000 (surprised thats still on sale!)
• Bold 9700
• Bold 9780
• Pearl 3G
• Storm (only one handset, no colours, soon to be replaced me thinks!)
• Torch

Ok, so stacking it up like that, 40 odd does not seem too bad, but when you think you cna cross the 9700 and storm off that list it does start to look a little different.

In particular the curve 8520 released a LOT of colours, I think there were 10 available at one point.

I guess RIM are not the only company to do this, there are plenty of others who release a single phone in five or six different colours, its just a little more obvious with RIM because their handsets were always black for a long time, and its only recently after getting into the retail side of things (as opposed to corporate) that they began doing this.

Its also more noticeable because they have such a small product line compared to other manufacturers, but then, that never stopped Apple did it!