The prices of the various capacity of Blackberry Playbook are way low in the states; starting at $199 for the 16GB to $299 for the 64GB. As I'm in the market for one, I decided to check the prices here, but they're still way too expensive despite the price slash. The 16GB costs B9,900, and the 64GB, B16,900.

I really wonder what's responsible for the steep price difference.

The playbooks are not good anyways. Better to get an iPad or Tab.

may encourage a few others to act competatively

The Playbook does do more than the Kindle Fire so at $199, not a bad deal as long as you don't want a large selection of apps. or email.

By the middle of this year, there should be a number of new tablet offerings in the sub $300 range. There are strong rumors that Apple will offer a stripped-down I-Pad "Kindle Killer" in that range once the I-pad 3 is on the market. Kindle is also rumored to be working on a larger version with more capabilities and storage.

The Playbook does do more than the Kindle Fire so at $199, not a bad deal as long as you don't want a large selection of apps. or email.

By the middle of this year, there should be a number of new tablet offerings in the sub $300 range. There are strong rumors that Apple will offer a stripped-down I-Pad "Kindle Killer" in that range once the I-pad 3 is on the market. Kindle is also rumored to be working on a larger version with more capabilities and storage.

The Playbook has an email client....and how many Apps do you need?

The playbook needs a 'rim' subscription like all the other Blackberry devices.

In Thailand that is 300bht a month without any phone calls or data.

The playbook needs a 'rim' subscription like all the other Blackberry devices.

In Thailand that is 300bht a month without any phone calls or data.

True - but as a BB owner anyway I have one, and the playbook bridges to your BB, everything gets shared, you use your phone as the modem, with complete synchronisation. For me, anything that starts with an "iP" is a toy. BB wins hands down if you actually use it as the business tool it is.