Without a lot of apps, you're forced to seek refuge in the Web browser. In theory, this isn't a horrible setback because of the PlayBook's Flash support, but Flash still isn't ready for primetime on tablets, and it shows. An episode of "Community" at NBC.com froze up at the 20-minute mark. Grooveshark, a streaming music Website, repeatedly told me that the browser has a Flash blocker installed (not true) and therefore would not run. Flash game sites such as Newgrounds are unusable, unless you can find a mobile-optimized version like . Crashes are regular, and, even when Flash sites work, they often need a mouse and keyboard to run properly.

I must admit that I enjoy the Flash tablet experience as a sort of adventure. It's fun to see what works and what doesn't--my wife flipped out when she heard that the Los Angeles Times crossword is fully functional--but when a significant number of Flash sites cause problems, it's a letdown. Even some non-Flash sites, such as Gmail and Twitter, are sluggish and hard to use, so I can't say that the Web makes up for the PlayBook's app deficiency. The browser was also giving me some weird network errors that aren't even worth deciphering, but a recent software update (conveniently delivered over the air) seems to have alleviated that problem.

As for hardware, the PlayBook is not quite the iPad antidote for which I'd hoped. I do love the size. You can hold the PlayBook in one hand and navigate with a finger, or hold it in both hands and cruise around with your thumbs. But the bezel is so comically large that it took some serious maneuvering to fit it in my coat pocket, and the hardware is too heavy to hold comfortably in one hand for extended durations. I haven't done much battery testing, but after juicing up yesterday evening, I'll probably need a mid-day recharge if I stream much more video.For me, hardware is the last straw. I can wait for bugs to be squashed. I can wait for apps to be developed. But if the hardware isn't absolutely perfect, I've got no reason to be patient. Fixing the PlayBook could be a matter of weeks, months or even years, and by then, there may be a bevvy of awesome 7-inch tablets from which to choose--including a PlayBook revitalized by Android app support and native apps for e-mail and calendar. We're about to see a huge buyer's market for . The Blackberry PlayBook hasn't convinced me to duck out early.

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