The BlackBerry PlayBook isn't just the third major tablet platform to launch, or the first one to deeply poke at figuring out why 7-inch tablets should exist—it's literally the future of BlackBerry, since the QNX-based OS is going to be the gooey software heart of BlackBerry phones in the next year or so. This is not a bad thing.

BlackBerry Playbook - Design & Build:

The BlackBerry PlayBook feels good in your hands, thanks to a soft-touch backside. RIM’s slate is a hair thinner than the original Samsung Galaxy Tab but is an ounce and a half heavier (14.9 vs 13.4 ounces). Still, you can easily slip the PlayBook in a purse or jacket pocket, something you can’t do with the iPad 2.

Motorola's Xoom tablet is the first true challenger to Apple's iPad, in that it runs an operating system designed for tablets -- Android 3.0, or Honeycomb -- and is comparably-sized with a 10.1-inch display. And after months of hype, it's finally available at Verizon Wireless stores and ready to be picked over by the tech press. Here's what reviewers are saying about the Motorola Xoom.

Motorola Xoom - Look and Feel:

The Xoom has a 10.1-inch, 1280-by-800 resolution display. Compared to an iPad, it's taller and narrower thanks to the widescreen format and smaller bezel, but it weighs about the same. The weight is manageable for periods of two-handed operation, but intolerable for extended one-handed operation.

How do the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Tab 2, Apple iPad 2, RIM Playbook and Motorola Xoom stack up against each other?