Research In Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook has been the recipient of some mixed reviews, including a fair number of negative write-ups slamming the slate for its lack of native email and contacts support (we'll post our own evaluation soon; in the meantime, be sure to check out our first impressions and photo gallery here). Despite the lukewarm reception, BlackBerry PlayBook sales have so far exceeded analysts' expectations.

You won't catch many power users trading in their gaming notebook or desktop for a tablet PC. Tablets are fun, useful, and convenient, but in our minds, they're complementary products, not replacement PCs. But what about mainstream folk who are only interested in hopping online to browse the Web and sort through emails? It's conceivable that certain segments would choose a tablet over a notebook or desktop, and with consumers not spending as much on PCs as of late, is it fair to say that tablets are cannibalizing PC sales? Intel CEO Paul Otellini tackled that question head on.

Haters will view this as more proof that Apple's iPad tablets are nothing more than toys and not computing devices to be taken seriously. We don't agree with that assessment, but for what it's worth, Toys R Us joins a growing army of retailers who now carry Apple's second generation slate, the iPad 2. Not every Toys R Us location is participating in the iPad frenzy, but it is available in hundreds of toy store locations across the U.S.

We're all for promoting technology in schools and teaching kids how to use a command a line, but do kindergartners really need an iPad? The state of Maine apparently thinks so and plans to spend $200,000 equipping more than 300 incoming kindergarten students with Apple's iPad 2 tablet. That means when they're not eating glue or sticking crayons up their noses, they can fire up a $500 tablet and get in a game of Angry Birds.