Ever since folks started seeing the BlackBerry PlayBook in action, there have been more than a few occasions when the QNX-based OS in use on RIM's tablet was compared to HP's webOS. They both have card-based multitasking, a row of icons at the bottom of the display, and you can dismiss apps by swiping them up and off-screen. When asked about the similarities, an HP employee said that "it’s a fast innovation cycle and a fast imitation cycle" in the industry and that they'll "keep innovating, we’ll keep honing and those guys hopefully will continue to see the value in it and keep following us by about a year." Yowch. When asked for a response on the situation, a RIM exec basically said that the similarities are in no way intentional, but came simply as a result of trying to design an OS that works well and was pleasant for customers to use.
RIM's exec does kind of have a point, as most modern OSes share a few similarities here and there because that's just what works well or looks best. Then again, some may say that the PlayBook's QNX OS and webOS look and feel a little too similar. Where do you all stand? Has RIM borrowed a few too many ideas from webOS or is the PlayBook plenty original on its own?
