According to reports, Research in Motion’s Playbook, which will be released to the public on Tuesday, has been receiving not-so-great reviews from critics.  While many love the device’s ability to run Flash sites and  its fast browser, many did not like the fact that there was no native e-mail application nor did it have the much-coveted BlackBerry Messenger program.  In order to use e-mail, one must pair it with an existing BlackBerry, meaning that at its current form, one cannot fully use the Playbook without being a BlackBerry owner.  The Playbook’s size is also negative to many – at 7″, it is smaller than the 10″ iPad.  Many feel that the device was rushed into the market.

RIM has been hit hard lately.  Stocks have been down 7% since the beginning of the year, and has gone from being the top Smartphone to being in third place, after Apple and Android.  The fact that the current Playbook does not have a native email application is not going to help, nor is the fact that the device being released on Tuesday is Wi-fi only.  Playbooks with data plans will not be released until later this year.

While there are, at best, “mixed reviews” for Playbook, one really has to wait until after Tuesday, when the device has been released to the public.  Sometimes, even if the critics don’t like something, the opposite could be true by consumers.  And with data plan devices and likely, e-mail and BBM apps coming soon, this could very well be a latecomer surprise.