1. Ned_Flanders's Avatar
    So I will begin by saying I own the following;

    iPhone 4 (iOS 5.1.1)
    iPad 2 (iOS 5.1.1)
    Playbook (v2.1.0.840)

    and I have a company provided;

    Bold 9700 (v5.0.0.862) with Bridge v2.0.0.32

    I had started taking my iPad on the road (my job has me on the road a far bit). I found I was very limited at what I could do on the iPad due to the inability to easily move things back and forth from the Blackbery and Ipad. I also did not like carrying around such an expensive piece of personal equiptment.

    I opted to buy my own Playbook and for the most part like my choice. I find myself taking it with me for more than just work.

    The things I love;

    Bridge and all of the tools it brings.
    Mouse support... (not available on my iDevices?).
    Using my Apple Bluetooth keyboard when it makes sense.
    Flash as long as it keeps working and web sites still keep using it.
    Beta is free...

    The things that often frustrate me (and have existed even before I loaded the beta);

    Needed documents (docs to go) don't always open and the bridge needs to be reset (battery pull on the 9700).
    Bridge is temperamental and does not always reconnect if Bluetooth is turned off and back on at a later time.
    The lack of GPS...
    Honestly I hope BB10 comes with aGPS to kick-start the GPS fix. Up here in the Great White North I can stand out in middle of a football field with the Playbook held up in the air and I might get a GPS fix. Conversely my ipad (which really does not have a GPS because it is Wi-Fi only) finds my location within 30 feet in under 10 seconds using aGPS.

    Now, I am not really that bummed out about the lack of a good GPS on the playbook, because I have other options including a dedicated navigation unit.

    So which do I like better... I can honestly say I don't think I have a favourite. What the iToys have in apps and bling the Playbook makes up for in price and less worrisome mobility and use.

    If anyone knows of a faster way to reset the bridge or any idea as to why this keeps happening and has a solution I would appreciate your help.

    Ned
    Last edited by Ned_Flanders; 08-17-12 at 10:05 PM.
    08-17-12 06:51 PM
  2. RWD's Avatar
    Annoy the out of your IT people until they upgrade your OS on your 9700. Not sure if you can get OS7 on a 9700, but you should be able at least to get 6. My 9810 with OS7 never has any issues with bridge (except the remote function occasionaly locking up and having to be reset.)
    08-17-12 08:07 PM
  3. tim_w_ak's Avatar
    RWD has a good point. OS 6, and i think the latest bridge is at .35 now. If you can get your IT to update those, then you should be good.
    08-17-12 08:14 PM
  4. snowbird72's Avatar
    Coincidently I have been thinking about providing some feedback from my experience using both the Playbook and iPad over the last 7 months. I'm sure there are many threads to add to but since this one is fresh, here we go.

    I currently have a Bold 9860 (7.1.0.921), Playbook (2.0.1.668) and an iPad1(3G), all work issued and used primarily as such. I have always used a Blackberry phone at work and picked up the Playbook within the first month of its release last year. I inherited the iPad when a colleague resigned earlier this year. I thought it would be a great opportunity to see once and for all which is the better or more appropriate business tool.

    First off, each have their own pro's and con's. Up until I had the iPad, I swore by the Playbook. It had its faults to be sure, but I was one of the few in the office who wouldn't join the iPad revolution and pushed the Playbook on whoever would listen. I like the hardware, its portability, the way its integrated with the phone through Bridge and the slow but gradual introduction of some great app's. I have always made due with the screen size (in exchange for portability) but always struggled to not only read documents but edit as well on the Playbook. Obviously the software has come a long way since May 2011 but it still has bugs that need ironing out. I really like not needing a seperate data plan for the PB but since its for work, its not a deal breaker for me. I also really like the remote feature and being able to open items from my phone to the Playbook directly.

    Having said that...now that I have had the chance to use the iPad for more than just surfing the web, I find myself going to it more than the PB. Main reason is the integration to my desktop/laptop via cloud storage for documents. With an app like Skydrive, it makes it incredibly easy to have important documents available on the go. Couple this with the additional screen real estate and I find I am taking my laptop home less and working on documents on the iPad. I also like the integration with email, calendar and contacts perhaps even a bit more than the PB's integration.

    Like the OP mentioned, GPS works with the iPad. I have seriously struggled to make it work with the PB. I have spent too much on different apps hoping the next one will actually be a slick as the stock app that comes with the iPad. This simply shouldn't be an issue in 2012.

    I must say that I have a strong affinity to the RIM, BB and the Playbook itself. I want to see RIM succeed with the launch of BB10 and cant wait to see the new hardware. Further, 2.1 cant come soon enough for the PB. However, I would have a hard time giving back the iPad if I was asked to make a choice between the two. Fortunately, for the timebeing, I am finding both to be useful in their own way and am not being asked to give up anything.
    BigAl_BB9900 likes this.
    08-17-12 08:41 PM
  5. kdeckels's Avatar
    I find my biggest complaint with my PB - Curve 8530 combo is GPS. Bridge never has a problem, but coming from Droid, I really miss the navigation when I need it.
    08-17-12 09:31 PM
  6. goku_vegeta's Avatar
    RWD has a good point. OS 6, and i think the latest bridge is at .35 now. If you can get your IT to update those, then you should be good.
    This version of BlackBerry Bridge is available only for BlackBerry 7.1 devices, I believe .31 or .32 or something like that

    Although fundamentally it's the same, BlackBerry 7.1 devices have a different build because I think the latest updates were to fix some autocorrect issues that only BlackBerry 7.1 users were having.
    08-17-12 10:39 PM
  7. MadGasser's Avatar
    I find my biggest complaint with my PB - Curve 8530 combo is GPS. Bridge never has a problem, but coming from Droid, I really miss the navigation when I need it.
    Your 8530 has GPS.
    08-18-12 12:20 AM
  8. danwebb955's Avatar
    To be honest in my opinion the playbook has pros and cons with the device. I bought the playbook bout 4 months ago ands im not going to lie i absolutly loved it, untill everyone i. Knew was gettin ipads and such. I had to get one i packed up my playbook and was on my way nack to the shops ... I got in there and was at the counter then a part of me was thinking i dont need to join the crowed be different why should i throw away such a great device for something that in my opinion is mediocore. I was off with the playbook and from then on i have been by my playbook side ever since.
    08-18-12 06:16 AM
  9. jamesharmeling's Avatar
    The combo of my Bold 9930 and Playbook is incredibly awesome. Bridge is flawless, Sprint Nav is great and flawless, Playbook GPS is pretty darn good (one minute to find me) and file transferring is quick and easy. Never even held an iSheep or DROID device, so I can't comment on those. Looking forward to the official 2.1 and I will have a BB10 5 minutes after it hits the shelf. For me, I'm a fanatical dedicated BlackBerry kinda guy and I love the idea that people buy whatever works for them. Have a great day!
    elmit22 and world saviour like this.
    08-18-12 06:35 AM
  10. BigAl_BB9900's Avatar
    Great thread - mature observations with no trolling - a pleasant surprise!

    Thank you to both Ned and Snowbird for your balanced reviews

    Hope you sort out your GPS issues asap - my GPS is flawless unless I fly off somewhere far away (eg 3+ hrs flight time), then it can take up to 30 mins to get a fix again

    [A friend has very rugged 'protector' cases for both his PB & Bold - I don't know what make - and he thinks that it is the cases that impact his GPS signals. Does this make any sense to any of the techies on here?]
    drmike likes this.
    08-18-12 07:35 AM
  11. drmike's Avatar
    I was just thinking the same thing. I saw the thread title and held my breath as i clicked. Finally something thats balanced on CB without all the trolls attacking and the fan boys defending.

    Breath of fresh air...


    Great thread - mature observations with no trolling - a pleasant surprise!

    Thank you to both Ned and Snowbird for your balanced reviews

    Hope you sort out your GPS issues asap - my GPS is flawless unless I fly off somewhere far away (eg 3+ hrs flight time), then it can take up to 30 mins to get a fix again

    [A friend has very rugged 'protector' cases for both his PB & Bold - I don't know what make - and he thinks that it is the cases that impact his GPS signals. Does this make any sense to any of the techies on here?]
    08-18-12 09:52 AM
  12. enb123's Avatar
    Funny, I was just thinking of starting a thread like this. Here's what I love about the PlayBook:

    1. HDMI out - I typically use this to stream Amazon Prime movies or YouTube/Vevo music videos on a big screen while working out at home.

    2. Ability to connect to my work computer via a free (or very cheap?) app called 2X Client. I'm looking forward to getting a mini-Keyboard which I expect will give me a pretty decent laptop replacement experience at a good weight for commuting.

    3. Dev Beta 2.1 - The improvements to Android Runtime are excellent. I've sideloaded my favorite Android apps - Flipboard, Words With Friends, Pandora, Kindle, etc. and they're all running great. Yeah, it's cumbersome to have to download a beta OS and learn how to sideload, but I find that stuff fun to learn about and hey, my favorite apps are all there now!

    4. The Hardware/Software. I don't want to go on forever, but QNX is slick and 2.1 seems really stable, even using Android apps. The hardware is also excellent. Yes, other tabs like Nexus 7 are slimmer now - and the iPad mini will be even slimmer than those - but the device feels good and is lightweight. Also, you could put a notification light on a banana and I'd consider it an improvement, so I really like that feature on the PB.

    There are some bugs, but I still think the PB is incredibly underrated. Also, I own an iPad 1 - which has been taken over by my 2 year old - and it has bugs, too. Overall, I just find the PB to be way better for my uses!
    world saviour likes this.
    08-18-12 10:53 AM
  13. Ned_Flanders's Avatar
    Annoy the out of your IT people until they upgrade your OS on your 9700. Not sure if you can get OS7 on a 9700, but you should be able at least to get 6. My 9810 with OS7 never has any issues with bridge (except the remote function occasionaly locking up and having to be reset.)
    This might be worth a try...

    Does anyone know if the password you use to sync up with the BES is temporary. I was having issues with the 9700 a few weeks ago were I could not connect to the BES or get on the other side of the company firewall. IT reset my password and had me re-activate the BES connection.

    Ned
    08-18-12 02:53 PM
  14. kdeckels's Avatar
    Your 8530 has GPS.
    I know, but does it have turn by turn for dummies like me?
    08-18-12 05:01 PM
  15. nonayabusiness's Avatar
    This might be worth a try...

    Does anyone know if the password you use to sync up with the BES is temporary. I was having issues with the 9700 a few weeks ago were I could not connect to the BES or get on the other side of the company firewall. IT reset my password and had me re-activate the BES connection.

    Ned

    BES password is a one time password, active for a set time frame. I believe the default is 48 hours.
    08-18-12 05:19 PM
  16. Ned_Flanders's Avatar
    I know, but does it have turn by turn for dummies like me?
    I find myself using BlackBerry Traffic quite a lot. With only a few bridges to choose from to get from home to most of my work places BB Traffic is a much better option for planning the fastest route than listening to the radio.

    You also get the turn by turn voice without the map.

    Ned
    08-18-12 07:04 PM
  17. madman0141's Avatar
    Like your post Ned. Seems like a fare unbiased opinion. BB10 will adjust some of the issues you pointed out and may make PlayBook that much more important to your job. PlayBook 4G will address the GPS issue already I'm told.
    08-18-12 07:16 PM
  18. Ned_Flanders's Avatar
    BES password is a one time password, active for a set time frame. I believe the default is 48 hours.
    Thanks, that is what I suspected.
    08-18-12 07:24 PM
  19. Ned_Flanders's Avatar
    Like your post Ned. Seems like a fare unbiased opinion. BB10 will adjust some of the issues you pointed out and may make PlayBook that much more important to your job. PlayBook 4G will address the GPS issue already I'm told.
    It seems not all PlayBooks were created equal. With the insane prices on playbooks right now I picked up a new 64G 22/12/11 build (on the box).

    After getting it all setup last night I tried the GPS. It found my location in just a few minutes from inside the house on the top floor. My 16G or should I say my wife's 16G might connect on a bright sunny day while standing on the roof of the tallest building in town.

    Ned
    FF22 and Delmeister like this.
    09-14-12 12:24 PM
  20. Vorkosigan's Avatar
    For those of you who use a playbook and an ipad - what app do you use to sync docs btwn the two? I'm so used to using docs to go and dropbox and was getting my new boss set up with dropbox on her ipad - and realized she couldn't create or edit word docs. I went to the Apple app store and I see a few options - including an expensive docs to go - but I would like to hear from some people who actually use both, or something completely different, before I make a recommendation.
    09-14-12 06:22 PM
  21. ResidentialNinja's Avatar
    I am a new user here, in fact I registered specifically to reply to this thread. I too am a recent Playbook user, my wife who I love dearly quarterbacked the purchase of one for my birthday near the end of July. I feel I should make my bias known from the outset so I don't appear as a troll. I had nothing but negative experiences with blackberry devices prior to getting this tablet, do not like the OS/environment, and was actually hoping for a Nexus 7 but the sales guy saw my wifes BB Torch (which she loves) and convinced her that clearly I needed a playbook.

    With that being said here is my experience:

    As a tablet device it surfs the internet fairly well, often the screen requires 2 or more taps to follow a link, the keyboard will mysteriously disappear while typing and lose all previously typed data. There seems to be no adblocking software available and so only on this device am I blasted with ads nonstop while surfing. It is ok in a pinch but generally slower than my iphone and the only benefit is the size of the screen.

    As a media player: it plays music files well but at this point what doesn't. Video is where this puppy shines....sort of. I can upload a season of a show all encoded in the same manner and 5-7 will work fine and the rest magically don't work for some unknown reason. The desktop app says that the files are fine and copies them over and somehow they magically just don't work. The best part is that the playbook actually shows an image from the file as the icons. The files that work look and play great, the hdmi out is nice to have and a great bonus while travelling. Oh yeah, youtube just stopped working the other day, the app loads and the browser loads but the video never seems to be able to play despite being hooked up to a connection that can stream 1080p with no problems. Apparently the playbook just can't handle it. I have tried every troubleshooting tip I can google and nothing works. Also youtube works fine on my phone without mystery issues.

    Battery life is great, with moderate browsing I can get 3-5 days out of it no problem. Mostly it sits on the coffee table or the bedside table for days on end before even hitting a 25% charge. RIM did well with the battery, the device also doesn't seem to get hot while under load.

    Appworld is a joke, the platform appears dead and RIM seemingly has abandoned the whole product despite launching a new version recently. The saddest part is that they don't even have the decency to do what HP did when their tablet tanked and get android implemented properly. I would be so happy if I could just get a nice version of android on this hardware that isn't choked by RIM. Once this device is properly rooted I might use it for something more since the only option for an OS update is to register as a developer in order to get a beta OS that may or may not fix my issues since it seems divided on these very forums.

    I would say that unless you get this tablet as a gift from someone who will be incredibly hurt that you returned it just take it back and get a current, better supported device from a different manfacturer. After 8 weeks I have simply discovered that the playbook is really good at showing me the things that it cannot do well and that list is growing all the time.
    09-15-12 01:59 AM
  22. oilgeo10's Avatar
    I am a new user here, in fact I registered specifically to reply to this thread. I too am a recent Playbook user, my wife who I love dearly quarterbacked the purchase of one for my birthday near the end of July. I feel I should make my bias known from the outset so I don't appear as a troll. I had nothing but negative experiences with blackberry devices prior to getting this tablet, do not like the OS/environment, and was actually hoping for a Nexus 7 but the sales guy saw my wifes BB Torch (which she loves) and convinced her that clearly I needed a playbook.
    .....

    I would say that unless you get this tablet as a gift from someone who will be incredibly hurt that you returned it just take it back and get a current, better supported device from a different manfacturer. After 8 weeks I have simply discovered that the playbook is really good at showing me the things that it cannot do well and that list is growing all the time.
    ROFL , since your review is more about getting stuck with a PB that you never wanted and not able to bring it up with your wife, it looks like you only have two options to get what you really want without showing it!

    1) Bridge the PB to your wife's Torch and exceed her data plan!
    When the bill comes in with an overcharge for exceeding the data limit, suggest that the PlayBook is at fault, it auto connects to her Torch and you can fix this by replacing it with the Nexus 7.

    2) Buy your wife a Nexus 7 for her birthday and tell her that the PlayBook was sold out due to the big discounts in September. And seeing as the PB would work better with her Torch, trading devices makes the best sense.

    Good Luck!
    bdegrande and Thunderbuck like this.
    09-15-12 01:21 PM
  23. FF22's Avatar
    Simple Browser+ has an ad blocker.

    Also, if javascript is turned ON, then you have to wait for the entire page to load before using the keyboard otherwise it will do what you have found - close the keyboard as the rest of the page loads. Turning if off also speeds up loading of many pages. Simplebrowser allows 4 tabs and you can set the basic settings for each one, so you can have a javascript OFF tab and set the other 3 another day.
    09-15-12 10:14 PM
  24. ResidentialNinja's Avatar
    ROFL , since your review is more about getting stuck with a PB that you never wanted and not able to bring it up with your wife, it looks like you only have two options to get what you really want without showing it!
    First off, I talked to my wife as soon as we got back to our house that the gift was well thought out but the wrong model. My post did not compare it to any specific competition and I judge the tablet on its own abilities, you just latched on to the fact that I admit at the opening I wasn't looking for a playbook but a nexus. At the time I got it the Nexus 7 had pretty much just released and out of stock everywhere. The few people that had them were complaining of cracking screens and poor fit and finish as well so I decided to hold off. That being said, I decided to keep the playbook specifically because should I decide to pick up a different tablet my wife can have a tablet to use that will work with her phone on the go.

    I wanted to give the playbook a fair shake, I came to the conclusion that it isn't a horrible device but it is starting to lag behind and RIM either doesn't care or no longer maintains the ability to support it properly. I kept the playbook because the HDMI output is a bonus to me when we are travelling and it is well built. Out of the box this device leaves a lot to be desired and there seems to be little to no support from the manufacturer. You can't deny there is a huge shortage of development, most of the apps are 2-3 times the price it would be on other marketplaces for a similar product. My biggest complaints was that there was no way to block ads in the default browser, apparently the browser has trouble with java, youtube, and who knows what else. Also the video player seeming rejects files at random with no sense or reason given.

    I suppose my initial post came off negative, but it can be very frustrating watching this device slowly choke itself and when you start looking for solutions it is all random suggestions with no offerings from the manufacturer, no software updates, and for a tablet that promoted flash seems to have problems with it. It is a good general purpose tablet that can do basic things adequately but has been outstripped by newer hardware and software.

    to F2: Thank you, I will give that a try and look into this simple browser as an alternative.
    EDIT: F2, disabling Java not only fixed the keyboard but also seeming has fixed youtube.
    Last edited by ResidentialNinja; 09-16-12 at 09:39 PM.
    09-16-12 09:33 PM
  25. FF22's Avatar
    I'd use Gspot or MediaInfo to determine the precise characteristics of those videos. There might be something different if some play and some don't. Or copy them over again - I've had one or two not play when moved BACK to the pb when they initially played - the file was corrupt.

    Then, again, the pb does have its limitations and some folks don't like those. Occasionally, I've more than irritated by it. Then I relax and deal with it.
    09-16-12 09:45 PM
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