First impressions and Where is all the good stuff??
- Last week I got my PlayBook, so I've been using it to get familiar with everything, and I'm happy with the overall functionality, such as bridging with my BlackBerry and WiFi etc.. works just great.
I've stumbled on a couple of things that are annoying to me.
1. Power off does not really power off. The first day I got the unit, I had it fully charged used it for a bit and decided to power it off, since it wasnt going to be used for an extended period of time. I powered it off using the menu option, drove home and when I picked it up, it was quite warm to the touch and although the screen looked turned off, I noticed the glow of display around the edges. So it wasn't quite off.
Interestingly enough, this does not happen if the unit is plugged in to the a/c power adapter.
2. I'm traveling in June and I thought, great.. I can just leave my laptop at home and take this with me and I can chat to my wife using the front facing camera, and it didn't take long before I realized, there is no Google Chat, Skype, MSN etc..
This is a fail on RIM's part, you can release a product in this state when the competition out there has these features. The product has to either be the same or better than the competition not inferior.
If I had bought an Android tablet or iPad this wouldn't even be an issue.
Have said that... anyone know when we might expect Google products or Skype on the PlayBook?
Google will be releasing a tablet soon and I'm seriously thinking about getting me one of those.03-27-12 07:59 AMLike 0 - kbz1960Doesn't MatterSounds like you made a purchase of something you knew nothing about. Your guess is as good as anyone else's.
Mine powers off whether plugged in or not. Maybe a glitch with yours?
As for point 2 see my comment. You can use most of the chat apps web interface but they do time out when not the focus.
Good luck with what you choose but do more research before buying.03-27-12 08:11 AMLike 3 - Just a suggestion....next time you purchase a tablet you should do RESEARCH. It has been well documented that the PlayBook does not support the apps you mentioned. As to being a inferior product, that's a matter of opinion once again RESEARCH would have been a huge success in your decision on which tablet suits YOUR needs and wantsllllBULLSEYE and bbfan1040 like this.03-27-12 08:16 AMLike 2
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- Chatting with your wife...you could get her a playbook
Then you basically have an excellent way to communicate without the need for Skype or Google, and it's only the cost of another playbook
The front facing camera, for video chats, is very good on the playbook.Last edited by anthogag; 03-27-12 at 08:25 AM.
03-27-12 08:21 AMLike 0 - Wait...let me get this straight...there's no Skype on the playbook? Where have I been these past 11 months.madman0141 and hpjrt like this.03-27-12 08:24 AMLike 2
- Sorry that there is no skyhype or Netflix if that is what you need then I would return the PlayBook. I'm not trying to be a blank but if they are what you need then get an ipad. You should get what you want from a tablet and the PlayBook may not be for you.
Last edited by madman0141; 03-27-12 at 08:33 AM. Reason: Misspelling
03-27-12 08:32 AMLike 0 - Sorry about all the ignorant and unhelpful comments here. The Playbook is a very nice tablet but it does fall short as far as essential apps goes. You'll probably be better off with one of the new android 4.0 tablets coming out in the next month or so. Some very nice ones coming in the $200-$300 range. Good luck.03-27-12 08:38 AMLike 2
- Thanks for the reply's
kbz1960 & spencerdl
I did do my research, I should have prefaced it, by saying that my original intention of the PB was to use at work with my BB but!!! for the fantastic Cameras which IMHO are better than the iPads. The Google Chat, Skype was an after thought, and the PB being such a high caliber device I was surprised not seeing those Apps in the appworld.
khiladi007:
Yes, I'm going to wait for the next O/S release and crossing my fingers
anthogag:
I would buy her a PlayBook, but I bought her an LG Android phone and she loves it, wont be able to convince her otherwise.
Everyone else:
I should have prefaced my post that originally bought it for Work Use and to record video.
The other stuff was just an afterthought and I just assumed they would be there.bbfan1040 and gwinegarden like this.03-27-12 08:44 AMLike 2 - Sorry about all the ignorant and unhelpful comments here. The Playbook is a very nice tablet but it does fall short as far as essential apps goes. You'll probably be better off with one of the new android 4.0 tablets coming out in the next month or so. Some very nice ones coming in the $200-$300 range. Good luck.03-27-12 08:48 AMLike 2
- kbz1960Doesn't MatterSorry about all the ignorant and unhelpful comments here. The Playbook is a very nice tablet but it does fall short as far as essential apps goes. You'll probably be better off with one of the new android 4.0 tablets coming out in the next month or so. Some very nice ones coming in the $200-$300 range. Good luck.
So if some people on here get tired of seeing the same crap day after day I don't blame them. If those things are the most important things to them then don't you think they would make sure what they buy is able to do it?03-27-12 08:50 AMLike 0 -
I was away skiing with the kids for a week and my wife had to stay home. We used the video chat to call her a couple times a day. The Playbook was small enough to fit in a pocket of my ski jacket and we even made a video call once when a few hills over at a pub for lunch. In addition, I used the wifi calling feature of the Rogers 9900 to avoid large long distance bills when I just wanted to call her on the phone. The hotel was in a cellular coverage hole so at least when I did have a wifi connection, I had a working phone.
One thing I found with relying on wifi/video chat is that we were away during the kids school break and the hotel was packed. This meant that at some times of the day reliable wifi was hard or impossible to get. The second problem is that the hotspot services in the hotels regularly disconnected and sent you back to the hotspot login page. This meant you could not rely on having a constant connection in order to accept incoming calls/ chats.03-27-12 08:54 AMLike 0 - I also just ordered a 64 GB PB from RadioShack with the intentions of trying it out for a while and returning if it doesn't meet MY needs. I had the iPad1 and just got the iPad3. I also have a 2.5 lb Ultrabook. I noticed that, contrary to many opinions, the iPad3 will NOT replace my laptop - again for ME. So I carry my iPad for media and my laptop for work. Add chargers and I am up to nearly 4 pounds. There are times when I just want the media and don't need the laptop but I still like the ability of having business apps if needed (voip, skype, etc.). When I walk around with the iPad3 in my coat pocket, it is huge. I rarely use 3G/LTE so I would be OK bridging the few times needed on my Sprint unlimited data plan.
So I figured the PB would be perfect. I am OK transferring my media content to the PB. The smaller size will fit better in my pocket and be lighter. And, I can take it along with my laptop when needed. I can also use one charger for PB and 9930.
But, after I ordered (yes, I ordered first and asked questions later), I see that Skype, Netflix, and a good sip client are not available. I thought all android apps could be used but I see now that that is not the case.
I am so sad. I will play with it anyway and maybe will fall in love but why can't the rest of these apps be ported over? Am I mistaken in any of my understanding?piman02 likes this.03-27-12 08:56 AMLike 1 - To the OP, I wish the PlayBook had certain apps as well, but when I did my initial tablet research, I determined what was more important for my needs and wants on a daily basis and the PlayBook was the closes to my liking and ultimately was the one I purchased. Is it perfect.....NO, but it's the one that comes close for MEkbz1960 likes this.03-27-12 08:57 AMLike 1
- That seems a bit obtuse and just shows problems with the product as a whole. Cross Platform chat is important and should always be avavible alongside the imeassge and bbms f the world.03-27-12 08:58 AMLike 0
- Last week I got my PlayBook, so I've been using it to get familiar with everything, and I'm happy with the overall functionality, such as bridging with my BlackBerry and WiFi etc.. works just great.
I've stumbled on a couple of things that are annoying to me.
1. Power off does not really power off. The first day I got the unit, I had it fully charged used it for a bit and decided to power it off, since it wasnt going to be used for an extended period of time. I powered it off using the menu option, drove home and when I picked it up, it was quite warm to the touch and although the screen looked turned off, I noticed the glow of display around the edges. So it wasn't quite off.
Interestingly enough, this does not happen if the unit is plugged in to the a/c power adapter.
2. I'm traveling in June and I thought, great.. I can just leave my laptop at home and take this with me and I can chat to my wife using the front facing camera, and it didn't take long before I realized, there is no Google Chat, Skype, MSN etc..
This is a fail on RIM's part, you can release a product in this state when the competition out there has these features. The product has to either be the same or better than the competition not inferior.
If I had bought an Android tablet or iPad this wouldn't even be an issue.
Have said that... anyone know when we might expect Google products or Skype on the PlayBook?
Google will be releasing a tablet soon and I'm seriously thinking about getting me one of those.
This next bit is speculation but it's been discussed in various threads that perhaps skype is not on the playbook because of the native chat client. like apples facetime, and similarly to the email and "accounts" functionaltiy of the playbook, it'd been speculated that in the future skype will be an "account" you add to the native playbook client. Essentially if this development came about you could link to multiple video chat services via one client rather than clutter up icons . unified video experience, patience is a virtue...
Sent from Blackberry Playbook03-27-12 09:08 AMLike 0 - Its hard to compare the PB video chat to Facetime. Aside from the sheer market saturation differences, FT is available on iPhones, iPads, iPod Touch's AND Macs. PB video chat is not. In addition, iOS supports Skype. Granted, when I had my iPad1, I never really felt I needed to video chat but it DOES seem to be almost uniform now and is pretty unsettling that Skype is not available on the PB (let alone on many BB phones).03-27-12 09:11 AMLike 0
- I hear tea settlez the stomach. Skype is available on the playbook but the android runtime doesn't support skype like functionality like video and voice (soley chat). When skype first came out it took awhile for Apple to accept it as well, because it "replicated current phone functionality" which really it didn't--yet--but skype changed entirley what apple had planned for facetime, because skype was so popular.
Oh and who owns skype? moneymoneymoney use your heads
Sent from Blackberry Playbook03-27-12 09:26 AMLike 0 -
I find PB lacking in different areas. But PB is only 11 months old. It has come a long way in a short time! I am thankful for all the progress to date!
If you offer me a free trade to any other tablet, I will refuse to give up my PB!
Why: Because of the "product as a whole."kbz1960 likes this.03-27-12 09:45 AMLike 1 - I call BS... You knew darn well that the PlayBook didn't have Skype. This is just trolling in disguise, trying to talk people into buying an iPad or Android instead. �If I had bought an Android tablet or iPad this wouldn't even be an issue.�
On a related note though. As some people have said in the forums, we might be able to soon call Skype users from the native Video Chat App. That would be awesome. No need for a Skype app. I know that it�s all speculation at this point though.03-27-12 10:22 AMLike 0 - Not having Skype isn't a "product as a whole" level issue. The Skype issue has been discussed well in depth in many different forum threads. Enough said.
I find PB lacking in different areas. But PB is only 11 months old. It has come a long way in a short time! I am thankful for all the progress to date!
If you offer me a free trade to any other tablet, I will refuse to give up my PB!
Why: Because of the "product as a whole."03-27-12 11:20 AMLike 0 -
- Wow... the replies are overwhelming. I will write more when I get home from work.. but just clarify a couple of things.
1. I did not write to troll, not my thing.
2. I didn't write to promote the iPad. I don't have any Apple products, I'm not interested in apple products, they are great products, just they are not for me.
3. I'm mainly going to use the playbook for my work e-mail and as a camcorder, the front facing camera is just amazing. I ordered an adapter so I can use it with a tripod to record my videos.
I might have come across a bit harsh sounding but that's what my first impression was.03-27-12 01:03 PMLike 0 -
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First impressions and Where is all the good stuff??
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