Just go to the browser!

**nite732** · 05-19-2012, 02:04 PM

I was having a discussion about apps with some friends. Everything has to be an app. The playbook reminded me that I don't need and app. HBO GO, VEETLE, Cinemax, TNT, and alot of other things can be watched in the browser. I think a sticky should be started for everything that works in the browser that other platforms need a app for.

**howarmat** · 05-19-2012, 02:42 PM

Other platforms have flash and full web also, they dont need apps for everything either...

**jafobabe** · 05-19-2012, 02:43 PM

I totally agree with you on that OP.... the only one that I use for TV channels, is the Tablet TV, where all the TV sites are in one place.

All others I go straight to the browser..

**Tomcat_Alley** · 05-19-2012, 02:46 PM

Playbook...
Have FB app, I just use browser.
Have Wiki app, I just use browser
Have FML app, I just use Browser
Have RAGE COMICS app, I just use Browser
Have Amazon app, I just use Browser
Have Ebay app, I just use Browser
Have Youtube App, I just use Browser.

Posted from my Playbook, Using Browser, not the Crackberry App.

**collapsed** · 05-19-2012, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by Tomcat_Alley

Playbook...
Have FB app, I just use browser.
Have Wiki app, I just use browser
Have FML app, I just use Browser
Have RAGE COMICS app, I just use Browser
Have Amazon app, I just use Browser
Have Ebay app, I just use Browser
Have Youtube App, I just use Browser.

Posted from my Playbook, Using Browser, not the Crackberry App.

Is there really an amazon/ebay/rage comics/fml app? XD

I always used the browser for most sites. Didn't even try to find an app for most. I use the facebook one because it says "via Facebook for BlackBerry Playbook Tablet App" and that's quite neat :d..Otherwise the browser is the most used app

**emtunc** · 05-19-2012, 03:01 PM

An app is usually a *lot* more convenient than a full blown web page.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

**nite732** · 05-19-2012, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by howarmat

Other platforms have flash and full web also, they dont need apps for everything either...

Android is the only other platform tht uses flash. Unless you count the dead. Weobos and symbian.

**Tomcat_Alley** · 05-19-2012, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by collapsed

Is there really an amazon/ebay/rage comics/fml app? XD

I always used the browser for most sites. Didn't even try to find an app for most. I use the facebook one because it says "via Facebook for BlackBerry Playbook Tablet App" and that's quite neat :d..Otherwise the browser is the most used app

Yep, Unofficial Amazon and Ebay apps are available, but for unofficial they are pretty perfect. and Rage Comics is a bit basic, its just a viewer, you cant create or submit yet. but all are free...

Ebay Free eBay.com (unofficial) - Download eBay.com (unofficial) - Free Apps from BlackBerry App World
Amazon Free Amazon.com (unofficial) - Download Amazon.com (unofficial) - Free Apps from BlackBerry App World
Rage Comics Free Rage Comic Reader - Download Rage Comic Reader - Free Apps from BlackBerry App World
oh and
FML http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...88825/?lang=en

**glassofpinot** · 05-19-2012, 03:31 PM

I don't do this much except for just a few sites, but you can make an icon on Playbook for any website - and it looks just like an App on your screen.

**jwn66** · 05-19-2012, 04:05 PM

So tell me, how do I watch my slingbox on the browser hmmmmm..... Oh right, can't, hence we need an app. Such a bad argument. What if what you want to do has nothing to do with the browser.. PlayBook needs apps just like every other tab has. You can't even argue against that fact.

**apengue1** · 05-19-2012, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by Tomcat_Alley

Posted from my Playbook, Using Browser, not the Crackberry App.

There is no crackberry app for playbook yet

**Chrisy** · 05-19-2012, 04:20 PM

I watched 2 hours of Locked Up Abroad using the browser. Bridge Browser too. Totally cool.

**Tomcat_Alley** · 05-19-2012, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by jwn66

So tell me, how do I watch my slingbox on the browser hmmmmm..... Oh right, can't, hence we need an app. Such a bad argument. What if what you want to do has nothing to do with the browser.. PlayBook needs apps just like every other tab has. You can't even argue against that fact.

nobody is arguing that.

its being pointed out that other company's use the fact they have 500000+ apps as a selling point, when many of them, if not most, are unnecessary if you have a decent fully fledged browser.

**sashlon** · 05-19-2012, 04:56 PM

Well, I agree that the PB browser rocks. (although it'd rock more if I had some way of organizing those bookmarks)

The browser does indeed negate the NEED for many apps.

However, it doesn't matter to most people. The idea that tablets need apps to be any good is well established with consumers, whether it's true or not.

The PB is missing a few really important apps, most of all Skype, full Docs to Go and a decent native PDF reader. Those are pretty important. RIM has done a fantastic job at catching up with games (I wish for Draw Something and Scrabble, but that's it), but games are less important than those other productive apps.

Yes, the PB is also without key multimedia apps to, like Netflix and Hulu, however I don't live in North America, so I'm not interested in them, but many owners in North Ameria want those apps. I do think that the PB rocks as a video player, however the video app is awful because it just jumbles everything together and you can't organize it at all.

**Foreverup** · 05-19-2012, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by apengue1

There is no crackberry app for playbook yet

Yes there is Shao made it. You should go search again

**h20work** · 05-19-2012, 05:16 PM

No Chive app... The website is checkerboard city even after the page is fully loaded. Keep calm and chive on my a$$

**fbloise** · 05-19-2012, 05:25 PM

I was having some internet connectivity issues which i thought were caused by the browser but thanks to this community found was my wireless router. Fixed and now i dont have browser crashes like before

**apengue1** · 05-19-2012, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by Foreverup

Yes there is Shao made it. You should go search again

Ok I will :S

What's it called? I searched crackberry and nothing came up. From what I remember they made one for smartphones and mentioned it would be coming 'soon' to the PB. Ill try searching shao, if thats the name it was developped under.

Oh, and I'm not talking about the Crackberry app on the playbook which is just, I don't know, a mini portal. Im talking about the CB forums app like released for the phones using tapatalk

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using CrackBerry Forums App/Tapatalk

**Foreverup** · 05-19-2012, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by apengue1

Ok I will :S

What's it called? I searched crackberry and nothing came up. From what I remember they made one for smartphones and mentioned it would be coming 'soon' to the PB. Ill try searching shao, if thats the name it was developped under.

Oh, and I'm not talking about the Crackberry app on the playbook which is just, I don't know, a mini portal. Im talking about the CB forums app like released for the phones using tapatalk

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using CrackBerry Forums App/Tapatalk

Sorry misunderstood. Yeah sideloading tapatalk is the only way to get that one. No, official CB forum app has been released like the phones.

And while on subject Why didn't Crackberry commission a playbook app????

**kennyliu** · 05-19-2012, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Tomcat_Alley

Playbook...
Have FB app, I just use browser.
Have Wiki app, I just use browser
Have FML app, I just use Browser
Have RAGE COMICS app, I just use Browser
Have Amazon app, I just use Browser
Have Ebay app, I just use Browser
Have Youtube App, I just use Browser.

Posted from my Playbook, Using Browser, not the Crackberry App.

Playbook has the browser, but we just use the Messages app.
Playbook has the browser, but people seem to like Blaq.
Playbook has the browser, but we use the calendar app, instead of an online calendar.
Playbook has the browser, but we rarely go to weather.com when we need to check the weather quick.

As for Facebook, I assure you you'd use the app more often if the Playbook OS at least had background services available and if the the Playbook version of the Facebook app wasn't this lame. And there are quite a few bad apps that don't quite add any value to user experience like the PB facebook app.

But in general, apps =/= web just because:
1) most web pages are not optimized for smaller screens and touch control (hate those tiny links and radio buttons). A tablet is not a PC with a larger screen and physical mouse/keyboard control.
2) apps are usually less of a battery hog than websites.
3) with apps, you can multitask (don't have to open everything in the browser). Isn't multitasking something we brag about?
4) you don't have to relogin with apps as often as with webpages
5) if the OS had the basic stuff such as background services for third party apps, you'd also be getting notifications and would always stay online while consuming minimal resources
6) with apps, you accomplish tasks in a much more efficient manner (e.g. see how much time you spend opening a website and navigating to where you want vs. the time you spend doing the same with an app (e.g. the same Messages app). It's all about productivity.
7) some apps give you offline functionality (e.g. Evernote on other platforms)
8) and, of course, there are categories of apps that the browser can't substitute.

And, most importantly, if you think people want apps, because they don't have a "full-web" browser, take a look at the app selection in Google Play. Pay special attention to the number of downloads

And Android has "full-web" browsers that surpass the Playbook browser in functionality.

**Saiga** · 05-19-2012, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by kennyliu

Android has "full-web" browsers that surpass the Playbook browser in functionality.

Uhm which ones? My Android's (galaxy nexus and droid bionic) browsers do lame mobile sites non freaking stop. Even with the 3rd party browsers. Also I can't find any that will play video/audio in the background like I do with my PlayBook everyday.

I think you are confused or something. The browsing experince on my Android devices is horrible compared to my PlayBook or Dev Alpha.

**Chaddface** · 05-19-2012, 06:01 PM

I prefer the browser in most cases. The layout is the same as if I were on the PC. I know where everything is. That's how I get things done faster.

**kennyliu** · 05-19-2012, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by berryboba

Uhm which ones? My Android's (galaxy nexus and droid bionic) browsers do lame mobile sites non freaking stop. Even with the 3rd party browsers. Also I can't find any that will play video/audio in the background like I do with my PlayBook everyday.

I think you are confused or something. The browsing experince on my Android devices is horrible compared to my PlayBook or Dev Alpha.

Try Dolphin HD with the Agent set to desktop. It will show almost all webpages in the desktop mode. Even those that the Playbook browser opens in a mobile mode (e.g. Blackberry.com

).

Here is a video review for you to compare the browsers. They are comparable in terms of speed and content rendering, but Dolphin's at least got some basic features, such as bookmark management/sync, search on page, autocomplete, and many many other things that the PB browser so desperately lacks.

PS. The new Firefox browser is also great. However, I'd wait for the final release. It's still beta.

**Saiga** · 05-19-2012, 06:16 PM

The browser vs app topic has always cracked me up. I know on my PC I use one program for the vast majority of my tasks. That is the browser.

I also know that every single last iOS device I have ever held in person has had the photobucket app. Lol

Just imagine a world where every PC user needed to download an app to use photobucket. Then they need a facebook app and a engadget app and the forum viewer app and basicly an app for each indivual task they currently do on the browser. It would be pretty lame in my opinion. Like iOS and android you have a Pandora app. On my PC and PlayBook I have a Pandora bookmark.

Apps for things that should be an app are needed of course. Apps that exist just because mobile browsers suck on some platforms are a waste.

**Saiga** · 05-19-2012, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by kennyliu

Try Dolphin HD with the Agent set to desktop. It will show almost all webpages in the desktop mode. Even those that the Playbook browser opens in a mobile mode (e.g. Blackberry.com

).

Here is a video review for you to compare the browsers. They are comparable in terms of speed and content rendering, but Dolphin's at least got some basic features, such as bookmark management/sync, search on page, autocomplete, and many many other things that the PB browser so desperately lacks.

PS. The new Firefox browser is also great. However, I'd wait for the final release. It's still beta.

It doesn't even have tab multitasking. Open pandora.com, start a station and then open a new tab and enjoy no music! Lol you bring up a 3rd party browser that can't even do what PlayBook's native browser will.