[chrism_scotland]

Well I bit the bullet on Wednesday and ordered a 64GB Playbook which arrived on Thursday.
I've been following the Playbook for a while and the UK price drops spurred me to just do it!
I've been looking at tablets really since the iPad came out but its only in the last 12 months that I've really thought I would use one enough to justify the expense!

I tried a Motorola Xoom and having had an Android phone before I thought it would be good but while the hardware was nice and there's thousands of Apps it just felt a bit meh, the Xoom was too heavy to comfortably use as an e-reader and it generally felt a little sluggish.

I first wanted to get a netbook - looking at the lenovo x121 but decided while it was more powerful than any tablet that it only really made a difference for games - battery, portability and using it as an e-reader ruled it out.

Then I decided that I'd rather have something smaller and lighter, ideally a 7" tablet, it was between waiting for the new Samsung 7" or the Playbook but as I just upgraded to a Bold 9900 I decided the draw of using Blackberry Bridge would swing it.

Having received it the hardware itself is amazing, feels really well built, just the right size and the screen is just amazing, its night and day ahead of the Xoom screen wise and I'd bet it would run the IPS screen on the Asus Transformer and Samsung screens close as well.

In terms of the OS I've found it really very snappy, the browser is also really good, much better than what felt like a Smartphone browser on the Xoom, video's look outstanding and I've had no issues watching any of the media files I've transferred over and the sound with the 2 front speakers is just outstanding.

The bridge functionality seems really good, its nice to be able to have my BBM and email on the larger screen device and its good to be able to share the internet connection from my Bold 9900.

So after the first 24 hours I was really pleased with it, just the Playbook OS by itself (& App World) has provided the vast majority of things I was looking for:

* Book Reader (Igor has done a tremendous job on this and for me its easily as good as the Kindle App for the Xoom)
* Files and Folders - again excellent integration with Dropbox but should really be part of the OS!
* Web Reader - I've been using the desktop version for some time but this was worth the �3 really good
* GeeReader - Also have the free GeeReader its really good too, very similar to some of the Android Readers.
* Pressreader - lets me read my papers!
* Desktop Browser - Thanks to KermED this lets me use the desktop version of some websites I was having issues with being directed to the iPad version of the site.
* aVNC - Really good to be able to be downloading or converting files on my PC while I'm sitting in the front room!

In general most of my needs are already met with whats included in Blackberry OS or easily added via the App World

Last night I decided that I'd give the OS 2.0 Beta a try and after backing up my PB installed it.

First impressions were that on the surface its not all the different to OS 1.7 - Best change for me is being able to add folders which is how I used to organise my Android.

Obviously the biggest draw is the Android Player and this has really convinced me that the Playbook was the device to get, I've been able to get a load of Apps I use regularly either on my Blackberry 9900 or previously with an Android Phone

* Tapatalk - use this daily on by Bold but much better on the big screen
* Various Forum Apps (MU-43, AV Forums, Talk Photography) again outstanding on the big screen
* Amazon Kindle App - while Igor's Book Reader on the Playbook easily fulfils my reading needs the Kindle Android App is good for being able to buy books on the move - but generally I remove the DRM and would use Igor's native Playbook App.
* The Times & Sunday Times - Lets me read the paper on my Playbook and actually runs much better on this that it ever did on the Xoom
* BBC News App - Again works better here than on the Xoom and really useful - saves scrolling through the website

The pre-implementation of the Android Player works better than I expected and I love how the Apps are just integrated into the Home screen like the PBOS ones.

Once the Android Player and 2.0 are "Official" I can see this being an excellent device with the mixture of Blackberry and Android.

Its not perfect and there are a few things I'd like to see change:

* Spelling and auto correct - is a bit annoying that its not here!
* I'd like to be able to add folders to the Video App to keep my movies / series separate
* Username/Password Storage in the browser
* Better Browser options such as letting us choose the "User Agent" so we aren't getting iPad pages
* USB Host capacity, not a biggie as I have the 64GB but would be handy for my camera photos being able to transfer without a PC.
* Bluetooth keyboard support - but I seem to think I've read this is coming in 2.0
* Bluetooth Headphone Support - not a massive issue but would be a nice to have
* More resolutions for HDMI- Out - my TV is 1366x768 (quite a common HDTV res) would be nice to get this.

In terms of Apps there's not a lot missing for my usage - I'd like to see Zinio work - either getting the Android App working or the long promised native app - either will do!!

I'd also like to see Spotify again either native or the Android App if we could get it to work, although now we've got it on the Bold 9900 I'll probably just use that for music.

I'd like to see some of the emulators working - SNESoid and Gensoid are amazing on an Android device with the PS3/Wii Controller support and I've love to get them on this as well.

Overall though I bought the Playbook with my eyes open, I knew the shortfalls and what's missing but the current Playbook with OS Beta 2.0 has really blown me away, it easily matches anything that Android 3.2 could do a more, yes there are some features missing and apps but I really believe that the release of the NDK and the Android support will easily fill those gaps given time - and funnily enough I've not even noticed the lack of native email, calendar or contacts but I can see why people without a BB Smartphone would give this a miss.

At the end of the day my main tablet usage is consumption and while I'd love to add a bluetooth keyboard for typing a few notes and docs consumption is mainly it and in its current Beta 2.0 state it easily fulfills my needs, its well build, portable, most of the apps are there and it very slick, adding the Android Apps and Blackberry Bridge are just the cherry on top!

One very happy Playbook (& Bold 9900!) owner here from the UK!

[Skateman1972]

Now thats the way to go.

Knowing what the Playbook limitations are at this point, its still a very nice and usefull device. I am still very happy i bought one months ago.

I have got an IPAD as well but after getting used to a Playbook, it feels like a crappy big lump toy.

Regarding the Playbook, its only getting better!

[JeepBB]

Good report, which (for what it's worth) I'd agree with.

The Playbook hardware is great as even my iPad owning buddies concede. The software isn't finished, but there are enough teasers in the OS2 dev/beta to show that RIM might be on the right track even if their pace is a bit sluggish.

IMHO The Android player is the huge plus of OS2. It's either adding another string to the Playbook bow by giving the ability to tap the huge Android market i.e. the best of both worlds, or (for the folk who look on the black side) provides an escape route if the native apps never materialise.

So...Welcome aboard. The rapids are a bit exciting right now, but I'm sure calmer waters lie ahead! LOL

[Snoke]

Nice read on OP.

Note, the PlayBook has bluetooth keyboard support. I have a keyboard and use it plenty. Its just the headset we are waiting for on that front.

[world traveler and former ceo]

Well I bit the bullet on Wednesday and ordered a 64GB Playbook which arrived on Thursday.
I've been following the Playbook for a while and the UK price drops spurred me to just do it!
I've been looking at tablets really since the iPad came out but its only in the last 12 months that I've really thought I would use one enough to justify the expense!

I tried a Motorola Xoom and having had an Android phone before I thought it would be good but while the hardware was nice and there's thousands of Apps it just felt a bit meh, the Xoom was too heavy to comfortably use as an e-reader and it generally felt a little sluggish.

I first wanted to get a netbook - looking at the lenovo x121 but decided while it was more powerful than any tablet that it only really made a difference for games - battery, portability and using it as an e-reader ruled it out.

Then I decided that I'd rather have something smaller and lighter, ideally a 7" tablet, it was between waiting for the new Samsung 7" or the Playbook but as I just upgraded to a Bold 9900 I decided the draw of using Blackberry Bridge would swing it.

Having received it the hardware itself is amazing, feels really well built, just the right size and the screen is just amazing, its night and day ahead of the Xoom screen wise and I'd bet it would run the IPS screen on the Asus Transformer and Samsung screens close as well.

In terms of the OS I've found it really very snappy, the browser is also really good, much better than what felt like a Smartphone browser on the Xoom, video's look outstanding and I've had no issues watching any of the media files I've transferred over and the sound with the 2 front speakers is just outstanding.

The bridge functionality seems really good, its nice to be able to have my BBM and email on the larger screen device and its good to be able to share the internet connection from my Bold 9900.

So after the first 24 hours I was really pleased with it, just the Playbook OS by itself (& App World) has provided the vast majority of things I was looking for:

* Book Reader (Igor has done a tremendous job on this and for me its easily as good as the Kindle App for the Xoom)
* Files and Folders - again excellent integration with Dropbox but should really be part of the OS!
* Web Reader - I've been using the desktop version for some time but this was worth the �3 really good
* GeeReader - Also have the free GeeReader its really good too, very similar to some of the Android Readers.
* Pressreader - lets me read my papers!
* Desktop Browser - Thanks to KermED this lets me use the desktop version of some websites I was having issues with being directed to the iPad version of the site.
* aVNC - Really good to be able to be downloading or converting files on my PC while I'm sitting in the front room!

In general most of my needs are already met with whats included in Blackberry OS or easily added via the App World

Last night I decided that I'd give the OS 2.0 Beta a try and after backing up my PB installed it.

First impressions were that on the surface its not all the different to OS 1.7 - Best change for me is being able to add folders which is how I used to organise my Android.

Obviously the biggest draw is the Android Player and this has really convinced me that the Playbook was the device to get, I've been able to get a load of Apps I use regularly either on my Blackberry 9900 or previously with an Android Phone

* Tapatalk - use this daily on by Bold but much better on the big screen
* Various Forum Apps (MU-43, AV Forums, Talk Photography) again outstanding on the big screen
* Amazon Kindle App - while Igor's Book Reader on the Playbook easily fulfils my reading needs the Kindle Android App is good for being able to buy books on the move - but generally I remove the DRM and would use Igor's native Playbook App.
* The Times & Sunday Times - Lets me read the paper on my Playbook and actually runs much better on this that it ever did on the Xoom
* BBC News App - Again works better here than on the Xoom and really useful - saves scrolling through the website

The pre-implementation of the Android Player works better than I expected and I love how the Apps are just integrated into the Home screen like the PBOS ones.

Once the Android Player and 2.0 are "Official" I can see this being an excellent device with the mixture of Blackberry and Android.

Its not perfect and there are a few things I'd like to see change:

* Spelling and auto correct - is a bit annoying that its not here!
* I'd like to be able to add folders to the Video App to keep my movies / series separate
* Username/Password Storage in the browser
* Better Browser options such as letting us choose the "User Agent" so we aren't getting iPad pages
* USB Host capacity, not a biggie as I have the 64GB but would be handy for my camera photos being able to transfer without a PC.
* Bluetooth keyboard support - but I seem to think I've read this is coming in 2.0
* Bluetooth Headphone Support - not a massive issue but would be a nice to have
* More resolutions for HDMI- Out - my TV is 1366x768 (quite a common HDTV res) would be nice to get this.

In terms of Apps there's not a lot missing for my usage - I'd like to see Zinio work - either getting the Android App working or the long promised native app - either will do!!

I'd also like to see Spotify again either native or the Android App if we could get it to work, although now we've got it on the Bold 9900 I'll probably just use that for music.

I'd like to see some of the emulators working - SNESoid and Gensoid are amazing on an Android device with the PS3/Wii Controller support and I've love to get them on this as well.

Overall though I bought the Playbook with my eyes open, I knew the shortfalls and what's missing but the current Playbook with OS Beta 2.0 has really blown me away, it easily matches anything that Android 3.2 could do a more, yes there are some features missing and apps but I really believe that the release of the NDK and the Android support will easily fill those gaps given time - and funnily enough I've not even noticed the lack of native email, calendar or contacts but I can see why people without a BB Smartphone would give this a miss.

At the end of the day my main tablet usage is consumption and while I'd love to add a bluetooth keyboard for typing a few notes and docs consumption is mainly it and in its current Beta 2.0 state it easily fulfills my needs, its well build, portable, most of the apps are there and it very slick, adding the Android Apps and Blackberry Bridge are just the cherry on top!

One very happy Playbook (& Bold 9900!) owner here from the UK!

A great post! ... could not agree with you more!! ...
Try not to get discouraged by all the TROLLS on this site! .. Most have never used the products or have hidden agendas .... Welcome to the world of Blackberry!!

and enjoy!! .. I do!

[RWD]

Great post, OP!

[jonase#WP]

Great post. I enjoy reading these types of threads.

Just out of curiosity, since I love the BBC app for Android, where did you get the .bar for this?

Thanks,

J

[chrism_scotland]

Great post. I enjoy reading these types of threads.

Just out of curiosity, since I love the BBC app for Android, where did you get the .bar for this?

Thanks,

J

Attached, I converted it myself!

[elchavodellethbridge]

Thank you for your post.

[todbanner]

great to read another thread about someone enjoying PB.

[jonase#WP]

Attached, I converted it myself!

Thanks so much, worked like a charm!

[Ron.val]

Great post man. I bought my girlfriend a playbook for Christmas with the sales that happened. I have a an iPad 2 and now I hate it lol it feels huge and heavy compared to her playbook. IT HAS FLASH!!! It's her Christmas present but she wanted it for school so I gave it to her she's been using it to read journal articles in PDF instead of printing them saves paper . I asked her if I could borrow it and she said NO I was like I'll lend u my iPad 2 in return and sheHe always works out here on thursdays and he usually doesn't leave the weights out he's pretty good with that. But he does grunt a lot and the changing his clothes I have never seen him do that.* was like NOPE. Aaaaaahhh I want my own now lol but I can't cuase I would feel waaaay too guilty about owning 2 tablets too much consumerism ain't a good thing!!!

[Jack Dryden]

Hi,

Just wondering where you found the app for the playbook for the Times and Sunday Times. I can only find the mobile smartphone version, not the full app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...m5pLnRpbWVzIl0.)

Jack.

[toronto9696]

Internet tethering with a 8700 roger lol.