[lupecast]

I recently bought the Playbook after testing (and eventually returning) the Acer Iconia 100 (7"), Toshiba Thrive, and Dell Streak 7. I didn't try the Samsung Galaxy 7. I have an IPad 1st Gen tablet, but it's too big to carry around for work. I primarily use the tablet for notes, basic documents, spreadsheets, presentations, calendar, and email. Although I use my Ipad for reading both web content and ebooks and pdf research articles, I would like to use the Playbook for all of the above eventually. I own more books on Kindle, so I would like to read those same books on my Playbook. I also have some books on Nook and would like to read those as well on my Playbook. The Playbook definitely seems to be the highest quality of the 7" tablets I tested recently. Any suggestions?

[z_scorpio_z]

On the OS 2.0 developer beta, people have re-packaged the Kindle Android App and reported that it is working. I am not sure if there is a Nook Android App, but if there is one and it is free, someone can convert (if not already converted) that to be installable on PB.

There is Kobo reader shipped with PB and also there is a epub reader app in the App world with really good feedback from users that will allow you to read many different ebook formats. Adobe PDF reader ships with PB as well, but many have noted that it is missing features such as annotations.

So, depending on your flexibility/convenience and needs, you would either have to wait for OS 2.0 (if you already own a lot of Kindle or Nook books) or you can try epub reader (if you have digital copies sitting on your PC) or see if Adobe PDF reader meets your needs.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[joshua_sx1]

To OP, the problem with what you are looking for is, they are still not happening with PlayBook.. for instance, I have also so many PDF files, and honestly, my iPod touch has a better reader than PlayBook... even those epub files I have, I can easily transported them to my other devices... with PlayBook, if you are unfortunately like me, you cannot even purchase an application from App World and you are stuck with free Kobo application that doesn't allow you to read your epub files saved in Playbook... I'm a heavier user of MS Office as part of my job and I know their full functions, and the "Docs to Go" application in PlayBook is suck... I've read that the "Presentation" was even removed from OS2...

It is up to you, if you want to take the risk of "waiting patiently", then buy a PlayBook... or buy something that is already working with everything that you want...

[FF22]

If you do NOT have a bb phone, the playbook (pb) does not have native email - you would have to use some web-interface if available. Similarly, it relies on a bb phone for calendar.

[murnende]

At the moment, with the state of the software, you'll be disappointed.

Do you use a BlackBerry phone? If so, the notes, calendar and email are available via bridge, the benefit being that you don't have to sync the PlayBook to your phone, because the data never actually leaves the phone, the PlayBook functions as a window to your BlackBerry.

If you don't use a BlackBerry, there are some third party notetaking apps available, but you're stuck with the browser for email and calendar. Docs to Go comes pre-installed, but is pretty neutered at the moment. You have basic word processing functionality with Word to Go, but nothing so complex as lists or tables. I don't use Sheet to Go, but my understanding is that it can't create spreadsheets, or even edit formulas, you're limited to data entry (someone that actually uses the program is free to correct me). Slideshow to Go works well as a presenter, but you can't edit slides.

The .pdf reader is terrible, imo. It renders well, so if you're just reading and the .pdf isn't a scanned image, it will do the trick. If the .pdf is scanned, Adobe Reader runs like a dog, and I can't stand waiting for the checkerboarding to disappear on page turns, so I don't use it for those. In addition, while there's a bar you can drag for jumping to a page, there's no bookmarking, highlighting, searching or annotating features, so it's only good for a straight up read.

For ebooks, I understand there are some solid epub readers available from AppWorld, but there's nothing native apart from the Kobo reader, and you can't sideload onto that. As mentioned, there are claims that the Kindle reader works with the 2.0 beta, and it's possible that if there's a Nook app for Android it may work as well, no way to really know though until the official release of the 2.0 OS.

On the positive side, the browser is fantastic, I use it for virtually all my web consumption with little difficulty. A double tap in the text field on a page zooms to just the text with excellent accuracy, which makes things more readable, as well as getting those adds off the page that are so easy to click accidentally while scrolling.

After releasing the PlayBook, rather than keeping up with regular updates, RIM chose to hold back for the big OS 2.0 update, that they're promising will contain many of the missing features. This update is now available in beta, so it's expected relatively soon. In addition, the NDK was just released to the world this past week, which should see a significant increase in the quantity and quality of apps on AppWorld, we've already seen some pretty major releases during the beta period of the NDK, so it seems likely that this trend will continue now that it's available to all.

That said, this is all still forward looking and conjectural. If you're looking for a tablet that's fully functional for your listed uses right now, keep looking; the PlayBook is another 4-6 months (or more) from really being there. However, despite the perceived foot dragging on the part of RIM in getting the upgrades out the door, RIM has shown extraordinary dedication to the PlayBook, and it's likely the updates will arrive, eventually. After all, they've bet the farm on the PlayBook OS as the platform that will take their phones through the next decade, they need the PlayBook as a development platform for at least the foreseeable future.

[elchavodellethbridge]

Welcome to BBPB. I am sure you will enjoy.

[lupecast]

thanks for the comments. i am still within my 14 day return period,but I am really enjoying the browser. i bought at staples for $299 after a $200 mail rebate so it is a decent price for a good tablet with potentially a large selection of apps.

[chiefchie]

as long as you're happy and PlayBook meets what you need, you keep it. enjoy browsing!