[firmdot]

Read - RIM BlackBerry PlayBook: Unfinished, unusable | Mobile Technology - InfoWorld (5 pages)... Security rating of 2 out of 10?!

[GSGFlash]

Yeah I read their review this morning and just had to shake my head. Clearly the most biased review on the internet and doesn't deserve anyone's time.

Just look at their Playbook hardware score compared to the iPad 2 hardware score, they gave the Playbook a 6 on hardware and the iPad 2 a 9. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the software, as the Playbook's software is rough around the edges, but what exactly does the iPad 2 have over the Playbook outside of the screen size? (not to mention that hardware superiority based on screen size is subjective anyways, I find the iPad's larger screen a negative aspect of it). Does the iPad 2 have two 1080p cameras? Does it have an HDMI out? Does it have stereo speakers? Does the wifi version of the iPad 2 have GPS? I can't see any way for them to justify the 3 point difference between the iPad 2 and the Playbook on the hardware score.

[Chipchop]

Apple surely paid him a lot.

Most troubling/dumbass part of the review:

"The PlayBook does not handle single-orientation apps well. For example, if I launch the portrait-only Tetris game when in landscape (horizontal) mode, the basic PlayBook controls move as if I had turned the PlayBook to portrait (vertical) orientation. Thus, the normal navigation gestures no longer work until I either rotate the PlayBook to portrait mode or shake the PlayBook to force it to return to landscape mode. This kind of glitch never occurred in iOS or Android devices I tested, not even in first-version models"

I want to kick this dude where it hurts.


On the iPad he would still have to press the home button, which remains in the same portrait area.

[stevelord]

He's not the first reviewer to comment on the navigation/rotation issue.

[Chipchop]

He's not the first reviewer to comment on the navigation/rotation issue.

IMO, RIM handled it correctly. The swipe up gesture should match the app's screen orientation.


What else would be the best way to handle Portrait mode only app?

[meltbox360]

Nice to see professional trolls exist in this world. Terrible article, great trolling though!

[akcrimson]

[firmdot]

Nice to see professional trolls exist in this world. Terrible article, great trolling though!

Are you referring to me?

[Chipchop]

Nice to see professional trolls exist in this world. Terrible article, great trolling though!

Are you referring to me?

It's not you he's referring to

[ReccaKun]

and yet they call them self a reviewer?? come on even a little girl can do a much better job of reviewing a device.

[sylvaing]

... Yet because it's a fixed button, there's also no ambiguity; you can always tell precisely where it is.

Nope, when watching in a dim lit room in landscape mode, depending how I picked it up, it could be on the left or the right and I had to 'feel' the bezel to find the button.

[frfghtr]

I'm done with the reviews. Don't see the point now.

Plus I probably know more about the playbook than 99% of the reviewers.

And I'm luv'in it and that's all that matters.

[Machzy]

Everybody knows that firmdot is not a troll. He loves BB more than anyone else.

Do you guys remember that thread that went absolutely viral about that kid who posted that he's ups shipment of the PB was coming earlier than the 19th? Loaded with suspense-filled posts such as 'a ups truck just drove past my house!'

That was firmdot. =)

[sylvaing]

No offense, but I'll take something that's difficult to find at night in a fog under water over something that's always difficult to find, regardless of how well lit my environment is.

What?!? It's always aligned with the application and that's "always difficult to find" for you?. Beside, it only takes a software update to make it user selectable between application and orientation centric...

[1812dave]

I think you're missing his point. He's not saying the controls shouldn't rotate; he's saying the OS level controls should match the device orientation whenever the device orientation and the app orientation differ. That way, if you opened the app by mistake, you can do your swipe gesture to get out of it.

As far as the iOS home button, obviously a button is fixed in place and can't possibly match the screen orientation at all times. Yet because it's a fixed button, there's also no ambiguity; you can always tell precisely where it is.

It amazes me that every single critical review of the PlayBook is described as "biased," and the more critical the review is, the more "biased" the reviewer is alleged to be. I'm curious. . .has there been a single unbiased PlayBook review that included any negative comments about the device, outside of websites with the word "Berry" in the title?

Why, at this late stage in the development of iOS, don't the icons rotate on the home screen??? That always bugs me on my touch.

[1812dave]

I'm guessing it's because the screen size would not allow for the launcher bar at the bottom of the screen to remain in place when the device rotates. Or maybe they didn't get to it because they were working on the native e-mail, calendar and contact apps.

Does it rotate on the 9.7" touch?

[infamyx]

Does it rotate on the 9.7" touch?

Yeah, it does.

[Mercury]

I got so irked about this review and I decided to let the guy know how I felt.

I never ever read a review and hit the contact button, but this just makes me really mad.

You are completely biased towards the idevices. I remember reading reviews of the first gen Ipod touch/Iphone/Ipad.... it went through the same scrutiny that you giving to the Playbook. You are comparing a device that is fresh in the market to an ios that has been refined over 5-6yrs now. When Apple launched the touch devices, there wasn't even an Appworld, and you keep referring to this and that about how great your idevices are now, but when you look back, Apple has had its fair share of negative slamming.

How about when you write a review, you write it from a point of view of the device its self and not saying its not Apple, its not Android. You need to write a review with a very UNbiased opinion.

Yes I have a playbook. I got it the day it came out and yes it does some fine tuning, and when you look at this being the first tablet RIM has put out, its already light years ahead of what Apple and Android were capable of. First of all, how can you say the flash is poor? At least the Playbook has flash! and RIM also worked with Adobe to make sure the user gets the best Flash experience as possible. Could it have been done better? maybe, but compared to the Xoom (which I also had for about a week) the Playbook is overall one of the best tablets out there, and its still in its infancy.

Anyways my point is, when reviewing, don't be biased. Never once did RIM say this was to compete against the Ipad or the Xoom. They put a tablet out, yes it was probably about a month too early as things like email are not even on the system yet. But this is a Professional grade tablet as RIM touts it to be.

I don't care that you probably don't care what I have to say, but at least review something with an open mind and dont discredit a product that has been just launched and compare it to products that have been out for years.

Thank you

Sterling

[ekafara]

"The few apps limit the tablet's utility
When not connected to a BlackBerry, the PlayBook is limited to running a Web browser and a few included apps: the music and video players, Twitter, YouTube, Bing Maps, Adobe Reader, the ancient Tetris game, and the trio of To Go office applications (Word, Sheet, and the view-only Slideshow)."

I love how he calls it "the ancient Tetris game". I think its a perfect game for the Playbook. Who cares if its old. Its a great classic game.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com