[wafa510]

I absolutely love to read books on the Playbook, I use either Kindle (sideloaded) or Kobo and I find the 7" form factor perfect for reading. I use the PB to read blogs, shop online, check my bank statements, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, I listen to a ton of music, some I downloaded and some I get from apps like Slacker, Pandora (sideloaded) and Songza (sideloaded). I downloaded some important documents from my laptop to my Playbook. I have watched movies through the video store and they look awesome - I bought one and rented the others. I play some kick a** games from time to time. I watch TV shows occassionally too. To me, it is mobile computing at its finest. Even when I am not using it (like now - I am on my laptop), I am just happy knowing it is a hop, skip and jump away in the other room. I have to admit, I am in love with this little tablet! And I will reiterate this again, instead of bashing the PB, buy something that suits your needs and makes you happy. Perfect is what you make of it!

[Kwela123]

I do the usual things with the PB such as read books, email, web surf a bit etc.

But the one use that I was not expecting, was as a Marine navigation aid. There are several apps in app world that include marine charts along with a nav application. It cost about $15, but that (in my case) included all charts for great lakes, St. Lawrence River & east coast of Canada. The app works well with the built in gps. Just the electronic charts would have cost hundreds of $$.

Another thing that gave me a kick last night. I was able to watch a cricket match in Australia via live streaming. The hi-res PB screen looks better than my laptop screen.

[Bungalow_Bill]

Hey Kwela123 - that's a fabulous way to use the PlayBook. Can you tell me which marine navigation app you're using and whether you expect the Canadian digital charts to continue working after one year? There was some doubt as to what will happen at the end of the subscription period.

I also think this tablet is the perfect size for e-reading.

Great thread,so far. Excellent signal-to-noise ratio. Thank you, Mods, for the filtering.

[Kwela123]

Hey Kwela123 - that's a fabulous way to use the PlayBook. Can you tell me which marine navigation app you're using and whether you expect the Canadian digital charts to continue working after one year? There was some doubt as to what will happen at the end of the subscription period.
.

Well, the wording IS a bit ambiguous. It is not clear if it is the updating subscription that lasts one year or if somehow the charts or app will stop working. The US and Canadian apps are worded slightly differently. US electronic charts are available free but Canadian gov charges for them. The charts are downloaded and used off line, so for them to stop working the program would have to have a built in timer. Surely not?
The name is nondescript - just Nautical Charts, I believe. Many world areas are available. Looks like Canadian charts went up in price to $20.00. I paid $14.99.

PS: Perhaps the subscription for one year relates to android and other devices that cannot store the entire chart library off-line?

[uncaringbear]

I'm an illustrator and I use my PB as a mini monitor to display reference images saved online while I draw with my computer. It's also a great way to show off my artwork and photos to people when I'm out and about. The nice screen on the PB usually does a great job of displaying my pictures and photos.

For entertainment, the PB is great fun, and I love a lot of the games that are available. Many years ago, I was a fan of portable gaming (Gameboys, PSP's, etc), and after giving up on that, due to eye strain, it was nice playing on a portable system again. The larger screen of the PB means less eye strain for me, although I still have to be careful with it.

And, of course, browsing the web on the PB is a pleasure!

[shadow10z]

my playbook sits mostly at my bedside. movies through online streaming, youtube, reading, a few games, weather, e-mail,

[sid_kid]

anything and everything...web, games, movies, kindle app...

i like using either privateeye or realportal as a webcam app to watch my puppy while i am at work...

and it makes a great paperweight when you can pry it from my hands...

let's not forget the most important thing...crackberry forums and crackberry.com!!!!!

[CanadianBB]

This is a great thread. I have found that my Playbook is my main workhorse in the field. I sell Real Estate and keep all my listings, showings, Maps, zoning info, offer info etc...

The size makes it great as I carry it everywhere and always have full access to my work. On a fairly regular bases I run into folks who say what a great device, they go on to say how they have the Ipad and just love it. Usually when I ask them where it is, the comment well its kind of bulky to carry around all the time so the use it at home.

I use the Playbook for Reading, using Kindle, Epub or Kobo. I do some surfing with Simple Browser. I use Box and Google to send files back and forth. I use it as a Dart scorer, Sirius radio and so much more. I currently own 2 and absolutely love them both. With thast said, there are still many apps that i would like to see come to the Playbook. I think we will see it only get better and better.

Brian

[Xopher]

My PlayBook definitely gets used daily. I;ll stream Pandora or Sirius through the BlackBerry Stereo Gateway to my office audio system, watch movies, watch webcasts (the BlackBerry developer webcasts look good on the PB), read ebooks in the Kindle app, take notes and sync with SpringPad and Evernote.

When at home, I'll have the PlayBook hooked up to the TV via HDMI and control it via bluetooth keyboard from the couch. I just wish the desktop dock had an HDMI port.

[bdegrande]

Media player - excellent for both audio and video
Web browser
Portable game machine
Email/Twitter/Facebook
Emergency camera
Portable storage device - 64GB leaves plenty of room after apps

[Mrgrooken]

I have been a BB user since the grey and black screens! Blackberry ride or die!!! Loves my Playbook! I use it for school, as well as keeping up with my blogs. I love the small form factor, and the beautiful screen. I would love to replace my laptop with it! Got the HDMI connector... watch movies on the HD TV with it as well as drive my wife crazy when me and the kids play games on the TV.

[tarektoverso]

Read my E-mails and browse through my favorite websites every morning. when I get back home, I do play my favorite games : Robotek and Radiant defense.

[Chrysalis1156]

Watch movies, check the latest dumb vids on YouTube, listen to music, read a multitude of books (a 64g pb can hold a lot of epubs - yay!), play silly games, check my email, order Christmas presents online (and stuff for ME ), make beautiful scrapbook pages, bridge it with my 9930 when I'm out of wifi range and not skip a beat...it does everything I need it to so yep, I picked the right tablet for me.

[jeffreytoronto]

I use mine for all mentioned above.

But also, I use HSTouch to control all the lights, thermostat settings and security system in my house. I also use it to view my security cams at home. So have full mobile access to my house.

Other uses--
-remote desktop - to basically do anything
-control my boxeebox and onkyo stereo
-Wordpress for wife's website
-tapatalk to read stuff here

list goes on and on... it has become my main computing device-- use it more than daily....

Very little I can't do...except skype...

[diegonei]

Get ready for a long post.

Sooo, What do I do...

• I browse the web and have access to pretty much any site. For the most time, I don't miss apps, because the browser allows me to interact to sites almost as I do on a PC.
• Gaming is quite good, from simple stuff like Fruit Slash to complicated/graphics heavy Dead Space and Lara Croft, the PlayBook does put a new meaning to it's name.
• Speaking of the name, "Play Book" is a reference to the notebook sports coaches use to make plans. And I have seen my PlayBook stand head to head with laptops when it comes to attending meetings. I could keep up with what was going on, work on a spreadsheet, a word documents, PDFs and calendar and still get a few things finished before my peers.
• I'm a podcast adict, and while most people complain about the podcasts app, it works. It has all the features I need and I get my podcast fill on my PlayBook now instead of my Bold. The rest of the media isn't bad either. And I find myself constantly plugging it to the 42' TV. What can I say? Remote Control is too good not to use! I don't use music on it, but I stream tv shows and do a good amount of youtubing. I like it that the YouTube app is set to stream at the best quality available.
• I do some reading on it and while Amazon decided to be a , I still manage to read my books on my sideloaded Kindle app. I am giving Kobo a try to, since it seems to be the default for PB/BB10. I'm back on the DC Universe band too! CBR comic support is very nice and now Batman and I can catch up on the news...
• It doesn't happen often, but when the occasion arises, recording things on 1080p is very nice. I was the unofficial camera man at a friend's marriage. I can only say that they were more than happy with the result (and I didn't edit anything, as I don't have any skill on that field whatsoever).

What I can ALMOST do...

• Internet banking. My bank thought it would be cool to have a java based authentication login, and java isn't supported on the PlayBook, so I'm stuck with the mobie page which is only for viewing. And since they won't bother with an app...
• Adobe Reader is a lame excuse for an app. The other PDF apps are lacking as well. So, from now on, I use calibre to convert PDF to mobi and read them in the Kindle app.
• I don't have Infinity Blade on my PlayBook. I hurt. Also having The Elder Scrolls and Fallout would not be bad. We're stuck with the few devs that decided to give the platform a shot.
• Not having USB OTG forces me to rely on the cloud to share files when there is no WiFi, or explain why people need to install BlackBerry software just to see the PlayBook's file system. It would be nice to just plug their External Hard Drives and copy the files.
• Not having a proper app for hand write recognition is a real let down. I bought a stylus and got a few apps, but the results were far below my expectations.
• Taking pictures is still a task for the 9780. The very same picture taken on the PlayBook, compared to the one on the 9780, is very washed out and less sharp.

I've been PC-less for a while now. And I can still keep functional just by using my BlackBerry devices. I miss MS Office though, as there are some things Docs2Go can't do (forcing me to borrow a laptop for work every now and them).

[anon(3460513)]

I use mine almost daily at work bridged to my BB for emails, meetings, going over diagrams & document drafts with colleagues by having Files & Folders integrated with the various cloud storage options. Have a dedicated folder with productivity applications which I use throughout my day for organizing my tasks (Conqu), taking notes (Evernote), accessing server webpages (bookmarked),

At home, I use it to view the news (News360), browsing (hate the browser closing down at times), watching videos from YouTube, listen to music or play games.

[basemann42]

You still have the protective cover (with the hand) that it was shipped with on the screen?? Tht must be annoying. I bought a media devil protector and from previuos heartbreak learned you put it in immediatly when you remove the shipped protector. If do properly it works like a charm and you would not believe it has a cover on it.

[Vorkosigan]

Everything?
Just about. It's my portable office. Via dropbox i keep current client files updated between myself and my office.
With qpdf notes I mark up the ad copy before sending it back.
I keep meeting notes on groovynotes.
And I use it as my main source to surf the Web and play games.
I also love that in the evening I can leave my phone where ever I dropped it when I got home and answer any email, bbm or text on my pb.

[Bumble2000]

As others have mentioned, the 7" form factor is really great for me. I use it for music videos, catching up on tv shows, web surfing (including watching the local news), games (I'm a big fan of Stick Tennis), reading Crackberry with the Crackberry app. I also find that I use the stock Alarm clock app a lot and for some strange reason find the 'evolving' alarm sound is very pleasing to wake up to :P

[xSt0rmTroop3Rx]

The two things I love most about my pb as of this writing:

1.) as always, the Bridge functionality. unmatched and unrivaled
2.) the bard's tale (game, $2.99 in app world right now!)

I too am tired of negative pb posts. one of its shining features, for better or worse, is what it COULD be capable of. there are dozens of android tablets and knock-offs. apple has now made a mini ipad. there is only one blackberry playbook. sure there's the lte variant but that's the only difference...4G lte. there's no playbook 10, blacktab 7...none of that mess. the pb was RIMs baby and they're doing right by it, and us, by its eventual upgrade to BB10. its about evolution, not revolution, with the playbook...and it can only get better from here...

[TomJasper]

My laptop hates the heat in the summer when used outside, even shutting down , arg! Solution: I can now be on the pool deck on the hottest days connected remotely to my laptop via my Playbook, thus controlling music streaming (128kbps and above stations) to the backyard. I also have a web cam hooked to the laptop via 30ft USB repeater cable to the front of the house,remotely viewable from my Playbook. Very handy to keep an eye out for friends coming over or not so friendly noise by-law folks,lol. I can turn down stream volume in seconds, if need be,lol.

That's just one aspect of my Playbook use, lets just say I turn on my home PC about one or two times a month since getting the Playbook.

[diegonei]

For the past four meetings now, I have taken my PB. I find myself not needing a laptop for meetings now and it held up against my peer's PCs rather nicely.

[TheNerdfly]

I only got my playbook for two reasons - it's price and it's browser. Lets not kid ourselves about productivity on any tablet. They are handy consuming devices, time fillers, not an office replacement - although some people might claim otherwise they are only kidding themselves! My playbook streams online video and livestreams without a hitch (without the need for apps or subscriptions), will load any website and it is conveniently small enough to carry around the house with me, generally to bed or into the garden. If i want to play games or do something productive i use a pc. When i'm out and about i have my phone. Sometimes i'll take the pb with me when i'm out and use the phone as a hotspot, but in all honesty the phone itself will suffice for any impromptu browsing needs. I would never have paid �399 for it or any tablet, but at �99 it was a bargain not to be missed.

[312Lorden]

[QUOTE=BB9700CA;6818539]You can download Movie Vault from BlackBerry App World for a wide selection of older movies.
____________
After you download Movie Vault do you have to have wi-fi to view the movie? I hope not.