1. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    Just saying but, I fit in both categories. I'm an active gamer, active developer and I use my PB every day for business use. I don't go to a single meeting without it.

    I suspect a lot of people, like me, just build most apps for themselves and leave it at that. Less work and worry than pushing through App World. But compared to Android and iOS, this is a much more professionally acceptable tablet in my personal opinion .
    Well said. The presence of games on any device does not necessarily reduce its potential for business.

    I'm not concerned about the promotion of games and apps, but the reason I don't find the PB to be a professional grade tablet is because it lacks some core functionality like a useable keyboard, customizable bookmarks and business/school utility apps. Hopefully this changes with 2.0.
    I see your point.
    10-22-11 02:13 PM
  2. lnichols's Avatar
    Seriously what good would Enterprise apps do at this point do given that a Playbook won't currently integrate with a BES, and the built in VPN capabilities suck? How are these enterprise apps supposed to access the Enterprise from the field? Citrix is still a beta and currently the only real Enterprise app that I can think of but it requires a Citrix core to talk to, not existing Blackberry infrastructure. RIM needs to stop playing buzzword bingo and start delivering tangible improvements that will allow enterprises to use this device. I'm so sick of everyone talking about the potential of this device because RIM does not deliver what is needed to release this potential then it is still not much of a business tool.
    10-22-11 02:25 PM
  3. biggulpseh's Avatar
    I definitely think the playbook is lacking in pretty much every aspect, not just productivity. Browser is still slow and missing features, docs2go is still behind in 2.0 compared to ipad (RIM you own dataviz for crying out loud), no autocorrect STILL, 8 months and still no PIM (but at least they now realize how important it is), no 3G or 4G option... I could seriously go on for hours.

    Listening to the latest podcast at least made me feel like even Kevin, Bla1ze, Adam, and Chris are not giving RIM any leeway anymore and I was happy to see they are being just as critical of RIM as many of us have been. Only by complaining will they ever change their ways, because they've already proved that in the innovation and leadership positions, RIM are complete fools.
    Chrisy likes this.
    10-22-11 02:56 PM
  4. Chrisy's Avatar
    Just completed the podcast. Was very good. Thanks, guys!
    10-22-11 02:58 PM
  5. rcheung135's Avatar
    With the plethora of games being released and the way Research In Motion is promoting these applications the BlackBerry PlayBook is finally living up to its name - PLAY BOOK. The company should be focusing on productivity applications suitable for professionals across a variety of fields instead of playing games. It would have been easy enough to release two models of the tablet; PlayBook for the mass market consumer and BlackBook for those with careers. Do lawyers, doctors, and business people really need 101 games or a few high-quality productivity applications and utilities? To those developers whom have released high-quality applications with somewhat limited tools and are responsive to users requests a collective "thank you, much appreciated" is in order. Thankfully, bridge-mode makes this tablet somewhat professional.
    Hey noob. Check this out.

    Interview: Jane McGonigal talks Gaming and Gamification at BlackBerry DevCon | CrackBerry.com

    Here's a relevant TED talk she had in 2010

    http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgoni...ter_world.html
    Last edited by rcheung135; 10-22-11 at 03:21 PM.
    10-22-11 03:09 PM
  6. zc1's Avatar
    The 'Professional Grade' title that RIM gave the PlayBook, in my mind, is accurate with respect to the hardware and user interface, both of which are top-notch. Where it falls apart is in the software and peripherals/accessories.

    I have several tablets: Asus Transformer, HP TouchPad, and a PlayBook. My wife has an iPad and I had an iPad 2 for a short time. Each device has strengths and weaknesses. Of all of them, the one that 'looks' the most professional is the PlayBook, but the one that actually walks the walk is the Transformer.

    The Transformer's hardware isn't in the same league as the PlayBook when it comes to feeling of quality, but the combination of tablet, keyboard dock, the wide variety of apps available, and the fact that it can interface with my telephone make the package far more complete and usable for me at work than the PlayBook.

    The following are a few of the areas where the Transformer (and in one case, the HP TouchPad) is ahead of the PlayBook as a professional tablet (IMO):

    Communication: On the Transformer I can access all of my email addresses (5 of them) from an email application. This isn't dependent upon pairing with my phone, nor do I have to use web browser-based email and enter my logon information every single time as I do with the PlayBook. I can send and receive text messages from my Transformer, through my cellular phone. I still can't make and receive phone calls, though I'm sure it's only a matter of time. I can access my contacts and calendars without having to rely on a connection to my phone. I can understand the utility/security of bridging to the phone and leaving all contacts, etc on the phone, but it would have been nice for RIM to give users the option of using native applications for email, calendar and contacts. Let me worry about where that information is stored rather than forcing me to keep in on my phone, only, and forcing me to use a BlackBerry phone if I want easy access to those features. The 'professional' world doesn't rely solely on BlackBerry phones.

    Productivity: Full complement of apps to allow me to view, create and edit text documents/PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. Hardware keyboard dock with touchpad, extra battery power, USB ports and memory card slots makes it practical to do so.

    Remote Connectivity: Citrix receiver, numerous other remote desktop apps including SplashTop and TeamViewer allow me to manage content and run applications on remote computers from my Transformer, as well as stream video and audio from remote computers to my Transformer.

    Professional Apps: There are a number of apps, related to my profession, available in the Google App Market. Even the biggest names aren't yet available in App World; neither do they have web-based portals through which one could access their content.

    Multiple Instances: This is one feature of HP TouchPad's WebOS that I haven't been able to simulate on the PlayBook, despite the similarities in the function/navigation of Tablet OS and WebOS. With WebOS I can stack cards. This allows me to, for example, have several PDF documents open at the same time and jump between them as needed. I haven't been able to do this on the PlayBook, where I seem to be limited to having only a single document open at any given time.

    Web Browsing: The PlayBook web browser is ok. It's better than Safari and better than the WebOS browser, but not as good as stock Android Honeycomb browser and nowhere near as good as Dolphin Browser for Android.

    Support/Updates: The Transformer is well-supported. Updates come fairly regularly for the tablet as well as for the keyboard dock. Now that Google has officially announced Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), Asus has announced that all of their present tablets will receive over-the-air updates to ICS by the end of this year. THAT is product support. Yes, it will have bugs, but I would rather have the updates and know that Asus/Google will fix any bugs in short order than not have the updates at all.

    RIM, you really need to learn to release what you have, then update it when there's more to share or bugs that have been wrinkled out. That's the way it's done these days. Decide on a few features and release the product. Don't keep holding back because you keep thinking up new features to add. Stay connected. Stay relevant.

    RIM missed the boat with the recent PB sale. They should have released OS2 either shortly before or after the PB sale to take advantage of the buzz generated by the sale. Instead, they may end up with a lot of returned PlayBooks and a future release of OS2 that goes largely unnoticed by the general public and applauded only by current PB owners.

    I'm confident that the PlayBook OS upgrade, whenever it arrives, will make the PlayBook a much stronger competitor in the tablet market, but right now it's not the best tablet for my 'professional' work. The Android support that is inherent to OS2 may address some of the areas that I have mentioned.

    Which tablet do I pick up when I want to relax at home? The PlayBook or the TouchPad -- the OS experiences are wonderful. Which tablet do I use when I want to get stuff done/have 'business' to take care of? The Transformer. That says a lot, IMO.
    Last edited by zc1; 10-23-11 at 10:30 AM. Reason: Poor flow...now more coherent
    10-22-11 03:13 PM
  7. kill_9's Avatar
    The Playbook hardware is excellent and can support a variety of uses and purposes .. so RIM is moving to provide the depth and breath of software and functionality to address many user preferences, both business and personal ... nothing wrong with that! .... doesn't have to be either or .....

    I think RIM is on the right track now! ....
    While I agree with your statement about the excellent hardware and operating system platform of the BlackBerry PlayBook, I would prefer Research In Motion to take a balanced approach to rolling out applications. Fine some people want games. But other people want applications which allow them to actual accomplish a variety of their daily work and/or school activities using this wonderful platform. I have a BlackBerry PlayBook for entertainment, and another BlackBerry PlayBook for the professional-side of my life. There is no either or in the scenario I have laid out.

    I am not a whiner nor I am bashing the company for the sake of promoting another tablet. I use both of my BlackBerry PlayBooks on a daily basis. I am not interesting in other tablets. I only ask that Research In Motion remember they must now serve both the consumer marketplace and the professional marketplace; the latter being their bread-and-butter upon which they have lavishly feasted for over a decade.
    10-22-11 04:30 PM
  8. kill_9's Avatar
    The name Playbook actually isn't derived from playing games on the device. It comes from American and Canadian football. The "playbook" is what the coach uses to call the game. A football coach would be a professional, since even though a game is being played, he is the one devising the strategy.
    Thank you, Laura, for pointing out a fact I already knew. That said, the name PlayBook sounds like an entertainment device though I understand the misguided reasoning likely exhibited at the time this tablet was in the early stages of marketing. The world does consist of other continents besides North America and our lingo.

    All kidding aside, I want this tablet to be a success for Research In Motion given its enormous potential yet to be tapped. As I have said before I use a BlackBerry PlayBook daily and like my smartphone continue to become ever more dependent on these devices.
    10-22-11 04:40 PM
  9. kill_9's Avatar
    Seriously what good would Enterprise apps do at this point do given that a Playbook won't currently integrate with a BES, and the built in VPN capabilities suck? How are these enterprise apps supposed to access the Enterprise from the field? Citrix is still a beta and currently the only real Enterprise app that I can think of but it requires a Citrix core to talk to, not existing Blackberry infrastructure. RIM needs to stop playing buzzword bingo and start delivering tangible improvements that will allow enterprises to use this device. I'm so sick of everyone talking about the potential of this device because RIM does not deliver what is needed to release this potential then it is still not much of a business tool.
    The BlackBerry PlayBook can already be integrated from a management perspective into the BlackBerry Enterprise Server environment with further management and deployment capability forthcoming in the proverbial RIM time frame known as "soon."
    PTZ likes this.
    10-22-11 04:49 PM
  10. zc1's Avatar
    ...I would prefer Research In Motion to take a balanced approach to rolling out applications. Fine some people want games. But other people want applications which allow them to actual accomplish a variety of their daily work and/or school activities using this wonderful platform....ask that Research In Motion remember they must now serve both the consumer marketplace and the professional marketplace
    What, exactly, do you mean by a 'more balanced approach to rolling out applications?'

    I would agree with your statements if RIM was responsible for creating the apps, but that's not the case. RIM are just the gatekeepers for the App World, screening the apps that are being submitted by 3rd party developers. What others, including myself, are suggesting is that RIM isn't focusing on games but, rather, that games form the majority of the apps that are being submitted for approval and addition to the App World. If you want more business apps then you have to lobby the developers to create them. When they do, you'll see them in the App World. The fact that they don't has nothing to do with RIM...unless you want to argue that RIM should also be lobbying specific developers to produce apps for the PlayBook. That, I could agree with. Then again, who's to say for sure that this hasn't been tried?
    Last edited by zc1; 10-23-11 at 10:30 AM. Reason: Poor flow...now more coherent
    10-22-11 04:50 PM
  11. kill_9's Avatar
    I definitely think the playbook is lacking in pretty much every aspect, not just productivity. ...docs2go is still behind in 2.0 compared to ipad (RIM you own dataviz for crying out loud)
    Research In Motion only bought the Docs2Go product for the BlackBerry family as far as I can find out. The latest version on the BlackBerry smartphones running BBOS 7.x cannot synchronize with the DataViz Docs2Go desktop software. And to make matters worse the BlackBerry Desktop Software aka BlackBerry Desktop Manager does not allow for synchronization though standard backup will at least move your Docs2Go files to your notebook/desktop computer.

    Maybe Research In Motion simply needs to stop hiring "children" fresh out of university and focus on hiring experienced, professional software engineers and programmers. Let the children work on maintenance tasks for established products. To quote Larry the Cable Guy, " "
    10-22-11 04:58 PM
  12. biggulpseh's Avatar
    Research In Motion only bought the Docs2Go product for the BlackBerry family as far as I can find out. The latest version on the BlackBerry smartphones running BBOS 7.x cannot synchronize with the DataViz Docs2Go desktop software. And to make matters worse the BlackBerry Desktop Software aka BlackBerry Desktop Manager does not allow for synchronization though standard backup will at least move your Docs2Go files to your notebook/desktop computer.

    Maybe Research In Motion simply needs to stop hiring "children" fresh out of university and focus on hiring experienced, professional software engineers and programmers. Let the children work on maintenance tasks for established products. To quote Larry the Cable Guy, " "
    Yeah I don't really understand how it went down with dataviz. I had read that RIM bought the docs2go division of dataviz (which includes development for apps on other platforms), yet the dataviz website still prominently displays the docs2go apps for all platforms, including blackberry. Either way, the version in 2.0 is better than before but still pretty bad.
    10-22-11 05:12 PM
  13. olblueyez's Avatar
    A true processional would have a small Lenovo device and not a friggin tablet.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    10-22-11 05:18 PM
  14. pmccartney's Avatar
    A true processional would have a small Lenovo device and not a friggin tablet.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    My doctor uses a tablet at work, I certainly hope she is a professional.
    10-23-11 09:39 AM
  15. FMB8900's Avatar
    If they didnt release any games, or have any focus on gaming for the PB, people would pissing and moaning about how no decnet games are out for the Blackberry platform. And how Blackberry will never be popular with consumers because the lack in multimedia features and how they have no plans to improve their multimedia features, they're dead because of this , blah blah blah.... uhh
    10-23-11 07:57 PM
  16. world traveler and former ceo's Avatar
    My doctor uses a tablet at work, I certainly hope she is a professional.
    The head of Laser eye surgery here in Toronto uses the Blackberry Playbook and loves it!!... as do I ... Waiting on 2.0 though! ....
    10-23-11 09:28 PM
  17. gordongr's Avatar
    I see someone here actually said "white collar professional" and "blue collar individual" I have more respect for a "professional" ditch digger than someone who would make statement like that, I guess im off topic huh?
    10-23-11 09:33 PM
  18. olblueyez's Avatar
    My doctor uses a tablet at work, I certainly hope she is a professional.
    Have her do a power-point presentation for 50 people.

    Someone who is serious, will use something like this. ThinkPad X220 Convertible Tablet
    Last edited by olblueyez; 10-24-11 at 12:05 AM.
    10-24-11 12:00 AM
  19. sportline's Avatar
    apparently there's not much professional in the world..only 700,000 or so..(who buys pb)...10% of the whole market. the professional tablet have an added ability of leapfrogging.

    the amateurish/non-professional tablets (android - unfinished os and ios-locked down os) sold for commoners....60 millions of them...90% of the market.
    10-24-11 12:34 AM
  20. drecar's Avatar
    when will people realize that the playbook will help you get your work done and entertain you? software developers are beginning to understand the playbook and we should see more positively useful apps.
    10-24-11 01:29 AM
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