1. akcrimson's Avatar
    I'm currently using a torch 9810 but in a few days I will have a shiny new galaxy s2 skyrocket to play with. I am crossing my fingers I will still be able to use both phones. Right now I can go between my torch and my fianc�s Infuse with no problems.

    What I want to know is if I can't keep my BB data plan on the skyrocket, will the PB still be fairly functional. I LOVE my playbook, but hate my BB phone. I'd love to make as much use of my PB as I do now so I was hoping to hear from some people who have experienced the PB without a BB phone alongside.
    02-26-12 03:03 PM
  2. kennyliu's Avatar
    You won't be able to bridge. You can still get a tethering plan and use it with the Playbook. But there will be no Bridge goodies (e.g. remote).

    Other than that, the Playbook is a very functional tablet even as a Wi-Fi only device.

    If you can tell us what exactly your concerns are, answers will be more elaborate than mine above.
    Last edited by kennyliu; 02-26-12 at 03:08 PM.
    02-26-12 03:05 PM
  3. Tomcat_Alley's Avatar
    i LOVE my PB, LOVE LOVE LOVE it. wouldnt be without it. i havent owned a BB phone for a few years, ive never tried Bridge, and it doesnt bother me, my Android phone has wifi tethering and unlimited data so i get full internet. and i carry wireless mouse with the HDMI cable for remote control. now the PB has native contacts, email and calendar, i dont really see the Bridge as being nessesary for the PB experience. When i first got the PB i did consider buying a BB phone, but i cant bring myself to do it. and i dont feel like ive missed out.

    however, having never bridged, i don't know if i can say it wont effect you, maybe bridge is something that you don't know you need until you have tried it and then don't have it
    02-26-12 03:11 PM
  4. pcotton's Avatar
    I love my playbook but I love my BB phone equally.

    The main problem is that you can bridge the PB to a BB and use your Internet on you phone contract at no extra cost. With tethering, you usually have to pay extra.

    But with the new os, the playbook is still pretty awesome on its own.
    02-26-12 03:16 PM
  5. reschp's Avatar
    There will be no BB messenger on the PB, but if you don't use it you won't miss it. With OS2 I hardly use the bridge features anymore. In fact I've turned off the bluetooth connection to stretch the battery. I still love my 9810 though.
    02-26-12 03:41 PM
  6. cprunax's Avatar
    I LOVE BOTH my BB and PB, and my android ... Poor him ... He can't pass over the status of a nice gadget dreaming of business device. It's more then apps what makes a device be smart, as it's more then height that make a leader be great.

    Cheers,
    Claudiu
    02-26-12 03:57 PM
  7. anon(106603)'s Avatar
    By asking the question you must not be bridging the BB phone, if so you won't know what you're missing. Are you bridging the 9810?

    Second, you won't have a BB data plan on the android. You'll have a data plan.
    02-26-12 05:38 PM
  8. robsteve's Avatar
    You can leave the BlackBerry service on you account and swap the SIM between the phones. Some of the Android phones will not hotshot or tether with the PlayBook, so you may not have any mobile data on the PlayBook.
    02-26-12 05:51 PM
  9. mrbkkt1's Avatar
    power consumption of wifi hotspotting compared to bridge, is like comparing gas milage between a viper, and a prius.

    I think that att disabled the bluetooth tethering on the s2, yiu might need to root and rom to get it back.
    I bought a used bold, just to bridge data. I will probably sell it after I root my senny, and confirm that the bt tether works flawless.

    Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk
    02-26-12 05:51 PM
  10. anthogag's Avatar
    Think about the future. RIM will surely put more functionality in the bridge feature and you won't have a BB phone.

    What do you hate about the 9810 Posters that hate their BB phone should at least write a little bit about why
    02-26-12 06:54 PM
  11. JamesDax3's Avatar
    I'm actually thinking about picking up a 9360 just to use for bridging and UMA(Service in my home sucks). Won't be giving up my HD7 though. I love Windows Phone 7.5
    02-26-12 06:59 PM
  12. Altarocks's Avatar
    I'm in the same boat. Went from my 9800 to a 9810. After 3-1/2 weeks of my return period got cold feet and returned it for a Skyrocket. I miss many facets of BB, but that's another story.

    As for how it affects my PB usage, I had initially been using my PB less - partly due to having the big SR screen but mainly because I lost bridge. Even though I have a tethering plan it takes a couple extra steps to pull out your PB and begin surfing. Bridge suited most of my needs away from WiFi, and was easy as can be. But the OS release has changed things for me, particularly having the Swift keyboard and native email.

    If you are in an LTE area the SR speeds are phenomenal, adding to the experience of using a PB. Battery drain is brutal when using your SR as a hotspot so you may want to invest in an external battery pack (you can also use it with your PB). And if you're willing to root you can tether for free
    02-26-12 07:07 PM
  13. mrbkkt1's Avatar
    I'm in the same boat. Went from my 9800 to a 9810. After 3-1/2 weeks of my return period got cold feet and returned it for a Skyrocket. I miss many facets of BB, but that's another story.

    As for how it affects my PB usage, I had initially been using my PB less - partly due to having the big SR screen but mainly because I lost bridge. Even though I have a tethering plan it takes a couple extra steps to pull out your PB and begin surfing. Bridge suited most of my needs away from WiFi, and was easy as can be. But the OS release has changed things for me, particularly having the Swift keyboard and native email.

    If you are in an LTE area the SR speeds are phenomenal, adding to the experience of using a PB. Battery drain is brutal when using your SR as a hotspot so you may want to invest in an external battery pack (you can also use it with your PB). And if you're willing to root you can tether for free
    I actually found a bt tethering app, that works with dun. its called cobaltblue3. I have to do a little more testing before giving it a thumbs up, but bt tetheriing would significantly help with battery life. wifi hitspot and 4g is real taxing on the battery.

    Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk
    02-27-12 02:43 PM
  14. polly69's Avatar
    i have the samsung galaxy s and it does nothing for my playbook i love my galaxy s too much to swap to a blackberry
    02-27-12 02:59 PM
  15. c4v3man's Avatar
    I actually found a bt tethering app, that works with dun. its called cobaltblue3. I have to do a little more testing before giving it a thumbs up, but bt tetheriing would significantly help with battery life. wifi hitspot and 4g is real taxing on the battery.

    Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk
    Just tried cobaltblue3 and it does seem to work. Thanks for the tip. Alot slower than wifi tethering, but I'd assume it'll be significantly better battery life.
    02-27-12 03:19 PM
  16. zinadork's Avatar
    Losing the tethering will be the biggest loss. I am not a bbm user, but I face your situation in reverse. My DROID is being grammatical replaced so I activated my old Storm2 and the tethering is great. But the storm is not great device, but it has kept my mind open to bb10 phones again, especially if they improve the android integration.
    02-27-12 03:34 PM
  17. mrbkkt1's Avatar
    Just tried cobaltblue3 and it does seem to work. Thanks for the tip. Alot slower than wifi tethering, but I'd assume it'll be significantly better battery life.
    did a couple of tests... tooo slow. .03 mbs download, vs 3.0 mbs download on wifi hotspot. I will be looking for other options.

    and holding on to that spare bold I bought used.
    Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk
    02-27-12 07:42 PM
  18. Altarocks's Avatar
    power consumption of wifi hotspotting compared to bridge, is like comparing gas milage between a viper, and a prius.

    I think that att disabled the bluetooth tethering on the s2, yiu might need to root and rom to get it back.
    I bought a used bold, just to bridge data. I will probably sell it after I root my senny, and confirm that the bt tether works flawless.

    Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk
    I called ATT and asked about BT tethering. Although the rep seemed knowledgable in general and eager to help, he didn't seem to know anything about BT tethering. I even mentioned that it was standard with BB devices. With a BB I had the option to use bridge, simple tethering (BT), or WiFi hotspot. He said the only type of tethering available to the SR is a wired connection to a computer.

    I'll give the cobaltblue app a shot.
    02-28-12 08:20 AM
  19. Rickroller's Avatar
    I don't find Wireless Hotspot too big a drain on my Gnex battery..but I also don't have LTE speeds. If it was something I used a lot while out and about and not near a power source..I'd just pick up a second battery (perhaps an extended). Otherwise..if i'm tethering at home, i'll just plug in my phone, set up wireless hotspot, and away I go.
    02-28-12 08:29 AM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD