[Unsure2]

A friend in the US just mentioned that he was giving up on the data plan for his Droid tablet because the $75/month was becoming unaffordable. Is that what 3G/4G tablet owners have to pay to browse when there's no free wifi?

That alone should put the PB on top, with a free Bridge.

I told him that no wonder the PB has been getting such bad press - cell carriers must have paid some people to write bad reviews for it. And I bet they don't try to sell it to their customers, either.

BB bridge data is free only if you pay for BB data already, and your carrier allows this kind of tethering. I prefer my setup. I have a Verion MiFi that I use for data with all my laptop and tablet devices. I pay $35/month for 3 gigs of data; $10/gig if I go over, never have.

[papped]

That's true, but since the PB is wifi and without paying for a data plan, BIS, how would anyone expect to get the same features everyone with a BB phone has to pay for? Or I suppose the solution would be to make a 3/4g PB and pay the monthly service fee.

There's 2 parts to this...
1) BIS services access
2) General native clients that are completely missing

#2 is the real problem here. You have no native calendar (doesn't require BIS at all and every other platform has this). You have no native email client even for pop/imap access (again no BIS required, every other platform has this).

Also for #1, RIM has not clarified how this potentially will even work in terms of cost, plans, etc.... Also they never released a 3g/4g model in the first place, so even if that was the answer, it's not available...

[srikandi7]

I wonder if there is anyone from "RIM" are reading or are they even aware of this hardwork & heartfelt forum like this one and many others in this cyber galaxy which have been created by some dedicated genius brains to resolve problems , DIY,ReFix n ReMix what should have been done fix or to some who do require responsive answer from BB people. Well my say is or maybe they are too busy right now to help us solve our problems and im sure they will have any questions answered very soon. Well anyways I have been holding on to my playbook for months now still wishing and hoping that this playbook will not be on lease or worst have it rebox and keep it in my store , because of the love i have for it is genuine i mean my PB as for Playbook .. i have held back the urge to betray PB for so many countless reasons and time now, Just to have and to hold of any latest version of i pad out there or iphone 4s ( is now very tempting) please RiM how i wish u have muchmuchmuchmuch millions more effective, applicable apps,interesting, free, fun,proggesive apps for My dear Playbook even the name is nice by its own Playboook Anyways given 1 example.Its been months now i have been browsing bb apps world for DjMixer or similar to VirtualDj or Tracktor where as other device have a few software already . Please do something , I know as u can't satisfy everyone but say if 95% of PB owner are happy i wonder why should there ever be a discussion forum for that matter .. txs please take care of us.. i just hope that someone from RIM@Playbook is listening or who ever is working with BB in crackberry please takenote of our unanswered prayes ... But i know that i'm still head over hills in love with my BB smartphone tho despite a few disadvantage from the new bold i just love it still cos its white emmm like ipad 2 soon 3 o well its .. white.. but i'm a loyal person to BB so im holding on to it for as long as i can..... love just srikandi

[Chaddface]

thats the problem with this forum right now.

I have a different opinon.

[nikolas4129]

BB bridge data is free only if you pay for BB data already, and your carrier allows this kind of tethering. I prefer my setup. I have a Verion MiFi that I use for data with all my laptop and tablet devices. I pay $35/month for 3 gigs of data; $10/gig if I go over, never have.

Your arguments don't really make sense here. ok yes technically you do need to have a data plan on your BB, but since 99.95% of bb owners already have one, this requirement is pretty much a given. Second, you are wrong in your statement that carriers need to allow bridge tethering, they in fact have no say, as you can download the bridge browser from many places, including this site, and use this great feature without issue.

of course, you are free to use your own method, it may well give a faster dowload speed, and it does give you access to another pool of data, so for you it may be worth it. For others, using the relatively free data off there BB phones is a huge benefit (it must be noted that using mobile hotspot produces similar benefit of 'free' shared data, so bridge is definitely not the only way to save money on data).

Cheers!

[rotorwrench]

BB bridge data is free only if you pay for BB data already, and your carrier allows this kind of tethering. I prefer my setup. I have a Verion MiFi that I use for data with all my laptop and tablet devices. I pay $35/month for 3 gigs of data; $10/gig if I go over, never have.

Verizon has tethering through the native tethering app disabled unless you pay for a tether plan. Bridging has no additional charges. Nor do you have access to any phone apps or functions while tethered, but you do when Bridged. Works great for me. With Verizon, you can't activate any smartphone without a data plan. But as you say, unless the phone is a BB, you can't bridge.

[Trevante]

Why not form your own personal opinion and go with that? Who cares what any review says period... in Playbook's favour or not.

I certainly formed my own opinion, and actually ended up getting interested in the PlayBook by watching videos on YouTube. Previously, I thought the PlayBook was junk and wouldn't have considered it at all. Then I read about it here, saw it on YouTube, and played with it in person and I was sold. The problem is, those that aren't as open minded as myself ("Just get an iPad" they say) won't do all that. They'll read the reviews on Engadget and BGR, read the comments, and come to consensus that the PlayBook is crap, and never think about it again. That's part of why I say that poorly written articles like the one this thread was about don't do much to add to the PlayBook's merit, because they won't be taken seriously by most people. If the article was well written and highlighted many of the PlayBook's advantages, it would do a lot more to boost the PlayBook's reputation.

A friend in the US just mentioned that he was giving up on the data plan for his Droid tablet because the $75/month was becoming unaffordable. Is that what 3G/4G tablet owners have to pay to browse when there's no free wifi?

That alone should put the PB on top, with a free Bridge.

I told him that no wonder the PB has been getting such bad press - cell carriers must have paid some people to write bad reviews for it. And I bet they don't try to sell it to their customers, either.

No, bridge certainly won't put the PlayBook on top for anyone except those who have BlackBerry phones. For those on other platforms, Bridge is kind of useless.

As far as your friend's tablet, keep in mind that he's getting full 3G/4G speeds that aren't limited by bluetooth, and that he has a separate data allocation for that tablet, vs sharing the data between phone and tablet at the same time. If you're on a tiered data plan and use lots of data, then Bridge isn't necessarily such a big advantage. Bridge does offer a great option for those who only use a moderate amount of data and don't need to do anything data intensive on the go. Otherwise, RIM was supposed to release a 3G/4G version of the PlayBook on Sprint, except that it was canceled due to the low demand for the PlayBook.

General public perception???? Go to any online retailers customer reviews section and look for yourself. Nothing but 4-5 star reviews from the general public... maybe you're confusing the biased media and investors with the general public.

No, it seems your understanding of "general public" is backwards. When I say "general public", I mean those people who do NOT own a PlayBook, but are interested in it, know about it, or don't know about it. Joe Schmoe that walks into Best Buy asking the BB employee which tablet to get his kids for Christmas is part of the "general public." John Doe who has an iPad or other tablet, but is looking for something to replace it with is part of the "general public."

I'm talking about the people who go to Endgaget, BGR, and other tech sites, read the reviews and comments, and then follow the opinions and information mentioned on those sites. Those are the people who will say "Well the PlayBook sucks because it doesn't even have email and every other Tom, , and Harry tablet does." I'd also disagree with "nothing but 4-5 star reviews", there are people on this website who express their disappointment with the PlayBook daily.That doesn't mean that it's all bad, it just means there's a mixture of good and bad opinions depending on where you look. For a lot of people, they see more of the bad opinions than the good. I know I did until I deeply researched the PlayBook myself.

that doesn't even make sense. with bridge, you'd still have to pay for a data plan for your blackberry (if you even still have one).

ANY wifi tablet will be able to be paired with any phone with tethering capability.

To be fair, most non-BB phones can't tether for free without paying an additional cost, which you don't have to do with BB Bridge. The only other way to get around it is rooting/jailbreaking your phone and tethering for free, which is probably against your carrier's TOS.

thats the problem with this forum right now. people are desperate at trying to get ANY positive tidbit from the media. someone here actually posted about BBN giving the playbook 'a thumbs up' and was talking about this video:

http://watch.bnn.ca/featured-bin-/clip589755#clip589755

i dont get how even the most fervent and loyal of RIM supporters could possibly see that video as a good review of RIM/playbook. talk about completing reaching here...

That's basically my original point, the OP was reaching when he said that the article he posted was a sign of the "tides turning." I love my PlayBook, but I'm not hesitant to point out its flaws and give some of the criticisms it needs. When someone tries to glorify the PlayBook without pointing out the good and the bad, it's not going to be taken seriously, especially if the article is poorly written.

[conix67]

That's basically my original point, the OP was reaching when he said that the article he posted was a sign of the "tides turning." I love my PlayBook, but I'm not hesitant to point out its flaws and give some of the criticisms it needs. When someone tries to glorify the PlayBook without pointing out the good and the bad, it's not going to be taken seriously, especially if the article is poorly written.

Well, this is exactly the problem with some of threads/posts on this forum. Some are beyond imagination.

[jelp2]

I certainly formed my own opinion, and actually ended up getting interested in the PlayBook by watching videos on YouTube. Previously, I thought the PlayBook was junk and wouldn't have considered it at all. Then I read about it here, saw it on YouTube, and played with it in person and I was sold. The problem is, those that aren't as open minded as myself ("Just get an iPad" they say) won't do all that. They'll read the reviews on Engadget and BGR, read the comments, and come to consensus that the PlayBook is crap, and never think about it again. That's part of why I say that poorly written articles like the one this thread was about don't do much to add to the PlayBook's merit, because they won't be taken seriously by most people. If the article was well written and highlighted many of the PlayBook's advantages, it would do a lot more to boost the PlayBook's reputation.



No, bridge certainly won't put the PlayBook on top for anyone except those who have BlackBerry phones. For those on other platforms, Bridge is kind of useless.

As far as your friend's tablet, keep in mind that he's getting full 3G/4G speeds that aren't limited by bluetooth, and that he has a separate data allocation for that tablet, vs sharing the data between phone and tablet at the same time. If you're on a tiered data plan and use lots of data, then Bridge isn't necessarily such a big advantage. Bridge does offer a great option for those who only use a moderate amount of data and don't need to do anything data intensive on the go. Otherwise, RIM was supposed to release a 3G/4G version of the PlayBook on Sprint, except that it was canceled due to the low demand for the PlayBook.

No, it seems your understanding of "general public" is backwards. When I say "general public", I mean those people who do NOT own a PlayBook, but are interested in it, know about it, or don't know about it. Joe Schmoe that walks into Best Buy asking the BB employee which tablet to get his kids for Christmas is part of the "general public." John Doe who has an iPad or other tablet, but is looking for something to replace it with is part of the "general public."

I'm talking about the people who go to Endgaget, BGR, and other tech sites, read the reviews and comments, and then follow the opinions and information mentioned on those sites. Those are the people who will say "Well the PlayBook sucks because it doesn't even have email and every other Tom, , and Harry tablet does." I'd also disagree with "nothing but 4-5 star reviews", there are people on this website who express their disappointment with the PlayBook daily.That doesn't mean that it's all bad, it just means there's a mixture of good and bad opinions depending on where you look. For a lot of people, they see more of the bad opinions than the good. I know I did until I deeply researched the PlayBook myself.



To be fair, most non-BB phones can't tether for free without paying an additional cost, which you don't have to do with BB Bridge. The only other way to get around it is rooting/jailbreaking your phone and tethering for free, which is probably against your carrier's TOS.



That's basically my original point, the OP was reaching when he said that the article he posted was a sign of the "tides turning." I love my PlayBook, but I'm not hesitant to point out its flaws and give some of the criticisms it needs. When someone tries to glorify the PlayBook without pointing out the good and the bad, it's not going to be taken seriously, especially if the article is poorly written.

Yea, I agree with that rendition of the "general public".
As a matter of fact, I was just in a Staples today, they had the PB listed for $199 but still no working unit. I tried turning it on and it wasn't functioning. So, yes the general public doesn't even have a chance to try it, and will be influenced by biased reviews and poorly informed sales people! But of course there was a working Samsung next to it up and running with Angry Birds!
As far as people on this site (including me for the past 3yrs) we tend to dissect BB's a lot more than the average user. So I don't take that into account. My wife's been using her 9860 for a year now and hasn't had a complaint. She doesn't visit this site ever, but you can find plenty of complaints about it here. When your a Crackberry addict, you will find the smallest thing on a device that can be improved! Like it, not like it, have problems, don't have problems, I agree its all user experience and preference. Even with native email, it doesn't bother myself or some others here since its bridged and I don't need the same data on both devices, while others do need and want it.
Anyway, I love my PB and will show it to as many people that I can without coming of as preaching.

[ralfyguy]

I know that a 3G/4G connection via Bridge/Bluetooth isn't AS fast as it would be if it were a 3G/4G dedicated device, but isn't BIS also conpressed, thus using less data than others not on BIS? Nowadays data plans are not unlimited anymore and that would help some as well. The drawback being slow is lower quality streaming video.
As for me, my 9810 on AT&T has "4G" and it tops out at 1.2mbps on a good day. That is exactly what I also get out of the Bridge connection. 4G does not automatically get you WARP speed everywhere just because your connection is called 4G.
I come from GPRS only on T-Mobile to AT&T "4G" and it is a difference like day and night to me now. But 1.2mbps on "4G" is not exactly something to write home about if you wanna stream HD video.

[Unsure2]

Your arguments don't really make sense here. ok yes technically you do need to have a data plan on your BB, but since 99.95% of bb owners already have one, this requirement is pretty much a given. Second, you are wrong in your statement that carriers need to allow bridge tethering, they in fact have no say, as you can download the bridge browser from many places, including this site, and use this great feature without issue.

of course, you are free to use your own method, it may well give a faster dowload speed, and it does give you access to another pool of data, so for you it may be worth it. For others, using the relatively free data off there BB phones is a huge benefit (it must be noted that using mobile hotspot produces similar benefit of 'free' shared data, so bridge is definitely not the only way to save money on data).

Cheers!

I wasn't arguing, just presenting my (superior for me) solution. Why do fanboys here take everything as criticism of the Playbook, and why do they care? Most Playbook owners, like me, DO NOT HAVE a BB phone. And, upon inquiry, MY CARRIER, AT&T, DOES NOT PERMIT BB BRIDGING anyway-- AT&T apparently can detect and stop it. I choose not to have a smartphone, anyway, using my laptop and tablets for email and simple browsing. So, for me and people like me, a $35/month MiFi (which is no slouch in data throughput, BTW) is a pretty good solution.

[Trevante]

Yea, I agree with that rendition of the "general public".
As a matter of fact, I was just in a Staples today, they had the PB listed for $199 but still no working unit. I tried turning it on and it wasn't functioning. So, yes the general public doesn't even have a chance to try it, and will be influenced by biased reviews and poorly informed sales people! But of course there was a working Samsung next to it up and running with Angry Birds!
As far as people on this site (including me for the past 3yrs) we tend to dissect BB's a lot more than the average user. So I don't take that into account. My wife's been using her 9860 for a year now and hasn't had a complaint. She doesn't visit this site ever, but you can find plenty of complaints about it here. When your a Crackberry addict, you will find the smallest thing on a device that can be improved! Like it, not like it, have problems, don't have problems, I agree its all user experience and preference. Even with native email, it doesn't bother myself or some others here since its bridged and I don't need the same data on both devices, while others do need and want it.
Anyway, I love my PB and will show it to as many people that I can without coming of as preaching.

Good point, the people who visit this site are a small (but very vocal lol) minority of the entire population of BlackBerry and PlayBook users. The majority of cell phone users don't visit any site about their hardware or software platform, they just want their phones to work.

I also wonder why a lot of places don't have a working PlayBook demo. The only thing I can guess is that they're using lower amperage chargers that don't charge the PlayBook fast enough, or even at all. I've seen dead PlayBooks at several retailers, and I can't understand why.

I know that a 3G/4G connection via Bridge/Bluetooth isn't AS fast as it would be if it were a 3G/4G dedicated device, but isn't BIS also conpressed, thus using less data than others not on BIS? Nowadays data plans are not unlimited anymore and that would help some as well. The drawback being slow is lower quality streaming video.
As for me, my 9810 on AT&T has "4G" and it tops out at 1.2mbps on a good day. That is exactly what I also get out of the Bridge connection. 4G does not automatically get you WARP speed everywhere just because your connection is called 4G.
I come from GPRS only on T-Mobile to AT&T "4G" and it is a difference like day and night to me now. But 1.2mbps on "4G" is not exactly something to write home about if you wanna stream HD video.

Well, herein lies the problem of the current "4G" marketing scheme. Your 9810 does not have true 4G, it has HSPA+, which AT&T is calling "4G". True 4G is WiMax or LTE (and even that is debated by some people, they say true 4G is WiMax 2 or LTE+ which aren't even available yet) and on a good day, those two technologies will blow way past 1.2 Mbps. I've gotten consistent speeds of 8-10 Mbps while tethering on my Sprint 4G (WiMax) phone, which would have been severely bottlenecked by bluetooth. I'm not sure about BIS data compression, but I know that Bluetooth tethering is just naturally going to be slower. Great for when you just want to browse the web quickly for something, but for some people, it's not a great solution, especially if you want to watch video on the go.

[bluezone1]

thats the problem with this forum right now. people are desperate at trying to get ANY positive tidbit from the media. someone here actually posted about BBN giving the playbook 'a thumbs up' and was talking about this video:

http://watch.bnn.ca/featured-bin-/clip589755#clip589755

i dont get how even the most fervent and loyal of RIM supporters could possibly see that video as a good review of RIM/playbook. talk about completing reaching here...

this is your precepttion not what was talked about in the thumbs up. simply what you dug up with out asking if indeed this was what was quoted. a ctv news item. not your bnn related interveiw of a bank employee.