[bitek]

I am not disappointed with playbook. bottom line is that playbook saves me money on cell bills thanks to the bridge. I was considering N7. I really like this tablet as well. But with 4G version I would need to pay extra $15 just to share my phone plan. so a year I save $180 with my playbook and it is online 24/7. I find that N7 without fixed internet access is annoying. Playbook requires a little bit more tech knowledge but once you know how to sideload there are literally thousands of android apps that are not in app store but can be obtained from the internet and work great on playbook. so playbook is good tablet. if you are planning to use tablet at home or do not want to deal with complexity of sideloading then there are perhaps some other good choices. One wild card left BB10 might expand playbook app store considerably

Playbook's current OS is a joke to be honest. In terms of hardware, i would give it a perfect 10 out 10.

why is it a joke ?

How is it unfinished? what's missing? and don't say BBM or apps.. BBM isn't on any other tablet, so saying it's not on the playbook as an issue is a non-starter, and while it would be nice to see some more apps, that's up to developers to make them.. it has nothing to do with the playbook itself.. so those two non-starter 'complaints' aside.. i'm very curious.. what does the playbook need to be "a finished product" in your opinion?

I can see why BBM is not on Playbook yet. without constant internet connection it is useless. BBM makes sense with PB LTE

I'm approaching 500 charge cycles. Guess I can't claim disappointment.

where do you get that ?

Yes, the browser is obscenely bad. Yes, the app support is painfully poor. And no, I wouldn't expect any objective answers to your queries in an echo chamber.

I use Simple Browser +. The best mobile browser. I can run 4 seperate browserz from one. no android,ms or ios can do that. why would you say every developer provide poor support. Some developers like for Tablet Tv or secure browser provide best support out there





Sent from Blackberry Playbook using TapaTalk 2

[randall2580]

KalemSoft Media Player has had better compatibility/performance for me than any other iOS or Android app I've tried. Very happy with it.

Thank you! I am going to download and try it out

[beman39]

sorry to say this and I'm not attacking anyone in particular... but IMHO you would have to be a real idi0t to be disappointed with a sub $200 tablet with this kind of hardware and caliber! I mean SERIOUSLY you bought it for peanuts and your still have the b@lls to complain?....REALLY?!!! I've seen some pretty crappy tablets with OS Android 2.2 and sh*tty hardware sell for more expensive!

[bb624]

Had playbook since launch and have enjoyed it and it's growth. Never leave home without it. Great for work and play. Esp. Enjoy print to go,

[untakenusername]

The playbook is fine. Does its job perfectly

Can't be arsed over analysing or angering about it

Would buy it again in an instant

[BlackStormRising]

I use Simple Browser +. The best mobile browser. I can run 4 seperate browserz from one. no android,ms or ios can do that. why would you say every developer provide poor support. Some developers like for Tablet Tv or secure browser provide best support out there





Sent from Blackberry Playbook using TapaTalk 2

I would concur with that point, and add Buzz Starfield (What's up app) to the best dev support list.

[bitek]

I would concur with that point, and add Buzz Starfield (What's up app) to the best dev support list.

There are many great developers supporting blackberry platform

[BBplaybookJS]

I wanted a Playbook since I first heard about it. I purchased one in December 2011 and was immediately blown away even with the first generation software. A Playbook coupled with a Blackberry phone offers, in my humble opinion the best in both mobile communications and computing. I have never been disappointed nor do I see anything out there that comes close. Apps have always been a personal preference, more important to some than others. This device has been continually improved upon and will be again when upgraded to BB 10 OS

[trsbbs]

How can you say I'm disappointed??

Paid $499 for it two weeks after launch.
Doesn't have any type of good movie apps.
The camchat is only with other PB folks.
The browser is prone to snapping shut.

If you got it this last quarter then paying $199 or less for it makes it a good buy.

But for those of us that fell for the dog and pony show Mike and Jim put on and paid full boat for it, yes, but like it left a real bad taste in my mouth.

That whole time period with RIM sucked. Period

So hopefully onward to better things and fewer dogs and ponies.

Tim


Sent from my BlackBerry 9850

[johnny_larue]

The lack of apps doesn't bother me, but the browser needs a serious upgrade. The browser is getting a big upgrade with BB10, so that's not a problem for too much longer.

[Spinal]

disappointed, sort of - but i can say that because when i purchased it for $699 it should've been better.

as far as im concerned if a company is gonna release a tablet you either make it have the same features as the best selling tablet (at the time of debut the ipad) or you make it have very distinguishable features (forget bridge its only been decent since the last little while and not everyone has a BB smartphone) so people will be like oh look at that. you don't make a tablet which has neither and then slowly over the course of almost 2 years make it have more features then when pretty much nobody wants it you discount it to the point where it sells out simply because of price point. but on the flipside i work at bestbuy and shortly after the original $199 sale for the 16gig playbook within a week pretty much every single one we sold, was returned.

at one point we had so many open box playbooks the company made an agreement with RIM to take them all back because people would walk into the store see nothing but open boxes and then end up buying another tablet. I love supporting a canadian company, but they're the ONLY company who had to take back their own product because there was so many returned and it wasn't until they dropped the price even lower was when they sold out. now i don't even see any orders for stock being replenished anytime soon if ever.

[Ronstermadness]

Cant agree at all. I got my playbook dec 2011 . It is by far the best tablet I have used. I own a ipad and a droid . My play book is with me 24-7. For me i only use 20 apps max. ive down loaded tens of thousands between my tablets and phones and at the end of the day most are second rated crap that couldn't cut it for pc and got the dust blown off for a second go at the mobile people. now that i got the bluetooth keyboard case i find i hardly use my pc anymore. i find it very portable very powerful unit. i also see it as a live test unit by RIM. if the play book is this good after such sort R&D i am very excited to see what bb10 brings to the table. the ipad just a big ipod. droids sorry but they are just to glitchy and brake to easy. the playbook is tuff powerful and is about to get a refresh, a shot of apps in the arm if you well and the full backing of QNX,RIM,AND THE APP COMMUNITY. pb2 is going to **** **** up!

[reeneebob]

Well, to be honest, unless the Poster asked for this gift, they may not have had any opportunity to do research and discover its weak and good points. This thread can help change that view with opinions on what good it may be.

Why, when they can go into attack mode because someone dared to say something remotely negative so they pile on to drive them away?

My dad got a play book for Christmas because he has a torch and a 6 Gb plan, so it made sense (I made sure mom knew the limitations as far as apps go before she bought it). What were the first 2 questions he asked? "can I get Netflix?" and "can I Skype?". We got him tablet TV and he's happy with that, until he tried to bridge to use his plan and couldn't access the app (after several days of him stopping in so I could re teach him how to tether now I'M frustrated with his Playbook heh).

The Playbook, with all its pros, has some major cons, and no amount of fanboying will change that. A lot of people got these as gifts are maybe getting frustrated, come to cb thinking it's a board to vent and get help, and get piled on and told to shut up and go away. Nice, people.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[Angus_CB]

What brand/model portable router?

Zonet ZSR4174WE.
They are on Amazon for <$30.00.

Asus and D-Link also make their versions.

[Bakamushi]

I bought an android tab.

Everything that works on the playbook it works better on Android. And then there are a lot of things that are not offered on the playbook.

Even if BB10 solves everything (which I doubt), it will have been two years with an alpha-grade OS.

However the speakers of the playbook are still superior though.

[Bakamushi]

now that i got the bluetooth keyboard case i find i hardly use my pc anymore.

Well in that case you don't have professional use of your PC. And I mean that for all tablets, not just RIM, also droid and ipad.

Tablets are media consulting devices, and light gaming devices, but not much more.

[Banco]

I bought an android tab.

Everything that works on the playbook it works better on Android. And then there are a lot of things that are not offered on the playbook.

Even if BB10 solves everything (which I doubt), it will have been two years with an alpha-grade OS.

However the speakers of the playbook are still superior though.

Interesting. It's strange, I bought an Asus Transformer a year ago, because I wanted a tablet that became a light laptop for when I was travelling. And I like and liked it, it did the job nicely. The app selection is really good, being Android. The missus wanted a tablet and with the Playbook being so cheap now, I got her one. And when I saw it I have to say I thought it was really good. So I got myself one too. And I barely use the Transformer now. I think there are a few reasons for that. Firstly, the 10" form for a tablet isn't actually that great for lounging on the sofa idly browsing or playing a game, it's too big. So the 7" version felt much better (this of course doesn't mean it has to be a Playbook). Secondly, I found that the Playbook was far far faster in terms of the browser and the operation of it generally. Now, the important point here is that this is a one year old tablet I'm talking about, the new ones are obviously much superior. But it did make me think about how powerful the Playbook was for the time it came out. And whilst there are clear shortcomings - and when it was released there were far more - I do still feel it's a very good device, and criminally under-rated.

You are free to disagree.

[Wongsky]

Thought I'd chip in to this thread...

As I see it, there has been some things I've been lightly disappointed with, with my PlayBook - but on the flipside, there have been several more things about it that have exceeded expectations. I'l briefly go into that - on the downside, there is an issue with some app support that really should be there already, or free, or already available - I'll expand on that in a bit. On the upside, I've found the OS to be a delight - more stable than my Andriod tablets and as stable as the TouchPad or iPads in the family. Also it's build quality has been a delight, as has the usability - the swipes and gestures, multi-tasking, and ease of use and ending programs.

If I was to stick a finger in the air and guess from that - for me personally, and having done some research before buying one, I'd say I've found more that's exceeded expectations than underwhelmed.

That said, I think there's some fair criticism in this thread...

As an Android user, I can use MX Player (of which there's a free version I've been using for ages on Android) that seems to play everything I've thrown at it, supports things like resume / bookmarks, and has been a delight to use. On the PlayBook, the options are the native video player - which I'd say in fairness, is probably as good as any other native video player, and I've been pretty happy with, really - sure, it doesn't support as many features or codecs as aftermarket players - my only true gripe with it, though, is no resume / bookmark feature. So to get anything like the type of decent video player you can freely get on Android, you'd have to buy Kalemsoft's video player - which from everything I read, seems good value for money, and looks to get attentive support - but all the same, you have to pay for an app that you can get most of, freely, on the Android platform.

That's not the only weakness - Skype anyone? Not such a great thing for me personally - although I would like to be able to use it, as I have relatives that live a long, long way away. Also - Kindle - that's not really an omission any true tablet platform should have - yes, I know there are other e-readers, but no use if you're already invested in Kindle elsewhere - and yes, I know you can side-load an again (3.2.something) Android version of the app, but that doesn't include whispersync for non-Amazon books as the later versions do - so no use if you're reading books across Kindle devices that didn't originate from Amazon.

There are some things it does, kind of OK - but could be improved - local email support for whatever reason, is just not as nice as other either apps or platforms. I prefer an aging (the one that's only available on Android 2.2 / Froyo) gmail app, over the PlayBook's native email client.

But then it tends to be easier to criticise than to praise. I didn't buy my PlayBook basing all my hope on BB10 coming to it. I'm still not sure whether it's spec (compared with BB10 handsets) will mean it's compromised, or not, on the PlayBook. I did buy my PlayBook speculatively, on the basis that I didn't need it, but it was cheap, and I knew about, if not fully reaslised, it's weaknesses and shortcomings.

It's worth repeating, though, because I don't want to sound overly negative - that the build quality, IMO, is superior to any other tablet I've encountered, and the OS is absolutely superb. That it's not got the widest or expansive ecosystem isn't necessarily a particular minus - but the omission, or the poor execution of some key things is truly a shame and a minus, plus there being many free apps on other platforms to cover native inadequacies, doesn't tend to happen on the PlayBook - video playback is a good example.

I think people should be free to criticise or post points of dissent. That said, I often think people do so in an entirely unthinking manner based on it not being Android, or not being iOS, or there not being thousands of apps in the app store - all being the latest trend or meme that's almost gone viral, or not being able to do exactly what each platform does. People complaining about lack of Skype, or lack of decent Kindle support, have reasonable points - because they're not unreasonable expectations. Expecting to use Google Play or iTunes on a PlayBook, though, probably is extending the metaphor quite a bit.

So I guess ultimately, after all that waffle, and on balance - I'm not disappointed - on the basis there's more that's exceeded expectations than those that have unfulfilled expectations, from my personal perspective. That's not to say that there's nothing I'm disappointed in - there is - just that there's more I've found that's countered that.

[bb_lna]

Yes I am/was disappointed.

I brought the product after doing research and thinking 'hey why not?' but the one thing that became abundantly clear is that the playbook was not a finished product though there are strokes of genius with the bridge. The apps selection rather dull and inadequate for what I used it for (baring in mind I had the playbook from the release in the uk until about a year ago) and I have gone over to ios with an ipad2.
I feel like the playbook could be so much more than just a 7'' internet browsing machine but unfortunately that is what it became. I found with the ipad, I use it far beyond an internet browser and have found amazing uses I hadn't considered before. BUT I have grown bored of the apple ecosystem and limitations so I find myself jailbreaking my product to utilise it the way I want. Suffice to say that no product is perfect for everyone if it doesn't fit into your technical lifestyle see what other options there are for you and consider the competition but do your research as there are pro's and cons to all.

[untakenusername]

That's not a chip. More like a whole bag of potatoes

[bambinoitaliano]

Any disappointment should be directed to a person or persons not a device. Persons who you think mislead you about the functions of the Playbook. Persons who trying to sell you Playbook for other reason than it's just a great tablet. Persons who actually make full use of a tablet that actually work for them. Most of all a person, yourself, a clueless person, a lazy person who do not research further instead got all hype up by others enthusiasm. Someone who do not assume any responsibility other than handing over the money and just take home a tablet that you do not want or desire. That to me is the most disappointing.

[Wongsky]

Any disappointment should be directed to a person or persons not a device. Persons who you think mislead you about the functions of the Playbook. Persons who trying to sell you Playbook for other reason than it's just a great tablet. Persons who actually make full use of a tablet that actually work for them. Most of all a person, yourself, a clueless person, a lazy person who do not research further instead got all hype up by others enthusiasm. Someone who do not assume any responsibility other than handing over the money and just take home a tablet that you do not want or desire. That to me is the most disappointing.

I think that's a bit harsh - true enough - some people don't do much research, and do trust others, either in terms of reviews, recommendations, or sales-speak.

All the same, many would have bought a new or new-ish product, with certain expectations when there wasn't much in the way of discussion on the subject. And many have probably bought since, with reasonably informed decisions, to still have been underwhelmed by what has occurred over time (ie the app situation - it may not have been great at first, but not altogether unrealistic to expect that with time, certain basics would be covered).

For me, there's not a clear disappointed / satisfied conclusion - I lean towards being satisfied, because as previously mentioned, some aspects are better than I thought, before buying, and some situations worse, but on balance, the good outweighs the bad for me.

All the same, it's not all the purchasers' fault when buying something that disappoints - you have to admit, the PlayBook is something of flawed genius. When people ask me what to buy, I always try to establish what it is they want, or think they want from such a device - who and how will they use it - but even then that's not perfect - some people find after having something their expectations or desires change, and they'd like to do other things, or replace the use of another device.

[Bakamushi]

Interesting. It's strange, I bought an Asus Transformer a year ago, because I wanted a tablet that became a light laptop for when I was travelling. And I like and liked it, it did the job nicely. The app selection is really good, being Android. The missus wanted a tablet and with the Playbook being so cheap now, I got her one. And when I saw it I have to say I thought it was really good. So I got myself one too. And I barely use the Transformer now. I think there are a few reasons for that. Firstly, the 10" form for a tablet isn't actually that great for lounging on the sofa idly browsing or playing a game, it's too big. So the 7" version felt much better (this of course doesn't mean it has to be a Playbook). Secondly, I found that the Playbook was far far faster in terms of the browser and the operation of it generally. Now, the important point here is that this is a one year old tablet I'm talking about, the new ones are obviously much superior. But it did make me think about how powerful the Playbook was for the time it came out. And whilst there are clear shortcomings - and when it was released there were far more - I do still feel it's a very good device, and criminally under-rated.

You are free to disagree.

Thanks.

I don't disagree about the size. I got a 7.7" android tab and it's perfect for reading. 10" are too large to handle, and besides they begin to look like nettops, so why not buy a 13" nettop instead...

The playbook is good for reading ebooks, although a bit heavy. But the amoled screen is on my android tablet feels more comfortable to me, the playbook screen remaining superior for color accuracy in photos. Buy the way it's great there was that Picasa Sync app, without that I would hardly use it.

Sometimes on android, PDF files written in small chars are too hard to read though. I am longing for a PDF app that can automatically resize letters.

Also the Google Drive app on android feels way more convenient to me than the work-arounds proposed on playbook.

[Bakamushi]

That was rude. I'm surprised it was not moderated...

[Banco]

Thanks.

I don't disagree about the size. I got a 7.7" android tab and it's perfect for reading. 10" are too large to handle, and besides they begin to look like nettops, so why not buy a 13" nettop instead...

The playbook is good for reading ebooks, although a bit heavy. But the amoled screen is on my android tablet feels more comfortable to me, the playbook screen remaining superior for color accuracy in photos. Buy the way it's great there was that Picasa Sync app, without that I would hardly use it.

Sometimes on android, PDF files written in small chars are too hard to read though. I am longing for a PDF app that can automatically resize letters.

Also the Google Drive app on android feels way more convenient to me than the work-arounds proposed on playbook.

The reality is probably that it depends almost entirely on how you use a device. I'm not really interested in cloud based storage (yes, yes, I know email is cloud - I mean things like Google Drive) and so the Playbook's shortcomings there don't affect me. In contrast, I don't use the Playbook for reading either (Kindle or a real book) so any advantage there wouldn't help either. I did try for a bit using the Kindle app on the Transformer, but just didn't like the backlit screen for a book much.

I don't think it can be refuted that new modern Android tablets are superior to the Playbook though - they just are. That a 2 year old device can be mentioned in the same breath shows a couple of things though, one that the hardware was excellent, and two that RIM made a monumental balls up of a good device!