[sad_old_man]

What has happened to me?

Please forgive me if I prattle on for a while but I feel the need to vent my spleen in an effort to try and regain a small amount of sanity.

Several years ago, I was a happy (subject to opinion) IT Director with my trusted Nokia mobile travelling with me around Europe. On what has now become a very bad day in history I was given a Blackberry Curve to evaluate on behalf of a company. I will always remember this day with mixed feelings because it was like the feeling I enjoyed on my wedding day and the feeling I had when some drunken driver tried to kill me on the M6!

First of all, absolute hatred of the device and then a feeling similar to "Scrat" from ice age and his feelings for the Acorn.

I now own a Torch 9860, Storm II and a Playbook! (ok so when you have all stopped laughing and picked yourself up off the floor, I will continue)

A couple of things spring to mind, apart from why am I still not happy just carrying my Nokia around and these are based on my Torch and my Playbook which I have only had for three weeks.

My torch and my Playbook have very very similar home screens and upon first user impressions have similar operating systems. However that is where my happiness ends and confusion begins. Without going into tech speak lets consider this problem from a user point of view!

Initial view:

Torch: Limited but at least some control over panels brightness etc
Playbook: Nothing only brightness!

Torch: Sounds are selectable for various alerts and give the user the choice of selection.
Playbook: As far as I can see, no choice.

Torch: Reasonable control over files and directories with file manager without giving full control to complete non experienced end users.

Torch: Connectivity as far as I have found has no problems. Connect to my Storm, Jabra headset, car kit and most of the other bluetooth devices I own.
Playbook: As far as my personal experience is concerned it is sadly lacking. Will connect to my Jabra headset but reports "No Services Available". Will not transfer files from my Torch under any circumstances. Music, Photos or documents will just not transfer.

The brief list of items listed above are starting to make my Playbook unusable in my world and are just a list of items that I use every day and therefore are important to me.

At the moment I feel as though my Playbook should be my Torch. The Torch with limited (understandably) but reasonable end user control over functionality and the Playbook that performs like an undeveloped Torch. If without in depth IT and mobile experience I was asked for an opinion of the two very similar in appearance items, my reply would be " The Playbook looks like the Beta version of the Playbook"

Now if I am missing something miraculous about the Playbook then please tell me because like all my Blackberry items, I would like to enjoy using it but apart from playing games and listening to music, I cannot find a reason not to just leave it in my desk drawer.

Please educate an old IT guy on the possibilities of the usefulness of this piece of plastic without the need to borrow my sons Galaxy 10.1

Thanks

[dagerlach]

Dear Sad_Old_Man,

Your not alone. You've come to the right place to vent. It's a 12 Step Program. There is good news for you.

1. Thankfully, your Playbook was purchased for less than what most of us payed.
2. RIM Claims an update is coming in February
3. It grows on you
4. I hear there's a new Fart App

[sad_old_man]

Suddenly I feel like Scrat again. Oh please do tell me where I can download the fart application and then my life will be complete once again!

[jslawell]

Initial view:

Torch: Limited but at least some control over panels brightness etc
Playbook: Nothing only brightness!

On the Playbook, click the battery Icon (top right corner). There is a slide bar for brightness.

[FF22]

Dear Grumpy:

First you posted this in the OS section and BROAD, GENERAL COMPLAINTS belong in the main forum.

You've just joined an ever growing and groaning club. As was mentioned, take heart in the fact that hopefully you paid less than some of us did.

Do not take heart in any statement that there might be an update in Feb. There was also INTIMATED in the past that there would be updates in 60 days, Summer, Fall, devcon or thereafter. So Feb joins the long list of "hmmm, maybe rim will make the pb as usable as the bb phone!"

And definitely be prepared for the fanboys who will say if you had done your due diligence or research you would not have blundered into this morass, rather than suggesting your concerns are quite legitimate.

Now try typing with the pb and enjoy the latest technology gone amok.

[sad_old_man]

Well I will probably now set a new record for the shortest time anyone has owned a Playbook.

Since joining this forum earlier this evening in the desperate hopes of finding a glimmer of hope for my misguided loyalty to Blackberry I have now after a few short hours "HAD ENOUGH" of the PB ( Pretentious Bull****)

Having now been told that apart from Blackberry Bridge, the bluetooth connection is otherwise useless. No audio headset connection or any other connection apart from the bridge which in itself is one step above useless.

All in all after a few hours of using this "thing" I have come to the conclusion that the Kindle ebook reader is far superior to this hyped up lump of plastic. Simple reason for that conclusion is that " It does what it says it can do" and not what someone hopes it might do in the near future (meaning sometime between next year and when Jedi Masters return to earth again.

Anyone interested in an almost new never used due to the fact that they cant do anything cheap 64gb Playbook, it will be on ebay as from later tonight.

Enough is enough and I sincerely hope that Blackberry reap the rewards that all companies producing products unfit for purpose suffer, i.e. they go bankrupt

Good luck to you all and give my regards to the Jedi Masters when if ever they return.

[2ndHalfCor]

What has happened to me?
Torch: Limited but at least some control over panels brightness etc
Playbook: Nothing only brightness!

Torch: Sounds are selectable for various alerts and give the user the choice of selection.
Playbook: As far as I can see, no choice.

Torch: Reasonable control over files and directories with file manager without giving full control to complete non experienced end users.

Torch: Connectivity as far as I have found has no problems. Connect to my Storm, Jabra headset, car kit and most of the other bluetooth devices I own.
Playbook: As far as my personal experience is concerned it is sadly lacking. Will connect to my Jabra headset but reports "No Services Available". Will not transfer files from my Torch under any circumstances. Music, Photos or documents will just not transfer.

The brief list of items listed above are starting to make my Playbook unusable in my world and are just a list of items that I use every day and therefore are important to me.

At the moment I feel as though my Playbook should be my Torch. The Torch with limited (understandably) but reasonable end user control over functionality and the Playbook that performs like an undeveloped Torch. If without in depth IT and mobile experience I was asked for an opinion of the two very similar in appearance items, my reply would be " The Playbook looks like the Beta version of the Playbook"

I think this is pretty insightful. I remember my first Blackberry, a 7105t. What I remember best is the feeling that someone really thought through how this thing is used and anticipated all the things I'd need to do. That's why I still have a 9780. Well thought out, everything works pretty much like it should.

The Playbook? Not so much. Nothing seems to work like it should. Seems like a great start, but a beta at best. Maybe even an "alpha" release. (Hey, there's no excuse for the broken notifications when using the bridge). Had the first release been followed by progressively better and more useful releases, then I'd have hope. But it hasn't happened. If I have to put up with a buggy device, I may as well go to Android where at least there's a plethora of software titles and new hardware releases to keep me hoping.

[Chrysalis1156]

And the beat goes on, the beat goes on...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[FF22]

File Browser allows movement to/from phone/pb. But you have identified some of the glaring weaknesses.

[wobly]

sad_old_man, PM sent.

[anthogag]

This is a stupid story. There's nothing pretentious about the pb, it just is what it is.

I connected a wireless keyboard through bluetooth. Maybe your type of bluetooth device is not compatible.

For now the PB is a good companion to the BB smartphone, if you're talking about connectivity. The pb screen is bigger, use it for eBooks, watching videos, use Magellan in the car, the calculator is excellent, watch videos, listen to music, play games...

Ah, they don't have similar operating systems.

"starting to make your playbook unusable"...bahahahahahaha.....ahahahahahahahah... first you try to swindle with some Kindle and then Galaxy Tab....you're the sad_old_man

[louzer]

I don't see it on ebay yet. How long did you use it for?

[SDM7171]

It continues to amaze me that in these financially troubled times, so many people spend significant amounts of money without doing adequate research.

....and then try and find someone else to blame.

[sad_old_man]

"I connected a wireless keyboard through bluetooth"

Thank you for the invaluable advice regarding the wireless keyboard. I went out this morning and bought one and guess what? "It doesnt connect through bluetooth".

Not too concerned about that because if it had connected to my PB, I still cant see a way of listening to audio through a wireless keyboard and there doesnt seem to be any instructions on how to do this in your most helpful post.

My latest idea is to tape a piece of timber to the PB and use it as a paddle for my canoe. Oops I dont seem to own a canoe! Ah well off back to the shops.

[dagerlach]

I have to constantly remind myself that the main reason I purchased the Playbook was my little Blackberry Bold 9700 2-inch by 1.5-inch screen was killing my eyes. I also wanted to read books via a eBook reader and read the news on a bigger screen. I thought about the Apple products, but the total cost of ownership exceed what I was willing to pay/bleed.

If you bought the Playbook for music, movies, and games, you really did buy the wrong product. Apple has a superior product for entertainment. That being said, RIM has done a great job of misleading people about the current ability of the Playbook. Maybe someday, it will have some of the applications available to the iPad and Android systems, for now it is pretty basic.

Why not take your device back rather than sell it on eBay?

[anthogag]

"I connected a wireless keyboard through bluetooth"

Thank you for the invaluable advice regarding the wireless keyboard. I went out this morning and bought one and guess what? "It doesnt connect through bluetooth".

Not too concerned about that because if it had connected to my PB, I still cant see a way of listening to audio through a wireless keyboard and there doesnt seem to be any instructions on how to do this in your most helpful post.

My latest idea is to tape a piece of timber to the PB and use it as a paddle for my canoe. Oops I dont seem to own a canoe! Ah well off back to the shops.

See, this is a phoney post.....

[Chrysalis1156]

Definitely a useless post...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[sad_old_man]

Dagerlach, you are so so correct in all your replies. Let me begin by explaining myself properly.

I used to have Nokia stamped through me like a stick of rock. Not hard to understand as I used to be one of their senior European IT managers. I was the person responsible for the Nokia N95 and the original Nokia 9000.

After retiring and wanting to stay motivated, I started exploring other mobiles and one of them happened to be the Blackberry 8310. Initially it was not love at first sight but the more I used this phone the more I began to wonder how I had managed to cope without a Blackberry.

Now we all know that Nokia has lost its market lead and for me they have also lost their forward thinking in the mobile industry. We have moved forward at a speed where it is hard to keep up with the changes and Nokia displayed their recent lack of understanding when they released the N900. (I know because I had one).

The Nokia N900 to me is exactly the same as the Playbook. A knee **** reaction to new technology and market requirement forcing the release of a product that is at best useless. Both of these products have the potential to be first class addition to the technology market.

The success of Nokia was due to the simple and easily understandable user interface employed and therefore a sound understanding of end user requirement and a good OS. This is also the case with the Blackberry mobile phones and Blackberry's understanding of their own market.

Now enter the dreaded IPAD (god forgive them). Both Nokia and Blackberry go into mass panic because they didnt have the idea first. First came the Nokia N900 followed by the Playbook.

Does this sound familiar:

No bluetooth connectivity
Partial messaging at best
No file transfer without connecting to a pc
No low level file management
Limited control over basic settings

Yes I am talking about the Nokia N900, but do you see the similarities????

I fully understand the marketing train of thought and it is always better to be "First to market" but when you are not the first past the post you need to come up with something special next time to knock the leader off first base and not just try to hype your way there.

Having suffered the N900 I am not overly concerned about the lack of basic functionality of the PB but about the misleading hype from Blackberry regarding a product that they clearly understood was not ready to be released. In respect of this comment I refer to those small minded people who' replies to my initial post mentioned my lack of research. Does anyone really think that a site paid to review a product is then going to tell the whole truth about that product. To those people "Please grow up and get a life"!

I have still not found any site that tells anyone that:

There is no native file management
No bluetooth connectivity apart from Blackberry Bridge
The bridge does not display text messages, only emails
No file transfer between bridged Blackberry mobile and PB when connected
N control over where downloaded content is saved

I could go on but the more I think about why I bought the PB I can only wish that Blackberry would just download the OS that is on my Torch 9860 (OS7) onto my playbook and then leave it alone until they get the real PB OS sorted out which could be OS 4, 9 or more realistically 14.

Or will I just become another sad person that wakes up every morning hoping to see those immortal words on there screen "An update is available"

I think the paddle option is the best use at the moment for the PB

[anthogag]

"I connected a wireless keyboard through bluetooth"

Thank you for the invaluable advice regarding the wireless keyboard. I went out this morning and bought one and guess what? "It doesnt connect through bluetooth".

Not too concerned about that because if it had connected to my PB, I still cant see a way of listening to audio through a wireless keyboard and there doesnt seem to be any instructions on how to do this in your most helpful post.

My latest idea is to tape a piece of timber to the PB and use it as a paddle for my canoe. Oops I dont seem to own a canoe! Ah well off back to the shops.

I know you came to this forum for help...you want to hear music.....take the bluetooth keyboard you bought and give yourself a good smack on the head, you should hear music and maybe see stars

[TheScionicMan]

Sounds like you spent more time on your first post than you did researching your (alleged) purchase...

It's good that your selling it and going to the Nokia forums. Thanks

[dagerlach]

Sad_Old_Man (SOM),

I suspect you could even write a letter to RIM asking for your money back. RIM has created/used repetitive deceptive advertising with this product and are very fortunate not to be battling a class action law suite. I've considered it on a number of occasions; last night being one of them when my email client via the Blackberry bridge failed again.

The letter is worth a try if you want you money back.

dg

p.s. Nokia made the mistake of trying to use Linux for an OS. Not that they had much choice....

[kbz1960]

OP how is that bluetooth keyboard working with the fire? How is anything else that uses bluetooth working?

How is file management on the fire? I don't know.

Are your texts displayed on the fire?

How does file transfer work on the fire?

How does controlling where you want to save things work on the fire?

[DocDRM]

Boy, I usually stay out of this stuff. Excited to get a PlayBook or two in the next couple weeks (know what it can and can't do now, have confidence in what it WILL do next year - whenever - again, I know sometimes things don't happen as quickly as promised - I'm patient) Think long term and maybe we can get away from the microwave/drivethru/1 hour tv drama everything is wrapped up neat and tidy mindset. Truth is, I won't like everything about PB when I get it, but I have decided to move ahead anyway.



P.S. Was considering creating a new CB user ID and posting that way, but thinking I don't want to be a copycat. Anyone else get that feeling?

[sad_old_man]

dagerlach, please dont let anyone else read this post but I think from your comments that you and I are the only people who are capable of forming any sort of opinion that does not include a deluded hope of salvation in the forthcoming (maybe) OS2. I have no idea what the last two replies to my post were about and prior to that was a comment about me returning to a Nokia forum. Do people other than yourself, not read words anymore or is it just a lack of education that prevents them from understanding posts of more than two paragraphs without mentioning what OS2 is going to do for us when, if, it ever arrives.

The N900 had a variation of the Linux OS and as the first attempt at crossing over from the mobile to a pocket sized laptop that could actually make and receive phone calls, it was a success. However, and if people could be bothered to READ my comments, they made the same mistake that Blackberry are on the verge of doing now with the PB. Nokia released the N900 unfinished in an attempt to grab market share. The only thing they succeeded in achieving was to disappoint their customers like any company does when they hype products.

Just for the record and please dont tell anyone else about this, I am probably more of a Blackberry Geek than most of the sad people on this Forum, but that doesnt mean I cant tell the truth. Isnt that what you are supposed to do about something you care deeply about???????

1. I am a Blackberry owner, Storm II, Torch 9860 and PB 64gb.
2. I am a Blackberry developer.

Just because I dont sit typing post after post about what might, could, maybe might happen, should happen, want to happen with the PB doesnt mean I am some sort of freak.

Finally and for the last time, my reply to all the morons that keep telling me that I should have researched the playbook before I bought it my definitive answer is:

YOU DID FULLY RESEARCH IT AND STILL BOUGHT ONE! WHY????????

[anthogag]

You claim to be a BB fan...I read your posts over again....I think you're too serious about the the things the pb lacks.

I can look past shortcomings because over-all, compared to other tablets, I think this is a better product. The swipe-action OS is better than iPad, the hardware is great, some really good apps are now available, and it will only get better. RIM will release OS2 in February and their new BBX phones will be great. Why dwell on the negative

I connected a bluetooth keyboard to my pb. There's no brand name on it but on the packaging it said it was for all bluetooth tablets.

Don't assume people aren't educated just because they're not as negative as you are