[PacmanUK1]

Hey everyone,

Currently thinking of buying a BlackBerry Playbook at the end of the month but haven't fully made up my mind as of yet.

Firstly how much should I pay? I've looked through Ebay & I can get a 64GB Wifi dual 1Ghz cpu in a refurbished condition for �81.

Secondly I have noticed that it has a front facing camera is skype available for the Playbook? As this would be a huge +1 for me.

Lastly, if anyone has had any experience with the BlackBerry PlayBook would be great to know about the pros & cons about the tablet.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

[SparkyBC]

Honestly get an ipad mini or android tablet. While the playbook may seem like a good idea. I can honestly say do not buy one. Blackberry has never really fixed any real issues that still plague it to this day. Slow browser, sluggish keyboard input at times, lack of any real updates.

Over the last 3-5 months any apps and games coming out are almost at a snails pace. All the developers are working on BB10 not the old OS 2.1. It's slim pickings for anything really new. A lot of apps or games featured have been there 6-12 months ago and promoting them as new again!

The playbook has pretty much been written off and left to die. Better of investing in an ipad or android tablet at this point. In the end it works without any issues. You're NOT getting Skype, Netflix the list goes on and on with it. Invest into something else, i owned 6 at one point and now selling off 5 and keeping one just for the apps and games i purchased for it otherwise it would be gone to.

Way to many issues and it's 2 year old DEAD technology now!

Sorry Blackberry but since you take the silent lead along approach, people deserve to know this tablet is not worth a damn any longer or scamming anyone unsuspecting of your shady business decisions regarding the playbook.

[Dave Bourque]

I was also interested in getting a playbook but since they didn't mention a God dam thing about an update to bb10 I won't buy.

Posted via CB10

[mnhockeycoach99]

While there are some here that are obviously upset about the lack of BB10 (and rightfully so), I love my PlayBook in its current state. Yes, it would be nice to have BB10.. and yes, it does have a few quirks.. but overall, I think it is a great tablet, especially for the price. I have 3 in my immediate family, 3 in my extended family, and I just bought another on Groupon for my kids. I stream music (slacker and Neutron are awesome), browse the web, bridge to my BB handset, play games, watch movies via Amazon Prime in the browser, read books/magazines, etc. I would say go and try the device for 5 minutes... if you like it, buy one. If not, pick something else that meets your needs.

Good luck in your search.

[Dave Bourque]

I don't want an android, I don't want iOS either, windows 8 nope. A bb10 tablet would be amazing though.

Posted via CB10

[SparkyBC]

With the stellar support blackberry showed towards the playbook. Good luck winning any confidence in that consumer market again.

The bridge has been burned and left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Essentially blackberry killed off any potential of a comeback to this market space at a later date. IMHO

[FF22]

THINK CAREFULLY.

Okay, first, no Skype.

Next, if besides skype, the playbook appears to do what you want from a tablet than it is probably a good deal at the prices you see. I'd want that refurbished to come with a reasonable warranty.

[Barracuda7772]

Don't get me wrong the Playbook is a reliable work horse with stellar build quality.

as of pbos2.1.0.1526 the platform is really stable aside from the issues that can be fixed with a soft reboot.

that being said the playbook is in somewhat of a limbo its been 3 months since the last update to before mentioned version of pbos but looking backnat the update history the longest period between updates is 6 months.
we were promised bb10 on several occasions but no word has been spoken about it in some time.

I wouldn't say its coming I wouldn't say its not coming. I wouldn't make your descion based on this. if you.were to buy it and it got bb10 great new life to an aging device if not the playbook will continue to do everything I need it tondo personally, but that being said we will not see skype until we get blackberry 10.1. if we do get skype it will be amazing as no other mobile device has such a good 3mp front facing hd camera.

there is no native twitter app but blaq is available and is much better than the native twitter app.
facebook is a big deal for most and the facebook app for playbook is poor to say the least. it gets the job done but profile pics do not load there is no option to share posts and settings and groups have to be managed via the facebook mobile website.

as for apps you sideload you will mostly only get notifications when the app is running, android apps ported to bb world will give notifications running or not.

Email works decently alomg with other pim apps,.can't say there great but they work alright

browser is sub par but there are alternitives like fast browser that's what I use and I've never had a problem with it.

battery is good I can get through a full day most of the time depending on use and what I'm doing.

[kbz1960]

Not sure what your currency is equivalent to ours but if you want a cheap web surfer, media - mostly and personal email machine it good for that. No one knows if at all or when it may get an update to BB10. There are no real good IM programs and on and on.

But if cheap enough and you don't expect it to do everything it may or may not be worth it to you.

[ghaliidrissi]

Do not buy it, there's other tablets for a small price that are waaaaaay better, the Nexus 7 for example ... or even the new HP Slate, and at least you always have updates, all the apps you can possibly imagine, ...

[Barracuda7772]

Do not buy it, there's other tablets for a small price that are waaaaaay better, the Nexus 7 for example ... or even the new HP Slate, and at least you always have updates, all the apps you can possibly imagine, ...

I'm not downplaying the nexus 7 its a decent tablet with decent build quality, not as goodnas the playbook but the nexus 7 has a full featured os

the price points are quite different though. the N7 is still around 250 is it not the playbook can be had for 99-150

[NaijaBerry]

As much as I like my PlayBook, I wouldn't advise anyone to buy it, except you're looking for the best, most affordable and complete bible app out there called e-MManuel bible app. For this reason, and this reason alone do I ever pick up my PlayBook. Its a very strong sturdy tablet, but if you're looking for apps that everyone else has and get get for free with ads in them, don't buy the PlayBook. But if you're looking for an affordable tablet you can have your email on and browse away from your computer, then you won't get anything better at the current price point.

Oh yes Kindle as well, but that would mean sideloading.....

[PacmanUK1]

Woah well that's disappointing, I can't believe that BlackBerry has put 3MP front camera yet no skype! & as for no native twitter app WTH! I rarely use Facebook so that app is no use for me.

This morning I tried out a friends Playbook & used the BlackBerry Bridge. That was awesome! but didn't come across any issues except one which the charger port was bent a little & couldn't charge it until it got repaired.

So Playbook is out of the window at the moment, what Android tablets do you guys suggest. I have seen cheap dual core 1GB ram ones with 4.0 for �49.99 but worried about the quality of the touch screen.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

[rupam95]

Get the HP slate for $160.00

[anon(2325196)]

The PlayBook is awesome. Still. I use it everyday and it runs great, browser is awesome, and it has a bunch of apps and games available for it. Even if BlackBerry decided not to provide a OS10 update, the PlayBook is still a great value, especially for that cheap.

Don't get an ipad or an android tablet, the PlayBook is WAY better.

Posted via CB10

[ghaliidrissi]

As i said before, if you want something afordable and good for everyday use, with a fully featured OS; buy the HP Slate or Nexus 7, i don't know their price range in North America, but in Europe and MENA, it's 199 Euros for the Nexus 7 on the Play Store, and 149 Euros for the HP Slate, and you can find a 64GB Playbook around 150 Euros.
The Playbook is a GREAT Hardware, i love the design, and it feels much more "premium device" than the N7 or HP Slate, but at least, with these Android devices, you get a fully featured OS ...

[EchoesFX]

For 89 quid, I'd buy a 64gb PlayBook. You just have to keep in mind it may not get BB10, or it may get it. Don't get upset if you buy knowing this and it doesn't get bb10. It's still a nice device.

Posted via CB10

[Dallin Crump]

I just bought a 64 GB PlayBook last week and I'm enjoying it. Price was probably the biggest deciding factor for me. I also bought some accessories with it that greatly enhance my experience.

I wrote this blog post about why I chose the PB over the Nexus 7, iPad Mini, Kindle Fire HD, and Galaxy Note 8.0.

I wrote this follow up post about the accessories I bought for it.

In a few days I'll blog about my impressions from the first week of use, but so far I've gotten what I expected out of it.

[SparkyBC]

browser is awesome, and it has a bunch of apps and games available for it. Don't get an ipad or an android tablet, the PlayBook is WAY better.
Posted via CB10

The browser on the playbook is horrible, if you think it's great i will have what you're smoking. Out of a 10 it's maybe a 3.5 on a good day. It constantly lags on text input, if it even responds at all. Apps and games nothing new has really come out for it in months with the exception of 5-10 "new" ones.

Sorry but the ipad or any android tablet will run circles around the playbook and has everything you could ever want. It even retains it's value if you want a newer one in time. Playbook is almost at the point of $50 used.

Real world it's a waste of money now from Blackberries track record why buy something that is on life support. The Eco system sucks and is getting worse by the month with nothing but app generator RSS feed apps.

I'm a realist when it comes to the playbook, it's cheap for a reason!

[Dallin Crump]

Sorry but the ipad or any android tablet will run circles around the playbook and has everything you could ever want.

I have to disagree with you, here. It depends on what you want to use your tablet for.

If you want apps, games, and media consumption, then sure, an iOS or Android tablet is a better choice.

But out-of-the-box, the PlayBook does many things neither of those platforms do. Such as:

• Built-in flash support
• True multi-tasking OS with intuitive bezel gestures
• Presentation mode. I tried this out for the first time today and it is seriously awesome. Watch a full 1080p movie on an external TV or monitor and continue to use your tablet without a hitch. Or do sophisticated presentations incorporating slides, photos, and video with seamless transitions between each. iOS and Android can't touch that.

Like I said, it depends on what you want. I'm quite happy with my PlayBook right now.

[SparkyBC]

Trying running anything in flash than open a new tab and try typing. Sorry the browser is just a dog in that exact scenario.

Yes the playbook has a good ui. Never stated it didn't. Does it have some nice features sure. The browser kills it to be a great experience.

[EFats]

I have an iPad. I also have a Playbook. For my needs, PlayBook is hands down the better tablet. If you need a specific applications, then better do your homework and make sure that appears is on the tablet you pick.
Size is way more 'commutable' than big iPad.
The OS is more intuitive and better than any iOS or Android tablet I've ever used. I'd rank Android a very very distant 3rd in this category. Far enough back that it begins to trump application selection, hackability.
The browser is pretty darn good (whoever complaining about Flash issues, yes that is sometimes valid, but iPad doesn't even have Flash and you can turn off Flash on PB, so I think moot point. Not to mention even Adobe is putting Flash out to pasture).
I'd say the same thing about whining around the email. The iPad doesn't do as well, but nobody seems to complain about that. Maybe the calendar too. The application syncs local, plus multiple Gmail, Yahoo accounts calendar easily and it's simple to toggle any account on/off.

Is this a gaming tablet? Absolutely not, but it has enough quality ones to keep very casual users happy. (Again, if you need a specific game, then check twice).
Has enough productivity tools to keep me happy.
Hardware wise, it's a wonderful design, feels sturdy, a bit classy even. Not cheap.

We're I to choose a tablet today, it would still be the PlayBook.

[daglesj]

The HP tablet is appalling. Terrible screen. A classic case of had HP bothered to spend another $10 on materials they could have had a winner.

The Playbook...if you can pick a 64GB one up for around �80 its a decent little media player for music and ripped movies and the odd bit of frustrated web browsing. But otherwise nope. You'll probably wish you had stumped up the extra for a Nexus 7. The hardware whilst good quality is a bit old hat too, very 2010.

So yes look elsewhere.

Android Jellybean is a good OS. It's the point that Android finally hit the sweet spot. I came from a WebOS device (possibly the slickest OS for mobile ever) and found using Jellybean a breeze.It has not been a struggle.