[jdsbmw]

Let's see. No Google Earth. Bing Maps is GARBAGE. No decent Dictionary app. No Epocrates. No Netflix app. No Pandora app. No CNBC app. No Kindle app. No decent YellowPages app. The appalling lack of decent apps is mind blowing. No wonder the Playbook is such a failure. I purchased this device for its form factor and build quality. I am SHOCKED at the PATHETIC selection of apps however. I hope better apps surface SOON. I paid $199 for my device. It is worth no more than that, in any configuration in its current state. What a waste of potential. The app selection is killing this device. This is truly a bare bones tablet.

[ciabo]

Then stick to ur stupid ipad, take ur whining somewhere else

[zektor666]

There are MORE things that this tablet DOES have that the other do not, but apparently you have not investigated it as much as you should have and I will not waste my time explaining. Go sell it, return it, whatever...and go annoy the "other" tablet forums with your complaints.

[Concession]

This guy is pathetic.

[III 4U2NV III]

Should have done your homework before buying a PB.

BTW, why do you need a Pandora app when you can just access it via the web? I'm listening to it right now as I type this.

[Blacklatino]

WOW! Take the 'I hate BlackBerry Pledge", swear to never, ever buy another RIM product and sell it if you are just that unhappy.

[apengue1]

Pandora... Cnbc... YELLOWPAGES?! Do you really need an app for everything? Or are you just used to having to use the cr*ppy Safari browser?

Like we can accept things like: (even though I don't use any of these)
Skype
Netflix
Kindle

But damn man, go cry somewhere else and go get a prescription for an 'app patch' so that you can quit THAT stinking habit!

If only I would allow myself to complain about the iPad..

[crashberry]

Geez! Guys, he does have a point. Developers refusing to develop for BB devices is really annoying. If a ton of quality apps were to flood app world there would be no reason left for people to not buy the playbook, I mean besides the bs garbage reviews that repeat the same old bs from some other review. Word would eventually get out that the playbook is actually a really good device with tons of apps (that is what people want!) and not just a powerful tablet with not many choices as far as apps goes. I feel the same way - We need MORE APPS! I know people think that with the android player and bb development tools we will see more apps coming but when I see big-name developers putting out statements saying they still have no plans to develop for BB, I have to wonder what the heck is going on. Just makes no sense.

[mccants89]

I agree with this guy. The app selection is pure garbage! Yes there are decent apps that people can use but after the 2.0 update, the app selection went from bad to worst with devs putting rushed android apps in the appworld all for a free playbook which on RIMs part was just stupid. I'm no ceo. Nor do I work at an office so I really don't use the pb "tools". I bought it because of its attractive price $199 and build quality, so did most of you I'm sure. I mean how hard is it to get these apps?? My baby sister has the cheapest tablet EVER!!(pandigital) and she has Skype and netflix like wtf c'mon blackberry

[mithrazor]

You guys have to realize. This is an unsuccesful tablet. Wait til the phones launch. And then give it some time for it to gain traction.

The amount of apps the Playbook has for an unsuccessful tablet is pretty amazing. It has more apps than Android tablets do.

[crackberryjill]

I don't quite understand the need for an app for some of this stuff. Dictionary? Just save a bookmark for dictionary.com on your home screen.

I don't use the Youtube app. I have a bookmark for my channel that goes to my subscriptions. On the home screen.

Yeah, Netflix would be okay, but is it really that big a deal that your purchase of a tablet would depend on it? I mean there is tons of stuff to watch online that not having one thing should drive so many people nuts.

I Skype, and yeah, it would be nice to have it on my playbook. But Reelportal works just fine, so thats okay. Is it that hard for your friends and family to add that to their computers? And it has free conferencing where Skype doesn't.

We really want everything don't we. Why is it we buy the tablet, then complain about what it doesn't have compared to the others? If these particular apps are that important to your day to day use of your tablet, then buy the one that offers those apps. Makes sense to me.

Some people are just glass half full types.

[mrbkkt1]

No pandora app?omg, the world will end... Oh wait, I do have a pandora app.


The one thing I would like, is for the app world to differentiate between the android ports, and the bb native apps.

[c4v3man]

I got my pb because of the developer promotion, and honestly I've been impressed by the tablet itself, it's built-in software, etc. It it had DLNA support, it would be pretty decent out of the box. The multitasking, and use of the bezel are pretty awesome. I was streaming music off grooveshark (flash) in the browser while playing the free modern combat game... no stutters in audio, no noticeable frame rate decrease... it's really impressive.

That being said, there really are practically no apps for this thing... and I don't think I'd spend $200 on it either. I'll see if it improves by the time the ASUS MEMO 370T comes out, but assuming it's lacking major apps like skype, maybe the Dish app for remote tv viewing, and even a decent SMB (file sharing) client, then I'll have to just sell it for $100+ and purchase the MEMO for $250. 80-90% of the time spent on the device is in the decent web browser on the PB, but the other 10-20% of the time, I'm left thinking wtf, why can't I do that?

It's a shame... RIM really has something here, and I'm hoping I'll grow to appreciate it even more, but they need big developers to get onboard...

[c4v3man]

I would also say that Apps offer access to information that is optimised for small screens. Web pages are not, and as good as the PB browser is, it's no replacement for a touch-optimised application interface.

So yes, while you can access alot of content using the browser, using specialized apps can make interacting with that data much easier. If you've only owned RIM devices with limited app selections, you should try the alternative... they all seem to offer their own pros/cons.

[mrbkkt1]

I would also say that Apps offer access to information that is optimised for small screens. Web pages are not, and as good as the PB browser is, it's no replacement for a touch-optimised application interface.

So yes, while you can access alot of content using the browser, using specialized apps can make interacting with that data much easier. If you've only owned RIM devices with limited app selections, you should try the alternative... they all seem to offer their own pros/cons.

I've done winmo, symbian, android from 2.1 through gingerbread (ICS any day now for my senny ). My gf has an illness and is ipad2, both of which I purchased. QNX, so far is the smoothest, fastest os, that I've used.The ability to sideload. Android apps was really the clincher for me. 2.0 just came out, there is no magic wand that developers can use to make apps for a new os. I had froyo first on my n1, took at least 6 months before there were good froyo apps.

[mrbkkt1]

Oh, and the browser... Best Mobile one I've used so far. I don't like using cloud based browsers like opera mini, kindle silk, opera turbo, dolphin. Etc.

[bbqkid8]

These threads are good... They help increase my post count.

[h20work]

Let's see. No Google Earth. Bing Maps is GARBAGE. No decent Dictionary app. No Epocrates. No Netflix app. No Pandora app. No CNBC app. No Kindle app. No decent YellowPages app. The appalling lack of decent apps is mind blowing. No wonder the Playbook is such a failure. I purchased this device for its form factor and build quality. I am SHOCKED at the PATHETIC selection of apps however. I hope better apps surface SOON. I paid $199 for my device. It is worth no more than that, in any configuration in its current state. What a waste of potential. The app selection is killing this device. This is truly a bare bones tablet.

PlayBook is jank, right? Give it a rest, your s@=$ is weak.

[patpatiar]

i don't understand the people who sit (or stand) there and type to defend rim....
we all know RIM needs a better app selection.
i agree with the OP - we need more quality apps. You guys might say..well when iOS was first released it took them awhile to build there app selection..the only problem is..RIM already KNEW it was behind the competition and it still released an unfinished product with limited app support.

Using the native browser is nice! but it doesn't replace an app. I like dedicated native apps that can give me all the information without having to deal with annoying ads that are presented on most websites.

I paid full price for my pb, i still use it every day BUT that doesn't mean its perfect. Once again thanks to the OP.

[southlander]

i don't understand the people who sit (or stand) there and type to defend rim....
we all know RIM needs a better app selection.
i agree with the OP - we need more quality apps. You guys might say..well when iOS was first released it took them awhile to build there app selection..the only problem is..RIM already KNEW it was behind the competition and it still released an unfinished product with limited app support.

Using the native browser is nice! but it doesn't replace an app. I like dedicated native apps that can give me all the information without having to deal with annoying ads that are presented on most websites.

I paid full price for my pb, i still use it every day BUT that doesn't mean its perfect. Once again thanks to the OP.

There is really no need to defend or attack RIM in this case. RIM does not write the apps other than the core ones. Thus other than building a great device platform, and perhaps financially incentivizing third parties, it is kind of out of their hands. As many have said, all they can do is get the user base to grow to make it attractive. They cut the price of the PlayBook to the point where they are bound to be losing money on it. But sales have picked up. Nonetheless they took a half billion dollar hit on that. I would guess everyone at RIM that has a role in blackberry 10 is putting in some pretty long hours. So I am not sure what else anyone can humanly expect them to do.

Imagine this. Whatever line of work you are in:

You face two main competitors. One comes up with a revolutionary way to do what you have done, sets a new standard, and becomes the world's most valuable company in the process with almost unlimited resources. A number two player who has incredible resources from a separate industry copies your first competitor with a pretty good product and gives it away freely.

OK. Now you decide how to counter all that.

I'd say RIM has made the best of it. The apps will come. Or not.

[mrbkkt1]

i don't understand the people who sit (or stand) there and type to defend rim....
we all know RIM needs a better app selection.
i agree with the OP - we need more quality apps. You guys might say..well when iOS was first released it took them awhile to build there app selection..the only problem is..RIM already KNEW it was behind the competition and it still released an unfinished product with limited app support.

Using the native browser is nice! but it doesn't replace an app. I like dedicated native apps that can give me all the information without having to deal with annoying ads that are presented on most websites.

I paid full price for my pb, i still use it every day BUT that doesn't mean its perfect. Once again thanks to the OP.

Paid $180 for my pb, though at full price, I can imagine your irritation.
Problem is, that the hardware is rock solid, best I've used so far and it feels extremely durable.

I'm an Android person, but I bought a pb. Why? Price, had a lot to do with it, internal specs is incredible for its price.apps will follow, or my xda friends, who are starting to look at this platform are taking notice as well, will start to do their own stable ports.

The real kicker for app support is dual phone/tablet support. RIM needs a qnx phone, and fast, if they want Apps for their tablet. 90% of the android and ios tablet apps are also phone apps.

People can always abandon a tablet, they can't abandon their phones, and are usually stuck with them for 2 years.

[TeaBoy]

can't blame rim...blame the people who are bigger than rim and do not think rim is going to make it so they are not going to develop for rim.

[III 4U2NV III]

Seriously, the OP is just another user who buys and jumps on a product w/o doing a little bit of research. Even a loyal BB user like myself did research before buying a PB. If my main purpose of buying a tablet was to Skype or use Netflix, I would have bought something else. I hate when people say "we" defend RIM, at the end of the day, if a device serves your needs, then it's a good enough of a device.

[DJBS4LIFE]

Sorry to break the news to the poster but the PlayBook is AWESOME!! You mad bro?

[c4v3man]

The real kicker for app support is dual phone/tablet support. RIM needs a qnx phone, and fast, if they want Apps for their tablet. 90% of the android and ios tablet apps are also phone apps.

If Blackberry released a QNX phone, and got halfway decent app support (I was on android back when app support was below average...) I'd be willing to give RIM another chance at being my mobile phone OS of choice. All I really need in an OS for seemless integration into my life is DLNA support and/or SAMBA support, a good RDP program (hopefully WYSE will port their excellent pocketcloud app), and a wifi analyzer.

I understand it takes time for app's to be developed for a platform. The problem is there seems to be no motivation for developers to develop for the PB. RIM has a bad name for itself in the consumer space, and there hardly seems to be a reason to develop for a minor player like the playbook, when Android and iOS hold 90+% marketshare, not to mention Windows 8's upcoming release...

If the playbook's going to survive, it needs grow quickly, or get swept under the current of it's competitors surging ahead.