1. anon9501147's Avatar
    Fellow crackberryheads,

    I am currently looking at a local marketplace offer for a Playbook 64 GB. However, I am wondering which use cases there are for this tablet today... What do you use it for?

    I had one in 2012 or so, but back then it couldn't convince me compared to an iPad, aside from the build quality that is. So I am not completely new to them. Now, however I start to see things differently and am tempted by the offer....
    06-19-15 03:41 PM
  2. Bonsaibo's Avatar
    I rarely use mine any longer, except for web related. The dearth of apps makes it not too user friendly, at least for me. I use myngod awful Android tablet when I need a tablet. I mainly try to stick with my Z10 and Q10 phones whenever possible.
    06-19-15 03:45 PM
  3. KISS ARMY's Avatar
    If you don't mind the fact that it is a platform that is just not supported anymore then go ahead. If it's dirt cheap, you don't have much to lose.

    I still have mine, and I do still use it, but it lacks so much. The Browser is really really bad. It's like trying to watch paint dry when loading a website.

    I was hoping by now, they'd at least fix the browser and maybe update the Android runtime a touch to make it a little more useful. But we all know how that turned out.

    The media player is good! The sound is very good, and the picture is still very good.

    The camera is decent for pics and vids so long as the lighting is nice and bright. Low light....forget it!

    Battery life is still good. Full Charge gets me a couple of days with moderate use and turning it off when I'm done with the device.

    The things that do make it still useful is Kindle Reader, and Showbox. If you get the PB def sideload those apps.

    There are still a good selection of Games in BlackBerry World that you can download. (Angry Birds...etc.)

    Hope That Helps!!

    Cheers!!

    Posted via CB10
    HonnyBrown and rawkerboi 07 like this.
    06-19-15 10:14 PM
  4. farmwersteve's Avatar
    Have two of them

    Amazing baby cam monitors.
    Have the charging stand and I use one for each baby cam
    One for my wife to watch and one for me

    I use IPcamviewer and dlink 942's

    Posted via CB10
    06-19-15 10:22 PM
  5. anon9501147's Avatar
    If you don't mind the fact that it is a platform that is just not supported anymore then go ahead. If it's dirt cheap, you don't have much to lose.

    I still have mine, and I do still use it, but it lacks so much. The Browser is really really bad. It's like trying to watch paint dry when loading a website.

    I was hoping by now, they'd at least fix the browser and maybe update the Android runtime a touch to make it a little more useful. But we all know how that turned out.

    The media player is good! The sound is very good, and the picture is still very good.

    The camera is decent for pics and vids so long as the lighting is nice and bright. Low light....forget it!

    Battery life is still good. Full Charge gets me a couple of days with moderate use and turning it off when I'm done with the device.

    The things that do make it still useful is Kindle Reader, and Showbox. If you get the PB def sideload those apps.

    There are still a good selection of Games in BlackBerry World that you can download. (Angry Birds...etc.)

    Hope That Helps!!

    Cheers!!

    Posted via CB10
    Well, generally I don't mind if a platform is still supported or not, if a good case can be made for the product:

    I still use either an HP12C or HP17b II (both from the 80s) daily, because there is nothing better out there for what they do.
    I still use Minidisc as my main audio medium, because I am convinced of it. Always have and always will.
    I still use 35 mm cameras for most of my photography, because it makes the pictures more "alive" among other points.
    I still use a PS2 as my main gaming platform, because the graphics are good, I haven't run out of games yet and I don't see the point of spending a whole sh*tload of money just to have the latest and greatest.

    So, if something like this can be said for a Playbook, I will go for it and spend the 80,- Euros. But only the media player alone, that's not enough, I have plenty of those around the house.

    And for the Babycameras, there needs work to be done on my side, ie find a girlfriend first... ;-)
    06-20-15 02:59 AM
  6. anon(5597702)'s Avatar
    What use cases do you have in mind for the PB?

    Posted via CB10
    06-20-15 07:50 AM
  7. anon9501147's Avatar
    Ehm, that's actually what I wanted to know from you guys... I know it cannot compete with my iPad Air. Which has become, by the way, my only and hence main computer.

    But I was thinking maybe there can be a niche for the Playbook somewhere. It's too slow for (serious) webbrowsing, but what about eBook reading? E-Mailing? YouTube? Streaming videos from a NAS? Anything like that?
    06-20-15 11:18 AM
  8. anon(5597702)'s Avatar
    Ehm, that's actually what I wanted to know from you guys... I know it cannot compete with my iPad Air. Which has become, by the way, my only and hence main computer.

    But I was thinking maybe there can be a niche for the Playbook somewhere. It's too slow for (serious) webbrowsing, but what about eBook reading? E-Mailing? YouTube? Streaming videos from a NAS? Anything like that?
    Cool, that helps, thanks! Yeah, I'd definitely rule out browsing; it's *pretty* good with mobile versions of sites, but far from optimal.

    The other items you mention are definitely quite doable on the PB
    - Email: built in client is quite good
    - ebooks: Kobo, Kindle (sideload of an older Android version), and a few native epub reader in BB World
    - Youtube: the native app is no longer supported, but you can still stream from the browser. My preference is Tubemate (sideloaded Android app); great alternative and one of the only options that lets you sign in to see you subscriptions, history, etc. Origami browser is pretty decent for Youtube site viewing, but you're bottlenecked by the PB's lackluster web browsing ability. It's a reskin of the built in browser, but still Origami gives you control over settings that aren't available in the former such as the user agent, mobile vs. desktop view, ad blocking, etc.
    - NAS streaming: the one app to rule them all for all things multimedia on PB: Kalemsoft Media Player. It's a paid app, but well worth the money. Handles NAS streaming nicely from a number of sources and is a great all around player. It still receives sporadic dev support/responses, which is more than what can be said for other PB apps

    Hope that helps! For what you listed above, the PB holds its own, IMO. Media stuff is its forte -- Kalemsoft lets you play anything, PB has a great screen, and killer speakers (front facing!)

    EDIT: Another things it's good for is gaming. There's not a large library on BB World, but some nice titles if you hunt around. It can also handle emulation of other game systems quite well. At one point, I even got a few old DOS games to work on it! Even though it doesn't do a lot of things modern tablets do, it can be fun to tinker with.
    Last edited by mh1983; 06-20-15 at 01:40 PM.
    Gooseberry Falls likes this.
    06-20-15 01:24 PM
  9. therapyreject174's Avatar
    Mine found a permanent home in my truck. I basically use it as an infotainment device in place of my stereo, and it really shines in that role.

    I started a thread about it last year, and I still have the same setup today.
    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...-niche-945961/
    radek_reach likes this.
    06-20-15 01:32 PM
  10. fschmeck's Avatar
    I still have and use 2. My use case is as follows:
    Video and image playback. The kid loves it for cartoons and any other video uploaded to it. You can't beat the image and sound quality.
    I stream radio via Nobex, and a few video stations from Europe that still have apps in the store.
    There are a few games that are fun little time-wasters. One developer still ports stuff over (Enckle..something) that is worth playing.
    For recipes it is great. The tablet is old, not worth a ton, but the build quality is excellent. Have no issues about putting it on the counter and having it get a bit dirty.

    I do use the bridge still and you can bbm video with it if needed, but that is less relevant now.

    At this point I certainly would not pay much for one, but anything more recent in the same price range would most likely not be as durable. The only comparable I could think of that might be worth getting (from the same era) would be a kindle fire or perhaps a kobo arc, but they will come with their own set of frustrations.

    Posted via CB10
    06-21-15 11:59 AM
  11. ksennette's Avatar
    I use my playbook for watching videos, music. I also use it as an alarm clock. You can find a 64GB model for less than $100. I wouldn't pay more than that.
    06-21-15 12:17 PM
  12. Gooseberry Falls's Avatar
    Well, if you owned one previously, you know about the sound quality. I use mine as a media player. If you have a bb10 phone, bridge will allow you to use the data connection and the remote control function is nice. Flash browsing is leisurely but still OK in a pinch. If you disable flash and Java, it is probably not that different from your iPad with Origami and fast browsers. As mentioned before, the are a lot of Gameloft selections for the PB.

    Posted via CB10
    Sean Fanelli likes this.
    06-21-15 03:25 PM
  13. annakiin's Avatar
    I use my PB to run my business
    true the web browser is a bit slow compared to the new technologies out there especially when it comes to watching videos on youtube but I actually download videos in advance and watch them later. or sometime I also watch movies streaming like last week I set up inception on my home tv with hdmi cable and used my Q10 as a remote. my son was like "how donyou do that....!?" lol
    I read books, use words to do my writings and exel spreadsheets... browse the web...
    to me the playbook is still relevant.
    06-21-15 06:17 PM
  14. Sean Fanelli's Avatar
    I mainly use it for web browsing...rarely..and there are a few good apps, reaper is a great one you can spend hours on
    06-21-15 08:58 PM
  15. to boldly go's Avatar
    Short story, oft repeated: I use it as my home computer browser, media streamer, music downloader, AND for video from Youtube or wherever online. Both the regular and origami browser work fine, SOMETIMES slow to load, and with video, its slow to load but doesnt have to rebuffer after it loads. I usually just use origami but sometimes the regular browser is more efficient if its a longer video.

    I also like not having to worry about hacking or viruses. I am very happy with it, and i really dont know when i am going to try to replace it with something else. Its just big enough to be way worthwhile to use it vs just a phone / phablet thing.

    Now, sometimes i get a weird freeze up of some kind, and when that happens i turn it off and switch to my other playbook. This system has been working for awhile now, of course i may have some different bookmarks between the two, and they both have similar but different offline music playlists.

    I keep it on the charging dock at home. Sometimes it goes with me just as an alternate music set, or some browsing out in the sunshine, i dont use the camera much, but its nice to know its there.

    I dont think anyone can go wrong having one of these as a trusty backup thing, i never had an ipad, but those android tablets are just too buggy, undependable, and invasive all at the same time.
    06-21-15 10:32 PM
  16. to boldly go's Avatar
    One very interesting thing i find in the regular browser, is being able to see all the popup warnings of all the certificates a website wants to load. ATnT has a myriad of them, i also learned that i can hit 'decline' on all of them and the ATnT website will still load. Some sites have these, some dont, some have a bunch of them. 'Share This' and 'Facebook,' for example. I am not on facebook or twitter or anything else. Most browsers do not show you this information.
    06-21-15 10:40 PM
  17. tovento's Avatar
    It is unfortunately tired hardware and needs some patience to use. Web browsing works for the most part, but it is slow. The touted flash support is waning, as I've run into sites which say I need a newer version of flash. Multimedia support is excellent with third-party software (Kalemsoft Media player is worth it). I use mine to watch videos during my commute or read an ebook. I sometimes look at things like reddit (through an app) but it can be frustrating how slow it is. In some cases, I have to use older versions of apps to get them working and then support for older versions goes away. As an example, newer versions of the reddit app I use don't appear to work 100% (older versions do), but older versions don't support the newer gifx format. Cartoon HD is another one...newer version doesn't work and older version is no longer supported.

    To be honest, I kind of get used to the speed a little...and then I use someone's Nexus 7 and realize just how slow this thing is. My daughter uses it sometimes for Youtube, but even that takes some work-arounds with the latest Youtube updates. I wouldn't spend my money on this anymore. I'm waiting for it to either die (no signs of failing yet, though) or MS Surface 3 to decline in price. Slowly time to move on.
    anon(5597702) likes this.
    06-22-15 06:20 AM
  18. AggreX's Avatar
    As long as the "BRIDGING" connection to my Q10 continues to work, the PlayBook is my lunch time/break time surf machine. Pays to avoid scrutiny using work computers on their network while surfing. "Bridging" with Q10 makes it all worth it to take the PlayBook on trips since the Q10 screen is too small sometimes. Probably easy to buy a neglected PlayBook cheap as many owners have moved on to newer technology. I got not complaints other than the outdated unsupported OS which retains some important to me data, pictures and videos.
    HonnyBrown and bigjman like this.
    06-22-15 09:18 PM
  19. sluggo9670's Avatar
    Music storage and playback on home stereo via BlackBerry Music Gate.

    Posted via CB10
    06-24-15 08:21 AM
  20. joserojas702's Avatar
    Does cartoon HD and showbox still work for it I just got one from swappa.Com for 65 bucks and really just want it as a bigger screen to watch movies on.


    Posted via CB10
    06-24-15 12:42 PM
  21. anon(5597702)'s Avatar
    Does cartoon HD and showbox still work for it I just got one from swappa.Com for 65 bucks and really just want it as a bigger screen to watch movies on.


    Posted via CB10
    HD - nope; the version that did work is no longer supported
    SB - barely. ~3.84 or so should work with some TV shows, but movies not so much

    One by one these Android sideloads are dropping off and not working fully on the PB, unfortunately.
    Dunt Dunt Dunt likes this.
    06-24-15 12:51 PM
  22. Gooseberry Falls's Avatar
    I believe crackle.com and Amazon Prime still work with the Origami browser. Can anyone confirm?
    06-24-15 01:58 PM
  23. nullshark's Avatar
    Crackle works fine. Can't speak to Amazon Prime.
    06-24-15 06:08 PM
  24. EchoesFX's Avatar
    Uses for a Playbook mid 2015?-img_20150625_113341.jpg

    Here's one use for it that still applies: Streaming radio player in the obsolete tech room of the house.

    Works just fine with that old analog tuner.

    Posted via CB10
    HonnyBrown, awindsr and spiculated like this.
    06-25-15 01:34 PM
  25. anon(2313227)'s Avatar
    I had to travel so I dusted off a PB and loaded movies and loaded EMU so I can play SNES/PSX/GBA games on the 3.5 hr flight.
    anon(5597702) and jsmenard1 like this.
    06-25-15 01:57 PM
235 123 ...

Similar Threads

  1. AT&T branded BlackBerry Classic (Brand New Never Used)
    By Ryanleelejeune in forum Buy, Sell, Trade - Sold / Archived
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 07-01-15, 10:19 PM
  2. BlackBerry App Roundup for June 19, 2015
    By CrackBerry News in forum CrackBerry.com News Discussion & Contests
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 06-22-15, 12:10 PM
  3. Playbook No longer Starts?
    By JVRudnick in forum BlackBerry PlayBook
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 06-22-15, 11:31 AM
  4. New life for the Z10 on 10.3.2?
    By bh7171 in forum BlackBerry Z10
    Replies: 29
    Last Post: 06-22-15, 10:01 AM
  5. Idea - Why not double-tap keyboard for cursor in Browser?
    By sulcopete in forum BlackBerry Passport
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 06-20-15, 01:35 AM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD