1. looksee's Avatar
    I thought it would be fun to hear some of the features of the Playbook that you use the most. (We all know the features it is really missing!).

    For me, its capturing screenshots (simultaneously press the up and down volume keys) from various apps. I'll be on a webpage that I'll want to reference later (say outside of WIFI range) and I'll just take a "snapshot", and it's automatically saved in the Pictures app. I get my company schedule through a proprietary web portal and it is perfect for capturing this. It's so convenient to flick back and forth through these "saved" pages in Pictures, you wouldn't believe it. Also, Bing Maps (preloaded-another fantastic app) is perfect for this- I'll pull up the desired view of the area I want to save, take a snap and then have it at my fingertips in the Picture App to review offline. I also use the camera to take pics of handwritten notes.
    Last edited by looksee; 08-31-11 at 12:05 AM.
    TerribleTim68 likes this.
    08-30-11 09:38 PM
  2. JMarshall123's Avatar
    mainly use my bridge connection outside of wifi areas so it is constantly on with the new features in the latest os it is like teathering in ways use my playbook for streaming videos on bbc iplayer and i find it really usefull for typing notes for my classes (as i am a student) really cant wait for android player and bbm for the playbook
    08-31-11 05:28 AM
  3. symphara's Avatar
    Mostly web browsing, I quite like the browser even if certain improvements are needed.
    08-31-11 06:21 AM
  4. anon(767240)'s Avatar
    i read ebooks primarily. i surf the web with its awesome browser and lastly i watch movies in it before sleeping. haha
    08-31-11 06:26 AM
  5. BrokenSaint's Avatar
    I have fully integrate it to my work rutin... I sync all my the information I process during the day and let my labtop at the office on weekdays. I work for an Power company, and in my line of work, our working hours stared when hired, and will end once we stop working for the company, so having all my info available is a must, because I never know when I will need something.

    I mainly use it for email, reference and pictures. A very important feature for me is music, as I work headphones on (I got used to that since highschool), I loaded all my music on it (I synced with Itunes, and yes, I also own an Iphone as my second mobil. That would be my dark side ).

    BTW the new bridge has been awesome for me and what I do with my PB.
    08-31-11 08:01 AM
  6. dkingsf's Avatar
    um, well, after the inadvertant "frisbee incident" for which I was graciously reimbursed by my credit card company, I mostly use it to prevent moisture rings from my coffee cup on the table while I surf the net or remote to my work servers with the replacement tablet from another company I purchased.
    08-31-11 09:20 AM
  7. kbz1960's Avatar
    um, well, after the inadvertant "frisbee incident" for which I was graciously reimbursed by my credit card company, I mostly use it to prevent moisture rings from my coffee cup on the table while I surf the net or remote to my work servers with the replacement tablet from another company I purchased.
    In church lady voice "Well now isn't that special".

    Mostly use mine for surfing, searching etc. on full websites no matter how I'm connected. Read email thru bridge etc.

    Everything I did with my lappy but so much more portable. Well not everything, no good way to IM yet.
    08-31-11 09:42 AM
  8. badger906's Avatar
    I mostly use mine when its late at night and I've just turned my mac off and then I'm like "oh fudge I forgot to look for that" or to play dead space of I can't sleep

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    08-31-11 09:45 AM
  9. lexsteryo's Avatar
    When I first got the Playbook I used it a lot at work for note taking, transferring files to it allowing me to have access from where ever. As time went on I started using it for the web, music, gaming etc. Went away from work to more personal level however I do plan to make it more useful at work soon enough.
    08-31-11 09:55 AM
  10. jamesjmunro's Avatar
    I posted this in another thread and thought it would be worth re-posting here:

    I am a part-time masters student, work full time, and have a young family.

    For School:
    - record audio of lectures since I am usually tired by the time class starts
    - record video of lectures I am sure I will need to review
    - most profs give lecture notes in pdf, doc, or ppt so I can read and modify notes during the lecture. I miss too much if I try to handwrite everything.
    - use the internet during lectures to get better explanations of what the prof is talking about.
    - cross reference concepts in class
    - keep to-do and to-study further lists
    - play games during the real dry lectures
    - take pictures of whiteboard diagrams
    - good calculator
    - easy way to collect research pieces from the library (quick notes and pictures of pages)
    - taken pictures of classmate's notes for missed classes
    - light work on papers and assignments
    - Have saved a ton of paper since getting it!

    For Work:
    - VPN into the company network
    - Use the company OWA site for email (I won't put my own devices on the BES, too restrictive)
    - Keep track of my contacts
    - Mindmapping (have a couple apps)
    - Use it with Dropbox and Skydrive (nothing too sensitive though)
    - Play games during the real dry meetings
    - Use it to record meetings for minutes. Easy to pull the file off and give it to the admin assistant.
    - Keep reference documents on it.
    - ToDo lists

    Family/Personal
    - Child entertainment system (good kids games, movies, streaming if you know where to look)
    - Daily News and Weather
    - Bed Buz to get me out of bed in the morning and know how to dress the kids for the weather.
    - Ebook reader (I like EPUB reader), although I still prefer my epaper unit.
    - Music player, including VEVO now
    - watching videos during breaks at school
    - handling my gmail in between everything else
    - light surfing
    - VNC to my home systems (over my personal VPN), and work (but don't tell my boss)
    - Pictures onto facebook and email to the kid's grandparents as stuff happens (their idea, not mine)
    - HD family videos
    - Games while waiting at appointments
    - Guitar tutorial videos off youtube and other sites (Flash baby!). They are nice on something portable
    - Multiple Instrument tuner (I love the designer of Instrument Tuner)
    - basic navigation (moved to a new city)
    - Alarms, google calendar, Honey-Do lists
    - Crackberry of Course!
    - Reelportal to keep in touch with everyone

    Need I go on?
    LewLew23 and BrokenSaint like this.
    08-31-11 10:23 AM
  11. chasvs's Avatar
    I have it on my desk next to my computer so i can check my e-mail on the BB as well as use the calendar function while on phone calls on the BB! How convenient to be able to check dates and appointments while on the call.
    08-31-11 10:28 AM
  12. eds817's Avatar
    Web surfing

    Watching movies

    Making videos

    Taking pictures

    Sending & receiving email

    Keeping up on current news & sports stories

    Listening to music

    Working with Excel files

    Posting videos to Youtube

    Facebook
    08-31-11 10:29 AM
  13. westcoaststyle's Avatar
    At home, I do the majority of my web-surfing on the PB. I've turned my laptop on maybe only three or four times since getting the PB. My phone is always bridged to it, so I can access my e-mails and BBMs without having to take my phone out of its holster.

    I use it to record my basketball games, then I hook it up to the HDTV and watch it on the big screen on at home. It's a lot more fun watching my team win on a big screen!

    Since my phone is always bridged, if I'm out and about and there's no Wi-Fi signal around I don't fret at all. I simply use the bridge feature to go online and look for whatever I need to.

    While studying, I like to have it out and stream music. While in class, I'll do a quick Google search to figure out what the heck the professor is talking about.

    I'm sure there are a bunch of others I can't think of.
    08-31-11 11:37 AM
  14. LewLew23's Avatar
    I posted this in another thread and thought it would be worth re-posting here:

    I am a part-time masters student, work full time, and have a young family.

    For School:
    - record audio of lectures since I am usually tired by the time class starts
    - record video of lectures I am sure I will need to review
    - most profs give lecture notes in pdf, doc, or ppt so I can read and modify notes during the lecture. I miss too much if I try to handwrite everything.
    - use the internet during lectures to get better explanations of what the prof is talking about.
    - cross reference concepts in class
    - keep to-do and to-study further lists
    - play games during the real dry lectures
    - take pictures of whiteboard diagrams
    - good calculator
    - easy way to collect research pieces from the library (quick notes and pictures of pages)
    - taken pictures of classmate's notes for missed classes
    - light work on papers and assignments
    - Have saved a ton of paper since getting it!

    For Work:
    - VPN into the company network
    - Use the company OWA site for email (I won't put my own devices on the BES, too restrictive)
    - Keep track of my contacts
    - Mindmapping (have a couple apps)
    - Use it with Dropbox and Skydrive (nothing too sensitive though)
    - Play games during the real dry meetings
    - Use it to record meetings for minutes. Easy to pull the file off and give it to the admin assistant.
    - Keep reference documents on it.
    - ToDo lists

    Family/Personal
    - Child entertainment system (good kids games, movies, streaming if you know where to look)
    - Daily News and Weather
    - Bed Buz to get me out of bed in the morning and know how to dress the kids for the weather.
    - Ebook reader (I like EPUB reader), although I still prefer my epaper unit.
    - Music player, including VEVO now
    - watching videos during breaks at school
    - handling my gmail in between everything else
    - light surfing
    - VNC to my home systems (over my personal VPN), and work (but don't tell my boss)
    - Pictures onto facebook and email to the kid's grandparents as stuff happens (their idea, not mine)
    - HD family videos
    - Games while waiting at appointments
    - Guitar tutorial videos off youtube and other sites (Flash baby!). They are nice on something portable
    - Multiple Instrument tuner (I love the designer of Instrument Tuner)
    - basic navigation (moved to a new city)
    - Alarms, google calendar, Honey-Do lists
    - Crackberry of Course!
    - Reelportal to keep in touch with everyone

    Need I go on?
    Now THAT'S what I call putting a PB to good use!

    I use mine for pretty much the same things. It's my laptop's replacement for school and my portable web browser thanks to my BB phone. I do everything with my PlayBook!
    jamesjmunro likes this.
    08-31-11 12:44 PM
  15. marksasongko's Avatar
    mostly web browsing, ebook and rss reading, I used to own an ipod touch but I got tired of having to keep identical files for different apps and I am pretty happy with pb's unrestricted filesystem....
    08-31-11 01:01 PM
  16. oscarantonio718's Avatar
    Cant wait to get mine!!!! Tho im curious how is the video chat that the PB supports? and how it works !!!
    when i play with my friends PB im usually surfing the web or watching videos... it just fits natural and good in the hands!!!!
    08-31-11 01:19 PM
  17. bembol's Avatar
    Watching Videos while working out (Cardio @ LA Fitness), I wouldn't last more than 10 minutes if I didn't have it. I had to have it, before Tablets my family/friends are like WTF when I used my iPod nano, my favourite was 5G.

    I also use it in my Coupe, especially at long drives.

    As for Messages, it's Bridged but use my Torch 9800 to reply. Until, RIM updates the Keyboard I try not to use it, which is why I rarely use the Browser too.
    08-31-11 03:40 PM
  18. aawilson's Avatar
    I have used my PB in some odd circumstances I haven't seen mentioned here yet. One of my hobbies is music, writing and recording songs. Which is one reason I still have the iPad. I used the simple synth app on my PB to record some samples with Garage Band, and then I have a full keyboard of my sound that I can tweak and edit. So some of my songs made using the iPad have sounds that came from the PB. It's also good for writing lyrics and looking up chords, tabs and more.

    I haven't gotten back to Blackberry phones yet, so I am using this as a fully stand alone device, just the way it is. I haven't tried to install the Android Player or hack settings or anything like that. And i am just fine with that. I will get a bb again soon, bridge may be just too cool for school, but I resent the "fact" that my device is crippled without a bb phone, for me, this is just not the case when my iPhone has mobile hotspot, email, calendar etc.

    The regular everyday stuff is pretty much what everyone else says. Web browsing, music and video player, reminder/calendar/todo. Other than that you can probably tell which game I play most often, from my avatar.
    Last edited by aawilson; 08-31-11 at 04:22 PM.
    08-31-11 04:11 PM
  19. Name_Taken's Avatar
    At work got it bridged with my torch all day, so emails and Bbm. Got a wireless overlay at the office so do alot of browsing too tbh.

    At home i pretty much do all my surfing on it, so no need for laptop or having to get sit in the study for net stuff anymore.

    Ive also found ive used it more than i thought would, i think if it was bigger id end up just turning the laptop on.
    08-31-11 04:12 PM
  20. sid_kid's Avatar
    i mostly browse the web, and with the last two or three updates the bridge browsing has turned into a viable alternative. i even find myself using the wifi browser to watch episodes of history channel's "top shot" while using the bridge browser to surf crackberry...

    i also love the built in audio capabilities and i am constantly listening to music (i am just waiting for spotify to launch a web player, or a dedicated pb app)...

    and i do love a lot of the games on the pb, especially "dead space", which even at 9.99 is a steal considering the graphics and excellent adaptation of controls for a touch screen...

    i do a ton of email with picture, video, and document attachments, and i also find that the last few updates have significantly improved this functionality as well...

    since i received my pb (as an anniversary gift from my wife ) it seems as though both her and i hardly use any of the three laptops available in our house, unless we need to do something with the pics from our digital cameras sd card...

    i think that about sums it up.for me...oh yeah and one other thing i should mention is that (knock on wood) i hardly have any problems with my playbook, with the exception of a few bridge issues, usually due to me not keeping the bridge app up to date, or rebooting my phone once every couple of weeks. rim definitely hit a home run in my book and i could not imagine life without my pb...it literally is my best friend...lmao...

    cheers!
    09-01-11 12:20 AM
  21. shootsscores's Avatar
    I had my BB and PB working all day.

    One interesting situation had me fielding calls (getting the heads up via notifications), checking an email on the phone that was full of hard and proposed dates while entering the info into my PB calendar and checking for flights that would make the most of the dates. Then firing off some emails to those affected and forwarding my flight itinerary to whom it may concern. I won't even mention the bbms with wife my wife and our lawyer (don't worry, all is well).

    That was just the morning.

    The BB and the PB are quite the formidable combination.
    09-01-11 12:56 AM
  22. gavinn's Avatar
    I run a Rugby supporter group which uses social media and email heavily, therefore:
    - Facebook
    - Twitter (currently using TweetBook)
    - BBM (one on one chat), no groups yet
    - Email
    - Web Browsing (for forums and advanced Facebook features)
    NedKLee likes this.
    09-01-11 01:00 AM
  23. NedKLee's Avatar
    Ok, so in the last half hour I've checked and replied to some Emails, (Gmail), done some banking, checked my shares, bought a new battery for one of my RC helicopters on Ebay, watched a video on Youtube, bought a book on Audible.com and checked ou the CB forum.

    All whilst bridged via the 9780

    Last night, when I was home I had to fight off the kids so I could get a turn at playing NFS and Reemus and when I get some time I'll put up some photos of Central Australia, the little PB really does take some awesome pictures.
    09-01-11 09:16 AM
  24. caboose01's Avatar
    I'm a photographer, and use mine for inperson proofing with my clients. I can log onto my website and show them their galleries and they can make their purchases on the spot.

    It is also great for watching photoshop tutorials while trying new things in photoshop or Lightroom on my computer.

    Waiting for a couple of apps, Photographers Contract Maker and Easy Release and It will be a complete package for me. I'll be able to do everything from initial meeting to signing the contract, to ordering the package on the playbook.
    09-01-11 12:33 PM
  25. rleo25's Avatar
    I replaced my laptop ( A brand new Thinkpad X220 ) almost 90% of the before use. No wi-fi, no tethering, just Bridge the whole day and night, bb only to make and receive calls... no extra time to miss any app apart from a good note taking one and autocrrection (hehe).
    09-01-11 08:52 PM
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