[wxmancanada]

I've been someone who's had to carry a laptop with them for years, either keep one in the trunk on a trip or hidden away in a backpack. They've been large, annoying and an excuse to keep myself connected to the office even more so than having the BlackBerry.

Being a broadcast engineer I need to have the ability to pull out my laptop, connect to whatever server, remotely connect to whatever desktop, and use a suite of Windows applications in between all of that. All of this on the fly, from wherever I am. For years, I've needed my laptop to do this.

2 weeks ago I left my work laptop at work. I came home and looked at my brand new HP laptop sitting on my windowsill, it was covered in dust; I hadn't used it in weeks. Probably about twice sine I bought it. I took some photos of it using my PlayBook and posted it on Kijiji. Within a few hours it was sold and I was sitting at home with my PlayBook, my 9900 and my desktop computer.

I looked at myself in the reflection of the PlayBook's momentarily turned off screen and said "Let's do this".

For the past two weeks I've been able to do my complex day-to-day activities without my laptop, but instead with my PlayBook, 9900 and the Remote Desktop Application (which I HIGHLY recommend for anyone who needs something like this). I was having dinner with my family who live outside of town earlier this week and something came up at work where I needed to fix a piece of code running on a server in real-time. No problem, pulled out the PlayBook, fired up WiFi hotspot on my 9900 and RDP'd into the server, re-wrote some code, re-compiled it and had it back up and running in under 10 minutes.

Now, I still have my desktop computer at home for working on projects and well, at the end of the day I still need a computer. But for on the go, PlayBook is the way to go.

This is what makes the PlayBook so great. It's taken some time to get real use out of it, as I was one of many who bought it on launch day. But I'll tell you one thing, I've never regretted it. I fully expected the PlayBook to slowly develop into my hybrid entertainment and business powerhouse, which it just proved it has. Anything from here forward just makes this tablet even better!

[tfp]

Very good story! Looking at getting the RD app myself soon. One question, can it be used just bridged to the phone or does it have to be wifi?

[mrbama97]

Way to go. That sounds great.

I still haven't used mine for business very much, but I love it for use around the house. Trying to get computer time with 3 girls and my wife that teaches is hard. I am the only one who gets to touch MY Playbook.

[wxmancanada]

Very good story! Looking at getting the RD app myself soon. One question, can it be used just bridged to the phone or does it have to be wifi?

It's well worth the money! At the moment it does not work via bridge, but I think I read somewhere there will be bridge support down the road. However, using WiFi hotpot on OS 7.1 for this app works great.

[szparaj]

Yeah on the go for work it works very well! At the office I need my laptop. I have so many windows open and resized so I can monitor at an eyes glanse. Now if in the future they have an app that will allow you to resize running apps so you can view them all than I wouldn't need the laptop. Just plug in the playbook into an hdmi monitor.

[anon(3896606)]

Very nice story. I have been thinking of buying remote desktop, just haven't made a decision...

[aha]

is RDP better or splash desktop?

[wxmancanada]

I personally haven't tried Splashtop, but from what I've read the RDP app is more turnkey. No extra applications to install on the desktop side.

[FXCLM5]

LOL, so do you lug around a keyboard a mouse, and a 10 key numeric pad as well?

some of you crackberry fanboi just make the playbook seem like its the best piece of technology out there.

id love to see a programmer use a touchscreen to program code. LOL

id love to see you scroll through pages and pages of code without a mouse, since the touchscreen is responsive to like 50% of the swipe movement.

id love to see you pull out 2x devices, launch your phone, launch your tablet, connect all your , then get the rdp to work, all while your counterpart is sitting at his laptop next to you laughing at you strugging to all sync your devices together.

and this 10min program code, since your so good at it, how fast could you have done it on your home desktop or laptop, it shoulda been a lot lessright? , since you dont have to sync abuncha crap together, and you could actually utilize a scrolling mouse and a full keyboard.

lol

[wxmancanada]

id love to see a programmer use a touchscreen to program code. LOL

I should probably add that I am the lead engineer/programmer for a national broadcast channel that has 12.6 million viewers. Which I now control and update/make changes to via the PlayBook.

Also, the following 'words' you used, are in fact not words:

strugging
lessright
abuncha
lol

[FXCLM5]

hey buddy do me a favor, why dont you take a poll of YOUR programmers in the field.

ask them to time themselves writing a simple line code in a full keyboard vs a touchscreen.

lets compare the time, now sell that timeline to your management, and they will say hey thats cool but bring your laptop, because by the time you pull out everything and sync everything up, the code would have been fixed already.

common, i dare you to take the poll, ask any programmer would they prefer to write programs with a touchscreen or a keyboard.

I can write PLC code, but there is no way a TABLET with a touchscreen will eliminate my laptop or desktop with a full keyboard and mouse. Just navigating and finding the code im looking for with a scrolling mouse is hard enough sometimes.

You being the lead programmer, really i have to 2nd guess this, do you know windows 8 will be out on a tablet version, with full windows flexibility, what tablet will you want then, the tablet that seamlessly integrates with windows, or will you still be the guy in the back secretly trying to sync everything together while the guy in the front has found the code and fixed it already.

Also lead programmers should have a lot more minions underneath them, maybe you should manage your team better so they dont always depend on the top dog to fix everything. LOL

[thecsman]

Still a success story, "buddy". I'm sure the op will get the upcoming keyboard for Playbook. In my opinion, you don't need "seamless Windows integration" when you already have your workstation in front of you.

[Bozarth]

hey buddy do me a favor, why dont you take a poll of YOUR programmers in the field.

ask them to time themselves writing a simple line code in a full keyboard vs a touchscreen.

lets compare the time, now sell that timeline to your management, and they will say hey thats cool but bring your laptop, because by the time you pull out everything and sync everything up, the code would have been fixed already.

common, i dare you to take the poll, ask any programmer would they prefer to write programs with a touchscreen or a keyboard.

I can write PLC code, but there is no way a TABLET with a touchscreen will eliminate my laptop or desktop with a full keyboard and mouse. Just navigating and finding the code im looking for with a scrolling mouse is hard enough sometimes.

You being the lead programmer, really i have to 2nd guess this, do you know windows 8 will be out on a tablet version, with full windows flexibility, what tablet will you want then, the tablet that seamlessly integrates with windows, or will you still be the guy in the back secretly trying to sync everything together while the guy in the front has found the code and fixed it already.

Also lead programmers should have a lot more minions underneath them, maybe you should manage your team better so they dont always depend on the top dog to fix everything. LOL

I can see why you think that typing on a tablet would be a difficult task since you aren't able to do it with a keyboard, apparently. The Playbook is a capable tablet, deal with it.

P.S. lern 2 spel pleeze

[tumblingdice03]

Guess you missed the fact he was at dinner and the playbook allowed him to fix the problem without having to leave this family function.....or carry a laptop in with him. Sounds great to me. Thanks for sharing.

[pinkert11]

I think this is a great, I also used to lug around a laptop, then a net book and now my playbook. I like it with the rdp so much that I my whole team uses them, and the company is starting to roll out globally.

To FXCLM5, I can tell you that if you worked for me you would be fired in no time for your simple arrogant attitude. You come off sounding like a little kid with a chip on his shoulder who thinks h e should be on the top of the world, get bent. You need to learn to try something new before your 'I'm the greatest and smartest, and knowest best' attitude makes you sound foolish.

PS, a small bluetooth mouse works with the PB, as well as a micro bluetooth keypad that is smaller then my hand and I can type 30 w/p/m with it.

[Coach101]

hey buddy do me a favor, why dont you take a poll of YOUR programmers in the field.

ask them to time themselves writing a simple line code in a full keyboard vs a touchscreen.

lets compare the time, now sell that timeline to your management, and they will say hey thats cool but bring your laptop, because by the time you pull out everything and sync everything up, the code would have been fixed already.

common, i dare you to take the poll, ask any programmer would they prefer to write programs with a touchscreen or a keyboard.

I can write PLC code, but there is no way a TABLET with a touchscreen will eliminate my laptop or desktop with a full keyboard and mouse. Just navigating and finding the code im looking for with a scrolling mouse is hard enough sometimes.

You being the lead programmer, really i have to 2nd guess this, do you know windows 8 will be out on a tablet version, with full windows flexibility, what tablet will you want then, the tablet that seamlessly integrates with windows, or will you still be the guy in the back secretly trying to sync everything together while the guy in the front has found the code and fixed it already.

Also lead programmers should have a lot more minions underneath them, maybe you should manage your team better so they dont always depend on the top dog to fix everything. LOL

guessing your mommy never told you about the "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything" the op was sharing, you were ....hmm lets see...being a !

[wxmancanada]

Hey "buddy",

This will be my last reply to you, so let's get started.

hey buddy do me a favor, why dont you take a poll of YOUR programmers in the field.

When you pay them, they'll do what you want. For now, they're mine and they're very pleased with the equipment they use.

lets compare the time, now sell that timeline to your management, and they will say hey thats cool but bring your laptop, because by the time you pull out everything and sync everything up, the code would have been fixed already.

Hmm, you've used that sync word a few times now, so hold that thought and I'll explain why it's wrong the next time you use the word. I'm sure it's coming up soon.

common, i dare you to take the poll, ask any programmer would they prefer to write programs with a touchscreen or a keyboard.

It's common to dare people to take the poll?

I [...] write PLC code

Hopefully for nothing in my house. "powar=ohn"

but there is no way a TABLET with a touchscreen will eliminate my laptop or desktop with a full keyboard and mouse. Just navigating and finding the code im looking for with a scrolling mouse is hard enough sometimes.

Now, if you'll direct yourself to the original post (Go look, I'll sit here and wait for you to come back)... I said that I still have a desktop, in fact I said: "Now, I still have my desktop computer at home for working on projects and well, at the end of the day I still need a computer. But for on the go, PlayBook is the way to go."

[...] in the back secretly trying to sync everything together [...]

*DING* Not sure why you keep using the word sync, it's like you're stuck in the palm pilot age. My PlayBook is constantly connected to my BlackBerry 9900. In fact, when I remotely connected to the server last week; the BlackBerry never left my coat pocket. I pulled the PlayBook out and started using it.

Also lead programmers should have a lot more minions underneath them, maybe you should manage your team better so they dont always depend on the top dog to fix everything. LOL

Hey, they don't pay me the big bucks to do nothing.

The reality is, you probably use my service every single day. I suppose if you knew it was all being supported by BlackBerry in more than a handful of ways; you'd stop using it. So I'll keep hush at this point. Anyways. Thanks for stopping by my thread today, in the future I might suggest you read the forum rules before posting, a very specific rule I'd like you to read can be found here:

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...forums-655452/

Warm regards,
Everyone.

[FXCLM5]

I can see why you think that typing on a tablet would be a difficult task since you aren't able to do it with a keyboard, apparently. The Playbook is a capable tablet, deal with it.

P.S. lern 2 spel pleeze

dood typing and programming are 2x different things,

poll programmers that have to dive into code, browse and find the code, then read it, fix it,

programming CODE is not your regular alphabet guys.

i can type over 80 wpm on a keyboard, its like maybe 40 on a tablet with predictive text, but when i need special keystrokes/inputs, the tablet screen doesnt have it.

and everybody else posting, have you guys admitted you bring a mouse and a keyboard, oh but they are MINI... lol

im not tooting the horn, what he has done is cool, and may be productive in a certain aspect, but it certainly does NOT replace the laptop - that is foolish to say so.

Very simple thing, sell it to your management, if the playbook is as powerful as he claims, why would the IT/management departments say no? If it does cut down on programming time, is cheaper then a laptop, lighter, more portable its a win win win situation isnt it?

However your laptop has a dvd player, you can install programs, not wait for the developer to port a app onto the playbook. Oh yea, totally forget about this huh, we as the end user should not have to wait to use a product.

lead developer, you must understand your code is only as good as your weakest link, if all your supporting programmers are always relying on you the lead programmer to get the job done, you should ask your HR to perform a skills test on your employees and proceed from there.

[pinkert11]

FXCLM5, you missed the entire point that the OP was making: "ON THE GO", as in not at a desk in your house or at work. I have two desktops and three laptops and you know what, nothing will replace them when I need to do full on work, however when at the mall, or in a meeting, a remote field location or watching my kids play at the park the playbook beats my laptops for shear portability. This you don't seem to get as you work life seems to be anchored to a desk. No one said it was a replacement, but a great alternative when you are mobile, out with the family or what-have you. Not all of use work 9-5 and some of us need to be able to react to situations and issues right away.

How is this for real life reason. On the long week-end in Aug. I was camping 4 hours north of Toronto in the middle of no where. At 12:30 am I get an email from an Executive VP, then a couple of others that our lotus domino (email and apps) server in Asia (Shanghai) is not working. The local on call tech can not solve the issue. So I grab my playbook, tether it to my 9810 then connect to a computer in Toronto via Logmein and then rdp to the Asia server. Sixty min. later the issue is resolved and a half or more day is not lost for 40 to 50 people. All of this was done while my daughters (5 & 8) and wife were comfy and sleeping in the tent beside me and I did not wake them by having to leave the tent and walk 15 min back to the car to use my laptop.

[canuckvoip]

Very good story! Looking at getting the RD app myself soon. One question, can it be used just bridged to the phone or does it have to be wifi?

I use the native RDP app. Love it.
The other day I was at lunch with our company owner and one of the sales reps. The restaurant had no wifi and I have a BB 9800 so no wifi hotspot for me.
The owner asked a question about one of our customers we could only guess at.
I tethered to the 9800, and used RDP to our CRM/database. Question answered in under a minute.

So yes, wifi/hotspot or tether works. Not bridge at this point yet.
Anyway... Not as cool as the OP story, but still... It's awesome!

[gharshenin]

LOL, so do you lug around a keyboard a mouse, and a 10 key numeric pad as well?

some of you crackberry fanboi just make the playbook seem like its the best piece of technology out there.

id love to see a programmer use a touchscreen to program code. LOL

id love to see you scroll through pages and pages of code without a mouse, since the touchscreen is responsive to like 50% of the swipe movement.

id love to see you pull out 2x devices, launch your phone, launch your tablet, connect all your , then get the rdp to work, all while your counterpart is sitting at his laptop next to you laughing at you strugging to all sync your devices together.

and this 10min program code, since your so good at it, how fast could you have done it on your home desktop or laptop, it shoulda been a lot lessright? , since you dont have to sync abuncha crap together, and you could actually utilize a scrolling mouse and a full keyboard.

lol

I'd love to know if you actually own a Playbook?

I'd love to know if you have any point to make other than poopoo others success stories?

PS to orig poster: nice to hear success stories that challenge others to think differently on how they can do things better.

[rjedge54]

dood typing and programming are 2x different things,

poll programmers that have to dive into code, browse and find the code, then read it, fix it,

programming CODE is not your regular alphabet guys.

i can type over 80 wpm on a keyboard, its like maybe 40 on a tablet with predictive text, but when i need special keystrokes/inputs, the tablet screen doesnt have it.

and everybody else posting, have you guys admitted you bring a mouse and a keyboard, oh but they are MINI... lol

im not tooting the horn, what he has done is cool, and may be productive in a certain aspect, but it certainly does NOT replace the laptop - that is foolish to say so

Very clearly you not only have some difficulty with spelling but reading as well. As others have stated repeatedly he stated that the Playbook was the best tool "ON THE ROAD" and not as a replacement for a computer or laptop all the time. While you may have difficulty typing on a tablet others apparently don't otherwise why would you assume they anybody who does any amount of typing on a Playbook *must* be using a keyboard and mouse or they are lying. I'm there are those that do, but many of us don't including myself. In fact easily 95% of my posts here (including this one) are from my Playbook with its touch keyboard which is one of the easiest to use and type relatively quickly, whereas my Asus Eee Slate is much more difficult to use so I use a keyboard and mouse with it when I have to type more that a paragraph or two.

I also have no idea where you get this "syncing" difficulty from as with a Playbook and a BB phone it is nearly seamless, moreso with 9900.

The OP gave us a great story (thanks) that echoes my use of my PB as a system admin using RDP, VPN and Telnet/SSH to access and administer servers remotely from wherever I am and Evernote, Docs to Go in meetings for note taking as well as presentations.

Many others here also have great stories of putting their Playbooks to work contrary to those claiming that the PB "sucks" or is "half baked" etc.

[collapsed]

hey buddy do me a favor, why dont you take a poll of YOUR programmers in the field.

ask them to time themselves writing a simple line code in a full keyboard vs a touchscreen.

lets compare the time, now sell that timeline to your management, and they will say hey thats cool but bring your laptop, because by the time you pull out everything and sync everything up, the code would have been fixed already.

common, i dare you to take the poll, ask any programmer would they prefer to write programs with a touchscreen or a keyboard.

I can write PLC code, but there is no way a TABLET with a touchscreen will eliminate my laptop or desktop with a full keyboard and mouse. Just navigating and finding the code im looking for with a scrolling mouse is hard enough sometimes.

You being the lead programmer, really i have to 2nd guess this, do you know windows 8 will be out on a tablet version, with full windows flexibility, what tablet will you want then, the tablet that seamlessly integrates with windows, or will you still be the guy in the back secretly trying to sync everything together while the guy in the front has found the code and fixed it already.

Also lead programmers should have a lot more minions underneath them, maybe you should manage your team better so they dont always depend on the top dog to fix everything. LOL

I actually had to stop and laugh for about 2 minutes. 2 minutes I will never get back. Thanks for that.

[rotorwrench]

I know how you feel but ignore it, you took the bait, don't get reeled in

[blue-b]

My needs are met by the playbook, my laptop at home is also gathering dust, and no longer travelling with me. Thanks for sharing.