[alnamvet68]

Here's your opportunity to tell us why you came back to the BlackBerry PlayBook after owning/using either an Apple iPad or Android tablet.

Tell us what you had, or still may have, and what exactly was it that brought you back to the PlayBook, or for first time PB owners, what was it that made you give up your device(s) for a BlackBerry PlayBook.

Thanks in advance, keep it clean, and no platform bashing.

[bmich40]

I have a very good experience with Apple product.

I had an iPad and everything was smooth and would have still been smooth. I really enjoyed the iPad 2. But it was too big. I like to try new things. One feature I would have liked on my iPad was the possibility to write with a stylus. Lenovo had advertised the Thinkpad Android tablet with a stylus integrated and an app. So I sold my iPad 2 and then bought the Lenovo thinkpad Android tablet with a Keyboard folio. But that was a bad experience. I sold my Thinkpad Tablet. And a couple months ago I saw the price of the playbook got down. I went to a store and tried it. I liked the form factor and the speed of that thing.

Well I decided to buy the PB. Around the same period of time I had to change my cell phone plan. My plan was too expensive and anyway I had changed work and I needed another cell. I did not want to spent too much money on the plan and my cell phone company wanted to keep me as a client. They offer me a 2 years contract with a Blackberry (curve 9360) and a plan that fit my budget. So I went that road.

I had previously owned an iPhone 4 (very good phone). When I started with blackberry I did not know that when changhing from a phone like iPhone to blackberry phone there are major diff�rences... which I still do not fully understand. For example: my plan with the iPhone has not terminated when I received the blackberry I had to have a different SIM card. I could not receive my email messages right away. I was annoyed cause no one had told me that. SO now I had to wait for the new plan to start to be able to use the email app on the Curve 9360. I could not go on the web either for the same reason. Then I paid $5.00 to my cell phone compagny to have a 60MB data plan in order to be able to go on the web and use emails till my new plan starts.

I like very much the way Blackberry do their OS on the phone and on the PB.

Not that easy to use when you had a smart phone that you just use no matter what KIND OF PLAN you have; I am not sure if what I am saying is right. There is a couple of things I don't get with Blackberry system. Anyway! I am still learning. The only thing that I have to get use to is that there are not a lot of apps in the blackberry system. That's the only thing I really miss. With apple there was an app for everyting and more. But on the blackberry not much. But with the 2.0 OS it's getting much better. I just started a few weeks before the 2.0 came out. So the timing was right for me. I miss my NAVIGON GPS app on my iPhone. Now I am looking for a GOOD GPS navigation app for my Curve 9360. I tried the Ubinav but for some reason it does not find any of my addreses I am typing in. ????? Still not sure of what's happening?

Well I do not know if what I wrote make sens for the thread??!!??

[hpulley]

I bought a Kobo Vox Android tablet first, attracted by the $199 price point and 7" size. Once my kids absconded it to read books and play Angry Birds I went looking for another device for myself. I thought the iPad was too expensive and 10" too bulky and looked at several Android 7" tablets but when I tried the PlayBook it was so fast, multitasked so well, the screen so crisp, the speakers so good that it seemed like a better deal at $299 32GB. For use as multimedia the HDMI is great, the battery life and wifi reconnect speed was much better than Android, I liked the security.

I had a work supplied Bold 9700 and the bridging was awesome. It is a great device at work, as a dev manager I can do almost all my work on the PlayBook with Docs to go, Adobe reader, bridge browser as a super VPN, HDMI for presentations, better now with the bridge remote. I like bridging better than tethering.

What would I like? More RAM as 1GB often runs out with what I do.

Full office would be great, thats a feature that could perhaps make a Windows 8 tablet more work friendly for me if MS puts full featured mobile office on it. Skydrive works on the PlayBook but Skydrive Office is far from full featured, Docs to go is good but not full featured.

And Netflix might be nice. I love youtube, NFB, SnagFilms and web based streaming like Rogers On Demand, CTV on demand works great so it is too bad that Netflix web streaming insists it won't work on a tablet and they haven't released a PlayBook app. My slower Kobo Vox plays Netflix fine so the hardware is obviously not the issue.

[OttawaGabe]

Not a case of either or, but also. I have a 16GB iPad2 that has many apps that I need and use all the time, but I also wanted a smaller 7 or 8 inch tablet with FLASH ability for watching online video, GPS ability (can't use that much yet) and for keeping certain files docs available on the go. I often have my iPad, PB and laptop all going at the same time, I can be working on a client, have a video and web browser running at the same time.

With the recent price drops, I picked up a 32GB PB.

Print to Go has been very nice, but the sucky PDF reader is not helping. A good PDF reader + iSilo + a good GPS app w/ Offline maps would be the killer apps for me.

[GGKoul]

Had a 32g PB in the fall but returned it as the lack of apps and OS issues just didn't cut it for me. But I did like the size. So I got a Asus Prime in Jan and that unit had wifi issues plus I didn't really like the size of the tablet nor could I justify the price. So I returned it and got a 32g PB for half then price only to upgrade to a 64g once I found one.

While I can't say I'm completely satisfied with the Playbook, there is enough to keep me interested in the unit to keep it for awhile. But once a good 7inch Android device comes out at a reasonable price point, I'll probably give my PB to my wife and get the new android. As the playbook does lots of good things now, there appears to be some factors like poor developer support for things that matter to me, like a good PDF reader, Sonos, lack of kids games that are going to hurt the Playbook in the future.. And all that is happening while Windows, Android and Apple devices just get better and developer support increases. Sure the BB OS is better then the others, as its be stated here before, the OS doesn't make a tablet successful, apps and developer support does.

And while sideloading apps fills some of that void for missing apps. The more I find android apps and convert them only to have them fail on the playbook just makes me think why am I going through the hassle of converting apps only to have them not work.. so it gets me thinking why don't I just get a android device.

[drucifer]

Try using BlackBerry Traffic App for your GPS needs.

I have a very good experience with Apple product.

I had an iPad and everything was smooth and would have still been smooth. I really enjoyed the iPad 2. But it was too big. I like to try new things. One feature I would have liked on my iPad was the possibility to write with a stylus. Lenovo had advertised the Thinkpad Android tablet with a stylus integrated and an app. So I sold my iPad 2 and then bought the Lenovo thinkpad Android tablet with a Keyboard folio. But that was a bad experience. I sold my Thinkpad Tablet. And a couple months ago I saw the price of the playbook got down. I went to a store and tried it. I liked the form factor and the speed of that thing.

Well I decided to buy the PB. Around the same period of time I had to change my cell phone plan. My plan was too expensive and anyway I had changed work and I needed another cell. I did not want to spent too much money on the plan and my cell phone company wanted to keep me as a client. They offer me a 2 years contract with a Blackberry (curve 9360) and a plan that fit my budget. So I went that road.

I had previously owned an iPhone 4 (very good phone). When I started with blackberry I did not know that when changhing from a phone like iPhone to blackberry phone there are major diff�rences... which I still do not fully understand. For example: my plan with the iPhone has not terminated when I received the blackberry I had to have a different SIM card. I could not receive my email messages right away. I was annoyed cause no one had told me that. SO now I had to wait for the new plan to start to be able to use the email app on the Curve 9360. I could not go on the web either for the same reason. Then I paid $5.00 to my cell phone compagny to have a 60MB data plan in order to be able to go on the web and use emails till my new plan starts.

I like very much the way Blackberry do their OS on the phone and on the PB.

Not that easy to use when you had a smart phone that you just use no matter what KIND OF PLAN you have; I am not sure if what I am saying is right. There is a couple of things I don't get with Blackberry system. Anyway! I am still learning. The only thing that I have to get use to is that there are not a lot of apps in the blackberry system. That's the only thing I really miss. With apple there was an app for everyting and more. But on the blackberry not much. But with the 2.0 OS it's getting much better. I just started a few weeks before the 2.0 came out. So the timing was right for me. I miss my NAVIGON GPS app on my iPhone. Now I am looking for a GOOD GPS navigation app for my Curve 9360. I tried the Ubinav but for some reason it does not find any of my addreses I am typing in. ????? Still not sure of what's happening?

Well I do not know if what I wrote make sens for the thread??!!??

[kbz1960]

Off topic, yes I'm sorry. But I see a lot of people saying there is little or no developer support. Thank you all for ignoring the great devs we have. I guess they all mean Skype, netflix and hulu aren't developing for it so no one is.

[DMitch]

Off topic, yes I'm sorry. But I see a lot of people saying there is little or no developer support. Thank you all for ignoring the great devs we have. I guess they all mean Skype, netflix and hulu aren't developing for it so no one is.

Off topic as well, sorry too!
As a professional and productivity tool...I would settle for JUST ONE decent note taking app with my fingers/stylus (with or without the ability to convert to text) that I can use during meetings!!!!

Yes I own & tried groovynotes, picinote & note smarty.

Any (developer) takers?!

[kbz1960]

Off topic as well, sorry too!
As a professional and productivity tool...I would settle for JUST ONE decent note taking app with my fingers/stylus (with or without the ability to convert to text) that I can use during meetings!!!!

Yes I own & tried groovynotes, picinote & note smarty.

Any (developer) takers?!

As I know nothing about developing but maybe they just don't have the tools yet or just got them with the latest ndk. Other platforms didn't have things either until after a year or so when their native ndk's came out.

[tkhamis]

I bought my PB after already having the iPad2.

I bought my PB mainly because it was inexpensive, but I always liked it since it was released. While I do feel that iPad is pretty much better in all important categories, I find that for what I need the PB is good enough. To me the important things are:
* The email client, which is much better on PB. I actually hoped that I would be able to use it in portrait mode, because in landscape typing on PB is no better than the iPad.
* The browser is good enough. I don't care for flash and I'm still amazed how much faster the iPad is when it comes to loading pages, pinch to zoom etc. But again the PB is pretty good.
* Cost. I feel safer using the PB on the subway, or work, because it's $200 vs. $600 iPad (with a cover).

With the OS2, I feel at the current price the PB is hard to beat.

[rkennedy01]

My first tablet was a Galaxy Tab 10.1. While the build quality was excellent, I found the size a bit too unwieldy for true portable computing. I always worried where to stash the unit while travelling in the car, etc.

I also found Android 3.2 to be way too sluggish. So, on a lark, I decided to pick-up a 16GB PB during the pre-Christmas sales. It was tough to find, but I finally tracked one down at a local Staples.

My first impressions were less than positive: No Skype? No A2DP support? No CIFS/Samba share access? But as I got to know the unit, I began to appreciate its finer qualities. The robust multitasking. The superior build/materials. The excellent screen and speakers. And when I learned that OS 2.0 was just around the corner I realized that the platform had serious potential, plus a lively user community here on crackberry.com.

Long story short: The Tab 10.1 went back to Costco, the PB was swapped for a 32GB model, and I eventually picked-up another 16GB model from the Sprint store at the Mall at Wellington Green (last one in stock) so my wife would have her own and leave mine alone. :-)

No regrets - and I now have two gorgeous PB's for less than I paid for a 16GB Tab 10.1, so...

RCK

[crackberryjill]

GPS ability (can't use that much yet)

Magellan Compass will have a full offline gps ability with turn by turn coming out in the next couple of months.

[alnamvet68]

RTFFQ people's.

[Lead_Express]

I still have a few other competitor tablets; namely the Kindle Fire and the iPad2. I got the PlayBook because I had a BlackBerry phone and was interested in the bridge features. Little did I know that my PB would soon replace the others as the tablet of choice for work and play. Reasons? Portability, bridge browsing, and multitasking. Fire is portable but wi-fi only, iPad2 is great but I might as well be carrying a laptop. PlayBook is the best of all worlds for my needs and that's why I rock one!

[GGKoul]

Off topic, yes I'm sorry. But I see a lot of people saying there is little or no developer support. Thank you all for ignoring the great devs we have. I guess they all mean Skype, netflix and hulu aren't developing for it so no one is.

I actually take offense to that comment.. Of course I understand there is developer support , but compared to other devices the RIM support is limited. And from what we are hearing and seeing, developers and especially major developers are not spending time on developing RIM apps first. Typically its Apple 1st, Android 2nd with Windows and RIM being an after thought and you have to agree that's what happening out there.

I don't care about Skype and I have PlayOn that satisfies my NetFlix, Hulu and streaming requirements. But having a working PDF tool with ongoing support would be nice. And for me a working Sonos app would nice and the odd fart app would be a bonus.. haha.

[crackbridge]

I orginally had an IPAD 1 before I bought my playbook in the late summer. The IPAD for me was too big for carrying around to job sites (coat/cargo pants etc). I already had a BB so I got the Playbook and bridged it. Worked perfect for me, and I loved it. Less overall apps, but I do not play many games and the important apps like writing and editing documents and taking notes etc/ plus the BB email/calendar/bbm when bridged worked well.

I got a Samssumg Galaxy Tab through a new phone deal with Rogers and starting using it quite heavily at first. However, it now collects dust. Still too big a tablet for my personal use and the browser just was not up to par with the playbook. I also missed the UI of the playbook. After 2.0, the BB Playbook has solidified its place as being on me/ or with me at all times.

I enjoyed both the IPAD and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but for my use, I enjoyed the Playbook more. For me it fits !

[kbz1960]

I actually take offense to that comment.. Of course I understand there is developer support , but compared to other devices the RIM support is limited. And from what we are hearing and seeing, developers and especially major developers are not spending time on developing RIM apps first. Typically its Apple 1st, Android 2nd with Windows and RIM being an after thought and you have to agree that's what happening out there.

I don't care about Skype and I have PlayOn that satisfies my NetFlix, Hulu and streaming requirements. But having a working PDF tool with ongoing support would be nice. And for me a working Sonos app would nice and the odd fart app would be a bonus.. haha.

Sorry didn't mean to offend anyone. I also don't care about skype, netflix or hulu other than for people that do want them. The Sonos system looks pretty cool even for younger farts which I'm not either

[renegade37918]

i'm pro android former bb fanboy got the pb because it was cheap (just the price) the device is very nice.. this will hold me over until i find the right droid tab i want.. dont understand why it doesnt have bbm bbm is your selling point rim i like it not in love with it yet just one day in need more apps to sideload..

[doxa sub750T]

Size, price and as a BB user, they are a match made in heaven.

iPad, just ended up keeping it at home for most of the time and was waiting for PB to release. I got one at a great deal and see no need to pay more for iPad2.

PB at launch, the price was a little too much for my taste, but my wife decided to surprise me when time was right with the 64GB model.

I have yet tried any Andriod tablet, and do not foresee any change at all in the near future.

However, I am going to try Window 8 should MS release 7-8" model. Anything larger, I will stay content with my PB.

[OttawaGabe]

Magellan Compass will have a full offline gps ability with turn by turn coming out in the next couple of months.

I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath.

[bmich40]

I have the Traffic App but it's only in English. I don't mind. However I live in Montreal and where I hear the name of the streets I really can't understand a word of what it is saying..
What to do???

[alnamvet68]

i'm pro android former bb fanboy got the pb because it was cheap (just the price) the device is very nice.. this will hold me over until i find the right droid tab i want.. dont understand why it doesnt have bbm bbm is your selling point rim i like it not in love with it yet just one day in need more apps to sideload..

So what does the 'droid tablet not have that made you buy a PlayBook just on a temporary basis? I take it you did not switch to the PlayBook from another platform, as is the subject of this thread?