1. BBPandy's Avatar
    Blackberry PlayBook OEM Keyboard Case shows up for pre-order at $99

    So...who's going to buy one?...I know I am...though @ that price (which was expected) maybe not right away.





    Link to N4BB article
    http://n4bb.com/blackberry-playbook-...hip-march-23rd
    Last edited by bbpandy; 03-09-12 at 07:45 PM.
    berrybook likes this.
    03-09-12 07:40 PM
  2. BBPandy's Avatar
    Here's the User Manual

    What makes this better then the other bluetooth keyboards is:
    A) the 3 in 1 (case, keyboard, multi-touch trackpad)
    B) It uses gestures
    C) It has PB specific keys
    D) As it's made by BB, (in theory) no compatibility issues
    03-09-12 07:59 PM
  3. SharpieFiend's Avatar
    Meh, for a Bluetooth keyboard case it isn't that expensive. I paid $69 (on sale) for my Logitech Android keyboard and it doesn't come as a case or with the trackpad.
    03-09-12 08:52 PM
  4. anon(3896606)'s Avatar
    03-09-12 09:00 PM
  5. bbmme's Avatar
    Hmmm, very tempting eh
    03-09-12 10:51 PM
  6. anon(757282)'s Avatar
    176 kg is pretty darn heavy (see spec sheet). That's over 300 pounds. Sounds like a pretty big battery at that weight. . Hope the QC on the device is better than the spec sheet.
    03-10-12 12:18 AM
  7. thecsman's Avatar
    One hundred nineteen dollars.
    03-10-12 12:30 AM
  8. BBPandy's Avatar
    176 kg is pretty darn heavy (see spec sheet). That's over 300 pounds. Sounds like a pretty big battery at that weight. . Hope the QC on the device is better than the spec sheet.
    lol thx for pointing that out....388 lbs...That must be the weight of all the lead they have in there to protect it's nuclear battery
    03-10-12 05:08 AM
  9. itsyaboy's Avatar
    Man, that is a pretty sexy looking thing! Where I can order this in the Netherlands?!?
    03-10-12 11:11 AM
  10. BBPandy's Avatar
    Man, that is a pretty sexy looking thing! Where I can order this in the Netherlands?!?
    So far it seems it's only available in Canada on Pre-Order....Kinda surprised it's not also available in the US, but I suspect that most PB's being sold in NA are being sold up here & hardly any in the US. Which would explain why they are not selling it down there yet...there just isn't a market for it.
    03-10-12 11:48 AM
  11. eds817's Avatar
    That's a lot of $ when i already have a keyboard & trackpad on my 9900.
    03-10-12 11:54 AM
  12. Valzic's Avatar
    Ordered one...

    Looks good and would be every useful on my Playbook.

    I also like the sale price.
    03-10-12 02:53 PM
  13. Doc Z's Avatar
    You have got to be kidding me. It costs half of what the device it's meant to supplement costs? It's stuff like this that just turns me off from RIM even more. Just absolutely cannot get anything right. As a potential new tablet customer who's waiting on the sidelines to jump in to the tablet game, this doesn't remotely entice me.
    anon(1852343) likes this.
    03-11-12 04:29 AM
  14. BearSnout's Avatar
    You have got to be kidding me. It costs half of what the device it's meant to supplement costs? It's stuff like this that just turns me off from RIM even more. Just absolutely cannot get anything right. As a potential new tablet customer who's waiting on the sidelines to jump in to the tablet game, this doesn't remotely entice me.
    The PB is heavily discounted.

    As a potential new tablet customer, the PB is itself a steal.

    You could always look at the iPad and a k/board and case for that. Then look at your wallet after you buy and you'll realise in total, it isn't a bad deal after all from RIM

    But I do get your point, it could be cheaper. But IT stuff usually isn't when it first comes out. So if is the most expensive, it isn't shocking and will only get cheaper.
    03-11-12 04:52 AM
  15. CrackedBarry's Avatar
    ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS?!?

    I think I paid 50 or 60$ for the Belkin keyboard and case combo I got for my iPad.

    But jeez, 100$??? For what is basically a Bluetooth keyboard and a case?!? That's just obscene IMHO...

    People, we're being bled dry here, and taken for a ride. I don't care what device you have... Ipad, Playbook, Touchpad... As gadget lovers we should stand united on this, and say no, we're not paying 100 bucks for a Bluetooth keyboard and case. Come back with a reasonable price like 50 or 60$ and we can talk.

    You can get a whole tablet for that price!
    03-11-12 06:59 AM
  16. Dapper37's Avatar
    ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS?!?

    I think I paid 50 or 60$ for the Belkin keyboard and case combo I got for my iPad.

    But jeez, 100$??? For what is basically a Bluetooth keyboard and a case?!? That's just obscene IMHO...

    People, we're being bled dry here, and taken for a ride. I don't care what device you have... Ipad, Playbook, Touchpad... As gadget lovers we should stand united on this, and say no, we're not paying 100 bucks for a Bluetooth keyboard and case. Come back with a reasonable price like 50 or 60$ and we can talk.

    You can get a whole tablet for that price!
    How about the, bcc & cc, are they there?
    Last edited by Dapper37; 03-11-12 at 09:22 AM.
    03-11-12 09:17 AM
  17. TBone4eva's Avatar
    Have to point out that according to TheSource's website, the $99 is a pre-order discount. The price jumps to $119.99 after April 11. I think this is way too much. RIM you won't get me to pay full price for this like you did with the PB. I've learned my lesson. I'll wait for the prices to be slashed on the overstock of inventory.
    03-11-12 11:46 AM
  18. mithrazor's Avatar
    Nobody's asking you to buy this specific keyboard. There are others out there. Any bluetooth keyboard work.
    03-11-12 02:20 PM
  19. TBone4eva's Avatar
    It's not a matter of "nobody is asking me to buy this keyboard". It's just overpriced for what it is, a bluetooth keyboard. The same thing happened with the rapid chargers, they were overpriced too and sat on the shelf until they were heavily discounted. There is no point in pricing something so that you have to discount it later when you can get the pricing right the first time.
    Doc Z likes this.
    03-11-12 11:45 PM
  20. Rootbrian's Avatar
    I think they made a typo with the weight, maybe 17.6 kg, which isn't really heavy at all. If it really is that heavy, it likely uses a SLA battery instead of a LI-ION battery. I donno, maybe it uses a 8800 mAh li-ion battery, if it does, z, maybe that's why the price is a bit high.

    But I wouldn't complain at all at the price, it's a good deal and if I had the money, I would have already bought it, but I'm poor and it would take quite a while to save up. Until then, I have my 9900 to control my playbook and to also type up a storm on it.
    03-12-12 03:51 AM
  21. mithrazor's Avatar
    I think they made a typo with the weight, maybe 17.6 kg, which isn't really heavy at all. If it really is that heavy, it likely uses a SLA battery instead of a LI-ION battery. I donno, maybe it uses a 8800 mAh li-ion battery, if it does, z, maybe that's why the price is a bit high.

    But I wouldn't complain at all at the price, it's a good deal and if I had the money, I would have already bought it, but I'm poor and it would take quite a while to save up. Until then, I have my 9900 to control my playbook and to also type up a storm on it.
    What?? That's like 40 pounds.
    03-12-12 01:47 PM
  22. Rootbrian's Avatar
    What?? That's like 40 pounds.
    Or they wrote kg instead of lbs.
    03-12-12 01:49 PM
  23. conix67's Avatar
    At first, based on the price, I was going to ignore this altogether, but on the second thought, this could be quite useful at least at work if PB is the on-the-go device for meetings around the office. The on-screen keyboard is really not convenient at all if you have to write long messages. This keyboard, if sized right, could fill that gap nicely and make PB all that more useful.

    Sure, it will pretty much turn this device into a smallish netbook, but it can still be used without the keyboard. At $99, tempting. At lower prices (maybe wishful thinking) I wouldn't have second thoughts.
    03-13-12 08:51 AM
  24. wiggy1's Avatar
    I saw the review shown on the Crackberry homepage for the keyboard. It looks great. What was unclear was how the tablet mounted in the case. It looked like the case is similar to the current convertible case with the rubber shell and extra room in the flap to allow for the keyboard. It looked like the keyboard was removable as well so you could just have the playbook when the keyboard wasn't necessary.

    I am curious whether the playbook could be charged while in the case though or if the ports are covered up. Does anybody know? Or, are there additional pictures posted anywhere? The pictures on the shop blackberry site don't show much.
    03-13-12 06:28 PM
  25. morlock_man's Avatar
    I broke down and pre-ordered one of these from the source for the 15% discount.

    I bought an el'cheapo chinese keyboard case for $40 there a while back. Wasn't impressed. It had a tendency to drop the bluetooth connection every few minutes, which made it frustrating to use.

    I'm sure that since RIM has such a solid reputation with their phones that this keyboard will probably be up to their standards of awesomeness.

    Plus, I like my Playbook so much that I feel like I stole it for the price I got it for, so shelling out a couple extra bucks for a quality accessory doesn't feel so bad.
    03-13-12 09:46 PM
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