[maddesthatter]

I won a Playbook over the weekend but I'm reluctant to open it, thinking instead that I'll try to sell it. Before I write it off though, I thought I'd try chatting with people who really love theirs. So, would any of you pro-Playbook guys like to point me to resources that lay out why I should keep it instead?

Also, some specific questions:

Is there really no way to do video chats with a desktop user?
What's the Android support look like; do a lot of things work?
How is this for reading PDFs; do they render fast enough to read books that way?
It seems like a lot of people recommend a lot of paid apps for almost anything; are there not a lot of useful free apps?

Thanks in advance for any insight here. I appreciate it!

[RoseBud68]

No you should sell it me instead.....

[byul]

Or better donate it to me.

[DocDRM]

I'm thinking you should hold a contest to re-gift it where the winner is chosen by how closely his CrackBerry username matches with "DocDRM"

That's my suggestion, anyway . . .

[Powdah]

Give it to me.

[SifJar]

To actually answer your questions:

I believe there ARE ways to do video chat with desktop users. Not using popular apps, but I think there is something called Adobe Connect or something like that which can be used, also you can use AV by AOL - Let's video chat! from the browser - you open the page and click the button to start a chat, then it gives you a link. Send that to someone via email or facebook or whatever, they open that link on their device (PC or whatever) and then they'll be added to your chat.

Android support isn't great. Some apps work. Some don't. Don't rely on being able to get specific apps to work if you really want them - if you really want Android apps, sell your PB and get an Android tablet. (If you want a decent one, you'll have to add some more money to what you get from selling the PB).

PDFs work well in my experience through the stock Adobe Reader that is preinstalled on the tablet.

There aren't a huge selection of quality apps, paid or free. So when a decent app is available, most users are just thankful there is an app for a specific purpose, without caring whether it is free or not. Having said this, I will point out that the PB has an excellent browser, and you can access the full versions of many sites, so apps become less necessary than certain other tablets IMO. Also note that RIM are releasing a thing called "Cascades" which will lead to apps being easier to make and there'll probably (hopefully) be a bit of a surge after that.

All in all, I think the PB is a great tablet, it has a great UI, much better than any other tablet IMO. Great hardware as well. A little lacking in apps.

Ask yourself if you really want an Android tablet, and if the answer is yes, sell the PB and buy an Android tablet.

[Deathcommand]

1 where?
2. If you don't want it now, then you don't need to keep it. Lol

[jetstreamblue]

Seriously though:
- there are video chat options (I like reelportal), just no Sky** (it's a bad word around here)
- I find native apps experience much more desirable, but others seem happy with the Android support -- comes down to what particular apps you want, in the end if the app you want works, it's good
- the built-in Adobe Reader seems to render most PDF's quickly for me; my wife uses her PB to access various text books in PDF format and she's happy enough with it; others are not so happy, but there are other PDF reader options available
- I offer various extremely useful free bible apps (haha... shameless self plug); really, there are lots of good free apps, lots of others worth the $1 or $2 or $3 you pay, but no way it will compare to the selection of iOS apps, and that's the truth -- just go to App World (on your browser) and you can see the selection for yourself

[barskin]

I won a Playbook over the weekend but I'm reluctant to open it, thinking instead that I'll try to sell it. Before I write it off though, I thought I'd try chatting with people who really love theirs. So, would any of you pro-Playbook guys like to point me to resources that lay out why I should keep it instead?

Also, some specific questions:

Is there really no way to do video chats with a desktop user?
What's the Android support look like; do a lot of things work?
How is this for reading PDFs; do they render fast enough to read books that way?
It seems like a lot of people recommend a lot of paid apps for almost anything; are there not a lot of useful free apps?

Thanks in advance for any insight here. I appreciate it!

It is wise of you not to open it up before you decide. Unbox it, and it's like driving a car off the lot. It depreciates. So, do try to go to a store where they sell it and test it out. The PB has a beautiful operating system and a highly portable size. What you consider as useful apps may differ from other people, so look online at the app store to see if what you need is available. Be aware that there are great limitations in app availability as opposed to on Android or Apple devices, though many people say that this situation will radically change when Cascades is introduced. Take a look online at some Tech review sites, and see if it seems to fulfill your tablet desires. Good luck!

[maddesthatter]

To actually answer your questions:

I believe there ARE ways to do video chat with desktop users. Not using popular apps, but I think there is something called Adobe Connect or something like that which can be used, also you can use AV by AOL - Let's video chat! from the browser - you open the page and click the button to start a chat, then it gives you a link. Send that to someone via email or facebook or whatever, they open that link on their device (PC or whatever) and then they'll be added to your chat.

Android support isn't great. Some apps work. Some don't. Don't rely on being able to get specific apps to work if you really want them - if you really want Android apps, sell your PB and get an Android tablet. (If you want a decent one, you'll have to add some more money to what you get from selling the PB).

PDFs work well in my experience through the stock Adobe Reader that is preinstalled on the tablet.

There aren't a huge selection of quality apps, paid or free. So when a decent app is available, most users are just thankful there is an app for a specific purpose, without caring whether it is free or not. Having said this, I will point out that the PB has an excellent browser, and you can access the full versions of many sites, so apps become less necessary than certain other tablets IMO. Also note that RIM are releasing a thing called "Cascades" which will lead to apps being easier to make and there'll probably (hopefully) be a bit of a surge after that.

All in all, I think the PB is a great tablet, it has a great UI, much better than any other tablet IMO. Great hardware as well. A little lacking in apps.

Ask yourself if you really want an Android tablet, and if the answer is yes, sell the PB and buy an Android tablet.

Thanks for that. I hadn't heard of AV before, but if it works as well as it sounds, I might start using this on my desktop. I was really hoping for Skype since that's what my family already uses and knows, but they also know how to click on a link, so this might work.

I'm not particularly sold on Android. Truth be told, I think Android kind of sucks. But there are some really well received cheap Chinese tablets out for under $200 that do what I'd like (mostly casually browse the web, read books and make video calls). I still wouldn't want Android on my phone, but it seems like it's finally mature enough to use on other devices. Honestly, if the PB had a Skype client, I'd be all over this thing. A year after launch, I'm kind of blown away that it doesn't.

The point about websites seems pretty valid. Do websites load pretty fast on the PB? It sounds like the answer is yes based on what I've read so far, so maybe I wouldn't care about "apps" so much, as you say.

[SifJar]

Some websites load fast, some take a while. Simpler sites work really well.

EDIT: As for Skype, I don't personally use it much so that's not a huge issue for me. I know others around here really dislike it's absence. Note that you can sideload the Android version, but all you get is text chat, and possibly voice (not 100% sure on that), no video chat.

[maddesthatter]

Since no one seems interested in actually answering the OP's question... I'll bid $40.

Seriously though:
- there are video chat options (I like reelportal), just no Sky** (it's a bad word around here)
- I find native apps experience much more desirable, but others seem happy with the Android support -- comes down to what particular apps you want, in the end if the app you want works, it's good
- the built-in Adobe Reader seems to render most PDF's quickly for me; my wife uses her PB to access various text books in PDF format and she's happy enough with it; others are not so happy, but there are other PDF reader options available
- I offer various extremely useful free bible apps (haha... shameless self plug); really, there are lots of good free apps, lots of others worth the $1 or $2 or $3 you pay, but no way it will compare to the selection of iOS apps, and that's the truth -- just go to App World (on your browser) and you can see the selection for yourself

Hadn't heard of Reelportal either. Reel + Flash, two technologies I've never been a fan of, doesn't exactly have me racing to give it a try, but thanks for sharing anyway. I'll probably check it out.

And I have already checked through the App World, but browsing it on the website isn't exactly a great experience. I was a bit put off by what I considered low reviews of a lot of the stuff in there, but checking on the AppStore, it seems like ~3 stars is kind of the norm unless it's one of the runaway hits you hear about from everyone, so maybe it's not as bad as I originally thought.

[Chrysalis1156]

Re the native pdf reader, I use it a lot. I have been able to read most, but not all, of the pdfs I've tried on the pb. There is an issue (and RIM has acknowledged it but has no date for a fix) where some pdfs don't load properly and the pages are blank. It is also pretty barebones as far as features. You can read but not highlight text, annotate, or bookmark your page (so write your page number down before you close those books or you're lost next time). It's not a deal breaker for me, and as I said, I use it all the time. It's really up to you in the end.

[llllBULLSEYE]

Well 2 websites for example Pandora and Youtube. I stop using the apps for them and actually prefer using the full website as the PB does a great job on loading them up quickly..


Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

[maddesthatter]

It is wise of you not to open it up before you decide. Unbox it, and it's like driving a car off the lot. It depreciates. So, do try to go to a store where they sell it and test it out. The PB has a beautiful operating system and a highly portable size. What you consider as useful apps may differ from other people, so look online at the app store to see if what you need is available. Be aware that there are great limitations in app availability as opposed to on Android or Apple devices, though many people say that this situation will radically change when Cascades is introduced. Take a look online at some Tech review sites, and see if it seems to fulfill your tablet desires. Good luck!

I'd love to check the thing out at the store, but I haven't seen anyone around me that has taken the tablet seriously enough to have it on display. Usually it's just locked in a case with a bunch of Android tablets that also aren't available to play with.

[maddesthatter]

Re the native pdf reader, I use it a lot. I have been able to read most, but not all, of the pdfs I've tried on the pb. There is an issue (and RIM has acknowledged it but has no date for a fix) where some pdfs don't load properly and the pages are blank. It is also pretty barebones as far as features. You can read but not highlight text, annotate, or bookmark your page (so write your page number down before you close those books or you're lost next time). It's not a deal breaker for me, and as I said, I use it all the time. It's really up to you in the end.

Are there other PDF apps that offer those things? Highlighting, annotating and whatever else aren't that big a deal for me, but having it open up where I left off is pretty crucial. I could get away with converted versions as ePub from the looks of it, but using the PDFs without the conversion would be pretty nice. Also, do other PDF readers have the same problem with pages being blank?

[Majestic Lion]

Well 2 websites for example Pandora and Youtube. I stop using the apps for them and actually prefer using the full website as the PB does a great job on loading them up quickly..


Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

As far as I know there is no Pandora app for Playbook, nor does their site work in the PB browser. Have I missed something?


And OP, yes you definitely should.

[Chrysalis1156]

Are there other PDF apps that offer those things? Highlighting, annotating and whatever else aren't that big a deal for me, but having it open up where I left off is pretty crucial. I could get away with converted versions as ePub from the looks of it, but using the PDFs without the conversion would be pretty nice. Also, do other PDF readers have the same problem with pages being blank?

I've heard there are a couple of other pdf readers but I haven't tried them. Just tried a search in AppWorld and couldn't find one for the life of me. Maybe someone else can jump in here and supply a name.

EDIT: Found Repligo Reader which looks to be pretty full-featured however it sells for $14.99 in AppWorld. Guess it depends on how badly you want or need it.

And upon further investigation, it only seems to be available for bb phones. I could swear some are using it on the pb so hoping someone will chime in.

[DaedalusIcarusHelios]

I would suggest trying it out. You won it, so give it a chance. If you end up not liking it enough, then sell it. I doubt you'd have made a mint on it selling it unopened anyway.

[itwascasper]

I think you should really find a way to take one for a test drive before parting with this one. If you can find a working demo unit in a store and spend a few minutes with it that would be good but it would be even better if you knew someone with one and really tried it out. I really wouldn't sell it before having a chance to test drive to see if it meets your needs.

[maddesthatter]

I would suggest trying it out. You won it, so give it a chance. If you end up not liking it enough, then sell it. I doubt you'd have made a mint on it selling it unopened anyway.

Yeah, good point. I don't think I'm going to get anything near retail either way, maybe I'll just crack it open, give it a week or so and see what I think of it. Thanks for the suggestion.

[sputneek]

It's really a nice toy for free, there's also the HDMI and bridge capabilities to take into account. My wife reads her books in PDF daily and is happy with it. The browser on both our playbooks work very well. I say give it a whirl chances are it will win you over

As mentioned previously you don't have all that much to lose.

[middbrew]

If you look on eBay many of the PBs that are unopen are selling for retail price. So, I would wait to open it before deciding to sell.

[alnamvet68]

I don't know why, but I'm suddenly in the mood for sushi/sashimi. Oh, OP.....donate the PB already to the Wounded Warrior Project and take a tax deduction next year. I don't believe it's going to do what you have been having questions about, or do to your satisfaction.

[GregD31]

As far as I know there is no Pandora app for Playbook, nor does their site work in the PB browser. Have I missed something?


And OP, yes you definitely should.

Pandora Internet Radio - Listen to Free Music You'll Love works on my PB