[Xerxes10]

I've been a very loyal BlackBery user since I turned in a company issued smartphone ( a Treo) for the BB 8820 back around 2007 (rocked at the time, wifi, GPS, Web!). I then got the Bold 9000 when it launched, upgraded to the Torch when it launched, and purchased a 64GB PlayBook on launch day.

I've never had OS or App envy, don't want a 5" screen, a phone that goes dead by noon, and I don't care about not having Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja. However, over the last few days the lack of useful Apps and/or capability for the BlackBerry is hitting me. Examples:
No Kindle for the PlayBook (Kobo is great. It's just that I already have a huge Kindle library). I don't think one is coming either, as Amazon is launching their own tablet.

No Netflix for the PlayBook or Torch. My wife can stream Netflix to her iPhone 4 and it works perfectly.

No XfinityTV for PlayBook/BB Phones. Both iPhone and Android can remotely program Comcast DVR's, change channels, and watch TV right on the phone. Tried it on the PlayBook, but it didn't work as it doesn't recognize the browser.

I watched someone deposit a check into their bank account by taking a picture of the front and back with their iPhone. No need to mail it, go to ATM, or the bank. Is that going to happen on the Torch? I doubt it.

You get the idea, it's not about having thousands of mediocre apps, I just want 5-10 killer apps, and because of dropping BB market share no one is writing them. So for the first time I am feeling bummed about the platform.

I still like my Torch, the PlayBook is awesome for general browsing, watching movies, podcasts, Bridge is a bonus, HDMI out rocks, but we do need some killer apps or Apple and Android will steamroll us...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[mark-d]

You're not alone in your worries

Have a look at this thread I started the other day, has some great input from developers on why Blackberry phones are not supported the same way other platforms are.

http://forums.crackberry.com/f2/blac...lopers-625276/

This lack of app problem does put Blackberry at a dis-advantage compared to iPhone and Android or iPad or Advent, Acer any other tablet manufacturers.

[kill_9]

You raise excellent points about the dearth of applications of the BlackBerry PlayBook at the moment. Hopefully, more people will begin developing applications. As to your hypothesis about Amazon not releasing the Kindle application for the BlackBerry PlayBook it seems Amazon has no problem releasing the Kindle application for other devices despite the existence of their own ereader device. In my opinion, the weak implementation of both Adobe Reader and Kobo Reader applications on this tablet exhibit laziness on the part of the developers and lack of oversight by Research In Motion (RIM) surrounding these "premier partnerships" in general. I cannot help but think of the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Fall of the House of Usher" when it comes to the current situation in which RIM finds itself.

[ewilsonn]

As a mobile application developer, I would love to write BB apps if they didn't make it painful as **** to do. I love Apple's environment (though I hate I have to use a Mac to do it), and so I have been stuck to write apps only for Android and Windows Phone. In comparison to the others available, BB is by far the worst for developers.

[jebulls]

Yep the app issue is what could push me over to an iphone. Its too bad a person has to choose between either a great kb or current technology and great apps!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[belfastdispatcher]

Are you sure some of those things can't be done in the browser? I'm finding more and more that the BB OS6 browser can do a lot more then I thought.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[qbnkelt]

You can't deposit a check on the browser.
I would not want to, considering the security flaws in some apps. But there are people who do want to do it.

[CGI]

Hmm... I wonder how many apps will run on Blackberry OS7 once released.

I've been anxiously awaiting release of the 9900, but I don't want to do without some of my 3rd party apps.

[blackhuckleberry]

I agree with one of the above posters about that pay check app, sounds cool but wouldn't want to do that.

But on to the main topic, I agree 100%. I love my BB torch but I have a feeling my next phone will be an android phone with a qwerty.

I am on the same boat, my wife can go on hbogo.com on her phone and I can't. I think RIM has to step up with the 3rd party devs or they will lose customers. Nobody wants to sit back and watch other phone manufacturers pass them buy while BB is sitting in the slow lane. Eventually the BB base will jump ship

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Xerxes10]

Thanks all, yes saw some great responses on other threads regarding why the economics work agaisnt developers programming for BB. The browser does a lot, I've streamed content to the TV wiith it, it just doesn't worlk fot major content providers like XfinityTV (for those of is stuck with Comcast!). The bottom line is what one can do with one's phone has moved from the OS and internal phone capability to whether the platform installed base is large enough for developers to want program for.

Seems like RIM and thrown us a few bones by giving us free apps presumably developed internally, like BB Travel and BB Traffic. I actually love BB Travel, it works flawlessly with my Torch (I travel a lot for worlk) but that doesn't make up for not having Netflix or every home banking add saying "iPhone or Android"!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com