[Bluemoonjules]

Fire not yet outside North America, and don't think they are streaming video here yet, either. Blackberry not a tarnished brand in most of the rest of the world....maybe BB will differentiate markets.

[rs422a]

"A reality is at play Playbook users need to accept.... At most there are only a million Playbooks out there... as it seems like a lot it is not in relation to Android and Apple.. it does relegate RIM to a niche player in the market at best in the eyes of developers....."


I tend to agree with this line of thinking. However, BB has a very large customer base outside North America. Whether or not the Playbook will integrate into this remains to be seen. The Playbook is an excellent computer for my needs, but I'm afraid RIM was a little too late to the party. I doubt the PB will ever be more than a niche unit now. However, I will take quality over quantity anyday of the week. RIM would probably be better served by targeting the serious business customer using the PB as a tool instead of a toy - something the others tend to excel at. I believe it would be a mistake for RIM to back away from a tablet device. I can picture the PB for the power user, the new Linux tablet for the experimenter, and all the rest for the droolers.

[Dapper37]

It's clear all the big players in the market will do whatever they can to handicap Rims new OS.
These things happen and can last until a new solutions emerge. One will, you can count on it!

[kb5zht]

Just an Fyi, downloaded and watched Spartacus from the blackberry video store and showed my friends, needless to say Very Very Very impressed friends!!!!

Thats great but the real issue is lack of options. For whatever reason all the popular services are shunning the playbook, meaning you have to buy from rim's services or kobo instead of kindle..... And that means you have to pay their prices and they can be whatever they want (many movies, cd albums, etc are cheaper elsewhere).

[Bluemoonjules]

I can download music on my pc and copy to phone and playbook...no problem.

I'd rather have a separate Kindle ereader for books because of the backlight issue.

[jgrobertson]

I think it was the attitude of exclusivity in terms of OS and not wanting to work with software dev's from the word go. .

This is it. Arrogance. The dominate reason companies fail. When they were the only game in town, they tell developers what to do if they wanted their apps to have any exposure. Developers remember that and don't need to put up with it now.

The big question is whether or not RIM can pull out of this. Gerstener saved IBM some years back. Is there a Gerstener who will take over RIM?
These two guys are still on the board-that is a problem.

[CairnsRock]

Why don't you all buy devices that have what you need?

[crackberryjill]

This is really what drives people to torrents and usenet.

Who wants to carry around a bunch of different devices, one for amazon, one skype, one for netflix and hulu?

And who wants to pay extra (Playon) to get a service one is already paying for.

The more the larger corporations try and streamline their content to force you to purchase their devices, the more people will find ways around it, and without paying.

Most people want to pay for the services offered, but get tired of being bullied into spending extra. There really is only so much money in the bank.

And something I don't understand is calling either a book or movie "purchased" when you don't actually have access to it. It really is only on loan for an indefinite period of time.

[VerryBestr]

Suggest people do a bit of reading.... A discission by Adobe not ot support flash on mobile platforms any more is what has started all of this.... Amazon has been busy converting all their flash programming to comply with digial copy provisions... As Playbook not longer recieves updates... the current incarnation of FLash is not compatable with the changes happening at Amazon..... As Amazon has not converted all their catalog over yet that is why some media works and some does not....

Adobe announced this: "We will no longer adapt Flash Player for mobile devices to new browser, OS version or device configurations. Some of our source code licensees may opt to continue working on and releasing their own implementations. We will continue to support the current Android and PlayBook configurations with critical bug fixes and security updates."

I presume that Adobe will not be supporting mobile Flash for the new PB OS 2.0.

However, RIM is a source code licensee and I'm sure that RIM could fix this problem.

People should direct these complaints to RIM.

[djnshores]

Don't get your hopes up with a Blackout! The numbers aren't there to force Netflix or Amazon to cater to Playbook owners. It has the same odds of success as David slaying Goliath with a slingshot. But who knows!

Personally, I have a Kindle Fire also and I am not crazy about watching streaming video on a 7" tablet.

I think RIM is positioning the Playbook more for the business client than the general consumer user. Collaboration, video conferencing, meeting scheduling, and messaging are where Blackberry products have shined. There is no place for an entertainment device in business.

[cielodome]

One other thing to add. My Amazon.com bookmark in the browser links to the following url:

""http://www.amazon.com/?tag=playbook-pc-us-20""

I don't know much about urls and HTML but that looks like it knows I am using a PlayBook.

Ok, I just tried this same thing, as I am also an Amazon Prime member, and not only can I stream and watch anything I also purchased a movie and it is playing right now.

No errors.

[voltaire]

I think that the answer is much simpler. They want you to buy a Fire.

This^^^^^^

[gwinegarden]

Fire not yet outside North America, and don't think they are streaming video here yet, either. Blackberry not a tarnished brand in most of the rest of the world....maybe BB will differentiate markets.

Not yet available outside of the USA.

[anon(757282)]

Amazon was looking to buy RIM, their CEO Jeff Bezos is a huge BB fan. The twins killed the deal. Payback.

[gwinegarden]

Why don't you all buy devices that have what you need?

Two reasons that I can think of. First, no research. Second, it is more fun to ignore what you got, on your device and complain about what you did not.

[lawmom4]

I became an Amazon Prime member primarily because I could watch videos on my PlayBook. Some of them still work, but as many of you have pointed out, many of them now don't. I do almost all online shopping (and all shopping period) on Amazon; I have four Kindles and Kindle Cloud app and apps installed on all our laptops. I have at least fifteen addresses registered for gifts.

But this makes me mad, mad mad.

[BearSnout]

It is very frustrating, however.... remember that the people answering these messages are the last to know anything. Amazon may very well do something in the near future after BB10 and 3.0 and when they do, I dare say their staff will find out about it on the same day we do.

[christenmartin]

this isn't a rim issue as stated before they want you to buy their product. That is business, I think it is very short sited but it's not the first time a business sacrificed the future for quick profits.

[anon(757282)]

I have Prime account and just tried to play one of the movies, a new "test" movie "Sky Pirates". Got the dreaded error message.

Would like to hear Kevin talk with Thor about overcoming all of these media and app obstacles. As someone else said, this is completely insane for Amazon, who just wants unlimited outlets for their stores. With the PB, they do not pay a subsidy for the device. Insanity.

[christenmartin]

I glad to see RIM taking the bull by the horns with the video store though. It's not bad and it will only get better!

[Chrisy]

Why don't you all buy devices that have what you need?

Because there is no "perfect device." if I get an iPad I don't have Flash. If I get an Android tab I don't have bridge. With both I have to pay extra for data.

The Kindle Fire looks great to me but again to bridge for data, no BBM etc.

So I got th. Device that BEST SUITED my needs. But that doesn't mean I cannot request more features or apps for this device. It's called upgrading and progress.

I don't want a 10 inch tab. That rules out Apple. Android requires extra monthly fee for data. That rules that out. Those are dealbreakers.

It's much easier to get Amazon apps on my Playbook than to gets 7 inch iPad that uses flash. Or an Android tab that I can bridge. Right?

[Chrisy]

I glad to see RIM taking the bull by the horns with the video store though. It's not bad and it will only get better!

If this is all that's available on the PlayBook than so be it. I'll be giving it a try very soon! I'm glad it is available at all. I do think BlackBerry and Playbook are making headway and gaining in popularity once again. Just reading the forums you see lots of folks returning.

[Snyder81]

One other thing to add. My Amazon.com bookmark in the browser links to the following url:

""http://www.amazon.com/?tag=playbook-pc-us-20""

I don't know much about urls and HTML but that looks like it knows I am using a PlayBook.

This is an affiliate link so RIM gets a cut of every Amazon purchase you make through that link. Yay capitalism! :-)

[cielodome]

I am an Amazon Prime member. I just got on Amazon Instant Video (3-3-12) and I can watch my library on my PlayBook. Now, I have no understanding why I can and others can't. We have a couple of Fires and PlayBooks in our family. The Fires (and associated Amazon accounts) are under my wife and daughter's email addresses. I don't remember if I logged in to my Amazon account using one of the Fires or not. Is it possible that I did and associated my account as a "Fire" user? All I know is I can STILL read books using Amazon Cloud Reader and watch movies and tv shows on Amazon Instant video with my PlayBook.

It would be an interesting experiment to have someone log in to their Amazon account with a friend or family member's Fire and then see if they can watch content on the PlayBook.

Ok, I just tried this same thing, as I am also an Amazon Prime member, and not only can I stream and watch anything I also purchased a movie and it is playing right now.

No errors.

I have Prime account and just tried to play one of the movies, a new "test" movie "Sky Pirates". Got the dreaded error message.

Would like to hear Kevin talk with Thor about overcoming all of these media and app obstacles. As someone else said, this is completely insane for Amazon, who just wants unlimited outlets for their stores. With the PB, they do not pay a subsidy for the device. Insanity.

Well, there it is. I just tried this same movie and the same error message appeared.

I have been looking for movies to the BlackBerry Video Store and although the selection is poor, there are a few movies that I can rent and watch, as well as other sites that offer free streaming. So it's not a complete loss.

[Bobcat665]

The plan is quite simple:
Amazon wants to 1) stick it to RIM/BlackBerry 2) force people to buy Kindles and 3) perhaps outright kill the PlayBook and its descendants...