1. Chrisy's Avatar
    I don't have an iPhone or iPad, I have a Galaxy Nexus on ICS and a Xoom both running Flash in the browser.........trust me, the apps are far faster on my devices even.
    My Android browser was awesome! Actually I think it is on par with a computer browser. What specific apps do you use instead of going to the site? Not talking games and native functions of course.

    Curious now. Which apps are better and faster than the browser? Do they offer the same functionality?

    I listed the ones I had on my Android. Let's talk specifics here. Not generally.

    Not fighting, just discussing. Like i said I went the Android route because of the app thing. I also found that the more of those apps I had the more battery drained. Do you not find that?

    Something like Slacker as an app I can totally see.
    Last edited by chrisy520; 04-30-12 at 07:54 AM.
    04-30-12 07:51 AM
  2. hootyhoo's Avatar
    I'm sure BlackBerry does have a word game that's an alternative. I don't play games on my phone. I have A few on my PlayBook and Laptop for a just in case I have time to waste.

    Being able to use the browser isn't a downgrade at all. It's actually I switch AWAY from BlackBerry to Android! For a better browser.

    On my computer I would never use an app. I use the browser, probably like everyone does. Why? Because web sites have more functionality and are quicker.

    I can understand apps on the iPhone or iPad simply BECAUSE of the lack of a flash browser. Yes, then you NEED apps.
    You realize that app is shorthand for application/software.

    Are you saying that you never use an app on your computer?

    The argument that a good browser is just as good as an app has already been decided.

    Most people prefer apps. If you don't, that's fine, but to say that apple has somehow brainwashed it's customers is quite a stretch.
    04-30-12 07:57 AM
  3. Chrisy's Avatar
    That's semantics. You know what we mean by app. Not browser app, calendar app etc. There are good apps. I do use apps like a said above. My point was...they are available on all platforms. And that many, not all, apps are compensating for lack of a good browser or because people equate lots of apps to a good phone.

    Personally, I NEVER said brainwashed. Not sure where you got that from. I mentioned that both my parents and grandparents have the iPhone. It's user friendly with a big screen! The number of apps are the novelty.
    Last edited by chrisy520; 04-30-12 at 08:02 AM.
    kbz1960 and joski like this.
    04-30-12 07:59 AM
  4. hootyhoo's Avatar
    Heh, I rarely ever use my laptop anymore and my desktop has been off for months. I do everything from my phone and tablet.

    I think I'll give up on trying to explain how much faster and productive I am with apps over the browser
    It's like talking to a wall, but you don't need to convince anyone here, and it is unlikely that you could. Consumers have already determined the importance of apps.
    04-30-12 08:01 AM
  5. Chrisy's Avatar
    Consumers will wake up sooner than later.

    Not sure what the point of trying to convince others that iPhone or Android is better on a BlackBerry enthusiasts site is anyway. What's the point of that?
    Last edited by chrisy520; 04-30-12 at 08:11 AM.
    04-30-12 08:04 AM
  6. xanadome's Avatar
    I just refer to their tactics;
    It was not a tactic, but a strategy.
    Way before the iPhone was launched, there was a healthy stock of apps already available (of course Apple was the one who prepared that way). Apple knew that their type of handheld devices were more useful when taking advantage of various apps available. After that, developers made the app store more than self sustaining, competing each other to create useful (and not so useful) apps. This "tactics" as you call it was more pronounced when they launched iPad, which was totally useless without apps.
    RIM did not even think of such strategy and fell behind.
    Now they are catching up, and I hope the BB10 would spur developers' interest and motivation so that we can benefit from it. Like you, I do not need a lot of apps (I do not even play games) but I do like to see useful (business/productivity oriented) apps at more reasonable prices. Nothing so complicated.
    Last edited by xanadome; 04-30-12 at 08:23 AM. Reason: Typo
    04-30-12 08:09 AM
  7. hootyhoo's Avatar
    That's semantics. You know what we mean by app. Not browser app, calendar app etc. There are good apps. I do use apps like a said above. My point was...they are available on all platforms. And that many, not all, apps are compensating for lack of a good browser or because people equate lots of apps to a good phone.
    Many apps have an appeal to a very small number of people. Take a local bank for instance. Or a calculator for a specific trade. Or a local public transit system. Apps like those will not appeal to a large number of folks, but when taken in the aggregate, they help sell a lot of devices.

    When those apps are not available on a bb, "just use the browser" seems lame and does not sell phones.
    04-30-12 08:09 AM
  8. varunsain's Avatar
    It;s so embarrassing to even know that apple is one of the top companies of your country.. maybe if there were not so many amateurs trying to make most out of a device they own.. Apple woiuldn't have got so much credit.. The idea behind the innovation of the phone makes me sick to the core.. 'we hate buttons.. we hate everything useful.. lets get rid of it all so we can have something beautiful'.. wow.. so innovative.. when are you guys going to grow up and stop rejoicing over the 1 mn kid games you keep playing on the iphone? or the kiddish applications for the macs? omg..
    04-30-12 08:10 AM
  9. wuulfy's Avatar
    i suppose we really should be thinking about wether or not you are paying for something that allows you to access something which is free via the browser.

    Who would use a facebook app or a youtube app if you had to pay for it? no one, they would just use the browser.

    Now imagine if the market leader in smart phones or tablets only allowed you to access those sites via a downloadable ap with a small fee to ahem ..cover admin costs?

    Never happen? When was you last allowed to watch a boxing match (legally) on tv without paying for it?
    04-30-12 08:14 AM
  10. varunsain's Avatar
    Don't get me wrong.. I don't have anything against apple but it;s just their ethics.. if apple had it their way you would be takin permission before takin a sh7t.. but i guess being a apple fanboy you're completely okay with that
    04-30-12 08:16 AM
  11. hootyhoo's Avatar
    It;s so embarrassing to even know that apple is one of the top companies of your country.. maybe if there were not so many amateurs trying to make most out of a device they own.. Apple woiuldn't have got so much credit.. The idea behind the innovation of the phone makes me sick to the core.. 'we hate buttons.. we hate everything useful.. lets get rid of it all so we can have something beautiful'.. wow.. so innovative.. when are you guys going to grow up and stop rejoicing over the 1 mn kid games you keep playing on the iphone? or the kiddish applications for the macs? omg..
    There is no reason to feel sick to the core about it.

    Your problem is easily solved by not buying an iPhone.
    Chrisy likes this.
    04-30-12 08:16 AM
  12. wuulfy's Avatar
    and dont forget...the only reason they got rid of buttons was to keep the manufactoring costs down
    04-30-12 08:19 AM
  13. Chrisy's Avatar
    Many apps have an appeal to a very small number of people. Take a local bank for instance. Or a calculator for a specific trade. Or a local public transit system. Apps like those will not appeal to a large number of folks, but when taken in the aggregate, they help sell a lot of devices.

    When those apps are not available on a bb, "just use the browser" seems lame and does not sell phones.
    Which apps available on iPhone aren't available for BlackBerry? Excluding games and time killers.

    It's really a basic difference. I don't look to my phone to be an all in one tool. If I need a calculator to use in my job, I'd buy that calculator. If I want to have a GPS for Geocaching, I buy a handheld rugged GPS. Phones have become the jack of all trades and master of none.

    I no longer look to my phone to do it all. For one, you just can't. It drains the battery. Secondly, it isn't practical to rely on a phone to replace all your gadgets and computer needs. The screens are too small. Even an Android is not comfortable for extended browsing.

    The iPhone appeal is that it permeates your life and does it all. That's the marketing. It's not reality. It's a false sense of needing the iPhone and all its apps to live. That's where Apple is genius. They have created a false need.

    No one I know with an iPhone has given up their computer or other gamers or tools. Like the level app for example. It's a novelty.

    It really is interesting to watch. I fell for it too when I went Android. It took me 10 months to realize that I used the same core apps on my BlackBerry and that I was downloing "neat" apps just because I could. But in the end, a phone is for communication for me.

    Until the battery can support it it will never replace a computer. Or other electronics. That's the Apple marketing in a nutshell. You need your phone to do all this or you'll be lost or at a disadvantage. But that's just not true. IPhone user play with their phone more than anyone else I see using other platforms.
    Last edited by chrisy520; 04-30-12 at 08:25 AM.
    dennie82 likes this.
    04-30-12 08:20 AM
  14. hootyhoo's Avatar
    Don't get me wrong.. I don't have anything against apple but it;s just their ethics.. if apple had it their way you would be takin permission before takin a sh7t.. but i guess being a apple fanboy you're completely okay with that
    Since your post was under mine, I will assume that this was directed at me.

    To be clear, I don't own an iPhone and am not a fanboy of any device including bb. I will not hp around waving flags or changing my avatar to cheerlead for a company that makes a consumer device or anything else. Let them take care of their own advertising.

    I'll buy the product that works best for me and other people should probably do the same. It's just a phone. But to argue that because you think apps are useless they must be useless, does not gold true for everyone.
    dennie82 likes this.
    04-30-12 08:25 AM
  15. omniusovermind's Avatar
    I can get specific and count myself as having some input since I've used an android phone for more than a year along with owning a PB. Here's my list of android phone apps (good thing I'm bored, this is going to take a while):

    Legend:
    BLUE Playbook has either the same app or a suitable equivalent
    RED No equivalent app available on Playbook
    GREEN Not Applicable / Android OS specific app
    BLACK Something I wouldn't use on a tablet as an app

    Box
    Conqu
    Dictadroid
    Dropbox
    Engadget
    ES File Explorer
    Evernote
    Fancy Widgets
    Gmail
    History Eraser
    IMDb
    Joystiq
    KeePass
    Maps
    Mobo Player
    Pano (I could be wrong about this)
    Rom Manager
    Screeshot UX
    Bell Self Serve (this is specific to my phone account so N/A here)
    Shazam
    Soundhound
    Splashtop
    Tapatalk
    My Bank
    Titanium Backup
    tTorrent
    TuneIn Radio
    WiFi File Explorer
    Zedge

    This list does not include built in android apps, it's only apps that I've actually installed from the Android Market. Games are also simply left out of the equation because they're pretty much on equal footing with Android. iPads have a superior game selection to everyone else anyway.

    For my usage, I am short precisely 4 apps. Of those 4 apps, there is only 1 app that I really want badly and I miss not having it, and that's a codec transcoding video player.
    I am not claiming my app usage is an accurate reflection of everyone else, that would be absurd. However, I provided this list to simply illustrate that the app shortage is not as extreme as a lot of people here would like you to feel it is. I've always viewed that claim as mostly much ado about little. Are we short some apps? Sure. Are those shortages such an earth shattering deal that they completely overshadow all other aspects of a tablet. Again the answer would be yes...
    ...if you're deep in the thralls of some sort of hypertension disorder
    triplealiali likes this.
    04-30-12 08:27 AM
  16. varunsain's Avatar
    There is no reason to feel sick to the core about it.

    Your problem is easily solved by not buying an iPhone.
    Your solution is as simple as 'im not holding the phone correctly'.. and not buying it wouldn't solve the problem..
    04-30-12 08:27 AM
  17. Chrisy's Avatar
    You can say your not a fan. But you are. You defend as much as anyone on here. It's not so much even defending but the overall picture of the smartphone market and conservative needs and wants is interesting.

    I think iPhone trend is waning.
    04-30-12 08:28 AM
  18. hootyhoo's Avatar
    Which apps available on iPhone aren't available for BlackBerry? Excluding games and time killers.

    It's really a basic difference. I don't look to my phone to be an all in one tool. If I need a calculator to use in my job, I'd buy that calculator. If I want to have a GPS for Geocaching, I buy a handheld rugged GPS. Phones have become the jack of all trades and master of none.

    I no longer look to my phone to do it all. For one, you just can't. It drains the battery. Secondly, it isn't practical to rely on a phone to replace all your gadgets and computer needs. The screens are too small. Even an Android is not comfortable for extended browsing.

    The iPhone appeal is that it permeates your life and does it all. That's the marketing. It's not reality. It's a false sense of needing the iPhone and all its apps to live. That's where Apple is genius. They have created a false need.

    No one I know with an iPhone has given up their computer or other gamers or tools. Like the level app for example. It's a novelty.

    It really is interesting to watch. I fell for it too when I went Android. It took me 10 months to realize that I used the same core apps on my BlackBerry and that I was downloing "neat" apps just because I could. But in the end, a phone is for communication for me.

    Until the battery can support it it will never replace a computer. Or other electronics. That's the Apple marketing in a nutshell. You need your phone to do all this or you'll be lost or at a disadvantage. But that's just not true. IPhone user play with their phone more than anyone else I see using other platforms.

    That's great for you, but for others, they like the apps. I like them too, and from looking at who is selling the most devices, it would seem that more people like them than don't.
    04-30-12 08:30 AM
  19. kbz1960's Avatar
    Ah the almighty consumer has spoken eh. Do they speak for me? You? Everyone?

    Okay I need an app to surf crackberry, nope, it works just the way I want it to in the browser. I need an app to watch my tv show, nope, the browser works for that too the way I want it to. I need an app to see sports scores, nope, the browser works for that too.

    I might need a photo editing app if I were to do such things or a video editing app if I did that or a garage band app if I were into that. I don't need an app that only replaces something I all ready have that works well for me.
    Chrisy likes this.
    04-30-12 08:30 AM
  20. brucep1's Avatar
    Itidea behind the innovation of the phone makes me sick to the core.. 'we hate buttons.. we hate everything useful.. lets get rid of it all so we can have something beautiful'.. wow.. so innovative..
    Isn't this the appeal of the PlayBook? The feeling I got was people liked not having buttons and using gestures.
    04-30-12 08:30 AM
  21. varunsain's Avatar
    Since your post was under mine, I will assume that this was directed at me.

    To be clear, I don't own an iPhone and am not a fanboy of any device including bb. I will not hp around waving flags or changing my avatar to cheerlead for a company that makes a consumer device or anything else. Let them take care of their own advertising.

    I'll buy the product that works best for me and other people should probably do the same. It's just a phone. But to argue that because you think apps are useless they must be useless, does not gold true for everyone.
    my post wasn't directed towards you.. just posted after you..

    I agree that the whole app argument is really a lost cause.. considering that the majority thinks apps are more useful than a website (websites which are completely compatible with almost all latest devices in the market besides apples.. websites which can be 100 times more functional than an application.. websites for which 100 thousand devs already exist.. ) but for some reason apps are superior..

    I'm gonna enjoy seeing alot of people drown themselves in shame once HTML5 and Flash take over and you say goodbye to your apps.

    TO BE CLEAR: Childish games and obnoxious time passing programs are not considered Apps.. well not in the non-apple world.
    04-30-12 08:33 AM
  22. Chrisy's Avatar
    That's great for you, but for others, they like the apps. I like them too, and from looking at who is selling the most devices, it would seem that more people like them than don't.
    The pet rock and chia pets sold alot for a while too! Honestly, it did take me 10 months to realize what I wanted in a phone. If I wanted games, I'd get a Nintendo DS. You keep saying people want apps and I don't disagree. Again, my point is, those apps are available on all platforms. Again, this excluding games and times killers and novelty apps.

    IPhone has its strengths. It's user friendly and has a big screen. I wouldn't count apps as a strength.
    joski and kbz1960 like this.
    04-30-12 08:34 AM
  23. varunsain's Avatar
    Isn't this the appeal of the PlayBook? The feeling I got was people liked not having buttons and using gestures.
    I'm sorry but I was talking about the iPhone to spell it out for you.. My blackberry phone has a lot of buttons.. buttons which get me through the day.. x2 the speed.. and bezel gestures any day own the home button (which is really a lost cause)
    04-30-12 08:35 AM
  24. varunsain's Avatar
    That's great for you, but for others, they like the apps. I like them too, and from looking at who is selling the most devices, it would seem that more people like them than don't.
    you might wanna bring yourself upto speed..
    04-30-12 08:36 AM
  25. omniusovermind's Avatar
    Let's look at that website issue a little closer. What are some of the most traveled websites that there IS an app for?

    Forums (of all sorts) - PB has Tapatalk

    Tech news - PB has AppyGeek. It's not bad if you give it a chance. I've been using it more often than before lately

    Entertainment - There's a few IMDB style apps out now for PB IIRC.

    What are we missing then, besides some very niche website replacement apps?
    04-30-12 08:37 AM
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