[HopScotchBrownie24-7]

I just got my PB yesterday I am already in love with it and how seamlessly it connects with my 9700 Bold. I actually just can't put my PB down! I was thinking of"upgrading" to the iPhone % and gettign the iPad Mini but in the end decided to stay loyal to BB and patiently wait for BB10. Yes, the no skype on the PB is bummer but i think with BB10 it is coming and i would rather get more bang for my buck by staying with BB and waiting for the BB10.

[cleveland216]

I just got my PB yesterday I am already in love with it and how seamlessly it connects with my 9700 Bold. I actually just can't put my PB down! I was thinking of"upgrading" to the iPhone % and gettign the iPad Mini but in the end decided to stay loyal to BB and patiently wait for BB10. Yes, the no skype on the PB is bummer but i think with BB10 it is coming and i would rather get more bang for my buck by staying with BB and waiting for the BB10.

Congrats to receiving a "Thanks" on your very first post

[kretch]

BlackBerry PlayBook owners: Five reasons not to be excited about the iPad Mini

The biggest reason of all is ............


The nick name it has been given ........... MINI PAD.

[Marty_LK]

BlackBerry PlayBook owners: Five reasons not to be excited about the iPad Mini

The biggest reason of all is ............


The nick name it has been given ........... MINI PAD.

...a tad better than Maxi Pad, I'd say -

[bdegrande]

Reason #7:
I just KNOW I'm gonna get frustrated at some point by not having something on the iPad mini that my Playbook can do - like the Bridge, FLASH, or Wifi-sharing.

I own an iPad and bought a PlayBook for those reasons and others - widescreen format and HDMI out were two other big ones. You can tether on the iPad, but your either have to jailbreak or your carrier has to allow it and you pay for it. that is a definite advantage for the PlayBook. There are a number of iPad browsers that support Flash - Photon, iSwifter, and SkyFire are three examples.

I would think that if I had only one of these tablets, I would be frustrated far more often with the PlayBook not being able to do things the iPad can do.

[tommynap01]

all of u can sit there and be brainwashed to think that the playbook is a much better device than the mini. i've been a member on this site for a while and one thing i always noticed with all of its members is that people force themselves in thinking that blackberry is the best thing since sliced bread. Having a blackberry for many many years and a playbook since its come out, i can honestly say it was always something with these devices.There was always a problem, when i first started working for my company everyone had a blackberry. Now when i look thru out my office not one single person has one. Its either an apple phone or a android phone. Blackberries are in the stone age. From the hardware to the software it really is pure garbage.. Lets see how fast the ipad gets marked down like the playbook..... i'll save u the suspense and tell u neverrrr because apple is a far more superior product than blackberry.

[Marty_LK]

all of u can sit there and be brainwashed to think that the playbook is a much better device than the mini. i've been a member on this site for a while and one thing i always noticed with all of its members is that people force themselves in thinking that blackberry is the best thing since sliced bread. Having a blackberry for many many years and a playbook since its come out, i can honestly say it was always something with these devices.There was always a problem, when i first started working for my company everyone had a blackberry. Now when i look thru out my office not one single person has one. Its either an apple phone or a android phone. Blackberries are in the stone age. From the hardware to the software it really is pure garbage.. Lets see how fast the ipad gets marked down like the playbook..... i'll save u the suspense and tell u neverrrr because apple is a far more superior product than blackberry.

Just because Apple products are more popular doesn't make them superior. Just because the PB is nowhere near as popular as Apple's products or Androids doesn't make it inferior. The PB isn't perfect, but it does have the best user interface of all. My PB has been so much more useful to me in what I do with it than my iPad ever was. And it is even more useful to me than my vaunted Android tablet. It is also more reliable and much less buggy than my Android tablet (Asus TF300). The only issue right now I have with my PB came after the latest mini-update, which seems to have screwed the Wifi connection. The problems I have with my Android tablet are system freezes, reboots and general sluggishness.

I would say, from my experience with iPads and Android tabs, the PB has them beat for performance and reliability.

By the way, I'm actually really not sure the Wifi issue I'm experiencing is the fault of my PB. It could well be the router I'm using.

[jpash549]

RIM, if it can get through with the successful launch of BB10 and sale of BB phones, will have to add a new model playbook to the line. It will have to be slimmer and lighter, faster and with better battery life and maybe more pixels. Maybe even a little more screen. We can thank the competition if this happens. But it probably will cost more. Don't have an Apple but the Nexus7 with Jellybean is fast,has lots of apps and bugs are being worked out.

[sinsin07]

snip... The PB isn't perfect, but it does have the best user interface of all. ....

How does one determine "the best".

[ralfyguy]

BlackBerry PlayBook owners: Five reasons not to be excited about the iPad Mini

The biggest reason of all is ............


The nick name it has been given ........... MINI PAD.

That's what I was thinking. You don't have to have a perverted mind to think every time you hear that name it simply sounds NASTY. I could not imagine going anywhere and being asked if I take my MINI PAD with me.

[Dukey Avalon]

I would say, from my experience with iPads and Android tabs, the PB has them beat for performance and reliability.

By the way, I'm actually really not sure the Wifi issue I'm experiencing is the fault of my PB. It could well be the router I'm using.

The PB is a lot of things, but reliable isn't one. Frankly a year and a half later it's still a patchwork of errors and unfinished business.

- My browser still randomly crashes on sites like Crackberry. It had worked well for months and with recent updates it's starting again.
- On a weekly basis I have to reset my router and erase my wifi connection on the Playbook. Mind you the other 4 devices connected always work fine.
- The GPS is still a stinking, steaming, grotesque, corn ridden pile of feces.
- Battery life / drain is erratic and unpredictable.
- "Native" email is at best a work around.

You are like many users and end up apologizing. "Uh my Playbook is as reliable as the North Star but my wifi isn't working right which is no big deal because maybe it's not the Playbook's fault". Uh, yeah it is. Has anything changed with your router in the last 2 weeks? Probably not.

Don't get me wrong, as I've said numerous times the Playbook isn't horrible. It's pretty good in some areas. I like the portability, movie watching is great. At these cheap price levels it's actually a decent value, but selling them at this price is not a sustainable endeavour. The Playbook will never be complete. Not ever. In a year and half they haven't ironed out enough to make this a "world class" tablet. It's still buggy. We will never see the broadest apps like kindle, netflix and skype (no, I'm not interested in a workaround... this tablet experience has been one giant workaround).

Threads like this where deluded apologists attack the iPad make me laugh. Then the rest of the lemmings come out to see what the fuss is about. Is the iPad mini underwhelming? Probably. Will it outsell the Playbook by the time Santa Claus comes? Undoubtedly. Will anyone open an iPad mini and complain about browser crashes, crap battery life, junk GPS? Nope. Do more than 0.5% of people buying an iPad view the Playbook as a credible alternative? Nope.

*Full disclosure, the one Apple product I own (iPod) was a gift.

[BlackBerry Guy]

PlayBook owners: How about everyone just enjoy their PlayBooks, not worry about comparing to the iPad and reasoning how one might be "better" than the other.

[Marty_LK]

The PB is a lot of things, but reliable isn't one. Frankly a year and a half later it's still a patchwork of errors and unfinished business.

- My browser still randomly crashes on sites like Crackberry. It had worked well for months and with recent updates it's starting again.
- On a weekly basis I have to reset my router and erase my wifi connection on the Playbook. Mind you the other 4 devices connected always work fine.
- The GPS is still a stinking, steaming, grotesque, corn ridden pile of feces.
- Battery life / drain is erratic and unpredictable.
- "Native" email is at best a work around.

You are like many users and end up apologizing. "Uh my Playbook is as reliable as the North Star but my wifi isn't working right which is no big deal because maybe it's not the Playbook's fault". Uh, yeah it is. Has anything changed with your router in the last 2 weeks? Probably not.

Don't get me wrong, as I've said numerous times the Playbook isn't horrible. It's pretty good in some areas. I like the portability, movie watching is great. At these cheap price levels it's actually a decent value, but selling them at this price is not a sustainable endeavour. The Playbook will never be complete. Not ever. In a year and half they haven't ironed out enough to make this a "world class" tablet. It's still buggy. We will never see the broadest apps like kindle, netflix and skype (no, I'm not interested in a workaround... this tablet experience has been one giant workaround).

Threads like this where deluded apologists attack the iPad make me laugh. Then the rest of the lemmings come out to see what the fuss is about. Is the iPad mini underwhelming? Probably. Will it outsell the Playbook by the time Santa Claus comes? Undoubtedly. Will anyone open an iPad mini and complain about browser crashes, crap battery life, junk GPS? Nope. Do more than 0.5% of people buying an iPad view the Playbook as a credible alternative? Nope.

*Full disclosure, the one Apple product I own (iPod) was a gift.

Regarding the Wifi issue, it wasn't my PB's fault. It was the TrendNet router's fault. I switched to a much better and much newer router and the issues is gone.

Like I said, from *my experience* the PB is the most reliable tablet I've used. Mine has *zero* issues currently while my Android tablet (Asus TF300) still has multiple issues. The iPad I owned had a few issues, too.

[jpash549]

Nobody will complain about junk GPS on the iPad mini wifi version because it doesn't have GPS. For $100+ get Elf GPS unit. You pay and pay to play.

[Bobert_123]

all of u can sit there and be brainwashed to think that the playbook is a much better device than the mini. i've been a member on this site for a while and one thing i always noticed with all of its members is that people force themselves in thinking that blackberry is the best thing since sliced bread. Having a blackberry for many many years and a playbook since its come out, i can honestly say it was always something with these devices.There was always a problem, when i first started working for my company everyone had a blackberry. Now when i look thru out my office not one single person has one. Its either an apple phone or a android phone. Blackberries are in the stone age. From the hardware to the software it really is pure garbage.. Lets see how fast the ipad gets marked down like the playbook..... i'll save u the suspense and tell u neverrrr because apple is a far more superior product than blackberry.

I love it how trolls always seem to have such bad grammar, perhaps it's because he's typing on a touch screen...

[MartyMcfly]

I love it how trolls always seem to have such bad grammar, perhaps it's because he's typing on a touch screen...

Or maybe English isn't his native language.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[Marty_LK]

This just occurred to me while browsing a tech site showing the iPad Mini next to a regular iPad and saying the Mini was now up for pre-order. Apple isn't the gadget company for tech-loving gadget-heads. Such gadget lovers tend to prefer the most advanced and powerful tech available and Apple doesn't provide that. As I pondered the iPad Mini's pre-order status, I imagined the people who would actually order the Mini and I thought to myself, "why, the Mini isn't loaded with the latest tech or advanced hardware. How can anyone be excited to order a Mini?". There just isn't anything advanced about it. I could understand being excited to order a "Retina" equipped iPad 3 or iPhone 4. But the Mini is an already ancient device.

The current gadgets that have me excited are the LG Optimus G (AT&T version with the better - less MP - camera) and the Nexus 4. Both of these gadgets are chocked full of the latest tech and a gadget-head's wet dream.

[moloko velocet]

What's really funny in reading the reviews on the mini. Tthe reviewers are ecstatic the it will run Apple native apps, unlike iPad3. Whoopi! That's what I call innovation!. How bout that 4:3 aspect ratio? Should work great for movies

You are woefully uninformed. *All* iPad apps work perfectly on the iPad 3. I know this from months of experience with the iPad 3. I can use any iPad app. I presently have 80 apps installed (there is an app that, among other things, gives an app count). I have tried and removed many more. Please name an iPad app that will not run properly on the iPad 3. Or link to this article where the reviewer is "ecstatic that it will run Apple native apps, unlike iPad3".

Regarding the 4:3 ratio. Most movies do run letterboxed. This compromise is, in my opinion, more than compensated for by better user experiences in the browser, mail, calendar, and the majority of other tablet uses. Now I only have experience with available iPads, specifically the iPad 3, so I will confine my comments to that model. Even letterboxed, the movie watching experience is superior to any other tablet that I am aware of. The screen has a native resolution of 2048 x 1536. Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080) is easily obtainable when letterboxed. Slicing a 16:9 shape out of the 4:3 iPad 3 leaves you with a 2048 x 1152 window.

The iPad 3 screen (again, I prefer to speak from direct experience unlike some) is the best of any tablet currently available. Have you heard of Displaymate Technologies (displaymate.com)? Not fanboys.
�Apple has taken the very good display on the iPad 2 and dramatically improved two of its major weak points: sharpness and color saturation � they are now state-of-the-art. Our lab tests and visual tests agree with Apple�s claim that the new iPad has �the best display ever on a mobile device� so we have awarded the new iPad the Best Mobile Display Award in DisplayMate�s Best Video Hardware Guide. But there�s more�the new iPad�s picture quality, color accuracy, and gray scale are not only much better than any other Tablet or Smartphone, it�s also much better than most HDTVs, laptops, and monitors. In fact with some minor calibration tweaks the new iPad would qualify as a studio reference monitor. So we have also awarded the new iPad the Best Mobile Picture Quality Award, which was previously held by the original Motorola Droid (not the more recent Droids, which all have poor picture quality). Finally, almost as impressive is that Apple has maintained the base price of $499. Who says Apple doesn�t compete aggressively on price!�

�In fact with some minor calibration tweaks the new iPad would qualify as a studio reference monitor.� Amazing.

[Marty_LK]

You are woefully uninformed. *All* iPad apps work perfectly on the iPad 3. I know this from months of experience with the iPad 3. I can use any iPad app. I presently have 80 apps installed (there is an app that, among other things, gives an app count). I have tried and removed many more. Please name an iPad app that will not run properly on the iPad 3. Or link to this article where the reviewer is "ecstatic that it will run Apple native apps, unlike iPad3".

Regarding the 4:3 ratio. Most movies do run letterboxed. This compromise is, in my opinion, more than compensated for by better user experiences in the browser, mail, calendar, and the majority of other tablet uses. Now I only have experience with available iPads, specifically the iPad 3, so I will confine my comments to that model. Even letterboxed, the movie watching experience is superior to any other tablet that I am aware of. The screen has a native resolution of 2048 x 1536. Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080) is easily obtainable when letterboxed. Slicing a 16:9 shape out of the 4:3 iPad 3 leaves you with a 2048 x 1152 window.

The iPad 3 screen (again, I prefer to speak from direct experience unlike some) is the best of any tablet currently available. Have you heard of Displaymate Technologies (displaymate.com)? Not fanboys.
“Apple has taken the very good display on the iPad 2 and dramatically improved two of its major weak points: sharpness and color saturation – they are now state-of-the-art. Our lab tests and visual tests agree with Apple’s claim that the new iPad has “the best display ever on a mobile device” so we have awarded the new iPad the Best Mobile Display Award in DisplayMate’s Best Video Hardware Guide. But there’s more…the new iPad’s picture quality, color accuracy, and gray scale are not only much better than any other Tablet or Smartphone, it’s also much better than most HDTVs, laptops, and monitors. In fact with some minor calibration tweaks the new iPad would qualify as a studio reference monitor. So we have also awarded the new iPad the Best Mobile Picture Quality Award, which was previously held by the original Motorola Droid (not the more recent Droids, which all have poor picture quality). Finally, almost as impressive is that Apple has maintained the base price of $499. Who says Apple doesn’t compete aggressively on price!”

“In fact with some minor calibration tweaks the new iPad would qualify as a studio reference monitor.” Amazing.

I think people are getting the wrong message by what Rotorwrench said. I understood him to be mocking the "innovation" of the Mini - for lack of innovation. And the 4.3 aspect ratio movie watching is a dead give away of his distaste of the Mini"s "innovation". A 4.3 ratio movie is the worst kind.

[gilbodavid]

I bought a 64gb playbook for $165 a couple of weeks ago in UK. I then spent a week worrying whether I should have bought a kindle fire hd or nexus 7.

The more I've used my PlayBook the more impressed I have become.

The screen was a big issue. Strangely the iPad Mini screen is the same as my playbook, both less sharp than the Android offerings. However with ownership, using kindle and watching some movies and video, the playbook screen is fantastic.

Speaker quality is also hugely important for movies and music, another downer for mini and nexus 7.

Also I got 64gb. The 64gb mini in uk is $500!!! Yes u can stick flash media in Android but bit of a raffle. My camera is as good as the rest.

Build quality is a no no for nexus 7.

Apps I have sideloaded. Skype? I use my phone. Netflix? I have Netflix on my 40"tv with $3k sound system attached. All tablets lose to me hee.

Os reliability? My playbook is superb so far. But my friend has been complaining for weeks.... About her latest software upgrade that's totally screwed her lovely iPad 3 up. Not knocking iPad, it just means it's no more reliable. As for gps, what a scew up by apple. Mind you her iPad is brilliant and she loves it.

Os usability. After 2 weeks I can see why people like it so much. The more I get used to it the more impressive it is. I'm not even wondering about widgets any more hee. The browser is massively fast without flash and java, and still plenty fast with it

Future upgrades? This is where playbook is more exciting for me than the androids and mini-me. Os10 is genuinely something to look forward to.

All in all, I wouldn't pay much more for any of the competition than my playbook. And I haven't got bridge working yet as I'm only just about to get a blackberry phone. This is a huge compliment to a tablet that is 2 years old.

I think all these tablets are great. If I had the money I'd probably have all of them. But the more I get used to my paybook the happier I am with my choice after months of research and fretting. And at what a price.

Thank you blackberry.


God I sound like a fan boy. Yuk yuk spit it out david.... Spit spit yuk yuk lovely playbook stroke stroke swipe swipe oops... Spit spit my precious... Bad David bad fan boy puky David hit David he deserves it for praising his precious....

[dongeel]

As much as I try to like my BB PB, I think I NEED to get another tablet that works more than half the time. iPad mini sounds like a winner.

[gilbodavid]

My playbook works all the time. That makes u a LOOSER!!!!

[cleveland216]

This just in: I WILL be getting an iPad mini... for my wife!!! Haha!

It'll be an upgrade to her 1st-gen iPad, the 3-year-old inherits the 1st-gen, and I keep my Playbook(s)
WIN-WIN-WIN for all of us!

[ralfyguy]

I got a question: If you had an iPad, how do you watch an embedded flash video on a web page?

[cleveland216]

Here's how you watch Flash:

so... I jail-broke my iPad to install "Frash" early on. Then Apple updated to 4-point-something and Frash stopped working and the developer had no answers.
So back to the drawing board to find a Flash equivalent. Eventually I gave up updating the iPad to the latest in order to keep working "hacks." It turned into a cat and mouse game when trying to keep up with the latest features from Apple, and the latest jailbreaks to keep the must-have hacks (for me, not the wife), with Flash being the most important by far. I absolutely HATED not having Flash on a $800 device (which kinda made me hate Steve Jobs/Apple). I really didn't get over it until I got my Playbook.

True story.