- Well, ODAAT, the saddest point about your post is that you're actually right. I've been a BB user for seven years now. Bought my PB back when it still cost $$$ (or ��� for that matter (which actually hasn't changed all that much here in Germany - almost none of the big sales & discounts ever hit the German market). Needless to say I got my Dakota the day it was released here in Germany.
When I first got my PB I was overwhelmed by its amazing hardware capabilities - & underwhelmed, to say the least, by the way available software made use of said capabilities.
I actually had the same reaction as you when I read the smackdown here on CB. I especially liked the sentence "Enter PlayBook OS 2.0." RIM stopped releasing new features for the PB in late summer last year or so, and now, after more than half a year of waiting, OS 2.0 finally arrives & all we get is a new virtual keyboard?! I mean, seriously?!
Yes, the new remote control feature is also nice, but is it actually useful? I could imagine connecting my PB to a TV or a projector or whatever to watch movies if only ... well, if only RIM had enabled the PB to play MPEG Transport Streams. You know, I record a lot of movies from pay TV, & would just love to watch them on my PB while traveling. That was actually one of the main reasons for me getting the PB in the first place. I was all happy when I read it would support MPEG4 out of the box, just to find out that MPEG TS files are apparently not included in RIM's choice of what a PB user should be able watch on their device.
Of course I can still watch the brazillions of movies & series I record. Just have to transcode them. Only takes a couple of hours. Very nice. Now the lack of built-in codecs - or features in general - wouldn't matter all that much *if* there were third-party applications to fill the gap. I, for instance, would be absolutely happy if I had a port of VLC on my PB (just like on my iPod touch).
To have at least *something* to watch while on a train, I would probably even buy or rent movies - if my PB had a video store. Nice it is now available in the US. Too bad I don't live there. Relocating to a different continent in order to make my PB more useful doesn't sound too convenient to me.
I do understand that RIM urgently needs to broaden the potential user base & - as a result of this - increase actual sales of the PB. I also understand that the native PIM apps are an important step for this to achieve - or might have been an important step a year ago? But for all the people who already own their PBs, OS 2.0 does not have much to offer. Native email client on a device without at least UMTS support? Pretty useless on the road as you still need to have your BB in range for Internet access. So why not stick to the bridge idea? All I'm saying is that most of us current PB owners bought their PBs *despite* the "lack" of native PIM applications, maybe even (like me) *because* they found the idea of not having another device which needs to be synced quite charming.
So apart form nice but useless features like the remote control thingie & native PIM applications, what has OS 2.0 brought us? While I can't speak for others, I know what it has brought *me*: None of my Android apps are working anymore (except for the ICS launcher itself). Not even the ones I bought from BB App World after upgrading to the final version of OS 2.0. Oh, & Android Market seems to be broken as well.
Let's face it: The PB is superior to any other tablet in terms of hardware (until the introduction of the iPad 3 in a couple of weeks, that is), but if you look at the software, it falls behind. None of the apps that would actually allow you to do anything useful or even just fun are available. Oh wait - we've got Angry Birds now! Sorry, didn't take that into account.
It really makes me kind of sad to see RIM failing once again. Not saying here OS upgrades aren't important. But what RIM really needs to do is *get applications on the PB*. Probably more than Monopoly. Yes, this certainly is a hen-and-egg situation. I just don't see RIM resolving it anytime soon. Not with just OS 2.0 anyway.
Bye, K&K,
T-Zee02-25-12 11:17 AMLike 0 -
- Soooooo, what I'm trying to get at, once both the PlayBook and the iPad have been set up, and both remain stock units (meaning no additional apps installed), when taking both, say to a Starbucks to use their free wi-fi, what can the PlayBook do or not do as compared to the iPad can and can'ts?
Other than that, there should be little difference in the capabilities. Both support HTML5 in the browser, so there shouldn't be much difference there - having said this, many HTML5 sites are optimized for iPad, very few for PB. So you will probably get a nicer experience with HTML5 web apps on an iPad than a PB. But most sites should technically "work" on PB. And I think it supports Flash as well, which iPad does not.02-25-12 11:27 AMLike 0 - It all depends on what you want the tablet to do. Having millions of apps is pointless if you dont use any of them. A friend has an Ipad and is very happy with and its a nice peice of kit. When i played with it the other day the only apps that he had downloaded on it were Angry Birds HD, BBC iPlayer, youtube, IMDB and another game (Plants vs zombies I think). On my playbook I can do all of those for a lot less monet (playbook not cost of apps) and dont even need apps for some of them.
I contemplated getting an ipad but couldnt afford one so went for my playbook at �169 as it does what I want of it. I would love to drive around in a Ferrari but cant afford it so drive a Corsa as it does the same as a Ferrari just not as well for alot less money.02-25-12 11:40 AMLike 0 - OK, so to all the aspiring musicians out there, get an iPad to record and write your album on, bc that is really practical and everyone in the music industry is already doing it!
Look, people use tablets for different reasons. For me its a good alternative to lugging around a laptop with a weak battery. I use my Playbook for web browsing, email, facebook, youtube, and when I am bored with nothing better to do stuck somewhere... games. I will be the first to admit, I wish their was more media content made available on PB whether through site functionality or dedicated apps, but even without it, its still a great tablet for me.
Keep in mind I am a BB user, so the bridge features actually make the PB a much practical tablet to own than the iPad due to free data/file sharing everywhere! It does make the Playbook more portable not just in its size, but in what it can do when not in in a wifi area.
I refuse to pay for a dedicated data plan for a tablet or pay extra to unlock wifi hotspot or tethering on a phone, so for me the Playbook is clearly a more practical device to own.
Oh and I can carry it everywhere and conceal it in my coat pocket, without worrying about theft.
But yes, iPad has much better overall functionality and app support...
Thank You!02-25-12 11:43 AMLike 0 - Soooooo, what I'm trying to get at, once both the PlayBook and the iPad have been set up, and both remain stock units (meaning no additional apps installed), when taking both, say to a Starbucks to use their free wi-fi, what can the PlayBook do or not do as compared to the iPad can and can'ts?02-25-12 12:02 PMLike 0
- WHO CARES? honestly...stop arguin over this nonsense, go buy the tablet YOU want and leave it alone already, the ipad has more apps..you want apps?..go buy an ipad, simple as that. they both have their strengths and both have their faults, if you cant assess these properly as a consumer then that is your fault and your fault alone. IF YOU DONT WANT A PLAYBOOK...DONT BUY A PLAYBOOK! dont put down the owners of another device just because you made a different consumer decision based on your own needs....02-25-12 12:24 PMLike 2
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Just because you don't like my opinion (which is hard to disagree with if you look at the facts) doesn't make me a troll.
And it was also a glaring omission on the smackdown. Maybe Crackberry are flaming too.02-25-12 12:47 PMLike 0 - If anyone thinks the Playbook, even with OS2 is in the same league as the iPad 2 they are having a laugh. The ONLY thing in its favour is the price. And even that doesn't apply to those who paid full price six months ago.
As others have said, it's ALL about the apps. Gorillaz made their entire album on an iPad. And it's an amazing album. Can you imagine making an album on the PlayBook? With the Drums app and the Piano app? That right there summarises the huge difference between the two tablets.
Worlds apart.02-25-12 01:03 PMLike 0 - sorry, i highly doubt that gorillaz made the album using only an ipad, if this was the case we would have heard some half baked garbage. The addition of good studio quality condenser microphones and equipment would sound good ipad or no ipad. so to say they recorded it on an ipad and it sounds great is like me saying i took my 1000 dollar mic and plugged it into my pentium 3 and made a great album. Yeah it sounds good, but is it cuzza the computer? or the mic?
Im not saying its not a valid argument either, cuz garageband is great, and i think its a great idea to put software like that on a portable device like the ipad, but would they have made just as good an album or better, on any other platform using the same equipment minus the ipad? most likely.Last edited by erodenero; 02-25-12 at 02:15 PM.
02-25-12 02:11 PMLike 0
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