[zynks]

Many PB owners are feeling disillusioned today, there was absolutely no mention to the Playbook during the presentation of BB10 and only during Q&As there was a reference to the new OS becoming available to the PB.

Truth being said, the PB has not been good business for RIM and, reading the 'signs', there is little hope that it will ever be. Blackberry is stuck with us, and we are stuck with a device that has little importance for them.

If there are enough people that would like to see an alternative outcome, I think we should get together and propose a new way forward to Blackberry. Basically we need a win-win formula. I propose to request that the hardware is unlocked to install other OSs. The draft below is just an idea that could evolve to a final and formal letter if it represents the interests of a significant number of PB users.

Dear Mr. Heins,

I congratulate you for the launch of Blackberry 10 today. The future looks promissing for the new phones and I wish it will gain a significant market share and return Blackberry to a strong market position.

However, I write to you as the proud owner of a Blackberry Playbook. As most users of this tablet, I have been expecting to see the operating system, the eco-system and apps mature to a point where it might satisfy most of my work and personal requirements.

However, the absence of a clear strategy from Blackberry in relation to the Playbook became more obvious today when you made reference to an interest in identifying a vertical sector to focus development on. I also believe you made reference to the future release of Blackberry 10 for the Playbook, without giving any indication of when this may occur.

Most of what the Playbook users know today is based on rumours, and there are plenty of them. Developers feel rather uncertain about the direction this product will take, and some of the assumptions are that it may be reaching end of production, with no new tablet planned to replace it.

As it stands, I see no realistic expectation that the Playbook can become a source of profitable business for Blackberry, which leaves the company and the users in a no-win situation.

Rather than lose hope that this great device will one day satisfy my requirements, I would like to propose an alternative solution that might result in a positive outcome for Blackberry and for the existing owners of the Playbook: Why not allow users to replace the operating system in the tablet? This would allow a migration to a new eco-system and release Blackberry from this burden.

If you would be open to consider this possibility we could investigate the possibility of having an open source operating system adapted for the hardware, such as Ubuntu or Mozilla, who are currently developing a mobile phone operating systems, and have access to a broad range of applications and strong development communities.

I would like to learn if you might consider taking this step, and would be happy to address any questions you may have in relation to the details of this proposal.

So questions for discussion:

1. Would you support such an approach? Click Like below. If not, please let us know why you disagree.
2. Any changes or additional arguments you would suggest?

Thanks.

[KermEd]

I've said it a thousand times. PB won't see BB10 until spring

But right now its about the phones, not tablets. Its all about picking your battles I think. They need a phone that competes and can't afford to be sidetracked on anything else.

But that's just me.

Sent from my BlackBerry Veedu using Tapatalk 3

[zynks]

Of course, the other outcome of this letter could be that Blackberry wakes up and decides to treat us as customers worthy of respect and consideration.

[SlcCorrado]

I still think we should try the White House petition approach...




Kidding, obviously

[zynks]

I've said it a thousand times. PB won't see BB10 until spring

But right now its about the phones, not tablets. Its all about picking your battles I think. They need a phone that competes and can't afford to be sidetracked on anything else.

But that's just me.

That's the point: if PB is just a distraction, shouldn't we try to relieve them from the burden, allowing us to find out own solution? As it stands, we are going nowhere fast.

[vetteman93]

heres a novel idea....relaese the PB update now in the US and get us excited about the new changes...ie BB world( old app world) and all the peek and flow, camera app and all the lickies and chewies that will want us to buy the Z10 when it becomes available in the US

[Chaddface]

Of course, the other outcome of this letter could be that Blackberry wakes up and decides to treat us as customers worthy of respect and consideration.

Speak for yourself.

[samab]

That's the point: if PB is just a distraction, shouldn't we try to relieve them from the burden, allowing us to find out own solution? As it stands, we are going nowhere fast.

What other solutions?

There is only one solution --- RIM has to make BB10 phones in order to survive. It has to pass carrier certification which it hasn't in the US. It has to finish QWERTY version of the OS which it isn't finished yet. It has to make the currently OS 10 portrait only calender app and map app to run in landscape mode in OS 10.1.

You ARE the distraction. A couple of months from now, you will have more BB10 smartphone users than Playbook users --- which is not that hard to do because there is only 1.5 million Playbooks sold. From the developers' point of view, it's more important for BB10 smartphones to launch as soon as possible.

[h8zgray]

Sounds good, but as one poster mentioned, releasing BB10 for Playbook soon may very well whet the appetite of Blackberry faithful prior to the phones' launch in March.

[samab]

Sounds good, but as one poster mentioned, releasing BB10 for Playbook soon may very well whet the appetite of Blackberry faithful prior to the phones' launch in March.

Impossible to do on a technical level --- given even on a Z10, core apps (like calender and maps app) only operate in portrait mode --- you can't use that on a landscape oriented Playbook.

[glamrlama]

HI OP. My advice: I have made this and similar posts several times. I LOVE my PlayBook. The best $248 I ever spent on a piece of electronica and I have spent what amounts to tens of thousands of $ over the years. When buying electronics always buy what works TODAY. Never buy on a promise of what it may do tomorrow. That being said I am very happy with the progress that PB has made since launch. Your experience has obviously been different. As impressive as BB10 on Z/Q10 is today and as impressive as it MAY be on PB in future there is a very good chance I will not upgrade it to BB10 when it becomes available. It does what I need right now. Buy yourself a different tablet if that is what you NEED. The odds of seeing another OS besides one from BBRY on the PB are ZERO or LESS.

[rjedge54]

Why were you expecting anything else? BlackBerry has been saying for several months that Jan 30 was about BB10 for the phones. Focusing on getting it right for a much larger market than the 1.5 million Playbooks could ever provide is vital to their survival. They have also stated several times over the last several months that BB10 is coming for the Playbook, but the phones would be first. Do people not read anymore or is that they read and it just doesn't sink in? As a Playbook owner (3 actually) I had no expectations for any playbook news today because they had made it abundantly clear that there would not be.

They're roasted alive for not doing what they state and even when they do stick to their plan they are still roasted. They are a business and they need to make good business decisions and focusing on getting it right for the phones first was a good business decision.

<sigh> I'm beginning to think there is little hope for humanity.

[chaosdivine]

I still think we should try the White House petition approach...




Kidding, obviously

No fly list for you...FBI in 3-2-1...

[pbluv]

I wish there was a 'dislike' button, because i don't agree with you.

The playbook, as is, works fine. If they update the OS to 10, great, but if they don't I'm still quite happy with it, and it will continue to work just fine.

Glamriama put it well.

[chaosdivine]

Impossible to do on a technical level --- given even on a Z10, core apps (like calender and maps app) only operate in portrait mode --- you can't use that on a landscape oriented Playbook.

I heard that the Nexus 7 did this at launch...then they fixed it as time and resources went on. I have no idea if this is true though since I don't have a Nexus - (apparently it was true: http://www.zdnet.com/landscape-mode-...-7-7000005505/). I myself would have gone portrait for a few months to get used to the new OS until they "fixed it" to work in both orientations. They could have made the OS update optional until the fixed version was released in the summer.

[samab]

I heard that the Nexus 7 did this at launch...then they fixed it as time and resources went on. I have no idea if this is true though since I don't have a Nexus - (apparently it was true: Landscape mode comes to Nexus 7 | ZDNet). I myself would have gone portrait for a few months to get used to the new OS until they "fixed it" to work in both orientations. They could have made the OS update optional until the fixed version was released in the summer.

You can't "whet the appetite" if it is an half-assed attempt --- it only makes people angry about the shortcomings.

[chaosdivine]

Well Google did it and survived. I mean if you made this KNOWN in advance (Disclaimer: this only works in portrait mode for the time being until we get off our a$$es and fix it) then why the heck not? Make the download optional...choice is a wonderful thing. I'd be all over that like a fat kid on a Smartie.

[samab]

Well Google did it and survived. I mean if you made this KNOWN in advance (Disclaimer: this only works in portrait mode for the time being until we get off our a$$es and fix it) then why the heck not? Make the download optional...choice is a wonderful thing. I'd be all over that like a fat kid on a Smartie.

Google can do whatever they want, but RIM has other more pressing things to do --- like finishing up QWERTY version of the OS, like making OS 10.1, getting the other 4 BB10 models to launch..

[chaosdivine]

Google can do whatever they want, but RIM has other more pressing things to do --- like finishing up QWERTY version of the OS, like making OS 10.1, getting the other 4 BB10 models to launch..

Well I'm with you on that. The lack of insight into the working of the Q10 were disappointing to me. That's the phone I wanted in the first place. If it can't do a similar predictive text experience somehow then I'll be upset. I don't expect carbon copy like because I doubt those frets are touch sensitive but somehow the swipe thing has to work with a keyboard.

Update: I saw a video that briefly showed predictive text working with the keyboard on screen but I haven't seen it swipeable yet...

[Blackman91]

Sigh quoting myself:

Thats the problem with having made up expectations, do you really thought the playbook would get bb10 at the same time the phone was released? You were deluded to think that, and RIM never promised anything, Im fine with my playbook as it is, its useful and does almost everything i want it to do, I dont mind waiting 1 month or two for the update to bb10, specially since RIM promised ALL playbooks would get Bb10.

[Cracklen]

"....and only during Q&As there was a reference to the new OS becoming available to the PB."

This (or was it a quote from some other 'meet'), "....Possible PlayBook update?

"....Holleran also hinted plans may be in the works to possibly update the PlayBook tablet retroactively to make it compatible with BlackBerry's new functions. "We intend to bring BlackBerry 10 functionality to the Playbook," Holleran told CBC News. "I can’t reveal details about exactly when, but I can tell you that the Playbook picking up the BB10 code line is definitely on the roadmap for the future." .......",

excerpt from, RIM changes name to BlackBerry as BB10 launches - Canada - CBC News


re: "...for Playbook soon may very well whet the appetite of Blackberry faithful prior to the phones' launch in March. ..."

Shucks don't confuse me will ya I thought today "launch day" was the day the phones would be sold, nooooooo ! Not till next Tuesday Feb.5th !

{kind ah like a bricks'n mortar grand opening taking place but there is still a lot of work still to be done, when ya show up for whatever service the bricks'n mortar be offering !}

imho

[zynks]

You ARE the distraction. A couple of months from now, you will have more BB10 smartphone users than Playbook users --- which is not that hard to do because there is only 1.5 million Playbooks sold. From the developers' point of view, it's more important for BB10 smartphones to launch as soon as possible.

Of course the phone are more important (for RIM), no issues with that. But are you happy with being low in their list of priorities and probably going even lower later on? As you say, there aren't that many Playbooks out there. That makes the business unattractive for RIM. On the other hand, if we got the freedom to install another Linux based OS we would relieve RIM from the trouble and have much better chances of getting a solid range of apps available.

Look at this as an example of what could be done. This video shows a full PC OS (Ubuntu) being ported to a phone. Why not have it on a Playbook? Oh, and they have Skype, Netflix, Hulu and many more ready to go.

[FSeverino]

they never said that BB10 would come to PB on launch. it sucks, but it wasnt promised

[samab]

Of course the phone are more important (for RIM), no issues with that. But are you happy with being low in their list of priorities and probably going even lower later on? As you say, there aren't that many Playbooks out there. That makes the business unattractive for RIM. On the other hand, if we got the freedom to install another Linux based OS we would relieve RIM from the trouble and have much better chances of getting a solid range of apps available.

Look at this as an example of what could be done. This video shows a full PC OS (Ubuntu) being ported to a phone. Why not have it on a Playbook? Oh, and they have Skype, Netflix, Hulu and many more ready to go.

He is talking Ubuntu available in 2014 --- and BB10 would have arrived by then on the Playbook.

[BB_Bmore]

You can't "whet the appetite" if it is an half-assed attempt --- it only makes people angry about the shortcomings.

Agreed, like having a bunch of new apps in the store that look great but you can't download them