1. BBerryPowerUser's Avatar
    Hi fellow CrackBerry-addicts. I have been with BBerry for a very long time, with only 1 year straying to iPhone and Android. I'm back with Berry again and very happy to be back to Black. I have a Kindle Fire, and a Nook HD. Both are nice if your goal is to have a reader with extra features, but I really am considering buying a Playbook. I was thinking Nexus, but then thought I'd see what actual Playbook "users" said about the CURRENT STATUS of the Playbook and if it were wise to acquire one now.
    My goals are simple. I would like to have a convenient tablet that I can use instead of my laptop when traveling. I'm thinking that since I'm staying with BlackBerry, I might as well look into Playbook.

    I've not followed Playbook, and honestly do not know the basics, let alone the pluses or minuses of the Playbook. I do know (at least I think I know) that I can use "Bridge" to link the Playbook to my 9780. Unfortunately, I'm on Simple Mobile and I don't think I can get "Bridge" on my Appworld. And also unfortunately, I don't know what I don't know at this point. I'm even wondering if BB 10 will Bridge with Playbook. I have not researched this yet.

    Since a little bit of knowledge in a specific area can be dangerous.....
    .......any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
    lewcat likes this.
    12-30-12 06:22 PM
  2. itmccb's Avatar
    You say you want something to replace your laptop, but what exactly do you do with your laptop that you hope the PlayBook will be able to handle?
    12-30-12 06:27 PM
  3. BBerryPowerUser's Avatar
    You say you want something to replace your laptop, but what exactly do you do with your laptop that you hope the PlayBook will be able to handle?
    Thanks for the reply.
    I don't want to "totally' replace the laptop. When I travel, I'd like to be able to check email, do some light web surfing, perhaps book hotels, and other things that I would consider "light' tablet use. The problem I have now is that I am not even sure what it will and won't do. I assume I can do most or all or more of what my 9780 does, only in a Tablet form.

    Unless I can get an external keyboard, I'd probably not truly try and replace my laptop, but who knows? Maybe I can.
    12-30-12 06:34 PM
  4. karloptimux's Avatar
    Unless I can get an external keyboard, I'd probably not truly try and replace my laptop, but who knows? Maybe I can.
    Not only you can get external keyboard but you can also have a mouse!
    12-30-12 06:45 PM
  5. itmccb's Avatar
    Thanks for the reply.
    I don't want to "totally' replace the laptop. When I travel, I'd like to be able to check email, do some light web surfing, perhaps book hotels, and other things that I would consider "light' tablet use. The problem I have now is that I am not even sure what it will and won't do. I assume I can do most or all or more of what my 9780 does, only in a Tablet form.

    Unless I can get an external keyboard, I'd probably not truly try and replace my laptop, but who knows? Maybe I can.
    It can definitely do all that competently. And there is an official keyboard for the PlayBook, though its quite pricey at $120 (you may be able to find a good deal depending on where you live.) Just search PlayBook mini keyboard. I'd also recommend looking up a video of Bridge if you haven't already. I'm sure you'd find that pretty useful.
    12-30-12 06:52 PM
  6. alan510's Avatar
    There are plenty of things to do with the PlayBook. I use it everyday to keep up with news, social media, some writing, browsing the Web. I also use it for my business, use the video camera to shoot some videos, connect it through my music gateway to listen to music, Now and then I will connect to my HDTV through the HDMI to watch movies and I read books or use the video chat to connect with friends and family who also have PlayBooks (luckily there are lots of them). That's not even talking about all the games available. It's very versatile and that's why people will ask you what you want to do with the device because there is so much you can do with it. Two other big pluses - it's very portable and you'll be getting a FREE BB10 upgrade and that entails. So there you go. Lots to be done with the PlayBook. At current prices it's a steal; you won't regret it.
    Scotter75 likes this.
    12-30-12 06:56 PM
  7. djenkins6's Avatar
    If you can't get bridge in your app world, you can get it from rroyy.com - are you on the unlimited simple mobile plan, if so looks like you get 4gb of data

    Rim have been making improvements to bridge on regular basis over past 2 years, I'm sure it will be on bb10 and probably with more features. In fact once you have it bridged you will wonder how you ever managed on a phone alone. A big advantage for the playbook will be making use of the lte speeds of bb10 phones.
    12-30-12 07:03 PM
  8. itmccb's Avatar
    It's very versatile and that's why people will ask you what you want to do with the device because there is so much you can do with it.
    Getting back into troll mode, I was actually asking because Even though the PlayBook can do many things competently, there are things that it doesn't do very well at all or other devices do better by several orders of magnitude (I own/have extensively used several tablets and have nitpicked all the pros and cons of each). Though the OP's use cases seem to be covered well enough - especially since he has a BB phone - that it warrants a recommendation from me.
    brianatbb likes this.
    12-30-12 07:12 PM
  9. ibpluto's Avatar
    I was where you are now. All I can say is you will not regret getting a Playbook. I love mine, and can't put it down. I opened mine up Christmas morning and have not used my laptop since. The browser on this thing is awesome.
    12-30-12 07:15 PM
  10. BBerryPowerUser's Avatar
    Guys, thanks so much. You are the best. Just the answers I needed. I'm going to order one tonight. Amazon has one for $174 for the 32 Gig. I don't think I'll need any more than that.

    I have read that it can run Android apps via "sideload" (do I have that correct?) That's not a big deal for me, but it would be a nice plus.

    I'm pretty tech savvy, I just don't know anything about the Playbook. But one comment above I must agree with. for $174 for 32 gigs, it does seem like a steal to me! Oh, and BB 10 upgrade? SURE!
    12-30-12 07:18 PM
  11. karloptimux's Avatar
    You should shop around a little more, I got my 32gb for 118$. Maybe you can find a better deal elsewhere.
    ibpluto likes this.
    12-30-12 07:21 PM
  12. djenkins6's Avatar
    You can sideload some android apps, many won't work. I have done a lot of sideloading but only really use kindle and Flipboard. Everything else is browser or app world apps with occasional use of other sideloaded apps.
    12-30-12 07:25 PM
  13. gtnick44's Avatar
    Try bestbuy.com they have pretty good deals on refurbished ones...
    12-30-12 07:26 PM
  14. itmccb's Avatar
    Guys, thanks so much. You are the best. Just the answers I needed. I'm going to order one tonight. Amazon has one for $174 for the 32 Gig. I don't think I'll need any more than that.

    I have read that it can run Android apps via "sideload" (do I have that correct?) That's not a big deal for me, but it would be a nice plus.

    I'm pretty tech savvy, I just don't know anything about the Playbook. But one comment above I must agree with. for $174 for 32 gigs, it does seem like a steal to me! Oh, and BB 10 upgrade? SURE!
    Just in case curiosity gets the better of you.
    PlayBook Android apps
    App manager
    Instructions
    They're old versions of phone apps, but still nice to have.
    12-30-12 07:37 PM
  15. BBerryPowerUser's Avatar
    An amazing group. Wow. Really good advice.

    OK, I'm shopping around a bit. I'm blown away at the prices already. Amazing value for the price IMO.

    I am a fan of FlipBoard, so I'm glad I may be able to sideload that. I've been using my Nook Tablet a lot for reading and light surfing and emails. I'm pretty comfortable with the Android but am looking forward to seeing the differences with Playbook.

    I appreciate the candid responses. I'd love to know more about what the Playbook "CAN" do and "CAN NOT" do VS the Android Tablet. I was considering a Nexus, but would prefer Playbook, especially since I'm a fan, have a BBerry, and am staying with BBerry.
    12-30-12 07:39 PM
  16. tdexter77's Avatar
    OK...I have some candid advice for CAN and CAN NOT. I have had an iPad and my house has 2 Android tablets (Nexus 7, Samsung Tab 8.9). It definitely can manage email (both IMAP and POP as well as corporate accounts), browser beats out mobile Chrome and Safari (IMO), display is good enough, it has descent game selection, great document handling with Doc to Go, great productivity apps (Evernote, GroovyNotes and more), 7" display (portability) and much more. Cannot video chat besides with other PlayBooks, no Netflix, no Hulu, no Amazon Instant videos, 7" display (small for media), no 3G/LTE model available in the US, app selection is not great and app updates are slower than other platforms. IMO....Android/iPad are more toys/entertainment and the PlayBook is more of a tool. I recently went on a business trip without my laptop and survived great. The HDMI worked great for presentations and watching movies on the hotel TV. The available Box.net app was great keeping me in touch with my documents (accessible through a bridge connection) and the Doc To Go apps let me edit and save my work documents flawlessly.
    12-30-12 07:58 PM
  17. BBerryPowerUser's Avatar
    THANKS! Great info.
    Since I need a tablet more as a "PDA" than a movie/game device, I think I'm safe with the Playbook.

    Since I'm coming off of a Nook HD and Kindle Fire, I'm used to not having tons of Android apps at my disposal. I'm pretty excited about getting the Playbook and starting to use it. I'm sure I've got about 100 more questions. Stand by!
    convenor likes this.
    12-30-12 08:04 PM
  18. OutlandMoro's Avatar
    PlayBook lacks in apps, although if you sideload you can get some of the Android apps which is cool. The PlayBook is great in terms of OS and watching videos.
    12-30-12 08:14 PM
  19. itmccb's Avatar
    OK...I have some candid advice for CAN and CAN NOT. I have had an iPad and my house has 2 Android tablets (Nexus 7, Samsung Tab 8.9). It definitely can manage email (both IMAP and POP as well as corporate accounts), browser beats out mobile Chrome and Safari (IMO), display is good enough, it has descent game selection, great document handling with Doc to Go, great productivity apps (Evernote, GroovyNotes and more), 7" display (portability) and much more. Cannot video chat besides with other PlayBooks, no Netflix, no Hulu, no Amazon Instant videos, 7" display (small for media), no 3G/LTE model available in the US, app selection is not great and app updates are slower than other platforms. IMO....Android/iPad are more toys/entertainment and the PlayBook is more of a tool. I recently went on a business trip without my laptop and survived great. The HDMI worked great for presentations and watching movies on the hotel TV. The available Box.net app was great keeping me in touch with my documents (accessible through a bridge connection) and the Doc To Go apps let me edit and save my work documents flawlessly.
    Strongly disagree. Flash is nice and performance is satisfactory, but the browser itself but the browser itself leaves much to be desired with a poor layout and several missing features. Good for light browsing but can lead to frustration beyond that.
    Decent document handling. It covers the basics and nothing else.
    It has the apps but other platforms have better versions of the same apps and much more.
    Again, strongly disagree. The iPad/Nexus tablets may be good for media consumption, but they also have much better tools. iWork and Drive are much more robust than anything that you'll find in AppWorld. The few occasions that I decided to leave everything at home and try to do work on my PlayBook, I ended up just using my Android phone. Not to suggest that the PlayBook's apps are bad, but that the iPad's/Nexus's are that much better.

    Now to throw in some positives:
    -I have the attention span of a rodent so it's nice to be able to have videos going in the background (showcase mode).
    -If you want to be a creeper you can also record audio/video in the background (showcase mode).
    -Flash support
    brianatbb and BBitus like this.
    12-30-12 08:34 PM
  20. alan510's Avatar
    "Cannot video chat besides with other PlayBooks, no Netflix, no Hulu, no Amazon Instant videos, 7" display (small for media), no 3G/LTE model available in the US, app selection is not great and app updates are slower than other platforms. IMO....Android/iPad are more toys/entertainment and the PlayBook is more of a tool."

    I agree with the OP about these elements. I would mention though that they are many Geography specific applications. I have no idea where the original questioner comes from. I don't live in the United States so Netflix, Hulu or Amazon do not apply to me. Having said that, I, like everyone else who wants BlackBerry to succeed , would like to see these apps and other popular ones available for PlayBook owners in the US. RIM says it wants to have the top 200 important apps in EVERY region on the new BB10 phones, and hopefully the PlayBook as well. If that happens, the PlayBook will only get better with age, just like good wine.
    12-30-12 08:46 PM
  21. disneynorth's Avatar
    I've been a BB user for over 4 years now. 2 years ago, I bought a first gen iPad which I used a lot. But then I bought my Playbook last year,and I love it! I barely use my iPad now, as I find the playbook easier to use and more intuitive. I will say I did have to use the warranty and get a new playbook as the battery was shot and wasn't turning on properly. The new one works like a charm.

    I use my playbook for:
    -web surfing
    -social media
    -blogging
    -reading
    -gaming
    -reading (kobo app)
    -watching movies/tv shows
    -taking photos/video
    -video chat with family
    -checking weather
    -checking movie times
    -online shopping
    -crackberry forum

    There are some bugs,but nothing serious. I've experinced the same and worse problems with my iPad.

    I say buy one! You can't go wrong.
    12-30-12 09:07 PM
  22. cadoll's Avatar
    Just had to double check, but if you are interested in watching videos, Amazon Prime instant streaming DOES work on the PlayBook and has for sometime, now. Also, you will be pleased to know that all of the books you purchased for your nook are still available for you to read on your PlayBook using the cloud version on the browser. (At least, that is what I do.) Good luck on your purchase! I have been using my PlayBook daily from the first day of release and am still amazed at all of the things I can do with it. It just keeps getting better!
    12-30-12 09:25 PM
  23. pchapple13's Avatar
    Only buy a PB if you want an awesome tablet. While the Ipad and android tabs definitely have an advantage when it comes to apps, the playbook is a far greater tablet to use, and can do much more.(in my opinion, and I have tried many tablets) After you use a playbook, everything else feels like a step backwards. It's not perfect, but none of the others are either. Not only will you not be disappointed by the PB, you'll absolutely love it!
    12-30-12 09:56 PM
  24. BBerryPowerUser's Avatar
    I can't thank you all enough for the great help and advice. I am definitely ordering a playbook tomorrow. I am surprised it took me this long to realize I want one. Keep the great posts coming. Others as well as me will benefit by these posts!

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk
    12-30-12 10:10 PM
  25. Goggleboi's Avatar
    If you hadnt already bought the Playbook, I would suggest getting a Nexus 7 instead. The best thing PB has is the swiping feature and very nice multitasking. Home buttons suck. There is also Flash preloaded, but installing it with the Nexus is pretty simple. Find the .apk file, and load with Firefox.

    Everyone already mentioned the lack of popular apps like Skype and Netflix, and the small pool of apps means you'll probably not find the lesser known apps you want. This is an annoying feature for me, even with the ability to sideload.

    PB doesnt support OTG and the Nexus does. The simple ability to use a otg adapter lets you use connect your mouse, use a flash drive for effectively unlimited memory, use game controllers, and connect to keyboards without having ot spend 120 bucks on the official one.

    The PB was super nice when I was first new to tablets, but the lack of so many features is more noticeable every day.
    brianatbb likes this.
    12-30-12 10:23 PM
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