[webdave]

I'm either picking up an iPad Mini or a cheap Playbook. I'd be using either with a z10. I've been out of the Blackberry loop for a while. Do I gain anything by using a Playbook with the z10?

[kwoodcock]

My opinion having both is that the Ipad mini is the better product, but it's all about the cost. Do you want to spend �120 or �269? PlayBook is unbeatable for the price! The answer on the Z10 I guess again it depends what you want to do on it, not sure if the bridge works. When bb10 comes to playbook then there may be a load of new feature, but I guess we'll have to wait (a long time).

[Wongsky]

I'd say it depends on what you want out of a tablet, and what you can try and predict you'll be using it for.

Having a Z10 though, and I guess you will for a while, given they're new, and with BB10 coming to the PlayBook, and the PlayBook being an absolute steal on price at present, I'd suggest there's just something about having the two together. But a lot will come down to what you want to do / how you want to use a tablet.

[Bbnivende]

Asking for advice on this site is a little like asking if you should buy a gun while in a gun shop in Texas .

The PB was originally sold as a useful addition to your BB to read and answer to business e-mails from your hotel or home with the benefit of being able to surf the net in those same places. The BB bridge was the key. Apps not being regarded as very important to the business user. Businesses did not buy the PB for their EE's probably because most of the users have laptops and three devices is a little much. Long story short - no native e-mail thus not good for consumers and no sales = no apps = no sales .

I think you should buy the Tablet on it's own merits apart from your phone. I have a PB and a Ipad (large) and I don't often tether them.

In some cases I have found the wifi connectivity to be better on the Ipad than the PB. The Battery on my iPad is much better than on my PB .. MUCH better.
Crackberries will tell you that they never turn off their PB's hence the LONG start up is not a problem ... well that is just putting up with a big irritant.
The Ipad does not have flash but frankly that is an advantage because the Ipad loads up more quickly. I also find the PB browser to be finicky as it is too easy to lose the page you are on and sometimes you have to really expand and hold your finger for a while on the link. Did I mention that the Ipad mini has a much more useful screen size and lots of apps . The Ipad plays youtube and other streaming videos really well whereas the PB does not ... jerky slow and buffering.

The advantage of the PB is the swipe based OS. Similar to the Z10. No home button. The plan is for the PB to get BB10 but when we do not know. I would not buy it with that expectation. The PB is much cheaper and if you want to store music or video's ( think of it as a big iPod) then the PB is fantastic for the price. The quality of stored video HD is excellent. The sound is probably better than the iPad. So far I have no reliability problems with my PB but others have definitely had issues. Pretty sure that the reliability of the iPad will be better.

The one drawback to buying the iPad today is that we know an iPad mini 2 is waiting in the wings. I would wait for the newer model if you can.

If you want one right now and Apps are not important to you I would still go to the stores and try them out. There are some great small android Tablets (Nexus, Kobo latest Kindle) that are PB competitors. If music video storage is real important go with the PB . If you just want the best most reliable easiest to use most apps tablet right now I would buy the Ipad mini. If you use Apple computers like I do ... I would look at nothing else.

PS good luck in finding a PB for sale.

[dbmalloy]

OP should provide more info on why they want to buy a tablet.... what devices have they used...ie... if they use the Apple echo system they will likely BB apps lacking....

[Wongsky]

Crackberries will tell you that they never turn off their PB's hence the LONG start up is not a problem ... well that is just putting up with a big irritant.

Not sure I'm a crackberry... but just wanted to respond to that point - I often hear the long boot / reboot thing raised as a problem / issue - and I'll defend it, too - but that's not due to bias or any product allegiance.

I do rarely turn-off / boot / reboot my PlayBook - it is truly a rare thing, that's not because of the long boot time that's merely because of all the similar gadgets I use, that I use daily, I don't turn them off either. For example, I've got 2 Android tablets, when I was using one, or the other, of them daily, I wouldn't turn it off, either. I only have to boot them now, as I don't use them particularly frequently any more (maybe once a week, and one or the other may have run out of charge. Now true enough, they boot maybe a little quicker than my PlayBook, but in normal use, neither bothers me, because I'd rarely shut them down.

I suppose if I did regularly shutdown my PlayBook, it would be an irritant - but then why would I do that? I don't avoid shutting it down because it takes a while to boot, I've always used standby on the tablet device I used daily.

[Chaddface]

The Ipad does not have flash but frankly that is an advantage because the Ipad loads up more quickly. I also find the PB browser to be finicky as it is too easy to lose the page you are on and sometimes you have to really expand and hold your finger for a while on the link. Did I mention that the Ipad has a much more useful screen size and lots of apps . The Ipad plays youtube and other streaming videos really well whereas the PB does not ... jerky slow and buffering.

I don't find the absence of flash to be an advantage. You can turn it off in the PlayBook browser if you don't want it. I have no trouble streaming. Maybe that's a connection issue.

[Bbnivende]

On the start up irritant ... mine doesn't seem to charge up very well when it is on. It still seems to use some power when on stand by. OK minor irritant. All things being equal I would still prefer the fast start up but hardly a show stopper.

On the streaming issue ... well both the Ipad and PB are using the same router and Wifi so the iPad has the advantage based on my experience on my machines in my setting. For example, I have tried to watch golf instruction on PB ... would not play but they play well on the iPad ( my experience maybe not others).

[RubberChicken76]

I think you should buy the Tablet on it's own merits apart from your phone.

If you want apps, it's no question, IMO.

Crackberries will tell you that they never turn off their PB's hence the LONG start up is not a problem ... well that is just putting up with a big irritant.

No. Some of us just don't turn our devices off or reboot normally. I don't turn off my iPod or iPhone either unless there's an issue. This isn't like my 9900 where it needed to reboot to install an app. I just stick it on the charging stand and let it be.

The Ipad does not have flash but frankly that is an advantage because the Ipad loads up more quickly

What if you're on a site that only has flash video? I watch tv programs online all the time. The site says "flash required" on my iPhone and I can't watch without downloading an app. Sucks *** because I don't have space.

Did I mention that the Ipad mini has a much more useful screen size and lots of apps .

The apps I agree. The screen size I think is Tim Cook posturing. I also have both and find his comment about "it's 7.9" so it's so much bigger" to be ridiculous. It is bigger, but not this glorious experience made out to be.

The Ipad plays youtube and other streaming videos really well whereas the PB does not ... jerky slow and buffering.

I don't have that experience. I do have issues with sites where the iPad says, "Flash required" though.

Pretty sure that the reliability of the iPad will be better.

Which takes a fall better?

For the record, i say "try and see". You can't beat the iPad Mini's support. You can beat its price. It ultimately comes down to how the device will be used.

[svelt]

Bridge is useful so that you can read/respond to Z10 emails on the PlayBook, especially if you can also find a mini-keyboard for cheap to make it a small portable laptop. HDMI port...well depends on whether you would use the device to view videos on your television/HDMI monitor. Speakers are better in general than those on the iPad. Swipe based gestures and multitasking make the iPad's button seem ancient, archaic and slow. Flash is still very prevalent on the internet which makes the PB better as a browser, lots of pages don't fully work on my iPad still but going forward it will be slowly phased out... but by then whichever tablet you choose will be obsolete. And obviously, the price is the big draw if you can find one.

[Bbnivende]

Still don't buy a PB or any tablet with out trying it out first . My buddy says that with his touch phone (Samsung ) that he finds less use for his 7 inch tablet (Nexus) . If and when I get the Z10 I suspect my PB will be seldom used (Ipad is my spouse's) . Don't get me wrong though the PB is a good value product and I like the E-mail system as well .

[Chaddface]

On the start up irritant ... mine doesn't seem to charge up very well when it is on. It still seems to use some power when on stand by. OK minor irritant. All things being equal I would still prefer the fast start up but hardly a show stopper.

If you're using the included charger it should be little difference between off and standby. Are you using a phone charger or USB port? That would make a difference. Actually now that I think about it, one of the recent updates changed the charging characteristics so the screen backlight comes on while charging turned off. Charging in standby should be faster.

[perking]

I'm either picking up an iPad Mini or a cheap Playbook. I'd be using either with a z10. I've been out of the Blackberry loop for a while. Do I gain anything by using a Playbook with the z10?

Although I'm using PlayBook but to tell the truth, my recommendation is iPad. The promise that BB10 is coming to PlayBook can make it hotter, but it's still in future, and even if it happen, we don't know if BB10 is full supported in PlayBook. I don't appreciate BlackBerry's responsiveness in users' demand. Look what they've done with the app Facebook for PlayBook.

[Jmaxim]

Avoid yourself the frustration and get the iPad mini and an iPhone. Seriously. However, if you are up to waiting on things that are now rudimentary on other platforms, by all means get the PlayBook and Z10.

[Bbnivende]

Avoid yourself the frustration and get the iPad mini and an iPhone. Seriously. However, if you are up to waiting on things that are now rudimentary on other platforms, by all means get the PlayBook and Z10.

ha ha ... he has a Z10. He must like it and BB as well. You don't have be all Apple or All BB.

[xamdam]

If your getting a Z10 then get a playbook and be like as i am already have.

[windozeless]

I started life with Palms and could not understand why anyone would have a Windows PDA. I am coming to the same conclusion with iPad although I love my iMac. I bought an iPad and then a Palm Pre and HP Web OS tablet. I sold the iPad and bought a Sony S and then a P. After getting a Playbook for my sister and then partner, on the grounds of cost, I got one for myself. The thing is, what do you want to use it for, my Sony's are great with my televisions etc. but they all have strengths and weaknesses although Web OS is still the best OS for my money. I have no problems with my Playbook. Can't wait to try out a Z10 - looks like it will better the Web OS.

[RubberChicken76]

I second that "why does it have to be one or the other" post!

[bdegrande]

iPad mini, the advantage in software is just overwhelming, plus it's lighter. If you can afford both, get both, the PlayBook is a great multimedia tablet, it has HDMI out and a widescreen format. I would not be worried about the mini iPad 2 coming out, a retina display will be a mixed blessing, as it will make it run hotter, require a bigger battery, etc.

[Bbnivende]

Rubber Chicken says we are speculating when we say that the Playbook has been discontinued. Fair enough. No speculation in saying that the PB has become in scarce supply. I checked "The Source" in Canada (aka Radio Shack) on line and this site will tell you which stores supposedly stock the 32 gig PB for $149.99 cdn. I would phone first. There were some in my area . Personally, I would pay an extra $100 for something like the Kobo Arc that has access to Google Play or even more for the Ipad mini BUT $149.99 is a steal of a deal and if you don't care about Apps , it has your name on it.

[kdeckels]

I have gotten so used to bridging when away from wifi that I'm lost without it. Yes, the apps are much more limited on the PB, but with sideloading I find I have all I need.

[Bbnivende]

I have gotten so used to bridging when away from wifi that I'm lost without it. Yes, the apps are much more limited on the PB, but with sideloading I find I have all I need.

This is just a question , so don't flame me. Can't you use mobile hotspot or bluetooth maybe not as good etc but as an alternative ?

[SEAWARRIOR]

Crackberries will tell you that they never turn off their PB's hence the LONG start up is not a problem ...

dunno where you heard that,,, it doesn't take that long,,, i've never timed it but i've booted my 9850 & pb @ the same time & pb is booted a few seconds after the phone...

[SEAWARRIOR]

Rubber Chicken says we are speculating when we say that the Playbook has been discontinued.

has anyone ever called BB & just flat out asked 'em???

[CBCListener]

There's no denying that either iPad is a pretty device, and there's no denying that Apple has done a good job in designing it. There's no denying, either, that I'm a BlackBerry partisan, so take this for what it's worth. The PlayBook is a better multimedia device, and its design appears to be a reflection of that intent. The PlayBook has stereo speakers...better stereo speakers than either iPad, and they face the user, for the best stereo image by far. I haven't noticed some of the complaints of sketchy YouTube video, except when my WiFi link was sketchy itself. The link to a BlackBerry device (and at this point, the earlier 7.x OS BBs have more features than with the Z10...but we hope this will change when/if BlackBerry releases PlayBook OS 10) was, for me, the killer feature...I'll often open up email or web pages through Bridge, which launches the appropriate application for display on a bigger screen. Flash is a plus, as I use PlayBook to listen to CBC (thus my username). I've also used the HDMI connection to watch streamed video on my (not bragging) 46-inch TV...and the image is incredible...controlled with my BB 9900 with the remote mouse feature with Bridge, it's convenient, too.

I once found myself needing to perform a task at work...when I thought I was on vacation (don't ask). Thankfully I had my keyboard-equipped PlayBook, and saved the day (and probably my job...as I said, don't ask). Yes, I would have preferred to have had my laptop, but my PlayBook, despite its size, saved the day (and, as I said, my job).

Features being what they are, I think the PlayBook is the better choice. The price, if you can't afford both an iPad and PB, makes PlayBook the better choice, in my opinion.