[jpoulin587]

My ex-wife got a Nook Tablet for Christmas and it's pretty cool. It's zippy, she can get Netflix on it, not to mention all the books and magazines from B&N. The only thing I really don't like about is it, is that when going to a website it will usually bring up the mobile sire rather then the full site.

Now I love my Playbook. I paid top dollar to buy it on the first day it was out, but today, I am not sure I would made the same choice. If the Playbook is going to be competitive the OS V2.0 better be pretty dang awesome.

I really hope it is.

[iSin]

Im expecting great things for OS2 too... I hope i can use Skype at least...

[peter9477]

I think it's unlikely we'll see Skype on 2.0 at release time. Or possibly some of the other apps people have been clamouring for.

On the other hand, 2.0 will certainly be awesome enough that it will attract more people, and that will attract more developers, who will make more apps, which will attract more people, and so on, and eventually the laggard companies like Skype and Netflix will find it impossible to continue ignoring the PlayBook market and will have no option but to start supporting it.

So, don't get your hopes up too high for each missing app to be featured in 2.0, but certainly expect big things to start happening after 2.0 is out and people really start to notice this tablet, and give it the respect it's been lacking.

[kbz1960]

Didn't android just get skype not long ago after being around for how long now?

[conix67]

What's OS 2.0 going to bring? People here are keep saying OS 2.0 beta will not be what OS 2.0 release will be like, so what is the difference and what can we look forward to?

[FF22]

What's OS 2.0 going to bring? People here are keep saying OS 2.0 beta will not be what OS 2.0 release will be like, so what is the difference and what can we look forward to?

Excellent question(s) and no one really knows the answers - speculation only.

[wishfulthinking]

I would really like to know the answer to that question too.

[bbzoomr]

Word on the street says it is going to grow hair!

[peter9477]

F2 nailed it. There's lots of things to speculate about. RIM has promised only two things, that I recall: native PIM, and ... well, I don't even remember the other. It was in the "delayed till February" blog post way back when, undersigned by David Something who is the formerly-never-heard-of SVP or whatever, in charge of the PlayBook. (We can only hope he wasn't in charge throughout the project.) Google it if you're truly interested.

There are *many* things we can see signs of in the beta, under the covers, without any actual apps to exercise them. Some, all, or none may be part of 2.0... it's unlikely anyone in RIM even knows for sure which of those will be present in the released 2.0, and it's unlikely final decisions have been made about almost any of it (and "final" is, of course, subject to change up to the last minute anyway).

The key is that we know the beta is NOT a beta of the OS in all its feature-laden glory: it's truly and merely nothing more than a stripped-down developer-only release intended to let developers test out Android apps, and test new apps that will use some of the features exposed through the NDK and expected (but not promised) for 2.0. Initially it was the only place the latest AIR and Flash runtimes were available too, but with the latest 1.0.8 releases that's not even true now. It has compass and gyroscope support. Some newer versions of the "libscreen" and "libbps" and similar low-level libraries that mean nothing directly to users.

It has none of the new apps, many of which we've speculated (endlessly) about. It has no changes to almost any user-facing feature, except a version of the new home screen organization -- which we can speculate may or may not be included, may or may not be quite different by the time of the final release. (That's the part where you can make folders, and where the "canned" tabs like Games and Media are no longer.)

tl;dr version: what F2 said...

[NJPhilliesPhan]

I was hoping RIM would at least tell us what was on the update by now. The silence has me worried that the update may not be what we expect.

[Flexin]

My ex-wife got a Nook Tablet for Christmas and it's pretty cool. It's zippy, she can get Netflix on it, not to mention all the books and magazines from B&N. The only thing I really don't like about is it, is that when going to a website it will usually bring up the mobile sire rather then the full site.

Now I love my Playbook. I paid top dollar to buy it on the first day it was out, but today, I am not sure I would made the same choice. If the Playbook is going to be competitive the OS V2.0 better be pretty dang awesome.

I really hope it is.

What would it have to have for it to be awesome for you? I only had mine two days now and I know a lot of people are expecting big things for 2.0. I'm just wondering if people have relistic expatations for it or will there be a lot of people upset because they were expecting the moon and only got the clouds.

James

[Chaplain_Clancy]

F2 nailed it. There's lots of things to speculate about. RIM has promised only two things, that I recall: native PIM, and ... well, I don't even remember the other.

The key is that we know the beta is NOT a beta of the OS in all its feature-laden glory: it's truly and merely nothing more than a stripped-down developer-only release intended to let developers test out Android apps,

F2 nailed it, and you've said it in your own post. The second thing is the Android App Player.

[kbz1960]

What would it have to have for it to be awesome for you? I only had mine two days now and I know a lot of people are expecting big things for 2.0. I'm just wondering if people have relistic expatations for it or will there be a lot of people upset because they were expecting the moon and only got the clouds.

James

For me it would be the typing functions that the phones have like "dont" changing to "don't" and the rest that goes along with that like universal spell check. Better browser management with improved java script handling as that slows it down the most. The hardware all working as in A2DP, usb otg, better camera and video options, gyro and those kind of things. Bugs on the minimum side with OS optimization and speed (not sure how much more they can do there). Then the apps that people want can come.

Now this is for it to be awesome for me. If everything isn't in it I'll take what we get and use it and wait for the rest to come or not.

[peter9477]

F2 nailed it, and you've said it in your own post. The second thing is the Android App Player.

Well, maybe not... it wasn't in the blog post to which I referred, anyway. While the beta includes the Android player, I don't know if they've officially committed to releasing the player as part of 2.0...

Checking that post, I can see that "new video store" is the only thing aside from the native PIM that was clearly mentioned for consumers. BlackBerry Balance is in there for the enterprise guys. Also something vague about features to let the phones and PB talk together better... no idea what that might be referring to.

[pelletizer]

I would like it to fluid and easy.

[Chaplain_Clancy]

I forgot about the video store. That was one of the big things wasn't it? As a competitor to netflix that seemed like an ovious thing for them to put in. Again, having said that, the two loudest additions I remember at the time were PIM and Android player. The player is in the beta, but of course it would be 'fully' implemented (whatever that may mean) with the consumer OS 2.0 (which surely must be 2.1 by the time it comes out) release.

[anthogag]

They showed a lot of cool stuff at Devcon in San Fran. We'll get some of that - I can recall some demos of really cool great new ways to represent and use information...

[Unsure2]

Unless OS2 has a significantly better Android Player than does the beta version, users looking to OS2 are probably going to be disappointed. (The good news is that most users and potential users aren't really following the OS2 hype.) But, RIM is working on mail apps and a few other goodies that hopefully will be released around the same time. Really, no matter how good or bad OS2, the user experience will still depend on the apps available. RIM needs to go all out (which it should have done back in April) to cause the core apps to be available (bribes and kickbacks all around); then, the rest is up to whether developers find it worthwhile to bring their apps to QNX.

[Flexin]

For me it would be the typing functions that the phones have like "dont" changing to "don't" and the rest that goes along with that like universal spell check. Better browser management with improved java script handling as that slows it down the most. The hardware all working as in A2DP, usb otg, better camera and video options, gyro and those kind of things. Bugs on the minimum side with OS optimization and speed (not sure how much more they can do there). Then the apps that people want can come.

Now this is for it to be awesome for me. If everything isn't in it I'll take what we get and use it and wait for the rest to come or not.

Universal spell check would be really nice. Phones, forums, email and so on have me spoiled. Haven't tried video yet but more photo options would be nice.

On the speed side of it I find the unit to be fast. No complaints from me about that.

James

[Flexin]

Unless OS2 has a significantly better Android Player than does the beta version, users looking to OS2 are probably going to be disappointed. (The good news is that most users and potential users aren't really following the OS2 hype.) But, RIM is working on mail apps and a few other goodies that hopefully will be released around the same time. Really, no matter how good or bad OS2, the user experience will still depend on the apps available. RIM needs to go all out (which it should have done back in April) to cause the core apps to be available (bribes and kickbacks all around); then, the rest is up to whether developers find it worthwhile to bring their apps to QNX.

I think it really comes down to numbers. The more units out there in peoples hands the more potential customers. Hopefully the sales are helping with that. The more they are out there the more people that will get to see and learn about them from actual users, rather then the salesperson and what ever their favorite tablet that they are pushing.

James

[jpoulin587]

What would it have to have for it to be awesome for you? I only had mine two days now and I know a lot of people are expecting big things for 2.0. I'm just wondering if people have relistic expatations for it or will there be a lot of people upset because they were expecting the moon and only got the clouds.

James

I'm not hoping for the moon, I don't think. I just want to not spend as much time thinking, "I wish my Playbook did that."

[Spencerdl]

I think at this stage of the game no matter what 2.0 brings in Feb its going to be criticized. I just hope the "basic" functions that should have been part of the OS from the beginning are in place and then the PlayBook can move on to bigger and better upgrades ....just sayin

[jafobabe]

I think at this stage of the game no matter what 2.0 brings in Feb its going to be criticized. I just hope the "basic" functions that should have been part of the OS from the beginning are in place and then the PlayBook can move on to bigger and better upgrades ....just sayin

I agree! Couldn't have said it better Thanks!

[CanadianThomas]

im hoping the api's for devs are updated and upgraded so we can have more apps with ties into the os. the android player is ok but im much more interested in seeing native qnx apps.

remember. the modern mac os x started out as next a long time ago, then the tech came to apple and over a number of years they got it to the place it is now, very nice. this all took 20 years. rim is trying to get qnx, a very stable and capable os foundation like next was, to the point apple is now, a very slick os with a killer dev enviroment that works well. ios is afterall, just os x with some missing and some added api's with a new ui and interface model.

all in all i say rim are doing well, its just a few things that are bad for the press, no PIM, the rim holy grail, and bragging that amature hour is over, wow you dont go up against the maker of the ipod and iphone like that.

but. i think playbook qnx os 2 will bring enough to the table to get the press inline as well as more and larger devs.

[Darlaten]

but. i think playbook qnx os 2 will bring enough to the table to get the press inline as well as more and larger devs.

Let's just hope that RIM is smart enough to realize that they shouldn't release OS2.0 at the same time the Ipad3 announcement is going to be made - rumor is January 26th for that. The press will have no time for RIM 2.0 if it is released at the same time or shortly thereafter an Ipad3 announcement.