How's the Word Processing Experience on the PB?

Hey everyone,

I was just wondering how the word processing experience on the PB is. With the $199 sales, I'm really tempted to go and buy the PB so I can use all the hours I waste commuting to and from school to edit/write some documents. However, I don't have a BB phone so I'm really only going to be using the PB for word-processing and for web-browsing when there's wifi around. So... how is the word-processing experience and software on the PB? I know there's Doc2Go but is it convenient enough that I'd be able to rely on it every day? How is the keyboard on the PB? Is the PB worth it if I don't have a BB phone to bridge it to? :S

Also, I've heard about that the PB's browser crashes... is this true? And if ti is, how bad is the crashing and how much does it interfere with user experience?

Thanks a lot in advance to all. :)

hey there

i recently switched from the ipad to the playbook. i use this device as my primary computer so i use the word processor quite a bit. my take is that it is a good basic word processor. it doesnt do somethings that it should like auto correction and changing margins but it works well for me overall.

i like the keyboard on it and have a bluetooth keyboard that i use at work as well.

i have never had any browser crashing issues with my playbook so i wouldnt worry about that.

if you get one, i hope you enjoy it

ive tried typing papers on it.. i just fine it to be a pain sometimes

Firstly, the browser doesn't crash. I find it to be very good. Sometimes I see the grey-white boxes on certain web pages (Ex. crackberry.com) I find the browser experience, overall, to be very good. It depends on the speed of your wi-fi connection. You can basically view any webpage. :D

So far, whenever I step into a wi-fi zone the connection has been easy.

The current word processing experience is limited to basic features. :( Ex. In Word-to-go you can't paste/insert pictures. This should change with the release of OS2 in February. I'll bet we'll get a pb version of MS Office or at the very least a proper word processor. :)

There are many great apps and more coming....Ex. the latest game release in App World is Machinarium......a lot of other great games are available to enjoy on the commute :cool: ....

If word processing is the make/break feature for this device, for now, you will be disappointed. But I still highly recommend the playbook. :cool:

It depends on what you use it for. I use it to type notes at seminars and talks, editing documents on the fly, etc. As a basic word processor (expected for a device like this until Windows 8 comes out), it's pretty good.

I have never enjoying created documents on a tablet really. Editing is much easier to handle though. I would stick to a laptop/netbook for creation of documents. Just my feelings anyway.

Typing experience in the PB is my main concern. This is a pain in the ***. No autospelling, no autocapitalization a non ergonomic keyboard ( try to type with the thumbs ) In landscape orientation it hides the half bottom of the screen, sometimes you don't see what you're writting... In portrait orientation it is impossible to write without typos every each letter. And if u try to edit, just positioning the cursor is a sure headache.

Originally Posted by rleo25

Typing experience in the PB is my main concern. This is a pain in the ***. No autospelling, no autocapitalization a non ergonomic keyboard ( try to type with the thumbs ) In landscape orientation it hides the half bottom of the screen, sometimes you don't see what you're writting... In portrait orientation it is impossible to write without typos every each letter. And if u try to edit, just positioning the cursor is a sure headache.

A bt keyboard really helps.

until rim comes up with a better way to move the cursor to correct typos, it really is a pain to type and then fix all the errors. if you use it and ignore typos until you can use another device to fix them - that would be better.

the browser experience is pretty good. if the browser crahes, it just closes and you reopen it and continue. the limitation is you cannot rename or reorganized bookmarks and you cannot search for words on a webpage. actually, you cannot search in Word docs, or pdfs either.

I've used it some for note-taking at school, and it works ok. I paired it with an external bluetooth keyboard for serious typing, I don't think any virtual keyboard is good for typing more than short emails and forum posts.

With the external keyboard, I have arrow keys and backspace, so editing is significantly easier than with just the virtual keyboard. My biggest complaint is the fact that you can't make lists in Word to Go, and when I'm note-taking in class, I really like to use lists.

Overall, as a text entry device, the PlayBook is solid. I don't have any latency or disconnection issues with the bluetooth keyboard, but you options for formatting are painfully limited. The lack of lists, along with the fact you can't edit slides in Slideshow to Go, ensures that my laptop retains a place in my briefcase. Disappointing, as I'd hoped to use the PlayBook to save space and weight.

Hey everyone, thanks for all your replies. Glad to hear that the browsing experience on the PB is excellent. Guess the rumours I heard about it crashing were just that -- rumours.

From what I've read here it seems that due to the lack of autocorrect, a netbook might be better suited for word-processing. That said, I'm not a big fan of netbooks because I find I always have to crane my neck to see the screen and some of them seem really slow. Anyone have recommended netbooks that I could check out though?

I wouldn't mind just using a PB to edit my documents on the subway either (I'm a compulsive editor :D); I'm mostly thinking of blogposts and essays and the like so formatting shouldn't be too big of a problem. However, I might be I underestimating the difficulty of typing with a tablet keyboard which some of you (like rleo) really stressed.

Iunno, still conflicted :p. Maybe I'll get one to try it and return it if I don't like it... I am so curious because the device seems so sleek :). Or maybe I'll wait until OS2 comes out so I can see if they implement email without bridging (which would be really useful for me), but then the sale would probably be over. Or maybe I don't even have to think because all of the $199 playbooks are now sold out...

It is a handicapted typewriter without the paper. The device has a word table/database that can tell you your word is spelled incorrectly, but not how to spell it. It lacks all the other features you would expect as well.

It is by no means a device to replace your laptop for word processing.

I don't like virtual keyboards much, but I am a star with my Bold 9900!

Go to the store and try the keyboard or buy it and return it if you don't like it :eek: ....get the 64GB pb if you can

I like the keyboard but some operations are a little bit awkward (Ex. brackets not on the main keyboard, need to press 123sym key) but again, the keyboard layout will most likely be tweaked for OS2.

I'm sure OS2 will give us an excellent word processor :)

I don't know which version of Words to go people are using but the spell checking works for me. It underlines in red the misspelled words, then you select the word and a pop up with suggested spellings comes up. It is just the web browser that is missing spell check.

In regards to the OP's question, I bought my son a PlayBook to do just as you do. In addition he has a Bluetooth keyboard he can use at his desk. He does the major editing of the paper on the playbook and then opens it up on a desktop for the fine tuning and printing. To open the file from the desktop, he just uses the wifi file sharing and opens the file directly from the desktop and then saves it when he is done.

Also in regards to spell checking, my son is able to change the language on the PlayBook to French when he has to write a paper for French class and Words to Go will spell check French as well. We figured this out when he was doing a French paper and a lot of the words were shown as misspelled because the English dictionary was used.

I've used the PB to create and edit documents in Google Docs, using the web-based word processor. It's not an ideal word processing experience, but it works.

That brings-up another interesting point. Because the swipe-action OS is so easy to use and learn this is the very best tablet for children to use and carry-around.

Now that this $500 unit is on for $200 parents should scoop-this-up for kids :eek:

Word does provide suggestions for words it identifies as misspelled.

It will underline words in text reply boxes (like this one in Crackberry) but it will not provide suggestions, nor does it fix "dont" or "i" nor add a Period after SPACESPACE.

In email will will fix "dont" and "i" but does not offer spelling corrections.

A mixed bag of typing aids.

When talking about Word Processors, most people think about the presentation layer more than the content layer.

Something like Words-to-Go may not be the most hefty tool in terms of tweaking the presentation layer, but for serving up the real meat, the content, it does just fine.

I found on my iPad that even though the Word Processor apps were indeed more robust, porting the documents off the device later and watching the formatting fall apart when opened in another Word Processor was less than amusing.

What I do is concentrate on content, upload it to Box.net, then prettify it in a robust Word Processor on my laptop (if really needed). This works best for me.

My preferred text editor on my laptop is VIM, which is probably why the presentation layer holds less allure for me. VIM - greatest text editor ever devised. Wholly designed to put more focus on the content and virtually none on the presentation. It needs to be ported to the Playbook I think.

Does anyone know of a program for the Playbook, native or sideloaded, that can view and accept track changes (from a WORD file)?

I've never had problems with browser crashes, but my experience with Docs2Go is less than satisfactory. Creating documents is okay, but then if I want to modify the same document and re-save it I found out it doesn't. Don't know if this is just me, or the app. They do have a Smart Office app which is more like Microsoft Office, but I haven't tried it.

There is another more detailed thread on Smart Office posted by Herve. Smart office is an integrated word processor/spreadsheet/presentation software by Picsel, which is a company located in Scotland. The software app looks promising. Follow Herve on the thread.