It's 2014, and I want to buy a Playbook... looking for input from the experts

Hey people,

I was thinking of buying a playbook today. What to people think. Basically I want to be able to read, control my TV (vlc), and importantly, use it as a mapping device while hiking (GPS)
What can people tell me about which hardware package would be best, and what type of battery performance I can expect. Is there a replaceable battery option?

I would also love to engage in some fanatical support. I'm a proud Canadian and I'm going to sport my RIM products like the Cubans rock their awesome cars.

So tell me... is buying the AveroArrow of the future Nortel worth it??

Help me live a lie!!

At this point, not a good investment. I still use mine, but it's getting pretty old and tired.

If it's dirt cheap do it, otherwise you're wasting your money.

SQN100-3; 10.2.1.2102

I still use mine very little. Since I got a z30 I hardly pick it up at all. My 4 year old prefer to play his games on my 30.

Rockin Z30 on 10.2.1.2234 on AT&T

How can it 'not be a good investment'......You can pick up a play book for like 10% of its release price. Its worth it for the 64gb alone never mind the media player functions & great internet/email access. I don't understand what you can be getting at?

Its screen & speakers are still top notch, you wont beat the speakers. Ideal for camping or in the car.

Its a great machine over powered really for what you will need. 'Old and tired?' HOW. I've never asked it to do anything its failed at.

You cant change the battery but as I said at 10% release price just buy two! (no just buy a battery charge pack really)

There are some great offline map & hiking aids, I use OsmAnd navigation, Compass, Near Me, Local & World Map Free.

Its thicker & heavier than the newer tablets but that makes it sturdier esp if you get a impact case.

Downside is small app market than Android but sideloading its fine for a lot of the outdoor apps I've encountered.

Charging may be a issue when you are out and about the micro USB port can wear out if not looked after. I have not had an issue & have a few units.

Go for it. Invest away.

It's old tech and really not worth investing into seeing as development is at a stand still. The apps that work on it now are old and out of date. Even the native apps that I have installed on mine haven't had an update in forever. I still use mine for watching videos and reading magazines via the Zinio app, but that's about all it's good for. I'd go for something more current if I was in the market for another tablet.

I still have two playbooks, both get daily use in the family. For the price and what you get, I would definitely buy one as long as you know what's it's capable of today. Just don't get the 16gb as you will appreciate more storage space later on for sure

Q10 with Telus on 10.2.1.2141

Originally Posted by chiefx13

Hey people,

I was thinking of buying a playbook today. What to people think. Basically I want to be able to read, control my TV (vlc), and importantly, use it as a mapping device while hiking (GPS)
What can people tell me about which hardware package would be best, and what type of battery performance I can expect. Is there a replaceable battery option?

I would also love to engage in some fanatical support. I'm a proud Canadian and I'm going to sport my RIM products like the Cubans rock their awesome cars.

So tell me... is buying the AveroArrow of the future Nortel worth it??

Help me live a lie!!

Don't know exactly how you want to control your tv from your playbookbut suspect it will not function wirelessly to simulate a real tv controller.

Has a gps which can be slow in reading if not a good sky view. Don't know about accuracy. If you are concerned about hiking etc. check Nogago apps in BB World. Now on sale.

For reading pdf get Pdf reader in app world. Other readers are available for articles,books and text including Kobo.

If you get one note that the microusb port is type AB and does not have the trapezoidal shape. Be sure to plug the charger and any other micro usb cables in cirrectly ( with Blackberry logo up facing screen, which has the short width of the trapezoid up facing the screen). Get rapid travel charger which uses the magnetic charging ports. For hiking where you have no power available you can carry an external battery to attach to the usb charging port. Be sure that you have a charger wire that will work.

Live a lie???

The PlayBook is fantastic.......the screen is crisp and clear, the sound is fantastic and very loud......the speakers being on the front is something that EVERYONE should be doing for their devices....you are LOOKING at the front, why would you want the sound coming from the side or back? doesn't make sense to me. The cameras on the PlayBook are actually pretty good, and as far as I can recall, the M8 (new HTC One) is the first "major" device that has a BETTER front facing camera than the PlayBook! The PlayBooks 3MP front facing camera can do 480, 720 and 1080 video and it does it pretty well....the rear-facing camera is only 5 MP but still GREAT for a tablet...I've actually shot video with my PlayBook and very satisfied with the quality of it....the default browser on the PlayBook isn't all that great but thankfully there is an alternative for it....Origami Browser is fast...you can even use it to play FaceBook games.....the PlayBook also has HDMI out and uses the SAME port as the Z10, so if you have that cable, you should be perfectly fine for watching videos you record or that you put on the PlayBook yourself....in fact, if you wanted to use your PlayBook to record videos, you could prop it up on something and use a TV set as a video monitor to make sure you are in frame....

If you're near a fry's, they have it for like $60 - $50. Sadly the one near me has none in stock. :(

Posted via CB10

Wow. I knew this would be the place to get some good hands on advice. The reviews on the net just don't really have the context.

Thanks for replying and giving some good context. So suuper appreciated.

By the by, "the living a lie" would be that the playbook still has some life left in it. And I only stream content off my computer through vlc to my TV. When you dig into that programs, it actually has a LOT to offer.

Any whom..... I was looking of my local CL and it looks like 100-200 are the going prices.

I notice there's a few models. Does the 4G really offer a lot of capability? Does my carrier need to do something on their end, or can I just take the sim from my berry or a pay-as-you-go sim to connect to the Internet.

Batt. Life looks to be killer in true RIM fashion. Anyone know if the Kindle app and/or the Topo Sports app work on the PB?

Anyone think that JC will hit the PB with some OS10 love since the hardware is pretty top-notch, even today?

I'm trying to catch up on this forum. I've been hanging out in the beta10 forum so long I've forgotten how much there is to catch up on with a new device/OS

Originally Posted by dayno25

If it's dirt cheap do it, otherwise you're wasting your money.

SQN100-3; 10.2.1.2102

Didn't quite ask it in my above post.

What do you guys consider as a fair price, model suggestions??

Originally Posted by mvpcrossxover

If you're near a fry's, they have it for like $60 - $50. Sadly the one near me has none in stock. :(

Posted via CB10

What's a "fry's"? I'm in Vancouver

Originally Posted by chiefx13

Wow. I knew this would be the place to get some good hands on advice. The reviews on the net just don't really have the context.

Thanks for replying and giving some good context. So suuper appreciated.

By the by, "the living a lie" would be that the playbook still has some life left in it. And I only stream content off my computer through vlc to my TV. When you dig into that programs, it actually has a LOT to offer.

Any whom..... I was looking of my local CL and it looks like 100-200 are the going prices.

I notice there's a few models. Does the 4G really offer a lot of capability? Does my carrier need to do something on their end, or can I just take the sim from my berry or a pay-as-you-go sim to connect to the Internet.

Batt. Life looks to be killer in true RIM fashion. Anyone know if the Kindle app and/or the Topo Sports app work on the PB?

Anyone think that JC will hit the PB with some OS10 love since the hardware is pretty top-notch, even today?

I'm trying to catch up on this forum. I've been hanging out in the beta10 forum so long I've forgotten how much there is to catch up on with a new device/OS

$100 for one is good price....I got LUCKY to find one on craigslist for $75 last year....but haven't seen a single PlayBook locally since....$200 is too much, especially for a used one considering Amazon has the 64GB ones for like $163 or so typically...that price changes every few days as stock changes...right now its a bit on the high side......but check around......I have even seen the 32GB LTE models for $250 which I think is a pretty good price...I would pay $250 for that if I had the spare money....

I wouldn't tbh

Thanks a lot for the info man.

The more I think about it the more I want to buy one.

I wonder what would have happened if I was actually marketed to a few years ago. Lol

Well i dont see any update for the os soon, so i wouldnt buy one. The playbook is very slow nxt to my Z10. So i hardly use it anymore. Maybe if it would get an update i would start using it more again.

A 64GB model is worth fifty bucks or so.

Originally Posted by chiefx13

What's a "fry's"? I'm in Vancouver

Fry's is an electronics store mainly on the west coast in the states. Check out frys.com and you can see if they ship to you
http://www.frys.com/product/6588703?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Originally Posted by chiefx13

Hey people,

I was thinking of buying a playbook today. What to people think. Basically I want to be able to read, control my TV (vlc), and importantly, use it as a mapping device while hiking (GPS)
What can people tell me about which hardware package would be best, and what type of battery performance I can expect. Is there a replaceable battery option?

I would also love to engage in some fanatical support. I'm a proud Canadian and I'm going to sport my RIM products like the Cubans rock their awesome cars.

So tell me... is buying the AveroArrow of the future Nortel worth it??

Help me live a lie!!

The GPS in the PlayBook is slow to react (does not have a-gps) so it takes a while to get a "fix". There are a couple of Mapping Programs that allow caching of maps - but I've found them hit and miss in usage once you get away from Wi-Fi. At the time there wasn't an offline mapping program where you download a map package... you might want to check to see if there is one now, before going out in the woods.

Reading what? Your options as a book reader are limited and not nearly as good as other tablets. There is an older version of the Kindle App that works most of the time, and we once had an ok app called BookReader, but it has been broken for a while now and is not being supported anymore. Where are you getting your content from? That can make a big difference in what device you get.

Control your TV? Want to stream using VLC? The Wi-Fi on the PlayBook is also a little buggy. You will find lots of complaints with streaming and Wi-Fi connections..... of course I had a friend that had a streaming server at home and he had no problems with the Wi-Fi dropping out on him.

For some functions the PlayBook is a good buy (portable video player) at some of the clearance prices I've seen (under $100).... just not what you want it for.

You can view Kindle books using Origami browser via read.amazon.com

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by chiefx13

Hey people,

I was thinking of buying a playbook today. What to people think. Basically I want to be able to read, control my TV (vlc), and importantly, use it as a mapping device while hiking (GPS)
What can people tell me about which hardware package would be best, and what type of battery performance I can expect. Is there a replaceable battery option?

I would also love to engage in some fanatical support. I'm a proud Canadian and I'm going to sport my RIM products like the Cubans rock their awesome cars.

So tell me... is buying the AveroArrow of the future Nortel worth it??

Help me live a lie!!

So, my opinion is that if you can get the device for around $100, you're looking good. I really would pay any more for it.

As for the functions you're looking for, well I think you'll mostly like what you'll find. I use my PlayBook for pretty much the same things since those particular functions don't necessarily need a lot of updates.

For book reading, I use "PlayEpub Book Reader." If you use non-DRM epubs and other formats like mobi, this is a great reader for you. If the app can't read it, then download Calibre on your PC and do some converting.

For VLC control, there is an app called "Luko LAN Remote." This is a nifty WIFI connected app that lets you control your computer's mouse, let's you type, and even allows you to browse folders directly from the app. It's basically like having a WIFI keyboard and mouse and then some on your tablet.

As for GPS, well, this is where the device lacks some luster. I've used several apps. Some were okay, most were not. The best one I've used is called "Magellan Compass." This is a navigation app that uses online maps for navigation, but gives you the option to save those maps to it's offline cache. It's got a lot of options for maps to use and searching, most of which I haven't touched. I found what I wanted for navigation, and was satisfied. It's even got turn-by-turn voice directions if you like. One voice pack is actually a snarky woman that makes sarcastic comments if you don't follow directions our miss turns or whatever. Entertaining.

As for battery life, with moderate use, you can expect around 8 hours. Anything more and I would recommend being within range of a plug or carrying a portable charger or two.

Also, to plug my semi-fanatical support, I'm an American who just loves the BlackBerry brand. I'm satisfied with my PlayBook and last used a 9900 until I jumped ship to buy a Note 3. That was nearly 6 months ago and on April 9th in going to be jumping back to get a Q10 (I'm with tmobile and have their jump program). I like the Note 3, but I feel like Android is not as efficient as even BB7.1 for communication. The only thing I'm hoping for now is that some of the apps that I initially moved to Android for work via side loading. We shall see. If all is good, my fiance, also a previous BlackBerry user, will switch back and get a Q10 as well. We're both huge fans of the BlackBerry physical keyboard. :)

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

You have to consider it more like a toy than work tool. It is limited due to the lack of quality apps. All the best, I do still use mine daily for emails and Web surfing.

I have my playbook for 2 1/2 years (charge count 600+). I split my time now between my z10 and playbook. It is still going strong. Just did a security wipe on it because it was bogging down a bit from the sideloaded apps. Now it is fast again.
My main use is email, surfing the web (origami browser), stream video from the media server, magazines, ebooks from the library, music and gaming.

I only hold on to mine with the faint hope that someday "BB10 Lite" will actually happen. Under Chen, I consider it at least a possibility, because his only motive isn't to sell the company and ride out on a $55M golden parachute (unlike someone else I know...).

The Playbook is built like a tank and has incredible sound. But without apps, it isn't anything special. Would you buy a Cadillac with no engine bay?

If no major OS release happens, I would put the PB's worth at $50, not a penny more. Ask yourself, would you buy a Windows XP computer in 2014? I'd go with a Nook (hack with Cyanogen), or Nexus 7 and enjoy a bountiful app store.