[Matador]

I am a long time Blackberry User....have had countless devices and have converted several people to the RIM world.....I have seriously come to a cross road.


I have had my Playbook since day 1....I pre-ordered it months in advance...i love the device but things like not being able to use skype to call my family while travelling...no netflix and just some of the other nice features that others have and I dont.


I have a Touchpad that I have converted to the Android OS and like the apps but not the hardware.

I am thinking if I just get an Apple or Android device I can use Skype, create Wi-fi hotspots etc.....talk to my daughter on her Ipod touch.


I honestly can't believe I am thinking this way...as I have been a die hard Blackberry User....but it's a reality...I am just getting really frustrated with lack of some functions. As much as I dont like Apple...their devices pretty much do everything but flash and no physical keyboards....sounds like RIM wont have a keyboard on their BBX devices.


Perhaps I should jump ship to Android???? More and more of my contacts no longer have BBM as they have either left to Apple or Android. I just lost 2 more this week I just went out and bought a webcam so I can skype from my laptop with my family vs using my Playbook..... NOT COOL!


Thoughts?

[sk8er_tor]

So use your laptop to Skype!

Anyhow, are you talking about smartphones or tablets or both? Many people have iPhone and PlayBook or BlackBerry smartphone and iPad. You know you can have two devices from different manufacturers. Don't let Apple brainwash you into thinking otherwise (sorry, had to get that jab in there - we are on CrackBerry after all).

[SumthinNew]

Your specific feature requirements, does warrant a switch to the likes of iOS or android.
Reasons such as yours, is why RIM is failing somewhat.
To stay competitive, should be as easy as competing with the competitors.
I would recommend just to wait until 2.0 is released and go from there.

[Matador]

I am trying to eliminate carrying all these devices with me....last time I went away...i had my laptop, my Touchpad to use for Skype, my playbook and Torch.

The webcam was only $25...so now I can leave the touchpad at home...but why can't we just get these apps on our devices...I am looking at Android phones and they have forward and rear facing camera's and can use the 4G network and Skype.

[Matador]

I know the grass always looks greener on the other side and then when you get there it isnt as green as you thought.

I guess I am just frustrated that everybody else has this functionality and us RIM users are being left behind.

[Rello]

wait for CES in January. See what RIM has up their sleeves and then make the decision. i also believe that in February when OS2.0 comes out for the Playbook, it will be a good indication of how BBX and other future RIM devices will be.

Follow your gut feeling though. if RIM isnt meeting your needs then try something new. RIM will still be here if you decide to go back. Dont let some of the fanbois in here try to make u feel guilty either

[dennie82]

Get your family each one of them a Playbook? Or wait till OS2 and see from there. I don't think we'll be getting Skype with the PB. But who knows.

[Thunderbuck]

I don't blame you for feeling the way you do. These thoughts have crossed my mind in the past several weeks, too.

What I've come back to repeatedly is that my family is subject to a little "vendor lock-in". I, my wife, and my older daughter all have Blackberries now, and we've REALLY come to depend on BBM. Because of this, we're just not ready to move to either iPhones or the iPad.

I believe that the PlayBook will improve considerably in the coming months, and even if it doesn't I'm pretty happy with it as a device now.

In the meantime, I'm not recommending the Playbook for everyone. Blackberry users? No-brainer. Potential BB users? Ditto (especially since I know at least one carrier that's doing killer PB deals with a new BB activation). Anyone else? Ehhh, not so much. It's hard to make promises based on an OS that won't be available for a few more months.

For you? Hold out for a bit.

[Hgouck]

I have talked with any verizon reps about all there brands. One question that I ask is "which maker of phones do people have the most problems with?" Everytime they say droid. The batteries die to fast, phones crash, people find them hard to learn, ect. I phones are second. There response is "if you use mac and Itunes than you will like the Iphone". Both of these phones are more for play than business imo.

[BoldtotheMax]

Terrible excuse above me. Sounds like you are one of those ones trying to make the OP feel guilty.

OP, there is nothing wrong with exploring your options to try a different brand. I loved BB for years and still hope they pull out of their funk still, but I weighed my options and couldn't be happier with my decision.

Good luck!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Hgouck]

Terrible excuse above me. Sounds like you are one of those ones trying to make the OP feel guilty.

Sorry if it came accross that way. I truly was not. My experience with the droid and Ios lead me to stay with the BB. My business partner in PA loves his I pad and phone. I have found the PB to suit my needs better.

[xweb10]

I am in the same boat. The Clash tune is running in my head.

My wife and I have Berry's, too, but the problem is everyone we know has ditched them for an iPhone or Android. One BBM contact is rather pathetic when all my friends and family have iPhones or What's App.

I waited patiently for the new "Torch Touch" (I have VZ Storm 2) but once it was released with a DOA OS7, I could not make the purchase. There is minimal incentive to develop for OS7 as BBX is too close in the pipeline. I am not an app hoarder, but the selection on other platforms makes the Berry much less desirable. I really tried to like it. I tested it at least 6 times at different stores and each time I experienced the same issues I have with my aging S2: Hourglass, freezing, and reboots after app install. The plastic screen (yes it bothers me) and cheap feeling build quality also did not wow me. My Storm 2 seems like a tank next to the 9860/50.

Wait, what forum am I in? Playbook? Oops. I do still like my PlayBook, but it is no longer anchoring me to a Berry phone.

[kill_9]

I have had my Playbook since day 1....I pre-ordered it months in advance...i love the device but things like not being able to use skype to call my family while travelling...no netflix and just some of the other nice features that others have and I dont.

You can use Comwave ePhone to call friends and family for a flat annual fee.

You can use Movie Vault watch movies, albeit older movies, for a flat one-time fee. Hopefully, the number of movies increases though it will take me a while to watch all of them already in the library. Maybe Research In Motion will launch a movie service with an arrangement similar to the music available through 7-Digital. You can use My Movie Database to track which movies you have watched and which movies you want to watch, and this is a nice complement to Movie Vault. You can use NFB Films to watch a selection of documentaries, movies, and other media from the National Film Board of Canada.
[/QUOTE]

[blackjack93117]

Why does it have to be one or the other - you can keep your blackberry and have another device for your cake, no?

If you switch to verizon you can at least have skype on the phone...with a bridged phone likely you wont need a wifi hot spot nor have to pay for it...netflix there's the laptop..you can at least VPN to the playbook to keep an eye on the action, albeit slow frame rate if you leave the room... what else can I solve for you?

[SmakBerry]

OP I have been a long time BB user and supporter as well, and for quite some time was feeling the way you are now.
I finally caved and got an Android and I must say, I really am enjoying it. There's a few gripes I have though, notifications, LED notifications (I do have LED notifications, but it's not even close to being a berry) and the fact that I'm not fully used to not having a physical keyboard.
Things I do like are the browser and general speed, I have had no lagging yet and no app crashing, customization and some fun (yet, not really useful) apps.
I'm still not exactly sure what phone I am going to keep yet, they both have their pros and cons... really wish I could mash em together and get exactly what I want in one device only.
I'm going to try to give the Android a good month then make a decision then.
I'd say, if you want to try and Android, go to somewhere like Kijiji or Craigslist and buy a used one off contract so that you can try it out and make an informed decision based on your real time experience.
Good luck

[southlander]

Use a laptop. Tablets cannot hold a candle to the utility and versatility of a laptop. You can get a very light one too. I just got a 700.00 one that has an Intel core i5, 4GB of RAM, and weighs only 3.2 Lbs. Has an integrated web cam. And it'll still be kicking tail in 2-3 years while today's tablets will be shelved.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[angeloworx]

in my house, all three live under the same roof. At one point, I considered iphones because the momentum it had with developers and how business were adapting to accommodate their system had me feeling left out. Android kept pushing the machine itself. BB... was, well you know, you were there too.
But after I got over the bajillion apps and the speed of the andriods(and huge screens), I still kept my Torch and now cant let go of my PB. literally. I bought this thing 12 hours ago and only put it down a handful of times. BB's UI is the best. Out of all three systems, it feels most intuitive. That fits my priority of which ecosystem to stick with. Your facetime issue is a niche. If the overall experience is better because of that feature, go for it.

my hands hurt but i cant let go of this thing. christ.

[guerllamo7]

Matador,
It sounds like you love BlackBerry. Here is some good news:
1. BlackBerry Movies is on the way. RIM already inked deals with studios.
2. The new BBX phone supports video chat and it will work with the Playbook.
3. You can video chat with a computer.
http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...aybook-668962/
I actually enjoy VideoChat on the Playbook but not on my phone. I love to see my wife and kids call me. We chat for a couple of minutes and back to work. My phone is to get quick updates and get things done quickly and securely. The Playbooks is for other things.

Someone also made the suggestion of getting a Playbook for her. It is portable and I will say that I did this for my family. Currently I have one for my wife, my dad, my mother in law, and with this upcoming sale I'll be getting one for my brother and two sisters. Hey, it is buying new products either way. I might as well buy them from BlackBerry. Cheaper and better specs.

One cool thing about this was that I like to set it up for them so when I ship it, it is already in a nice convertible case, it has bluebox set-up (we love sharing pictures and video and I also use a different folder for work). I've preloaded a ton of videos of my kids for them to enjoy under the Playbooks videos and also pictures.

When my relatives get this for Christmas (some are not techies) they just need to swipe and touch VideoChat, touch videos, pictures, etc. My mother in law joined a book club and loves using Kobo.

Here are three reasons not to fall for the Apple (there is a worm in it, users just don't know it yet) and since I read your resistance to it I think you may agree:

1. The usual. Apple lacks the security, they lack the choice, the Playbook has better specs than the iPad2 (better cameras to enjoy VChat with your daughter) and it is more portable.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...ems-337780498/
At least when you call your daughter with a Playbook you won't be giving her a virus.

2. Apple has begun restricting the use of popular apps like the Kindle, Kobo, Audible.com, you name it. If they compete against Apple the lose their buy button or ability to browse their store. Honestly, if they are pulling this B.S. now, what do you think they will do if they get stronger? No thanks. Apple sues more people than Microsoft and where they can't win fairly they restrict or block the competition. HTC is having problems selling its tablet in Australia and in Europe because of this. I am not feeding that monster.
http://www.ebookanoid.com/2011/02/02...r-apps-or-not/

3. BlackBerry is not limited by technology. It is competitors blocking them by making exclusive deals. Steve Jobs made a deal with Netflix, that is why it took so long for them go to to android. Netflix, Hulu, Angry Birds, Kindle could all run on the Playbook from day one but competitors are keeping them away. I watched Microsoft kill innovative companies with better products and I see Apple learned all the wrong lessons from their near death experience. Once BlackBerry establishes a stronger foothold in the U.S. the gravitational pull will be to strong and the U.S. apps will come.
In the meantime, the Playbook is pretty awesome the way it is. It does everything I want it to and now it is way cheaper.

Lastly, the good news is that Apple is playing a losing game. Yes, they have a huge head start on tablets (and they are misusing the lead already in despicable ways) but by choosing a closed ecosystem they have to win big or they will slowly begin to get marginalized. This is what almost caused them to go under in the past. Don't fall for the inevitability of an Apple dominance. It is not real.
Apple will not go out of business but if their share of tablets goes down to 49%, then they will slowly trickle down to around 33% of market share. That is a good place for them. From there they can't pull the kind of B.S. they are now pulling. By the way, things may look rough for RIM in the U.S. right now but if RIM can get back to 20% (they are around 10% in the U.S. now) they will have enough mass to get the U.S. content providers to buckle.

Good luck with your choice and only you can decide what is right for you but I think you are with the right team.

P.S. I'd love to hear what you decide in the end. I gave you my reasons but that is just one mans opinion. Thanks and good luck.

[FF22]

OP I have been a long time BB user and supporter as well, and for quite some time was feeling the way you are now.
I finally caved and got an Android and I must say, I really am enjoying it. There's a few gripes I have though, notifications, LED notifications (I do have LED notifications, but it's not even close to being a berry) and the fact that I'm not fully used to not having a physical keyboard.
Things I do like are the browser and general speed, I have had no lagging yet and no app crashing, customization and some fun (yet, not really useful) apps.
I'm still not exactly sure what phone I am going to keep yet, they both have their pros and cons... really wish I could mash em together and get exactly what I want in one device only.
I'm going to try to give the Android a good month then make a decision then.
I'd say, if you want to try and Android, go to somewhere like Kijiji or Craigslist and buy a used one off contract so that you can try it out and make an informed decision based on your real time experience.
Good luck

May I ask why you did not get an Android with a physical keyboard - some have pull out boards?

[snoozininsomniac]

for video chat.... im surprised no ones mentioned AV by AOL - Let's video chat!
its aol IM's video chat that works on playbook. granted its a web"app" it gets the job done for now until 2.0.

check the webapps sticky...its helped me with a few missing features of the playbook...

[SmakBerry]

May I ask why you did not get an Android with a physical keyboard - some have pull out boards?

I really wanted to attempt not relying on one so much and in the phones I researched, I picked the Evo 3D partially due to the fact I wanted real time experience with the 3D camera and the bigger battery. I believe it's 1750mah off memory

[freedomx20a]

Andriod seems not bad cuz you can customize it. I dont like apple at all. I wanna try Windows phone 8 in a couple years when it comes out. I am a huge windows guy, and am in love with windows 8 so far. I will upgrade my 5 comps to windows 8 from 7 the day it comes out. Can't wait for the win8 phones and win8 tabs and universal sync on cloud.

Thats the one company I have more loyality towards over blackberry. I've been with microsoft since... Windows 3.11

[tommynap01]

go buy yourself an ipad.. that will solve your problem and u can get rid of the rest of your gadgets

[Matador]

I think I am going to hang in for a little while longer....thinking about just getting the 9900 and then see what happens next year.


If they dont deliver....then I will jump ship......i love all these new playbook users getting these smoking deals.

oh well, I guess paying $300 more to be a beta tester was worth it!

[robtanz]

9900 is sweet. I think you will like it.