Native Email ... So What?
The PlayBook, as I and every other Playbook lover knows, has received her share of negative reviews. They were brutal and most of the criticism stemmed from the notion that the PlayBook shipped without a native email client.
I was never a strong proponent of native email on the PB so perhaps I'm a bit biased. With all the latest news and video previews that I've seen over the past few days with respect to PB 2.0 and the new native email, I'm not impressed. I'm thinking ok now people will have their beloved native email but how much will their user experience improve as a result.
In those same seek peaks, however, I also see the new remote control feature added to BB Bridge and my interested is really piqued. WOW, so my BB device can be used to control my PB while outputting to my TV? Now that's a feature worth its weight! As well, I can input from my BB keyboard AND I can also display what's on my BB to my PB - that's so similar to what I thought the PB should add to 2.0 as an improvement - - to be able to use the PB as sort of a virtual screen to "project" whatever's on the BB to it. Hopefully (if not already at the time of launch), that feature would work with anything displayed from the BB screen. Imagine using something like google maps using your device's data but projecting it on the PB when on the road.
I realize that native email (on a tablet as well as a smartphone) is really important to some but for me, the email on my phone and bridging is fine. It's those other things that 2.0 has to offer that will make the PB a better device.