[AWB70]

Did I read in another thread that flash has been updated? So that's one of the poll list. I wasn't that fussed about flash as it's dieing anyway but for those that wanted it, result!
Looking at what blackberry could fix, out of the top of things wanted, Bbm is now in someoneone elses hands so to speak so that route has not run it's course. Hope there still. And bridge is a bb10 issue not playbook so no one as yet has said that is dead in the water either.

As for the rest, I guess that's in the hands of dedicated blackberry staff who also think they could have done a better job messing around and being allowed to release as beta bug fixes which appears to have been possibly the case here.

The only cost to Blackberry would be to release the fix officially should the user community have tested it at their own risk. That way any releases don't reflect on the company in a bad way.

[Hirazi Blue]

This might not be a good update to everyone, this, however, doesn't seem to be a beta version to me either..

[sad_old_man]

This might not be a good update to everyone, this, however, doesn't seem to be a beta version to me either..

Do upgrades have beta upgrades now before the actual upgrade?

[Hirazi Blue]

Do upgrades have beta upgrades now before the actual upgrade?

Depends on the company. I know companies that do have them...

[AWB70]

by beta, I mean someone at blackberry has tried something they think is beneficial. They are allowed to release this through some channel for pb owners to try. Positive feed back would then see this release released officially as with this recent update which I don't think is beta of anything btw. I think we all here know what this update is, it's a scrap from the table.
However, it is a perfect model for how this could work going forward. A playbook community set up of owners, devs and blackberry employees to see what could be achieved as a hobbyy. No testing, no support and no cost or responsibility by Blackberry. As with this update the patch could be leaked from a website to download and install. A poll set up to see if there are issues and if everyone is in favour of this being official for the folk who don't like leaked stuff on their pb. The only thing BB need to do is set up an official release.
The devs are for free, we are the testers and BB negate any responsibility for its quality. Everyone is a winner, perhaps accepting what could be available is better than demanding it while they appear to be corparately in serious problems.

[Wongsky]

Do upgrades have beta upgrades now before the actual upgrade?

Leaks... shhh... you ain't seen me, right.

[Hirazi Blue]

The official update and the leak appear to be the same build.

[schwede]

The new update shows at least one thing - there are still PlayBook developers in the company - that's a good sign.

[AWB70]

We need to find who these people are. See if they are allowed to set up a Playbook appreciation society and offer to pay for updates to cover their time with some moderate support from Playbook themselves. Hey if BBM is going solo from Blackberry why not? 2.5million users, 2 or 3 updates a year at $10 a pop there's a successful little business out there if the right ex playbook dev team was put together.
I think previous posts have established that the source code or boot loader will not be available due to security risks. If I was an IT admin and my company had Playbooks that the source code was not controlled and freely available the bin is where you would find the Playbooks.

As fluid and dynamic as this thread is I think it is evolving for the better. The main things that are wanted could still be achieved with applied pressure in the right areas.
1. BB10 Bridge functionality still BB issue as this is BB10 related and not outside of an EOL product
2. Flash you just got it with potential for more
3. BBM now running as a separate entity so pressure them to make an app
4. Better OS bug fixes could still be released by EX/Still BB employees as a side line.

Let's accept what they've got, I would be happy with non official leaks unsupported by Blackberry if it gives further longevity for my Playbook.

[Hirazi Blue]

Hey if BBM is going solo from Blackberry why not? 2.5million users, 2 or 3 updates a year at $10 a pop there's a successful little business out there if the right ex playbook dev team was put together.

A "romantic" (for lack of a better term) notion, that will never happen, I'm afraid. I think you interpret the leak/official update wrong. This possibly was the final build they did & there's no doubt there are still devs on board versed in Playbook coding. The real shocker is that they released it officially at all. They could have let the leak "fester" with no accountability. Instead they made it official... Sounds a bit weird to me.

[AWB70]

Or they had it for a while then released it because of growing pressure from their customers. Increases the sale price of the company if a future buyer was buying into good faith with a large customer base. Maybe Alec let people back at the HQ know there was the beginnings of an uprising on the horizon and felt threatened by our now 70 strong @SavethePlaybook Twitter feed. Again, another "romantic" idea

The ideal would be an official statement from BB along the lines of... Further development of the operating system has ceased, however, fixes to known bugs and security vulnerabilities will be rectified and fixed in official future releases. We'll keep Playbook customers informed of what we are currently working on and release a statement as and when we have anything significant to announce.

So far we have had "confirmed" on an employees twitter feed when you look at this I actually fancy getting one I like how they are "Introducing" it. What is the matter with these people

[blueberrymerry]

Those idiots at Waterloo have so thoroughly trashed the PlayBook name that nobody gives a damn about it. Fixing PBOS or leaking BB10 for PB wouldn't make a difference because there are so few people left actually using the device. BlackBerry can't even be bothered to update the product pages to say they aren't selling the damn things anymore!

• "Leave the laptop behind" but how can I do that when DocsToGo can't even add a single bloody row in Excel!?
• "The best of BlackBerry communications" like an idiotic email client that doesn't understand IMAP and can't count beyond 30 days!
• "Bring your devices together with BlackBerry Bridge" but BB10 devices speak the wrong dialect, eh?

To the poor consumer schmucks who bought one or a few, Thor Heins thanks you for the money. To government agencies and big corporates who bought a truckload of them, Thor Heins also thanks you for the money

[Hirazi Blue]

Sadly, even I admit, agree with this now... The only thing I think you maybe underestimate is the number of people still using the Playbook on a daily basis, not daring to admit it anymore. If we held an accurate poll, I think you might be surprised of the results..

[Wongsky]

Sadly, even I admit, agree with this now... The only thing I think you maybe underestimate is the number of people still using the Playbook on a daily basis, not daring to admit it anymore. If we held an accurate poll, I think you might be surprised of the results..

Why would people be ashamed of it? If it fits your nees, then why not.

Here's the thing, though, I use my PlayBook(s) daily, and generally happy with them. For the things the PlayBook doesn't do well, or include, I use my BlackBerry Z10. And for the things that my BlackBerry Z10 doesn't do well / include, I use my Nokia N8.

[Hirazi Blue]

Why would people be ashamed of it? If it fits your nees, then why not.

My remark was badly worded, I admit, but you get what I'm trying to say, I hope?

[SparkyBC]

The new update shows at least one thing - there are still PlayBook developers in the company - that's a good sign.

That release was months ago. They just pushed it out. Any playbook teams are long gone.

Pushing out this barely worthwhile update, just gets rid of the linch mob.

[Hirazi Blue]

That release was months ago. They just pushed it out. Any playbook teams are long gone.

Pushing out this barely worthwhile update, just gets rid of the linch mob.

The only interesting thing about that specific update is that it postdates mr. Saunders remark on Twitter, where he more or less declared the PB EOL. Postdates it not by much, one or two weeks, but postdates it nonetheless.

edit: I never noticed any kind of lynch mob. I saw a lot of hurt and some bluster, nothing a company can't handle from its user base...

[SparkyBC]

They never handle it at all they posted it on twitter... Real balls.

[ViBogdan]

The only interesting thing about that specific update is that it postdates mr. Saunders remark on Twitter, where he more or less declared the PB EOL. Postdates it not by much, one or two weeks, but postdates it nonetheless.

edit: I never noticed any kind of lynch mob. I saw a lot of hurt and some bluster, nothing a company can't handle from its user base...

Funny enough, on the day of the update I posted a question to Mr. Saunders on Twitter....and still nuffin' to this day!

[Hirazi Blue]

They never handle it at all they posted it on twitter... Real balls.

Must agree with you there, albeit reluctantly , using Twitter as the sole means of communicating with the user base was "not nice" to say the least...

[Hirazi Blue]

Funny enough, on the day of the update I posted a question to Mr. Saunders on Twitter....and still nuffin' to this day!

Like they say: "Individual mileage may vary", but in the wake of my "Action" proposal I so far received one tweet and two emails from Mr. Saunders.

[ViBogdan]

Like they say: "Individual mileage may vary", but in the wake of my "Action" proposal I so far received one tweet and two emails from Mr. Saunders.

Well he answered.....in a way!

[gunnerfitzy]

My own personal opinion is the an upgrade of the Android runtime to Jelly Bean is my number one improvement that could be made to PBOS. Realistically I think it's the only chance for apps like BBM and Skype to come to the device. No chance at all of Skype coming to the PlayBook as a native app. Little chance of BBM as a native app I think. It would help future-proof the device in some way.

Anyway I tweeted Alec Saunders about it today. This is how it went.



So he agreed to run it past the team. If I was a betting man I wouldn't putting money on a positive outcome but if this one enhancement was made I think it would be a very positive outcome for us PlayBook owners. My final tweet to Alec was to thank him for engaging.

[codiak]

I think we should stop pestering Alec, he does developer relations. Ask him if he can give us a contact who is closer to the PlayBook to go after.

Posted via CB10

[gunnerfitzy]

I think we should stop pestering Alec, he does developer relations. Ask him if he can give us a contact who is closer to the PlayBook to go after.

Posted via CB10

That thought had crossed my mind. But I think if he was willing to give a name he would have given it already without being requested to do so. He's probably cursing the day he first heard the word PlayBook!