[goku_vegeta]

Hey Everyone,
So it's been a little while since we've all heard the "news" and I'm sure everyone who reads this specific forum knows what I'm talking about. In light of recent events, I thought this would be a good time to check out the competition. Although I was previously a technology reviewer and was given the great opportunity to test out the latest devices, I've mostly had BlackBerry devices as my personal go to gadgets. I recently purchased an iPad Mini and that's what I've been using in place of my PlayBook for now (I still have the PlayBook though) and here's what I think (P.S I can already hear the holy wars starting )

Pros

• Increased screen size does actually help
• Fast and fluid OS
• OS is very clean and minimalistic, like the PlayBook
• Battery life is excellent
• Good amount of third party software support
• Industrial design is very thin and light

Cons

• The 4:3 aspect ratio isn't ideal for videos
• Hardware may seem outdated to some
• Proprietary Lighting connector
• More restricted OS than Android or BlackBerry
• Locked to iTunes for syncing
• File system isn't' as organized as other platforms

It's important to realize every device has it's flaws, we will never see a perfect anything. Why? Anything we as humans make will have inherent flaws or defects . Back to the point though, despite using the iPad Mini, there are certain areas which the PlayBook excels farther than any other tablet on the market to date, for example multitasking. No other tablet can multitask and have the same multiprocessing capabilities as the PlayBook (With the exception of probably the HP TouchPad). All in all, I still like BlackBerry devices. I carry a Z10 and I've successfully converted my entire family to using BlackBerry smartphones Without a doubt I'm still going to be here on CrackBerry, but I think we should all be more responsible and respect the choices other members make, sometimes a certain product doesn't work for them, the product could be from any company it doesn't have to be specific to BlackBerry and that's why the end up using a product in the same category from a competitor.

Long story short, do I think we will see another PlayBook? Probably not. Do I think we'll see another BlackBerry branded tablet? I think so. If the A Series device picks up then perhaps development for a newer tablet will come out of the RIM camp. Until then, I've been using both the PlayBook and iPad Mini. They're both great tablets in their own right.

[bluenote]

Some more cons:

With playbook, you can open email and add attachment; with IOS you have to open the attachment and then send via email
With playbook, you can watch flash video. With ios, you have to get an app to do it, the app i use will close every 15 minutes unless i tap on it, so its a pain
With playbook, you can hook up via hdmi cord to tv while on the road
With playbook, you might be able to see the screen better in sunlight, although I am not sure

All this makes my playbook my "go to" while traveling

Some more positives:
I am starting to like iPad more and more, mainly because it has a scanning app that is useful to me. I also like some of the features of its netflix app.

Playbook is so cheap now that you can get 64GB for a fraction of the iPad price, so possibly no need to choose anymore between the two...

[lorax1284]

I am starting to like iPad more and more, mainly because it has a scanning app that is useful to me. I also like some of the features of its netflix app.

For me, you summed it up right there: BlackBerry devices, it's the OS itself that attracts me to the device (I'm sure if the key apps were there, I'd appreciate them, too). But on iOS, the OS itself is more annoying than helpful, and the integrated features are hidden in Apps where in BB both BB10 and PlayBook it's the core functionality that makes it my preferred platform.

So with iOS, if it WASN'T for the third-party Apps, what would it be? "Shiny". That's about it. With BB, the OS itself has built-in compelling features and the apps (such as they are) add to it, but aren't the basis of the appeal... not for me, at least.... which is why switching from BB10 to iOS or Android isn't realistic for me, even though that when I think of BlackBerry Ltd. my mind fills with rage. Yes, rage. Those frikkin' razzin' frazzin' executive tools.

[FF22]

Some more cons:

With playbook, you can open email and add attachment; with IOS you have to open the attachment and then send via email

Except have you ever tried finding the photo or document you want to attach? The File Manager is a total failure as it does not respect Folders so you are presented with a huge list of photos or docs and have to wade through them. That has always made me crazy (crazier???) and still drives me to distraction. I would prefer being in a photo album or looking at this most recent photo and being able to SEND from that location. Something over two years which was never fixed and will NEVER BE FIXED.

[FF22]

For me, you summed it up right there: BlackBerry devices, it's the OS itself that attracts me to the device (I'm sure if the key apps were there, I'd appreciate them, too). But on iOS, the OS itself is more annoying than helpful, and the integrated features are hidden in Apps where in BB both BB10 and PlayBook it's the core functionality that makes it my preferred platform.

So with iOS, if it WASN'T for the third-party Apps, what would it be? "Shiny". That's about it. With BB, the OS itself has built-in compelling features and the apps (such as they are) add to it, but aren't the basis of the appeal... not for me, at least.... which is why switching from BB10 to iOS or Android isn't realistic for me, even though that when I think of BlackBerry Ltd. my mind fills with rage. Yes, rage. Those frikkin' razzin' frazzin' executive tools.

Could you please tell us how you really feel?

[Kevin Walker6]

So with iOS, if it WASN'T for the third-party Apps, what would it be? "Shiny". That's about it. With BB, the OS itself has built-in compelling features and the apps (such as they are) add to it, but aren't the basis of the appeal... not for me, at least.... which is why switching from BB10 to iOS or Android isn't realistic for me, even though that when I think of BlackBerry Ltd. my mind fills with rage. Yes, rage. Those frikkin' razzin' frazzin' executive tools.

At the end of the day, the APPS ARE ALL THAT MATTER. Its not "what I may be able to do, provided I had the right apps", its "what I can actually do with the apps that are available today." That principle is as old as Wilkinson razors. or Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. This will become evident when Blackberry releases BBM for IOS and Android. Then nobody will really care about aspect ratios, or multitasking. They will only care about getting things done, something Blackberry seems to have forgotten.

[RubberChicken76]

This is basically my experience with both. iPad mini brings a lot in the way of apps. Makes up for some of the things I don't like about it like the speakers, lack of HDMI out, and the smooth back which has caused me to accidentally throw it more than once. It's nicely built and yes, the bigger screen does help. Not quite the way I think Tim Cook claimed it would (7" is awful, but 7.9" is the bomb that will change your days forever) but nice.

One surprise was that I haven't found it renders web pages as fast as I thought it would. It's a little faster than PlayBook but I often find it a bit slower than my 4S. Browser is much more stable though.

[axllebeer]

It's funny, I have 2 Playbooks and I got an IPad mini when they launched. After a few months I sold it. I prefer the size of the screen on the mini but as I've said in other threads, it just wasn't for me.

[Kevin Walker6]

This is basically my experience with both. iPad mini brings a lot in the way of apps. Makes up for some of the things I don't like about it like the speakers, lack of HDMI out, and the smooth back which has caused me to accidentally throw it more than once. It's nicely built and yes, the bigger screen does help. Not quite the way I think Tim Cook claimed it would (7" is awful, but 7.9" is the bomb that will change your days forever) but nice.

One surprise was that I haven't found it renders web pages as fast as I thought it would. It's a little faster than PlayBook but I often find it a bit slower than my 4S. Browser is much more stable though.

Everyone needs to forget about the iPad Mini (which is the equivalent of the iPad 2) and wait on the iPad Mini Retina or go with the Nexus 7 Version 2.

[tarektoverso]

where's the transition in this story if you stick with both devices ?

[lorax1284]

Could you please tell us how you really feel?

Rage.

[Hup55]

I love the playbook and use it over my ipad 2 almost always. With my mini bluetooth keyboard and my note book mouse I use the PlayBook for work daily. I'm sure a day will come when I will have to upgrade but for now the PlayBook does just fine. A side note just wish the bridge function would work with the Z10 I miss my calender not being in sync on the PlayBook.

[bluenote]

where's the transition in this story if you stick with both devices ?

That is the point. If I had only one, I would be disappointed much of the time as it confronts me with its limitation--either in terms of OS or in terms of apps.

F2, with Blackberry I've only attached docs to emails, not photos--which were easy to find--but I was not confident that those emails actually arrived at their destination and I am not sure whether it was because I was using a hotspot with poor signal or why. Also on that same trip, the playbook captured outside video beautifully as well as recording but when I came home the tablet mysteriously wiped itself a week or so later while changing my router. So in the end, I guess I am more confident with IOS that it will actually work in a pinch--I jailbroke my iphone so I can attach photos directly to emails and I use playbook for short trips to take notes and video and view content and then quickly save to my hard drive and do all my major work with pcs.

[BasicWedge]

I've begun the transition also. No longer do I plan to use my PlayBook paired with a Z10. I recently acquired an iPhone instead, and I'll switch to the iPad Mini when the next hardware update becomes available. I saw a lot of pluses in BlackBerry devices, but Apple has quality products too - and a plan for the future that fits my needs better.

[brianatbb]

Except have you ever tried finding the photo or document you want to attach? The File Manager is a total failure as it does not respect Folders so you are presented with a huge list of photos or docs and have to wade through them. That has always made me crazy (crazier???) and still drives me to distraction. I would prefer being in a photo album or looking at this most recent photo and being able to SEND from that location. Something over two years which was never fixed and will NEVER BE FIXED.

This is so totally true. I don't understand how the person you were responding to ever considered the point he tried to make an advantage. It was a huge failure for the Playbook. The inability to send photos (to anywhere) from within Pictures or the camera keeps me from using the PB as a camera when travelling.

[brianatbb]

Also on that same trip, the playbook captured outside video beautifully as well as recording...

I have used my PB for video recording, and it takes nice clips (better than my HTC One V but not as good as my SG 2 HD) but the video frequently freezes while shooting, which is really jarring, especially when playing them back for other people.

[FF22]

I have used my PB for video recording, and it takes nice clips (better than my HTC One V but not as good as my SG 2 HD) but the video frequently freezes while shooting, which is really jarring, especially when playing them back for other people.

That FREEZE syndrome is really annoying. I think it has been associated with FREE SPACE or maybe Organized Clean space. Someone seemed to have noticed that the FREEZE would generally clear up if the pb had been wiped or debricked. My theory was that while the pb's "hard disk" is solid state, it still can get scattered as files are written, erased, space opens here and there and then the video app is trying to store the video while filming and has some WRITE-TO-DISK slowdowns and loses a fraction of a second of video. I recall having the Freeze and then I had to wipe my pb for other reasons and the freeze was gone. It even remained gone as I put back gigs of data. I would surmise that restoring those gigs were laid down on the drive neatly and sequentially so that video still had an organized sequential space to write into.

I just panned my den for 1:30 with no freeze. But I probably would not count on it clearing the problem permanently.

re: attaching photos on pb:

On the issue of attaching photos, Pacoman has pointed out that using the hidden but included Android Gallery allows you to attach more than one photo and to find them somewhat more easily. But it is a workaround.

[pacoman03]

Except have you ever tried finding the photo or document you want to attach? The File Manager is a total failure as it does not respect Folders so you are presented with a huge list of photos or docs and have to wade through them. That has always made me crazy (crazier???) and still drives me to distraction. I would prefer being in a photo album or looking at this most recent photo and being able to SEND from that location. Something over two years which was never fixed and will NEVER BE FIXED.

This is so totally true. I don't understand how the person you were responding to ever considered the point he tried to make an advantage. It was a huge failure for the Playbook. The inability to send photos (to anywhere) from within Pictures or the camera keeps me from using the PB as a camera when travelling.

F2 should, and I believe he does, know better. There are a number of workarounds and/or tricks on the PB to overcome these seeming shortcomings. One is to use Ghost Commander, or any of a few other android file browsers, which do see the PB's file system, to navigate to and then send pics (or other files) to Messages as attachments. Another is to use Android Camera, which is on your PB as part of the android runtime, and which is an app that will allow you to send a pic from within the app to Messages as an attachment. Another is to use the period in the search box trick, using the native file browser, and which will take you immediately to your most recent camera pics.

edit- F2, you beat me to the punch.
edit 2- I wouldn't use android Gallery to send pics (though using the android Camera workaround in effect uses Gallery to share pics) since it is too unstable and generally doesn't "see" ALL of the pictures on your PB. My preferred method would be to use Ghost Commander.

[Blackman91]

Another is to use the period in the search box trick, using the native file browser, and which will take you immediately to your most recent camera pics.

Wow didnt know that, really useful, you are awesome pacoman, you should make a post about all this little tricks and workarounds that make the playbook a lot more useful. btw there are other android gallery apps much better than the one on the playbook that can send an attachment to the native email like gallery ICS.

[jpash549]

That FREEZE syndrome is really annoying. I think it has been associated with FREE SPACE or maybe Organized Clean space. Someone seemed to have noticed that the FREEZE would generally clear up if the pb had been wiped or debricked. My theory was that while the pb's "hard disk" is solid state, it still can get scattered as files are written, erased, space opens here and there and then the video app is trying to store the video while filming and has some WRITE-TO-DISK slowdowns and loses a fraction of a second of video. I recall having the Freeze and then I had to wipe my pb for other reasons and the freeze was gone. It even remained gone as I put back gigs of data. I would surmise that restoring those gigs were laid down on the drive neatly and sequentially so that video still had an organized sequential space to write into.

I just panned my den for 1:30 with no freeze. But I probably would not count on it clearing the problem permanently.

re: attaching photos on pb:

On the issue of attaching photos, Pacoman has pointed out that using the hidden but included Android Gallery allows you to attach more than one photo and to find them somewhat more easily. But it is a workaround.

Android 4.3 is reported to included an app which I believe is called ftrim. It works similarly to fdisk in windows which defragments the disk. Thus ftrim works to defragment the tablet memory. When I first installed Android 4.3 on this 2012 N7 the tablet ran very slow possibly because the defragmentation was running in the background. After a couple of days it started to speed up.

Is such an app available for the PB? Wonder how Apple handles the problem.

Re managing pictures on the PB:
Also you can easily set up folders in Ghost Commander which will show up as Albums making it easier to find things. But the system still makes you do more work than you should have to do. The way pictures are handled in webOS on the defunct HP Touchpad is better.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

[FF22]

Android 4.3 is reported to included an app which I believe is called ftrim. It works similarly to fdisk in windows which defragments the disk. Thus ftrim works to defragment the tablet memory. When I first installed Android 4.3 on this 2012 N7 the tablet ran very slow possibly because the defragmentation was running in the background. After a couple of days it started to speed up.

Is such an app available for the PB? Wonder how Apple handles the problem.

Re managing pictures on the PB:
Also you can easily set up folders in Ghost Commander which will show up as Albums making it easier to find things. But the system still makes you do more work than you should have to do. The way pictures are handled in webOS on the defunct HP Touchpad is better.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

I have no idea if Apple handles the problem, if it really is a problem. I don't think I've seen a PB app that does it. I recall folks wondering about "disk" fragmentation on thumb and other drives but the issue was poo-pahed since there were no spinning disks and seek arms wildly gyrating inside. And, again, the "facts" in this case remain anecdotal (what a wonderful word!) anyway. (now I'm on an excursion to find out more about "anecdotal")

edited to add: "French, from Greek anekdota unpublished items, from neuter plural of anekdotos unpublished, from a- + ekdidonai to publish, "

[kbz1960]

Android 4.3 is reported to included an app which I believe is called ftrim. It works similarly to fdisk in windows which defragments the disk. Thus ftrim works to defragment the tablet memory. When I first installed Android 4.3 on this 2012 N7 the tablet ran very slow possibly because the defragmentation was running in the background. After a couple of days it started to speed up.

Is such an app available for the PB? Wonder how Apple handles the problem.

Re managing pictures on the PB:
Also you can easily set up folders in Ghost Commander which will show up as Albums making it easier to find things. But the system still makes you do more work than you should have to do. The way pictures are handled in webOS on the defunct HP Touchpad is better.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

I didn't think flash drives need defragmenting and it even wasn't good to do it on them?

[anon(4044683)]

[*]The 4:3 aspect ratio isn't ideal for videos

4:3 is the best aspect ratio in my opinion. The websites looks great in that ratio and the apps have enough space to use the screen real estate. The problem with 16:9 (PB and most of the Android tablets), is when a website is loaded it looks awful on portrait mode, on landscape you can only see the banner. It is even worse when the keyboard is popped out. 16:9 is a great ratio for watching videos, and only good for videos, for the rest I prefer 4:3, specially for browsing.

[FF22]

4:3 is the best aspect ratio in my opinion. The websites looks great in that ratio and the apps have enough space to use the screen real estate. The problem with 16:9 (PB and most of the Android tablets), is when a website is loaded it looks awful on portrait mode, on landscape you can only see the banner. It is even worse when the keyboard is popped out. 16:9 is a great ratio for watching videos, and only good for videos, for the rest I prefer 4:3, specially for browsing.

No offense to you:

See, no matter what a manufacturer does: It can't please all of the people all of the time!

[jpash549]

There is code which removes old, deleted code from the flash memory and it is called fstrim. When a flash drive has files deleted this leaves gaps in the structure which have to be indexed to allow reuse. Similarly for each file stored there has to be indexing of the various places it is stored. When a hard drive gets greatly fragmented operations slow down. Defragmentation speeds things up. This code does a similar thing for the tablet See reference below.


http://www.anandtech.com/show/7185/a...-nexus-devices