[Decile]

Hey there Crackberrians,

As you know in december 2011 you where able to get a 16 gig PB for just 200 Euro's (well, 200 dollars but europeans get screwed over alot), as a student I happily bought one as it was affordable, however I had some problems in the process.

I bought the PB a week ago to benefit from the discount, alot of stores still had it for 200 Euro's, however not one single store had it in stock. I even tried the big city retailers in Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Utrecht, None of them had it in stock.

Dissapointed as I was I bought one in advance, so the store would get a brand new batch of PB's, I could afford the wait so no problems there. However I got a phone call from the store the next day, now here came the tricky part :


They said it was impossible to deliver a PB 16 gig, and that a new batch was coming, but with another product code! Now the new batch with the different product code is probably going to be the PB OS 2.0, which was no surprise. However the store was unable to give me one of the new batch, due to the product code.

So they gave me 2 choices, either take the demo model in the store, or take my money back.

If I took my money back, I would have to buy the EXACT SAME PB (as the software update is free) but for 300 Euro's. As a poor student it didn't left me any choice but to take the Demo model.

After a firm inspection I didn't conclude any flaws, no bulged back, no scratches on the screen, buttons where ok, speakers, camera, etc etc. The only noticable thing was the power connector, which was losely in there, but after inserting my BB power connector it was clear to me this was the connector's fault instead of the PB's, and a problem I could live with.



Now here's my question... Why in the world would RIM change the product codes on the exact same product.. only with another OS on it? This doesn't make any sense to me when it does screw me over really good.

The store gave me the full warranty as expected, so if I run into any problems, I could easely get it replaced, but it would take a week or two. So replace it with what exactly? A new PB with the new product code? They could give me that one in the first place.


I am really happy with my PlayBook, don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy it. However the process of buying one was one of the most ridiculous I've ever experienced.



Good night fellow Crackberrians, See you next time.

[kill_9]

Why in the world would RIM change the product codes on the exact same product..

Maybe the retailer is using a different SKU for the BlackBerry PlayBook with OS 1.0 and the BlackBerry PlayBook with OS 2.0 installed because the retailer does not understand it is only a software upgrade not a hardware upgrade. If Research In Motion indeed changed the SKU then I can understand the retailer confusion when they were claiming the BlackBerry PlayBook was discontinued. I would suggest that you email BlackBerry PlayBook Support asking whether the product code is changing for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Please post your findings here for our collective benefit.

Since you found the demonstration model at the retailer to be defect free and have full warranty coverage at the discounted price you can rest comfortably knowing the tablet can be upgraded to OS 2.0 as soon as it is released and available for download in your country.

As a student what uses are you making of this tablet? Academic or purely entertainment? What applications are you using the most? What accessories, if any, do you use?

Welcome to the BlackBerry PlayBook and The CrackBerry Nation where the only passport requirement is possession of a BlackBerry smartphone or tablet.

[Chaddface]

Did they say how long it would be before this "new batch" came in?
It does seem something strange is going on. They are showing off this cool new OS but you can't find the hardware in stores. If they were holding back as many units as possible to install OS2 then why have a sale on the RIM site. Unless the sale on the RIM site is just to push 64g units.

[alnamvet68]

I would agree that any pre-installed OS 2.0 PB for sale will have a different SKU #.

As an example, the iPhone 3GS had one number, then, when the iPhone 4S came out, the 3GS came with a different SKU because it was now being sold with iOS 5.0 pre-installed.

[Decile]

Maybe the retailer is using a different SKU for the BlackBerry PlayBook with OS 1.0 and the BlackBerry PlayBook with OS 2.0 installed because the retailer does not understand it is only a software upgrade not a hardware upgrade. If Research In Motion indeed changed the SKU then I can understand the retailer confusion when they were claiming the BlackBerry PlayBook was discontinued. I would suggest that you email BlackBerry PlayBook Support asking whether the product code is changing for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Please post your findings here for our collective benefit.

Since you found the demonstration model at the retailer to be defect free and have full warranty coverage at the discounted price you can rest comfortably knowing the tablet can be upgraded to OS 2.0 as soon as it is released and available for download in your country.

As a student what uses are you making of this tablet? Academic or purely entertainment? What applications are you using the most? What accessories, if any, do you use?

Welcome to the BlackBerry PlayBook and The CrackBerry Nation where the only passport requirement is possession of a BlackBerry smartphone or tablet.

Thank you for a very warm welcome, I will post my findings with the support centre ASAP.

As a student I have many uses entertainment and academic wise. I am an Engineering student and I find myself using apps ranging from the Calculator up to controlling and programming PLC's (Programmable Logic Controller) which you will find in most modern houses.

The app for controlling a PLC isn't out yet for BB, the company that makes these circuit boards is currently working on it. Thus making it possible to control a robot directly from my PlayBook and even rewriting the code on the fly, which makes everything alot easyer when i.e. debugging.

I do code on it already, but just using the memopad on my BlackBerry Bold 9780 and then bridging it to my PB to present it to the teacher, which then checks it for any flaws or just commentating on it.

I am authorized to use the Calculator app during exams, however I do miss some key features in there, such as the simple task to go from Watts to MegaWatts, which isn't possible atm, however is pretty easy to calculate but plain stupid errors can eccur.

I also use Splashtop to present different AutoDesk Inventor (3 dimensional drawings) drawings straight from my PC at home, which saves me alot of hassle because I don't have to transfer all the saved files anymore. I'ts truly amazing to watch/rotate/control a highly detailed component with your bare fingers, and the teachers happily agree.

The school network is great btw, 50/7 download/upload.


EDIT : I forgot to talk about the entertaining part : I do play Angry Birds and Machinarium on my Device, Angry Birds is basicly just for killing time while Machinarium really grinds my gears and shows off the amazing power the PB has, a must have in my opinion!

For the accesories, I only use my Headphones which comes with my Bold 9780, and I bought an official soft case for the handset aswell to match the rubbery back on the PB.


If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

Did they say how long it would be before this "new batch" came in?
It does seem something strange is going on. They are showing off this cool new OS but you can't find the hardware in stores. If they were holding back as many units as possible to install OS2 then why have a sale on the RIM site. Unless the sale on the RIM site is just to push 64g units.

They didn't have a date nor any information available to me. I informed them that it was the exact same device, but they refused as it had different ''SKU's'' (I assume this is a product code, not really sure as my native language isn't English).

My whole point was to get the Device before OS 2.0 comes out to get the maximum value out of it yet benefitting from great features.

[kill_9]

The app for controlling a PLC isn't out yet for BB, the company that makes these circuit boards is currently working on it. Thus making it possible to control a robot directly from my PlayBook and even rewriting the code on the fly, which makes everything alot easyer when i.e. debugging.

The upcoming application for the BlackBerry to be used to develop programmes and control robots sounds very interesting.