[adamman]

No flash. Junk cameras. Poor audio. Old fashioned interface. No bridging. No miltitasking, etc., etc. Right.

where did you see all these? do you live in an area where they still sell the 90s electronics?

hello, we are in 2011 with quad core tegra 3, super amoleds, flash and html5 (android), beats audio (touchpad), old fashioned ice cream sandwich, ios 5, and webos, windows 7 and no multitasking ? , windows 8 soon, 1280x800 screens, and quite a few 7, 7.7, 8.9-inch tablets.

the "no bridging" is the killer comment though

[sallenthornton]

So form factor wouldn't even enter into, eh?

No flash. Junk cameras. Poor audio. Old fashioned interface. No bridging. No miltitasking, etc., etc. Right.

Not worried about flash(who is?) and the form factor of a Playbook doesn't interest me. The iPad is the size of a piece of paper. For the increased screen size, it's a good compromise. Who cares about bridging? Really? I agree the cameras aren't great, but at least it has them.


My original iPad commands a higher price than the Playbook; why is that?

[jamesbondOO7]

Been there, done that, bought iPad and iPad2. I now have a PB and I love it for its size, the integration with my 9900 and the true touchscreen, wiping experience (no home button).
Missing the magazine and book applications. Hopefully, they'll come soon.

[adamman]

Been there, done that, bought iPad and iPad2. I now have a PB and I love it for its size, the integration with my 9900 and the true touchscreen, wiping experience (no home button).
Missing the magazine and book applications. Hopefully, they'll come soon.

Respect for the comment. It's great to see a person who has tried other things but have chosen the Playbook for what he likes. Without going all over the forum saying the Playbook is the greatest thing.

Good to hear "I love it" instead of "you suck if you don't like it".

Enjoy your playbook. I hope the day will come when others (non-bb phone users) will get to fully enjoy the playbook as well. Thanks.

[JasW]

This is probably a bad place to come and expect an honest opinion. Almost everyone who has responded already has a PB, so of course they are going to say, "YES! GET THE PB!" Human nature and all that.

I'm in a similar position to that of the OP. I have had a BB since before almost everyone here, I'm quite sure (the 950). I love my current 9810. I really, really, REALLY would like to buy a PB at these Black Friday prices.

But I am having a hard time justifying it because of what it lacks. Specifically, Netflix (or Hulu or even Amazon Prime streaming, which one cannot do while bridged b/c it thinks you are in Canada). No Kindle. And no Bluetooth streaming.

These are things I want a tablet to do IF I am going to buy a tablet -- a type of device I really don't need, but one which I would like to have. (And this is why I wouldn't get an iPad -- I cannot justify spending $500-$600 on a device I really don't need.)

Even Kindle Fire does two of those three things for the same price, though it doesn't do/have other things that the PB does/has (which is why I'm not particularly interested in the Fire).

In any event, it's a pretty sad reflection on RIM that someone like me, who is very much inclined to purchase their products, is extremely hesitant about getting a PB. Imagine the average consumer, then.

[shootsscores]

where did you see all these? do you live in an area where they still sell the 90s electronics?

hello, we are in 2011 with quad core tegra 3, super amoleds, flash and html5 (android), beats audio (touchpad), old fashioned ice cream sandwich, ios 5, and webos, windows 7 and no multitasking ? , windows 8 soon, 1280x800 screens, and quite a few 7, 7.7, 8.9-inch tablets.

the "no bridging" is the killer comment though

It appears that you have no experience with the bridge function. In one post you said it affects the function of the UI which clearly indicates that you don't have a clue about what you're talking about. You do realize that you can stream video throughthe bridge, correct? You do realize that it requires no additional data plan, correct? You also know that data reliant apps are supported via the bridge when not on wifi, correct? You also don't seem to realize that in order to reach performance levels on par with the PB that much more processing power is required by other OS to reach QNX performance due to QNX efficiency?

I hope that you're here to learn and not just to troll.

[shootsscores]

Not worried about flash(who is?) and the form factor of a Playbook doesn't interest me. The iPad is the size of a piece of paper. For the increased screen size, it's a good compromise. Who cares about bridging? Really? I agree the cameras aren't great, but at least it has them.


My original iPad commands a higher price than the Playbook; why is that?

A piece of rigid paper that can't be folded about the size of a small cafeteria tray.

As to your last query, that would be ignorance and a novelty game.

[adamman]

It appears that you have no experience with the bridge function.

absolutely no experience. you are correct. i just think it's a stupedest idea to have full (?) functionality if you only happen to have a phone by the same manufacturer. especially, if your phones are no longer the bestselling phones.

In one post you said it affects the function of the UI which clearly indicates that you don't have a clue about what you're talking about.

never said that. is it a common practice among fanboys to misquote or accuse of lying now?

You do realize that you can stream video throughthe bridge, correct? You do realize that it requires no additional data plan, correct?

don't care. it can be done through tethering on any other tablet. and also with no additional cost if you have a data plan.

or you can buy a 3g/4g enabled tablet: which clearly means that "the PB/BB is unmatched by anything in the world for mobile communications, media and utility". NOT

You also know that data reliant apps are supported via the bridge when not on wifi, correct?

see above. you can do the same on other tablets with no bridging.

You also don't seem to realize that in order to reach performance levels on par with the PB that much more processing power is required by other OS to reach QNX performance due to QNX efficiency

so how does this efficiency manifest itself? in the "most advanced ui"? and i do know how qnx is different. the very fact that it powers many things doesn't make it a great tablet os, at least in the current state of bb tablet os. not yet.

I hope that you're here to learn and not just to troll.

well, when areguments are over, some people tend to resort to the "trolling" comment

cheers

[CyberchickK]

Thing is, I had access to a an iPad for several weeks at my job and I was not thrilled with it. I will always be checking how other folks are using it since most people at my job have one. As far as other tablets are concerned, I have looked at other brands. I just wanted to hear what Playbook owners thought. And I thank you all for your input.

[ssalter]

I love my pb the more I use it. I just ordered 2 more for family Xmas presents!

[LuayS]

I like both the ipad playbook, but i do admit for the size the playboob suites my needs. Few keys things missing but im hoping in due time these will be addressed.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[adamman]

I like both the ipad playbook, but i do admit for the size the playboob suites my needs. Few keys things missing but im hoping in due time these will be addressed.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

10 chars

[adamkesher]

The specs and bridge to nowhere can be touted all day long without addressing the original inquiry-is the Playbook relevant, to which the answer is of course no.


There is no real debate over whether the Kindle Fire will be relevant because its a forgone conclusion that it will be, at $199 full retail, probably likewise for the $249 Nook Tablet.

Do you live in a large metro area? Take a mental note of how many Playbooks you've seen out and about, ones purchased by actual people. That should answer your question.

[inocent3]

Dispite any problems RIM has had, the fact is that my playbook is with me all the time. I use it for work, at home I even have a really cool car mount that I put in the car specially for my Playbook.

Just today I picked up a 32gig so I can give my 16gig to my parents.

You ask if the Playbook is relevant? My answer is most definity YES!!

Buy one, tell your friends to buy one, if your anything like me you wont regret it.

[Thunderbuck]

The specs and bridge to nowhere can be touted all day long without addressing the original inquiry-is the Playbook relevant, to which the answer is of course no.


There is no real debate over whether the Kindle Fire will be relevant because its a forgone conclusion that it will be, at $199 full retail, probably likewise for the $249 Nook Tablet.

Do you live in a large metro area? Take a mental note of how many Playbooks you've seen out and about, ones purchased by actual people. That should answer your question.

The Bridge is actually a decent concept; it makes the pad an extension of the user's phone rather than an independent device. There are benefits to that.

For the past while, I've been advocating for an Android Bridge client, which would open up the functionality to more users. I have a strong suspicion that RIM is listening; it's a no-brainer that could even lead to higher BB sales in the long run.

The Kindle Fire will have an audience, but it's more of a media end-point than a device that's being sold for its own sake; Amazon is using the old razor/blade marketing model: sell the razor at a loss, but you make it back on the blades in the long run. In the meantime, it's an EXTREMELY limited ecosystem. For some users, they won't care.

The Playbook has a future, precisely BECAUSE it's tied so tightly to the phones. With RIM moving to BBX as a phone platform, it makes no sense to abandon a tablet platform that requires very little extra in terms of brand development.

What RIM probably needs to do more than anything else right now is get the PB out to as many BB users as possible...

[Dukey Avalon]

I would never recommend a Playbook right now unless it was deeply discounted. If the rumors are true and WalMart is going to blow out Playbooks I would look there. Unless RIM can get the 2.0 launch right (and I have limited faith) it will fade into obscurity. There just aren't enough of them out there for it to be a relevant device.

It is a good surfing device and the movie capabilites are great so there are definite uses. I personally really like the size as well, it is really easy to carry around. It's good for music, I literally copied my whole IPOD to the Playbook. Multi tasking is just terrific. The cameras are pretty slick.

On the bad side, the GPS sucks like a Hoover Warehouse. The PDF application is spartan but functional. The Office readers are at absolute best a 5 out of 10. With such a limited user base you can't expect a huge amount of support from 3rd party vendors. The Blackberry Bridge function should be marvelous but it's ok at best. I still get the phantom BBM notifications after a message is read - not a serious problem but it's annoying enough I rarely bridge my phone.

Cliff notes : Don't pay retail and pray OS2.0 saves our keisters.

[FF22]

I would never recommend a Playbook right now unless it was deeply discounted. If the rumors are true and WalMart is going to blow out Playbooks I would look there. Unless RIM can get the 2.0 launch right (and I have limited faith) it will fade into obscurity. There just aren't enough of them out there for it to be a relevant device.

It is a good surfing device and the movie capabilites are great so there are definite uses. I personally really like the size as well, it is really easy to carry around. It's good for music, I literally copied my whole IPOD to the Playbook. Multi tasking is just terrific. The cameras are pretty slick.

On the bad side, the GPS sucks like a Hoover Warehouse. The PDF application is spartan but functional. The Office readers are at absolute best a 5 out of 10. With such a limited user base you can't expect a huge amount of support from 3rd party vendors. The Blackberry Bridge function should be marvelous but it's ok at best. I still get the phantom BBM notifications after a message is read - not a serious problem but it's annoying enough I rarely bridge my phone.

Cliff notes : Don't pay retail and pray OS2.0 saves our keisters.

I agree almost entirely with your review with the exception of MUSIC - even there _I_ think it is weak because it still does not have Bluetooth ability - no a2dp. So you need wired headphones.

What is interesting on the Notification thing - yesterday I kept getting a notification on the pb of an email that has been deleted from my bb phone for 2 days. And attempting to find it - I just got the Green Spinning Wheel.

[sportline]

I agree almost entirely with your review with the exception of MUSIC - even there _I_ think it is weak because it still does not have Bluetooth ability - no a2dp. So you need wired headphones.

What is interesting on the Notification thing - yesterday I kept getting a notification on the pb of an email that has been deleted from my bb phone for 2 days. And attempting to find it - I just got the Green Spinning Wheel.

its been like this since the beginning, inconsistent performance. similar with wifi, signal up and down, sometime lost - then restart will restore all. browser and the dreaded blue line stopping halfway or 3/4 way then stall.
i believe the OS get worse over time (the updates may be actually a patch/maintenance to keep the OS from going haywire) - so if no update in two months we will see all sorts of trouble. my pb get warm pretty quick recently.

moreover why won't rim use the LED for notifications, as in phones?