[BBplaybookJS]

My (2 week old) 9810 died a horrible death on Friday, due to a major snow storm where I live I could not get out to replace it until Sunday. I have to admit the Playbook is less impressive without the bridging. Do most non Blackberry owners tether to their existing phones or you have been waiting impatiently for OS 2

[kbz1960]

I'm not sure what would be less impressive without bridge bedside you have to get email on the web interface and the fact that like any wifi only tablet if you don't have wifi you have to tether for internet.

And people with other phones still do not get email even when tethered.

[crackberryjill]

I don't use my playbook with a phone. I am one of the few who hardly uses her cell phone at all, so don't pay for a data plan. My playbook travels with me wherever I go, and I find I use the built in video chat to call home instead of my phone. Unless I am out on the country roads, I can almost always find wifi.

I find I don't need to be connected to my email every second of every day. I do run my own business, but if I don't see mt email for a couple of hours, thats just fine with me.

[Efabulous]

I actually think the bridge feature is lack luster. I use my Playbook mostly independent of my 9810. It's a great bit of kit. The need to make the docs to go feature stronger, but the web browser is powerful enough to read my gmail, rss, use google voice to divert calls to my home phone etc. I think tethering is cool, but in most instances the wifi only feature will suffice.

[cogsinister]

No BB phone here, and i love my PB.

[botts1967]

I did have a blackberry phone, but then my work switched to the iphone.
Whenever I am not in a wifi area I use my iphone as a hotspot (tether) to access the web on my playbook.
I admit I can't wait for 0S2, to have email push integration, but I love the playbook for mobile web access for things like news, weather, watching videos etc. The interaction with it is so so much nicer than using iphone.

[OriginalLucy]

No phone or bridge use here either. I love my PB and the uses for it are many without the bridging or tethering capabilities. Any other tablet is still a tablet with wifi, so why not appreciate the PB for it's wifi and multimedia capabilities. love it. did I mention that?

[verticallimit12]

Same here I bought the playbook because I wanted a tablet, I get emails on my iphone, The playbook stays at home, I use it for web browsing via wifi, and the odd movie streaming.

I love my playbook

[arnman]

I have have the ability to bridge my PB to
my 9670, but have only once. I love my PB stand alone.

[malcerie]

No phone or bridge use here either. I love my PB and the uses for it are many without the bridging or tethering capabilities. Any other tablet is still a tablet with wifi, so why not appreciate the PB for it's wifi and multimedia capabilities. love it. did I mention that?

I don't have a cell phone either, but my wife has a 32Gb Playbook + Galaxy S2 for her business. Mobile hot spot works great with both PB's and we love to Video Chat.

[rafaelrgsmex]

I do have a BB phone but though I usually keep it bridged to get my work e-mail most of the stuff I do on my PB is on wiFi (internet surfing, box.net, gdocs, etc) or on the PB itself (docs, pdfs, ebook reading, gaming, to dos, and lots more).

[Swirlz]

I don't have a BB phone. If there's no wifi, my windows 7 phone has an internet sharing option I can use if I really need to get online.

I use my browser to check my email just like I do when I'm on my desktop or laptop.

I'm excited about the update, but it's really because I hope it helps to change popular opinion about the PB and generate more interest and applications plus it's just exciting to get new things, not because I'm unhappy with the way it currently functions. I'd love it to succeed and do even more stuff, but it already does the stuff I bought it to do right now.

(Or it would if I had it. I actually sent mine back for a replacement and I can't wait to get my new one. Not having it these last few days has been a bummer.)

[BBplaybookJS]

The things I missed most, aside from the lack of a phone,lol were the inability to sync my calendar or have access to my contacts not to mention BBM. My playbook has proved in valuable for all these things, to the point I really only use the phone to make phone calls, how quaint.

[designarchitect]

crackberryjill is right.

I am a design architect in private practice and rarely use my phone.
The Playbook with chat works very well for me. Wifi is just about everywhere in B.C. OS 2 will be a welcome addition.

Adam

[fredrismos]

Please Advice:Is there an app to tether my 9810 to my PlayBook that works,I don't have WiFi and I don't really like carrying too many phones as I work.The PB and my 9810 does the magic for me but do I tether directly with my 9810 to get other PB features that I get when I am at a hotspot and does tethering with my 9810 as a modem work faster because I remember my 9800 was a huge drag.

Proud BlackBerry Fan

[TinRobot]

My PB is the first and only BB device I have ever owned and I love it. It is the perfect portable net-browsing/media device for me.
Though I am considering a BB phone as my replacement for my old motorola.....

[drudometkin]

I tether mine to my 4g LTE android phone and like it better than when I used to bridge.

[JeffyPooh]

...people with other phones still do not get email even when tethered.

Untrue.

While it's true that the PlayBook and Gmail don't always play nice together (a small battle to get the desktop shortcut to stick), claiming that getting e-mail is impossible without bridging is patently absurd. This PlayBook works just fine when accessing the Internet through my iPhone's wifi hotspot. It can access Gmail (or any other webmail) on the Internet.

You're not the first to make this statement. What's going on?

[kbz1960]

Untrue.

While it's true that the PlayBook and Gmail don't always play nice together (a small battle to get the desktop shortcut to stick), claiming that getting e-mail is impossible without bridging is patently absurd. This PlayBook works just fine when accessing the Internet through my iPhone's wifi hotspot. It can access Gmail (or any other webmail) on the Internet.

You're not the first to make this statement. What's going on?

I meant an email client until 2.0 is out.

[JeffyPooh]

I've not used an e-mail client on any home PC in many years. Thanks for the explanation.

[Sesami]

I currently have an Android phone (Nexus S 4G on Sprint), never had a Blackberry phone before so I don't really have any experience with them. My new Playbook is the first BB product I've owned, and I love it! I still need to find more uses for it, but I mostly just like to browse the web and play games.

I was able to sync my phone to the PB using Bluetooth, but I didn't actually tether because I wasn't sure if I'd be charged additional money. I've mostly used the PB in my house or at the local bar which has wi-fi, so I haven't really needed to tether yet. Luckily, I don't really expect urgent e-mails or need a calender/contacts list, so the PB is perfect for me. All I look forward to is the new OS 2, hoping it comes with a lot more games and cool apps to download.

If it is free to tether with my phone, then I will try it out. I do have an unlimited data plan, not sure if tethering is included/different?

[albee 1]

Its not a necessity to have a BB phone. I have one but use the Pb's wifi as often as possible. The bridge feature wasn't created to be an end all solution, just an added bonus for the lucky berry users with large or unlimited data plans. I do find it extremely convenient when not near a wifi signal to use the bridge and it works well considering the limitations. I'm just pleased to see many non BB phone users who are into the Playbook. Rim Rocks!

[Brainpowered]

At home I use it mostly to browse the web from my couch or someplace comfortable. I also use it to play games, stream media or uploaded movies and watch it on my TV etc.. It doesn't make me feel that my Playbook is less impressive without having the ability to bridge. It does what I want it to do without it.

I've tried bridging while bringing it out with me to restaurants to my Torch, but browsing the web can be a bit slow at times. Being unable to browse the app world when bridged is also kind of a downer. I'll make the extra effort to go WiFi whenever it is available, I haven't tried tethering instead of bridging. Is it the same thing, except they charge you a fee for using it (Pending carrier)? or would tethering be any faster?

I also don't mean that bridging is useless. Rather, it just enhances my experience of the tools that my Torch already provides. For instance.. at work, when I need to be mobile (desktop support can keep you moving a lot, especially when working for 3 buildings), I bridge it to get a better view of my email, BBM, contacts and calendar appointments from the BES. Saves the frustration when waiting for you blackberry phone to "load more" when viewing long emails. We use web apps to keep tabs of things so it helps me update my tickets and view new ones.

[lotuslanderz]

I have a PlayBook-iPhone4 combo and it works well for me. I use the wifi hotspot feature on the iPhone when I'm not in a wifi zone (which is rare).

BUT, after seeing the videos from CES, I went out and bought a used unlocked BB 9800. When OS2 drops, along with the new Bridge app, I'll be able to use the 9800 as a remote keyboard and remote control for my PlayBook. I've been doing a lot of presentations (slide show to go) and am looking forward to this feature.

[zyxace]

i think playbook is better with normal tethering than BB bridge... since bridge is limited to browser (i know you wont find any notes mail and else, you can just wait for 2.0) CMIIW... i prefer using my iphone for tethering..