[Darlaten]

To the OP:

I work in the post-secondary system teaching psychology. I use the Playbook to access electronic versions of the textbooks and the resources that go with it. Worth Publishing, and all of their respective textbooks, works nicely on the Playbook with the only exception of some of the animations that Worth has put in a zip format online for the students to look at. I've let them know that this was an issue on the Playbook and they have indicated that they are looking at ways of addressing this problem.

If you access etextbooks through CourseSmart - you are out of luck at this stage. CourseSmart, although having an android and Iphone application, which allows you to purchase and read the etextbooks, is not going to be supporting the Playbook. I spoke to the book publishers and technical support regarding this yesterday and was told that at the moment, there is no plans to support the Playbook by way of a native app or by way of submitting their Android app to Blackberry App World. Hopefully this will change in the future but it is a major drawback.

Viewing your instructor's power point slides - this will work provided that the slides are not graphically intense or have videos in them. In all honesty, I've found my students, including those with non-Playbook tablets, that it is easier for them if I convert my PowerPoint slides to PDF documents and have them look at those. This is easy enough for you to do on your own if your instructors dont do this already. I find the current PowerPoint To Go app to be tremendously useless to be honest - too limited.

Notetaking is a no go, I have found on the Playbook - at least if you are using a stylus. It's probably better to get a blutooth keyboard if you want to go that way or to stick with a netbook as it will be substantially quicker.

Hope that helps, if you want more specific examples of how I and my students are using the device, just msg me.

[Schlymer]

I'm a student and I wanna buy a bb playbook for reading ebooks, lecture slides and browsing. My laptop is really noisy so I don't feel comfortable taking it to the library. With all the negative reviews that the playbook has been having and the problems that RIM is having with staying competitive is it really worth it to get the playbook? I've tried it out at bestbuy and I think I like it but I'm worried about spending $499.99 and not getting updates in the future if the tablet fails.

In order for the playbook to fail, RIM would have to fail. I think you can put that idea to rest. The second thing is you can take the playbook home for two weeks and take it to school. My playbook has been a very useful device, that has replaced my laptop, and if I was a student would have given my left nut to own one back in the days. The playbook will only continue to get better. One thing I would do to save money on University books is to put them all on pdf files and load them onto the playbook. What ever text you need, borrow for a night from a friend, instead of paying for all of them. The price of all your text books may even cost more than the playbook, so out of the box it has paid for itself. Your friends will all be toting there heavy books and book bags and you will be carrying a 425g piece of doom. All your books on it and swiping though the pages on your playbook, will give your friends envy. Taking notes in class, reading books with the Kobo app, video chat and full internet access, will satisfy your needs I am sure. Free music downloads from mp3skull.com and any friend can let you on their wifi connection at school using the wps button on their router or pocket wifi. Making drunk hd videos with your friends and posting them to facebook, before the party ends. ... I think you will be liking your playbook. Good luck.

p.s. Also, for you I would recommend the 64GB as It fits more HD movies, so you can save more money buy not going to movies. Download from the net and transfer to the playbook from your friends computer. A 2GB file takes about 5 minutes with the standard micro usb cord.

[shootsscores]

RIM may not even be around a year from now.

Things keep going as they are now, someone is going to pick them up dirt cheap and it's anyone's guess where it goes from there.

RIM is still making boatloads of dough. They, or at least their technology, will be around for a long, long time. The only real threat would be from Apple and not how you think. QNX is a major threat to APPL as it is the polar opposite in OS philosophy. Apple is a closed system whereas QNX is infinitely open (which is ironic when you consider that the reason there isn't spell check is related to security). The threat to RIM could very well come from Apple wherein they buy RIM in order to gain control of QNX to keep that OS out of the mobile computing arena. You heard it here first.

[Schlymer]

Like someone already said, the $499 is only if you KEEP it. Assuming you have $500 open on a credit card why not 'rent' one for 2 weeks?

I'd never use it for taking notes as typing while trying to pay attention to a lecture wouldn't work for me. I really wish that someone would develop an app that would emulate a Palm Pilot. I used to LOVE to take notes on my pilot as the shorthand was quick and easy to master. You'll also want to see which if any of the books you want are available in a PB friendly format.

DON'T buy this on the hopes of what is coming in the future. Personally I see the current PB's as being on the same track as the Storm. If it can't do what you need it to do TODAY hold off or return the 'rental'.

You could record the lecture as you type and if you missed a point, can go back after and check. Multi task and even play back for the professor if they make a mistake. lol

[jschu22]

Anyone that says RIM isn't capable of failing (in corporate terms, not product because they have made a few horrible choices in regards to the later already) is being naive. All that needs to be said to prove this point is "Nokia".

I hope they do succeed but there's a danger in the assumption that current strength will equate to future relevance. Because it doesn't.

[OnTopic]

Sorry to have to inform you, sport, but it is clear that you don't really have a clue about what QNX is. It is infinitely scalable which means that it will work the same on any device configured to run it. Dual processor, quad or octo, it makes no difference to QNX. Processes may be designed to run on the available processing resources but QNX will handle every process the same way and allot every process allowable resources.

When you heard the tech say this technology could could be ridden for 10 years he was right. That you didn't get it is typical but it doesn't necessarily mean that you are wrong in your populist assessment. After all, the US still doesn't have the metric system and for the same reasons.

COULD and will or more importantly will want too are very different things.

[DrFrancky]

There is e epub book reader in appworld. for the moment is with basic features but works quite decent.

[Bold_Renegade]

Yes, Yes, and Yes. It's a great device and it is only gong to get better with more updates.

[PDADoctor]

For my part, I'm struggling. I can understand the potential of the device and it's software platform, but the reality of what it can do now isn't there for me. As of right now, I can't use it for work at all, the software apps that would make me able to give up a notebook or netbook just aren't there yet. So I'm on the fence, myself. It's 20/80 in favor of returning/selling it.

What troubles me more is this: whenever there have been any complaints about the device from other users, some people have gotten nasty in their defense of the product, as though any criticism of it (no matter how valid) is too much. I'm not a troll nor an Apple fan, or any of that. Just a professional trying to make this work somehow, and I'm obviously not alone.

[FF22]

For my part, I'm struggling. I can understand the potential of the device and it's software platform, but the reality of what it can do now isn't there for me. As of right now, I can't use it for work at all, the software apps that would make me able to give up a notebook or netbook just aren't there yet. So I'm on the fence, myself. It's 20/80 in favor of returning/selling it.

What troubles me more is this: whenever there have been any complaints about the device from other users, some people have gotten nasty in their defense of the product, as though any criticism of it (no matter how valid) is too much. I'm not a troll nor an Apple fan, or any of that. Just a professional trying to make this work somehow, and I'm obviously not alone.

You are not alone. I probably did not have a great need for the PB. I tend to like how it functions but it is sorely lacking in some particulars that I have not shied away from mentioning. I guess some folks are concerned that any criticism might ward off potential buyers and the fewer buyers the less support from 3rd parties. I can see that to some extent but rim also needs to fix certain things to make the platform more amenable to users. My pet peeves are hard to place cursor when attempting to edit typos especially in apps like email where there is NO ZOOM function and in the address bar. A very weak spreadsheet app. A browser that does not have a search function on the current webpage, no bookmark organizing or even renaming, no homepage shortcut and no top/bottom of webpage shortcut. A pdf viewer from the 19th Century with no find/search and no jump to page. No folders within folders to allow better organizing. Seriously, even my OS 5 BB phone allows me to create folders for my apps and move items off the home page or hide icons. The ADVANCED PB can't even do that - sad.

I'm no troll either but the supporters suggesting that all of this will come in future updates have overlooked the fact that some of these functions should have been in the released product. I don't need 1,000's of apps or probably even hundreds. But I would like some basic functions that I think were overlooked or shortchanged when they released the pb. Taking months to release the development kit certainly does not generate enthusiasm by developers.

[PDADoctor]

Exactly! I couldn't have said it better myself. It's a shame. I'm a loyal BlackBerry user, and consider myself fairly representative of the core user base they used to cater to: actual business people, and not whimsy consumers (the medical field is the largest vertical market in the world, followed by the legal profession).

I feel as though RIM has abandoned those users in their quest for more money to line their pockets. And despite protests to the contrary, I still feel strongly that, had they stayed with what got them this far, they would have made just as much money.

[shootsscores]

Odd that the sentiment on "whimsy" Wall Street is just the opposite of what pdad expressed: missing the growth train -and it is all about growth on WS- by not pandering enough to that whimsy consumer with 100000 fart apps.

[PDADoctor]

Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way, but I have always labored under the impression that if a company produces a solid enough product to a particular user base, the rest would take care of itself. My statement was not intended to offend anyone, just my observation, FWIW; not much, in any case.

[jschu22]

Finally some reasonable comments here instead of just ignorance and excuses.

To the PB/RIM apologists out there: What are you really getting from your blind faith?

[saalnaz]

why do people moan so much?

if you are unhappy with it just return it...your tactics of trying to weaken peoples trust in the product they like are WEAK..

nobody wants to hear about your whining and how you are about to return your device....


if you are unhappy with it, return it...
im sure RIM get flooded with emails of areas of improvements and what they should do..instead of moaning and writing so many threads, wouldnt it be better if you email RIM about your concerns??

[jbrians]

I have had my PB from day 1. I like it.
It DOESN'T replace my notebook computer and at times I just have to suck it up and carry both.
Having said that, compared to the iPad, I find it much handier because of the size. Sometimes, smaller is better. Of all the people I know with tablets, most of the 10" form factor, sit on a coffee table after the first week. Mine is in my briefcase all the time.
I could live without a tablet but my notebook is required for work.
I find the PB gets used mostly for reading .pdf magazines, ebooks and music, then email and lastly as an extension to my Storm 1 via bridge.
I'm glad I got it. It's a slick device.

[jschu22]

why do people moan so much?

if you are unhappy with it just return it...your tactics of trying to weaken peoples trust in the product they like are WEAK..

nobody wants to hear about your whining and how you are about to return your device....


if you are unhappy with it, return it...
im sure RIM get flooded with emails of areas of improvements and what they should do..instead of moaning and writing so many threads, wouldnt it be better if you email RIM about your concerns??

While I understand your stance, I just dont understand the users here that just support out of loyalty. I do LIKE the PB, but it is inferior to other tablet options. Even if you consider size and the most important factor, the HTC Flyer offers more features at the same price. I would not have paid full price (I had several Office Depot giftcards) for a device that doesnt have autocorrection, autocapitalization, bluetooth audio and a long list of features that all other manufacturers offer, including Blackberry.

This blind faith rewards no one but a lazy manufacturer.