[angkorbeer]

... That being said, I decided that the Playbook is the device that best suits my business and personal needs. From its seamless document integration and powerful business tools to "the best" tablet browser on the market, IMHO- this is the best overall value in the tablet market today.

...

Slider

Personally, I've been very disappointed by the PB's supposed "professional" orientation. The apps available for office work are extremely basic.

If you want a good calendar, good email and contacts apps, it's fine. But I bought it with using and editing Office documents in mind (Word and Excel especially). The native Docs to Go app is ridiculously limited, plus it doesn't work properly with my Excel sheets so far. And other available apps are all equally limited. Only one android app (Officesuite Pro) offers the basic functions one would want, but it doesn't work on the PB. And I could say the same for working with pdf files.

Now, I don't know if these functionalities are needed by many people, but they were among the reasons I wanted a tablet, and why I thought the PB would be useful.

My only hope was to eventually see better apps being developed, but if RIM keeps going down, I guess I'll be stuck with what there is at the moment...

Otherwise, the Pb is probably the best tablet if, like me, you don't want to have to rely on wifi everywhere and all the time : another reason I wanted a tablet was to be able to work on the go, including abroad, in places where internet is not always available. Its 64g storage capacity makes it a good tool in that respect. At least, it can serve as a good travel companion : bringing music and movies, taking pictures and videos, while being very portable (and concealable). (Though, as far as being a good travel companion, one would appreciate the ability to video chat with people who don't all own PBs...)
But it has so far proven not very useful as a work tool for me, other than for reading documents; and a Kindle would have been good enough for that....

[utsmaster18]

Why not just get the Nexus 7 at this point? Unless Bridge is your ace in the hole, there is almost no reason to pick up the Playbook anymore. The Nexus 7 can do everything the playbook can with more apps at your disposal. The argument of fluidity etc. is not an issue with Jelly Bean either. Obviously the apps are much greater in volume/quality so there is no argument there. Even if you were a content junkie and found the prices of Google Play content pricey, the Nexus still is a viable alternative to the Kindle fire.

Btw, I'm selling my 16 GB Playbook (LNIB) if interested send me a PM

[Hawnz]

Why not just get the Nexus 7 at this point? Unless Bridge is your ace in the hole, there is almost no reason to pick up the Playbook anymore. The Nexus 7 can do everything the playbook can with more apps at your disposal. The argument of fluidity etc. is not an issue with Jelly Bean either. Obviously the apps are much greater in volume/quality so there is no argument there. Even if you were a content junkie and found the prices of Google Play content pricey, the Nexus still is a viable alternative to the Kindle fire.

Btw, I'm selling my 16 GB Playbook (LNIB) if interested send me a PM

I really think people should wait till full reviews of the Nexus 7 comes out. You can't expand storage, the USB micro port will not support flash drives. Adobe Flash is not supported on jellybean 4.1, but I understand you can download it. On some test units, seems battery life is not as promised. But for me it is color saturation and brightness. Until I see, can't say much.

[dugggggg]

My PB has a cracked screen---a single crack running from top to bottom in landscape mode. Although it's (surprisingly) barely noticeable, and has zero effect (so far) on the touch screen, it bugs me that the chimpanzee glass failed so utterly. Now, I could buy a new digitizer and install it myself for under $36, but I'm not 100% confident that the PB would still work or look good afterward. Or I could pay to have it done professionally for $100 more---but at that price, I could get a practically new 16GB PB on eBay.

I would love to own a Nexus 7, as I suspect its browser would run circles around the PB's, both in terms of performance and added features. And Android sounds fun. But I very rarely have WiFi available, and BB Bridge awesomely lets me surf the web and use email on my PB---totally free of hotspot charges, which is majorly huge. Because even at $20/mo we're talking nearly $500 for the Nexus' first year's use alone---and the reason I bought a true $200 tablet in the first place.

Decisions, decisions.

[DarcDroid]

Upcoming Nexus 7 is better choice if you need decent office app, cross-platform video chat, and more entertainment apps

You can buy both if you want, each only cost you �200$ thus still less than an iPad2

[dennie82]

If you're satisfied with the Playbook at its current level, then go ahead and buy one. If you're expecting more from the Playbook, then yes it's risky. I only use the Playbook for browsing, reading, and listening to the music.

[Rangrfan]

I really think people should wait till full reviews of the Nexus 7 comes out. You can't expand storage, the USB micro port will not support flash drives. Adobe Flash is not supported on jellybean 4.1, but I understand you can download it. On some test units, seems battery life is not as promised. But for me it is color saturation and brightness. Until I see, can't say much.

You can't expand storage on PlayBook either. PlayBook doesn't support flash drives either. Battery life on PlayBook wasn't as promised either. So uhhh.... Fail

[mud314]

At this point I would suggest you look at the Nexus Tablet. Only an id1iot or a fanboy would buy a PB at this point. You can be guaranteed a lot longer life, in regards to system updates to the Nexus Tab than you can with a PB. At this point no one is really sure when and if RIM will actually deliver.

[kolonji]

Ill sell ya my 64gb PlayBook. "Business Grade Tablet" pfffftttt

[Vorkosigan]

You can't expand storage on PlayBook either. PlayBook doesn't support flash drives either. Battery life on PlayBook wasn't as promised either. So uhhh.... Fail

Playbook starts out with 2x the amount of memory at the same price point.

[Vorkosigan]

I use my pb for work all the time.

Groovy notes is a fabulous app for notetaking - syncs notes as pdf's to dropbox although i don't even worry about that much.

With the mini-keyboard i have found docs to go much more functional - although still not quite as good as on my laptop- still i can do long docs on it with no problems

I can edit powerpoints but it is lacking that i can't create one on the pb.

Excel has some functionality - but it is lacking quite a bit so i usually only use it for viewing or to reference a chart or graph data that i need.

Pdfreader is a great native pdf app that is quickly filling that gap the pb had in the included pdf reader.

It depends on your needs - but i rarely use my laptop since i got my pb. I can take my pb with me anywhere and for what i need it does the job. I'm not worried about RIM disappearing. Apple worked in a niche market with very little market share for a long time.

[BBplaybookJS]

The latest financial report from RIM is not a good one. With a loss of approximately 30% in sales, the question that begs to be answered is...

How risky is it to purchase a Playbook that may not have a company supporting it one year from now?

I have been researching tablets and the Playbook by far has received the most accolades of any tablet excluding the iPad.

Slider

Really, where have you found all these positive reviews? If I had paid any attention to the reviews from the "experts" I read when I was researching I probably wouldn't have bought the three Playbooks I did

[Bmilano3161]

What business functions does the Nexus 7 offer, either in installed software or programs I can install? For example, I need the ability to easily and seamlessly read, edit and attach Word type docs to emails and forms within a web browser. Can PBThe Playbook do this? As I stated earlier, my main concern about the Playbook is with RIM and their financial troubles as a company. I dont have doubt about their software or technical concerns aboutnthe product.

Another consideration is the Playbook costs $299 for 64GB while the Nexus is $199 for only 16GB

Thanks

[Bmilano3161]

Really, where have you found all these positive reviews? If I had paid any attention to the reviews from the "experts" I read when I was researching I probably wouldn't have bought the three Playbooks I did

Youre kidding me, right? Go to Amazon and CNET and read the user reviews. The vast majority of reviews are very positive for the PB

[grover5]

What business functions does the Nexus 7 offer, either in installed software or programs I can install? For example, I need the ability to easily and seamlessly read, edit and attach Word type docs to emails and forms within a web browser. Can PBThe Playbook do this? As I stated earlier, my main concern about the Playbook is with RIM and their financial troubles as a company. I dont have doubt about their software or technical concerns aboutnthe product.



Another consideration is the Playbook costs $299 for 64GB while the Nexus is $199 for only 16GB



Thanks

Actually the Nexus is $199 for 8 GB. I edit and email word docs on a daily basis with my PlayBook.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[grover5]

Youre kidding me, right? Go to Amazon and CNET and read the user reviews. The vast majority of reviews are very positive for the PB

The user reviews are usually very positive on those sites...its in crackberry where you have the 10 or so users who have been crying about their tablet for the last year. They tend to drowned out everyone else unfortunately.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[howarmat]

What business functions does the Nexus 7 offer, either in installed software or programs I can install? For example, I need the ability to easily and seamlessly read, edit and attach Word type docs to emails and forms within a web browser. Can PBThe Playbook do this? As I stated earlier, my main concern about the Playbook is with RIM and their financial troubles as a company. I dont have doubt about their software or technical concerns aboutnthe product.

Another consideration is the Playbook costs $299 for 64GB while the Nexus is $199 for only 16GB

Thanks

yes you would easily be able to to all of that with many different office suites and googles docs if needed with the nexus. Docs-to-go is better on android than the PB sadly.

[BBplaybookJS]

Youre kidding me, right? Go to Amazon and CNET and read the user reviews. The vast majority of reviews are very positive for the PB

Aaaaaah IC I was referring to the "legitimate" press

[AlienSlacker]

I would not hesitate to buy one and Rim is going to be around for a long time. I wouldnt put to much stock in what alot of the negative arm chair quarterbacks are saying.

[Hawnz]

You can't expand storage on PlayBook either. PlayBook doesn't support flash drives either. Battery life on PlayBook wasn't as promised either. So uhhh.... Fail

Fail? It was a post that just saying to wait. People come here to complain about promises by RIM. Now they should just trust Google?

[avidberry]

Well, IMO, iPad 1 is still usable despite of the old hardware and fact that Apple has "abandoned" it with the new iOS. Frankly, even iOS 5 was already a little bit too much for it. Even Touchpad is currently still useful if you ported ICS into it.

So, I wouldn't worry about RIM's going concern and its effect to the software updates. If you are currently satisfied with what PB has to offer, then go for it! Even if RIM goes bankrupt (heaven forbids), PB is still very usable. I don't believe in buying gadget with "potential". I chose PB because I think I'm good with all the shortcomings it had. Perhaps you should've taken that into consideration.

Lastly, I assume price is one of your major concern. In that case, your best choice (other than PB) is Kindle Fire and the coming Nexus 7.

All being said, I'd rather wait for 4G PB with updated specs or Nexus 7 before making any decision.

[nofiz]

I doubt that the company, or whoever takes over it, will discontinue their support of the tablet.

As for "seamless document integration and powerful business tools to "the best" tablet browser on the market"", this may not be entirely true. The Playbook has the least of integration and fewest business tools among the major platforms. Its web browser is decent in terms of page rendering and speed, but tremendously basic (it lacks quite a few fundamental features). With this said, you really need to know what you will use the tablet for and do research before purchasing one.

Edit: Check my signature

Kenny where do you get that info. About battery recharge count battery health etc.

[Fuzzballz]

I use my PB for 3 things:

1) surfing the web on the go (using bridge)
2) perusing PDF documents during meetings (which I download via bridge from my Dropbox folder)
3) an alarm clock on the go

I use it about 1-3 hours per month. It works fine for that use.

[kennyliu]

Kenny where do you get that info. About battery recharge count battery health etc.

It's an app called Battery Guru. Look for it in the App World.

[nextcity]

Buy at suggested prices above. Due to tremendous build quality, great desktop-like browser, great wi-fi, great cameras, and super cheap accessories. Keep in your glove box as you would an emergency flashlight, if nothing else. It will not become obsolete if RIM does not survive.