[howarmat]

i wouldnt buy it until OS10 is for sure going to be available in some way. To much out there for 150-200 that is fully supported and have great hardware with better battery life. But again it depends on the uses. If you have to have HDMI out then its a +1 for the PB.

[bitek]

i know it is hard to say it but it looks like playbook is afterthought for blackberry at this point. when have you seen last update. I could live without BB10 on Playbook but I find it outrages that Blackberry could not update Playbook browser to Z10 standards. Browsing internet on Playbook is not that good at all. No new major apps, just some new games.

[bpdude]

Even with all its limitations it's worth 149 bucks. I have all the ipad and nexus tabs and I still use the pb once a day. Have been for the last 2 years. Turn off java and flash and it will hang with anything.

[oilgeo10]

Ordered a 32GB Blackberry Playbook wednesday and it came in just 10mins ago! yes buy one!!

Where did you order it from?
I went for another PB yesterday after getting a email notification from eBay, on a clearance sale of used 32 gb's from Staples Canada for $109 & free shipping. They were described as like new, so I ordered one to add as an entertainment audio / video to my home theater system.

Anyway, to my surprise the invoice is from Surplus By Design, ebay store that sells a lot of used PlayBooks. Guess they are tied to the Staples Clearance on ebay or operate it.

Posted via CB10

[bloodyrek]

Where did you order it from?
I went for another PB yesterday after getting a email notification from eBay, on a clearance sale of used 32 gb's from Staples Canada for $109 & free shipping. They were described as like new, so I ordered one to add as an entertainment audio / video to my home theater system.

Anyway, to my surprise the invoice is from Surplus By Design, ebay store that sells a lot of used PlayBooks. Guess they are tied to the Staples Clearance on ebay or operate it.

Posted via CB10

SurplusByDesign on ebay as well
Real fast shipping and it says used, the thing looks brand new

[Angus_CB]

i wouldnt buy it until OS is for sure going to be available in some way. To much out there for 150-200 that is fully supported and have great hardware with better battery life. But again it depends on the uses. If you have to have HDMI out then its a +1 for the PB.

HDMI is a very good feature that I forgot about. For me it's enough to make me rethink my earlier answer.
I use my Playbook probably 75% of the time for video. Usually just watching on the Playbook screen buy I do use HDMI in hotels. The other 25% of it's usage is web browsing.

It's funny how you get used to things and expect all tablets to have the same features.
The Nexus 7 that I thought I would buy, if I were buying today, does not have HDMI out or MHL support.

[Billaboard]

I bought my cheap Playbook off ebay, and because I didn't expect to get it for my low bid, accidentally bought a Chinese Android device as well. The Android has a 50% faster processor and, of course, many more apps, but everything is so much better on the PB.

The user interface is streets ahead, the alarm clock is superb, I can listen to radio from around the world, I can use the piano app to check out musical ideas and I can get emails etc. I can record videos of my guitar playing and the audio and video is far more than adequate. I have used the PB far more than the Android. Negatives for the OP would be that it's a bit unwieldy to use as a camera,although it works very well, I think there is something not quite right about the networking, and there is a bit of a lack of apps.

My Android device (made by Eken) is faster, but has very much worse battery life, needs memory cards to give it adequate storage, and has a dreadful microphone, poor audio playback and less good video. The user interface is nowhere near as good as the PB.

Like the OP, I primarily use a laptop for most useful things, a basic clamshell mobile phone, and the tablet for simple entertainment and things like notes. I haven't yet found a newsgroup newsreader app, which is something that I would use if it were there (I hate these graphic intensive forums).

[Yasharal]

That was a straight up honest response. I bought the 64gb last year (not a bad deal at all for $200 bucks) & it has been a love hate thing. I am looking at buying a W8 tablet at this point b/c it can honestly be my laptop away from my real laptop. Samsung just announced that they are releasing one that runs W8 & Android. RIM aka BB are leaving PB owners hanging & that ain't cool at all! "Later this year for BB10"?...puhlease. Later this year I am hoping for a slew of W8 tabs to hit the market or dare I say a new Ipad mini (if go with a toy instead of production). The PB is getting old & do we honestly believe BB10 is going to make it any newer? It will probably work harder b/c it has more to do with the updated OS. I am loading my sock full of pennies right now so I can bounce to something else.

Oh yeah, I guess the "don't say nothing bad about the PB or BB" posse & boogeymen will have something about what I just said.

[blueberrymerry]

I'll probably jump to a Win8 tablet if it has USB host support, HDMI out either directly or via MHL, a MicroSD card slot and a digitizer stylus. The Surface Pro already has this so hopefully someone will make something similar in a 7" or 8" form factor running WinRT. I don't care about legacy x86 apps as long as decent WinRT replacements are available.

The PB might not get BB10 at all or it will get BB10 when that no longer matters.

[bambinoitaliano]

You don't get fan boy in this thread. Many of us who own PlayBook know it's limitation. I was never in the market for a tablet. Not a big video game player. It's adequate as an entertaining device. Web surfing, watching movies and TV shows. Great speaker for music. Work great with music gate way. E reader much better than my Kobo. It's a great travel companion. Ease of use with the swiping gestures. All in all pretty decent two year d device. Anyone looking for more should just invest in other tablets.

Posted via CB10

[blueberrymerry]

Well, most people who initially bought the PB were looking for a business-grade tablet. That's what BBRY called it but what early buyers got was a half-assed joke that didn't do business or consumer stuff well.

So we're still looking for a good business-grade tablet Any recommendations? At the moment Win8 tablets look the most promising for this.

[howarmat]

win 8 tablets are great but really expensive. I still would consider one if it dual boots android out of the box

[hreiner1]

no - you are buying a 2 year old technology, even with BB OS 10 you still have an old underpowered tablet

[jpash549]

I'll probably jump to a Win8 tablet if it has USB host support, HDMI out either directly or via MHL, a MicroSD card slot and a digitizer stylus. The Surface Pro already has this so hopefully someone will make something similar in a 7" or 8" form factor running WinRT. I don't care about legacy x86 apps as long as decent WinRT replacements are available.

The PB might not get BB10 at all or it will get BB10 when that no longer matters.

The Acer Iconia W3 is an 8.1 inch tablet running win 8 pro. It comes with the windows student addition loaded and has an accessory bluetooth full size keyboard. Believe it would meet the above requirements except maybe for the stylus. Has the Intel Atom 2760 with 2 GB of RAM.The tablet weighs 500 grams.

[dphjeff]

I purchased three PlayBooks. It's still a good device even if it's two years old and with or without BB10.

[blueberrymerry]

Wow, the Iconia W3 looks like a good deal. Amazon shows roughly similar prices for both the Iconia W3 and the Galaxy Note 8.0. Now the tradeoff is between full x86 Windows compatibility, longer battery life on ARM, a proper stylus, and Android hackability...

[FF22]

I'll probably jump to a Win8 tablet if it has USB host support, HDMI out either directly or via MHL, a MicroSD card slot and a digitizer stylus. The Surface Pro already has this so hopefully someone will make something similar in a 7" or 8" form factor running WinRT. I don't care about legacy x86 apps as long as decent WinRT replacements are available.

The PB might not get BB10 at all or it will get BB10 when that no longer matters.

While MS is behind RT, not sure how many others are. So waiting for apps for it, might not be much different than waiting for apps for the PB. Going for yet another oddball OS is not something I relish at the moment but I could be very wrong.

[joshua_sx1]

At this moment of time, buying PlayBook is no longer a question of whether you buy it or not... it is definitely a "NO"...

Even Mr. Thorsten Heins himself wouldn't but it now!

Posted via Z10

[theprawn]

But Joshua, you are not taking into account the fact that they just upgraded to a folding cell phone. Our idea of relevant / currently and their's is not the same. While there are plenty of superior tablets out there, the price is hard to beat.

Nexus 7 might be the next best bet... though I think the optimal solution would be to forgo the tablet and jump to a smart phone. It'll handle reading and photos.

You don't want to take pictures with a tablet. http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=padhole

Posted via CB10

[FF22]

But Joshua, you are not taking into account the fact that they just upgraded to a folding cell phone. Our idea of relevant / currently and their's is not the same. While there are plenty of superior tablets out there, the price is hard to beat.

Nexus 7 might be the next best bet... though I think the optimal solution would be to forgo the tablet and jump to a smart phone. It'll handle reading and photos.

You don't want to take pictures with a tablet. Don't be a Padhole.

Posted via CB10

That is pretty funny. I think CLUNKY is the word I used.

[SummertimeSally]

Lenovo ThinkPad, if you want to shill out the bucks. If I weren't going to grad school and having to pinch my pennies, I would graviate toward the ThinkPad.

[SummertimeSally]

Thank you for all your responses, both positive and negative. It has given me a wide spectrum of opinions to consider from experienced users. The common positive thread is that multimedia is great, it can handle some other apps, and the interface is superb. Having a good screen is a priority for me.

While I agree that PlayBook maybe be a dead duck, I have to think of other things thata I still use which are no longer cutting edge. For example, my Panasonic microwave. I like having dial which I can turn in a second instead of having to punch in the heat setting and timer with a keypad. However, I wouldn't trade my electronic stovetop, washer or dryer for analogue models because they are my daily workhorses.

The tablet is a secondary device for convenience as my Acer notebook handles the major computer chores.

That said, since the pros outweight the cons - for my particular situation - and the price for new Playbook is dirt cheap, I have decided to buy one next month. Like my preciou Saab 9-3 2D, someday it will just get too many miles and not be worth maintaining. But until then, it gets me from point A to point B in a sporty way.

Thanks again for your honest input. I appreciate the naysayers and what they would look for in a new tablet. That will be 2 years from now when I graduate and hopefully step into a great new job.

In closing, the Playbook for me is exactly what the name says: a handy toy which will make life a bit more convenient when notebook is just too much machine for the task at hand.

HAVE A GOOD SUMMER, ALL OF YOU!!!

[joshua_sx1]

But Joshua, you are not taking into account the fact that they just upgraded to a folding cell phone. Our idea of relevant / currently and their's is not the same. While there are plenty of superior tablets out there, the price is hard to beat. [/url]

Posted via CB10

My only point is, why would you buy something that even the CEO of that product would no longer buy it?

Posted via Z10

[Eskibo]

Here's my opinion.
The PlayBook is a very nice piece of tech, but you need to remember that it is old, and most likely won't be supported in a short while. The software still is on kinda okay, but some areas are a bit lacking, such as the browser. If you buy one I am sure you will get a good device for cheap money, but you will probably not stay content for long. If the PlayBook by chance gets an OS10 update, well then it's a different story

Posted via CB10

[gkwo]

I think you are making a mistake buying the PlayBook at this point. BlackBerry has basically abandoned it. The car analogy doesn't work here. PB is a completely closed system, if something doesn't work correctly or as you like, you can't just open up the hood and tinker with it.

I was a loyal PB owner since the beginning, but there are just too many problems that have never been resolved. The email client is terribly slow. WiFi antenna is weak because when I traveled with it I often had trouble connecting when my phone or wife's iPad didn't. The browser is sluggish and crashes a lot, especially with multiple tabs. Yes it's good for media, and yes it can be used to browse, but there are just so many better options now in the market.

I picked up a Nook HD+ which was on sale from B&N for $149 this week. What a difference. The multitasking isn't as slick as PB, but everything else is miles ahead. Chrome browser is fast, reliable, syncs your bookmarks, multiple tabs are a pleasure to use. And of course more apps than you could possibly need.

I still enjoy my Z10 and maybe if BB actually decides to update the PB I'd come back, but for now it sits in my drawer.