1. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    In the midst of all this heated discussion about the lack of word about the PlayBook update at BB Live, a thought struck me. One that would actually explain some of the odd gaps in BB's communications, and even account for some of Heins' recent comments predicting the demise of the self-contained tablet...

    How's this: BB ultimately maintains 2 platforms for the PlayBook. The current OS2.1 platform would be maintained, along with its ecosystem of the existing App, Music, and Video stores. An optional BB10 update really IS coming, but there's a catch: the PlayBook would no longer be an independent device. It would essentially become a "dumb" screen for a BB10 phone, and would be completely dependent on it.

    For customers still on the "old" BBOS, they'd maintain full Bridge functionality (my scenario would see little if any compatibility with BBOS devices for a BB10 PlayBook). I'd hope we'd see an "OS2.2" that would, say, include some Cascades UI libraries and the BB10 browser, but little else.

    The dumb tablet idea for BB10 is attractive from both a technical standpoint and a business one. There'd be no discussion about PBOS devs migrating their apps to BB10, because the tablet would just connect to the phone and act as a screen for its apps. And that pesky RAM limitation wouldn't be an issue.

    The catch? You could have EITHER a standalone OS2.1 PlayBook, OR a dumb tablet that essentially acts as a remote screen for a BB10 phone, but not both. Which is sure to attract criticism.

    BTW, this also explains some of the delay for the update. WiFi-direct is coming with BB10.2, which would be a much-preferred way to communicate with such a "dumb screen" than Bluetooth...
    05-19-13 05:59 PM
  2. allen832008's Avatar
    Now that's an interesting concept! While I like the originality of this speculation, I think this would be a huge mistake by BlackBerry. They could possibly pull this off on a new device, but not an existing one that they have stated would receive a full BB10 update. You would alienate certain users that would more than likely stay if the PlayBook receives BB10.
    05-19-13 06:36 PM
  3. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    Now that's an interesting concept! While I like the originality of this speculation, I think this would be a huge mistake by BlackBerry. They could possibly pull this off on a new device, but not an existing one that they have stated would receive a full BB10 update. You would alienate certain users that would more than likely stay if the PlayBook receives BB10.
    Agreed, this wouldn't represent a "full" update, and such a compromise might prove unacceptable to some users. Which might explain the company's sudden reluctance to discuss the PlayBook and its future.

    From the awesome virtual keyboard of my Z10
    05-19-13 06:40 PM
  4. Barracuda7772's Avatar
    I really hope that's not case, but it seems very plausable given Heins "vision" of mobile computing.
    but I still don't see it happening because I believe BBRY wants to ditch pbos altogether
    05-19-13 06:41 PM
  5. bluenote's Avatar
    I don't think they would implement "the dumb device" on the current Playbook, whose insides are created as a mini computer and whose customers bought it for that purpose--too confusing.
    05-19-13 06:54 PM
  6. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    I don't think they would implement "the dumb device" on the current Playbook, whose insides are created as a mini computer and whose customers bought it for that purpose--too confusing.
    Part of what prompted my speculation was the concern that the PlayBook may not have QUITE enough juice to run a full implementation of BB10. The full version that came out for the Dev Alpha did run, but I do think that it could prove disappointing for some. I honestly think a dumb terminal to my Z10 would ultimately prove more usable. Especially if my phone had access to the tablet's storage.

    From the awesome virtual keyboard of my Z10
    05-19-13 07:09 PM
  7. lawguyman's Avatar
    I don't think they would implement "the dumb device" on the current Playbook, whose insides are created as a mini computer and whose customers bought it for that purpose--too confusing.
    "Dumb" may not mean stupid. Future BB tablets could be a lot like Playbook in terms of specs. OMAP is cheap. Low RAM. Maybe no HDMI out to make it cheaper. It could run BB10 but it will really come to life when bridged to a BB10 phone.
    05-19-13 07:18 PM
  8. Orange UK's Avatar
    Playbook become Dumbbook....if that's the case Dumbbook CEO thinks customers are Playbooks
    johnnyuk and antiRIM like this.
    05-19-13 07:22 PM
  9. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    "Dumb" may not mean stupid. Future BB tablets could be a lot like Playbook in terms of specs. OMAP is cheap. Low RAM. Maybe no HDMI out to make it cheaper. It could run BB10 but it will really come to life when bridged to a BB10 phone.
    I think given Heins' comments that BB is at least seriously considering selling such a device, if they haven't already committed to it. If such a dumb screen could sell for, say, $50, why not?

    And if such a device was on sale, it's not a huge stretch to think that BB might offer PlayBook owners the opportunity to essentially turn their own devices into such a screen.
    05-19-13 07:27 PM
  10. FF22's Avatar
    In the midst of all this heated discussion about the lack of word about the PlayBook update at BB Live, a thought struck me. One that would actually explain some of the odd gaps in BB's communications, and even account for some of Heins' recent comments predicting the demise of the self-contained tablet...

    How's this: BB ultimately maintains 2 platforms for the PlayBook. The current OS2.1 platform would be maintained, along with its ecosystem of the existing App, Music, and Video stores. An optional BB10 update really IS coming, but there's a catch: the PlayBook would no longer be an independent device. It would essentially become a "dumb" screen for a BB10 phone, and would be completely dependent on it.

    For customers still on the "old" BBOS, they'd maintain full Bridge functionality (my scenario would see little if any compatibility with BBOS devices for a BB10 PlayBook). I'd hope we'd see an "OS2.2" that would, say, include some Cascades UI libraries and the BB10 browser, but little else.

    The dumb tablet idea for BB10 is attractive from both a technical standpoint and a business one. There'd be no discussion about PBOS devs migrating their apps to BB10, because the tablet would just connect to the phone and act as a screen for its apps. And that pesky RAM limitation wouldn't be an issue.

    The catch? You could have EITHER a standalone OS2.1 PlayBook, OR a dumb tablet that essentially acts as a remote screen for a BB10 phone, but not both. Which is sure to attract criticism.

    BTW, this also explains some of the delay for the update. WiFi-direct is coming with BB10.2, which would be a much-preferred way to communicate with such a "dumb screen" than Bluetooth...
    I sincerely, truly, without doubt hope this is not a RIM trial balloon. Yes, take a perfectly independent device with a brain of its own and pith it like some poor frog and perform a frontal lobotomy. Maybe we should also put it in a pot of cold water and slowly increase the temperature so we can boil it without it becoming aware of the situation.

    This would not be a change to a dumb tablet. This would be a dumb tablet USER.

    Perish the thought.

    Just give us bb10 on an aware pb and restore the damn Bridge function.
    05-19-13 07:40 PM
  11. diegonei's Avatar
    I can see where you're going, but I really don't think that maintaining a third platform (BBOS, BB10, Tablet OS) fits their agenda.

    It would make much more sense, business wise, to just give it up and let the PlayBook die, as they will gradually do with BBOS.

    I personally think that we didin't see a beta of BB10 for PlayBook due to either one of these:

    • New tablet coming out soon
    • They are haing issues coping with the PB's 1GB ram


    And if it is really the latter. I can only say I told you so.. 1GB was never enough.
    05-19-13 07:56 PM
  12. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    I sincerely, truly, without doubt hope this is not a RIM trial balloon. Yes, take a perfectly independent device with a brain of its own and pith it like some poor frog and perform a frontal lobotomy. Maybe we should also put it in a pot of cold water and slowly increase the temperature so we can boil it without it becoming aware of the situation.

    This would not be a change to a dumb tablet. This would be a dumb tablet USER.

    Perish the thought.

    Just give us bb10 on an aware pb and restore the damn Bridge function.
    ...and that may well be what we're getting. My speculation is based on nothing more than my own seat-of-the-pants analysis.

    I guess the question I'm posing is, if the BB10 upgrade DOES turn out to be some kind of "de-contenting", would that be acceptable? Would it be preferable to no update at all?

    From the awesome virtual keyboard of my Z10
    05-19-13 07:57 PM
  13. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    I can see where you're going, but I really don't think that maintaining a third platform (BBOS, BB10, Tablet OS) fits their agenda.

    It would make much more sense, business wise, to just give it up and let the PlayBook die, as they will gradually do with BBOS.

    I personally think that we didin't see a beta of BB10 for PlayBook due to either one of these:

    • New tablet coming out soon
    • They are haing issues coping with the PB's 1GB ram


    And if it is really the latter. I can only say I told you so.. 1GB was never enough.
    The device I imagine them considering isn't a "platform" so much as an accessory. Not even an OS, essentially just firmware.

    From the awesome virtual keyboard of my Z10
    05-19-13 08:00 PM
  14. tufcustomer's Avatar
    Honestly, I'm one of those people who will use the Playbook regardless of whether they upgrade it to BB10 or not. I will not however stand to see it become an accessory to another device (no offense OP). If the Playbook is not sufficient to run BB10, I'd be okay with them at least delivering an update that provides a new browser (BB10) with a sufficiently updated pop up blocker, support for BB10 applications, and hopefully the updated android run time (if and when that comes with 10.2). Aside from that I am more than satisfied with the current UI and OS, and honestly find it a bit more attractive for a tablet then I assume BB10 would look on the Playbook in its current form. This way, we are "technically" running BB10.

    *Oh and as mentioned above, a revamped bridge with BB10 devices would be greatly appreciated.
    Toodeurep likes this.
    05-19-13 08:06 PM
  15. bambinoitaliano's Avatar
    I think given Heins' comments that BB is at least seriously considering selling such a device, if they haven't already committed to it. If such a dumb screen could sell for, say, $50, why not?

    And if such a device was on sale, it's not a huge stretch to think that BB might offer PlayBook owners the opportunity to essentially turn their own devices into such a screen.
    So essentially those who pay $500 would have an option to turn their playbooks into a $50 dumb screen? LOL!! I can see a wider acceptance from the corporate world. I like to believe majority of playbook owners are your regular consumers, not sure if they are happy to downgrade their tablets.
    05-19-13 08:29 PM
  16. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    So essentially those who pay $500 would have an option to turn their playbooks into a $50 dumb screen? LOL!! I can see a wider acceptance from the corporate world. I like to believe majority of playbook owners are your regular consumers, not sure if they are happy to downgrade their tablets.
    Part of my speculation is that the BB10 would provide a better experience as a remote screen for the phone than to have it natively running on the tablet.

    If the BB10 PlayBook actually functioned BETTER under this circumstance, why would it be a problem?

    From the awesome virtual keyboard of my Z10
    05-19-13 08:39 PM
  17. EchoesFX's Avatar
    I would think if the way of getting BB10 to the PlayBook involved it simply being a display and touch interface to a BB10 phone, there would be little reason to give 2.1 the boot to do so. Just make it a bridge app and call it a day.

    Posted via CB10
    Last edited by EchoesFX; 05-19-13 at 09:06 PM.
    05-19-13 08:43 PM
  18. bambinoitaliano's Avatar
    Part of my speculation is that the BB10 would provide a better experience as a remote screen for the phone than to have it natively running on the tablet.

    If the BB10 PlayBook actually functioned BETTER under this circumstance, why would it be a problem?

    From the awesome virtual keyboard of my Z10
    I don't need my playbook to serve as a dumb screen. Most of us have computer monitors and tv's at home to serve that function. I need an independent tablet that can function on it's own. BB10 supposedly able to enhance the experience further. Not by turning into a passive device.
    Eskibo likes this.
    05-19-13 08:51 PM
  19. joshua_sx1's Avatar
    One thing for sure, if they will create "dumb" tablet for the sake of being purposely a larger screen, they will and should make the screen more competitive than the current PlayBook's screen... there is nothing wrong with current PlayBook screen - it serves its purpose... only, it can't compete with "retina", "amoled" and/or those more than 400 PPI screens... which is becoming standard now...

    Posted via Z10
    05-19-13 09:04 PM
  20. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    One thing for sure, if they will create "dumb" tablet for the sake of being purposely a larger screen, they will and should make the screen more competitive than the current PlayBook's screen... there is nothing wrong with current PlayBook screen - it serves its purpose... only, it can't compete with "retina", "amoled" and/or those more than 400 PPI screens... which is becoming standard now...

    Posted via Z10
    If they do introduce a new device, I would take this as a given.

    Now, think about this for a minute. If you could have a "retina+" rez display tablet that ran all the content your phone has, and do it cheap, isn't that at least potentially interesting?

    From the awesome virtual keyboard of my Z10
    05-19-13 09:20 PM
  21. antiRIM's Avatar
    All I want it is a browser that doesn't crash all the time, actually plays videos (For example Yahoo), and when you type something into the URL it actually shows something that starts with the ******* letter you typed in.
    05-19-13 09:24 PM
  22. FF22's Avatar
    Part of my speculation is that the BB10 would provide a better experience as a remote screen for the phone than to have it natively running on the tablet.

    If the BB10 PlayBook actually functioned BETTER under this circumstance, why would it be a problem?

    From the awesome virtual keyboard of my Z10
    How can it function better when its a vegetable? How 'bout, because two heads are better than one. I can use my bbphone for one task and I can use my BRAIN-containing pb to perform another task. See, I, too, can multitask - phone:task1, pb:task2. Then when I want, I can have the pb display/BRIDGE, really BRIDGE, with my phone when AND IF, I want.

    Seriously, I hope you are not the Yukon head of Rim, testing our limits!
    spike12 likes this.
    05-19-13 09:24 PM
  23. drcrane's Avatar
    I expect based on super-duper, spaceship flying, nuke powering, Bentley BBMING, QNX that once my Z and PB both have BB10 I'll basically be holding a dual screen, quad-core, 3GB RAM supercomputer... only part of that is kidding, I really see some interesting possibilities!

    I certainly hope they don't come out with an update that forces users to have a BB10 phone though ... any update that can't standalone would be really dumb (no pun intended) .

    Posted via CB10
    05-19-13 09:34 PM
  24. blueberrymerry's Avatar
    It would be nice for fanboys to stop making excuses for RIMBBRY's incompetence, but fanboys being fanboys...

    BB10 could have come earlier for the PB because the Dev Alpha device has the same specs and that runs BB10 fine. Maybe BBRY are having trouble keeping Bridge functionality - with the Z10 and Q10, it's nothing more than dial-up tethering. Upgrading the PB to BB10 would turn it into a full independent device with a limited Bridge that won't work with older devices.

    Anyway I'm not a fanboy so I'm not giving BBRY a free pass for treating PB users so poorly. Those idiots running the show at Waterloo have completely lost any respect I had for them.
    05-19-13 09:35 PM
  25. jpash549's Avatar
    Even a dumb screen has to have power and enough processing power to handle taking a binary input and processing it, sending to drivers to light up the screen and possibly also handling sound and touch. The PB is supposed to this with bridge which uses Bluetooth I gather. So in principle I suppose you could run apps on the phone and display results on the PB. The phone operates like the main frame. The PB has to handle human input and display result output. Doesn't this sort of happen now with communications to the cloud as in Google apps? Couldn't the Playbook do something similar without having BB10? Would perhaps also involve a revision of BB10. Anyhow the PB screen is too small for me to be interested in it as a Dumb terminal. I already have a TV and a monitor that I can use with HDMI.

    Incidentally are there limitations in Bluetooth hardware on the PB which prevent full use of the bridge or is it simply a problem with the security setup?

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app
    05-19-13 09:44 PM
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