[virtuouskate]

I'm debating about getting a tablet because I'm away from home--and therefore my computer--so much for work. I mostly want to browse the web, email, play the occasional game, and watch videos/listen to music, all of which I've read that the PlayBook does well. But I have some questions that I haven't seen addressed anywhere yet.

1) How sturdy is the hardware? My biggest (and practically only) gripe with BlackBerry's phones is that they don't seem to last very long. I've had 3 Curve 8520s and now a Curve 9300, and on all of them, the trackpad has worn out or stopped working pretty quickly. One of them simply wouldn't come on one day after it froze up and I had to remove the battery, and I think one had a dead pixel in the screen. The touchpad on my current one jumps around especially if I'm in bright or low light and occasionally stops responding altogether. I can't justify shelling out hundreds for something that won't last.

2) How customizable is it? I know themes are not currently an option, but I really hate those scrolling menus (favorites, frequent, etc.) in OS6 and I know the PlayBook has the same kind of setup. And I get bored with the same style and colors on my phone all the time, but I only have one OS5-style theme and I can't change anything except the wallpaper.

3) Are there any known issues with BlackBerry Bridge and slightly older phones? I have a Curve 9300 and upgrading is not going to be a possibility for awhile if I buy a tablet. There's no wi-fi where I work so I'd have to use my phone to get online and I want to use it for email. (Not holding my breath for the OS2 upgrade.) Also, I live outside of the 3G area so I'm usually on EDGE instead of a faster connection speed.

Thanks so much! I've been reading up on tablets the last few days and my brain is so crammed with information that means nothing to me that my head is starting to spin!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[EFats]

1) Hardware? Seems pretty darn solid to me, it's not something I worry about. I keep it in the foam sleeve provided and just toss it in my backpack everyday to commute. No problems so far. Just for comparison, I have iPad, Macbook and several Thinkpads kicking around and this one is at least as good.

2) Aaah, customizability? Someone let me know if I missed something, but the only thing I can change is wallpaper and language. On the other hand, what can I do with my iPad? Same thing.

3) Internet, can't really help you there. I'm on Wi-Fi, which is a bit of a pain, but I can't seem to pair it with my Nokia. It sees it, but something goofs up. I've searched around and someone reported being able to do it with my model, but no luck here. I'll bet most of the newer Blackberry's will be just fine, but I don't have experience.

If you can live with the lack of apps, then I would say get it. Or wait for some unknown time when they start slashing prices. My opinion is, the apps issue aside, this is hands down a better tablet than my iPad.

[FF22]

You can change the wallpaper but at the moment that is about all you can alter. There are no folders per se - you have five tabs: All, Bridge, Favorites, Media and Games.

If you have a bb phone, then bridge provides the email - same as on phone. Otherwise you have to use web access to see all mail if you have filters on some accounts or you don't get some accounts on the phone.

It seems like a solidly built unit - pretty tight although some folks have issues with the 3 buttons not having the feedback "feel" they think they should have.

[Chaddface]

1) Seems sturdy enough. My PB gets thrown around, dropped and slobbered on daily. I haven't noticed any problems thus far.

2) You can move the icons around between the five tabs. The all tab will always have all the icons. In the other 4 tabs you can move, add or delete icons between them. This will probably change with the update.

3) You should try it before you buy. It easy to pair a PB to your phone. Download the app and head out to a store. Pair up to a PB and turn off the wifi on the PB and your phone. It should function fine but that would give you a better idea of the speed of the internet. It's only going to be as fast as your connection and phone.

[saalnaz]

just came out from a meeting using it while being bridged to my 9700 (soon to be 9900)..

- nice to reply to emails while in meetings if you are not talking...
- can do a quick check on companies you are meeting if they are new to you
- open the notes and write notes from the meeting and you can send it immediately


great companion in meetings especially if its bridged..

the great thing in todays meeting was the bloody wifi was not working so hey **...being bridged i did a quick research on the company we were meeting through the bridged browser...

a fantastic little gadget...and it will only get better with time..

p.s. the bridge seems quicker and emails feel solid when sending forwarding etc...i also noticed the email functions tabs places have changed places when you reply to an email...

cant wait to get the 9900 to pair it with the PB as the speed of internet browsing will be even better...

[blackjack93117]

Compared to other tabs I have seen, this is the most solid rugged piece of hardware out there. Even a little heavier per unit volume, but to me that means durable.

I've heard the scrolling menus are going away in OS 2.0 but personally I like them.

[LimeTripBlog]

3) Internet, can't really help you there. I'm on Wi-Fi, which is a bit of a pain, but I can't seem to pair it with my Nokia. It sees it, but something goofs up. I've searched around and someone reported being able to do it with my model, but no luck here. I'll bet most of the newer Blackberry's will be just fine, but I don't have experience..

I use my 3 year old nokia 3600 to connect to my pb it works fine. LimeTrip's Channel - YouTube

Try to pair your nokia to your Playbook, then use it.

[virtuouskate]

Thanks, everyone! Lots of great, useful information. I don't really think the lack of apps will be a problem. I have less than a dozen downloaded to my phone and I don't use most of them. Mostly I want the PlayBook for core features like a better, faster browser than my phone has, with flash support, better sound and video playback, bigger screen, etc.

I saw in another topic where someone's cursor was moving around, which is what my phone's does when it's in dark or bright light--I have to actually hold my thumb over the touchpad even while I'm typing or looking at the screen to keep it in place--and that's what made me wonder if I'd have hardware problems a few months in like I always do with my phones. (Not terribly concerned about that, though. My problem has always been with the touchpad, and obviously, that's not an issue with the PlayBook.)

@Chaddface: That's a good idea, but trying it out isn't really an option for me. I've only seen one, at a Wal-Mart SuperCenter in another town, and it was turned off. The guy behind the counter "didn't think customers were allowed to touch them," even though the display models weren't under glass and the iPad 2 was on and usable, so I haven't had an opportunity to try one at all.

@blackjack93117: According to some reviews I read, RIM has made a lot of big promises with the upcoming update. I wish they'd add themes, or at least customization options, but they said themselves that they'd only add that "at a later date, if the demand was great enough."

I guess I'll see if I can find any good deals. I think the Staples sale is over now? And the back-to-school rebate ends either today or tomorrow. There's some talk about upcoming price cuts, though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com